Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - FG noob build, looking for some guidance

Hey all,

i'm a born-again bike lover thanks to my dogs. i picked up a pair of bike tow leashes and it totally rekindled my love of bikes enough to get me going on a build project. Admittedly, I know nothing about bikes, but I'm very handy and I've got tons of tools and have fixed on motorcycles extensively in the past.

I picked up a frame in my size (6'1, 58) and I'm basically just looking for some guidance as to what parts I need at the moment. Guess I'll start with the headset: It looks like it's a partial FSA headset? I don't see the bottom piece that connects where the fork is, but I'm not sure whether that is even necessary with this frame?

I can't quite tell whether I need to buy a full headset or perhaps just some parts like the bearing holder?

Any help much appreciated!


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If that is what I think it is (a full carbon road frame) you should probably take it to a shop to make sure you don't destroy it while wrenching.

That's an integrated headset. pull up on the steerer tube and try to spin it. Does it spin smoothly? you're good to go.

If it doesn't, your bearings are upside down, or you're missing something.



also, take a picture of the dropouts for us. The place where the back wheel goes.

It's probably not horizontal if that's what you're wondering, morgan. I spy derailer cable stoppers in pic #1

If that is what I think it is (a full carbon road frame) you should probably take it to a shop to make sure you don't destroy it while wrenching.

If he is handy then he should have a torque wrench. :thumb:

As long as you keep your torque to 5nm (45 inch/lbs), you should be good with your stem, handlebars, and seatpost. And like Nagrom said, a picture of the dropouts would be nice; not all frames are suited for FG builds. Good luck

It's probably not horizontal if that's what you're wondering, morgan. I spy derailer cable stoppers in pic #1

There's a chance if its a TT frame, which I doubt, but regardless, we need to know.

It's a Giant TCR 1
http://assets2.ridewithgps.com/photos/medium/9951.jpg

Good ID!

Yo op, ditch the fixed gear idea, unless you are ok with dropping the cash on an eccentric BB or hub.

Or just find the magic ratio / use a half link chain. It's a headache but not the end of the world. Eccentric bottom brackets and hubs are rarely necessary

I've run a conversion with vertical dropouts, even with a super tight magic ratio, after the first ride, and your chain stretches microscopically, it's slack as hell and it sucks.

I never recommend it to people.

I've run a conversion with vertical dropouts, even with a super tight magic ratio, after the first ride, and your chain stretches microscopically, it's slack as hell and it sucks.

I never recommend it to people.

Do you think it would it work better with a used chain then?

Do you think it would it work better with a used chain then?

Not really, regardless of the state of the chain, it's gonna stretch some, causing it to go slack.

Vertical dropouts just aren't meant for FG, and most people who recommend the "magic ratio" fix have never tried it. It's not a fix, it's a Mickey mouse rig.

I use the magic ratio on my trailer-hauling bike with IGH. It is totally fine. But that has eight speeds, I wouldn't waste the time figuring that mess for a SS. The point is that chain tension is no problem.

As for dogs towing bikes - bad idea unless you are the only person around.

^^^ Agreed. I didn't have good, long-term success with it last time I tried. Chain slackened pretty quickly.

Or just find the magic ratio / use a half link chain.

As others have said, this only works if you replace your chain every month.

Yes it fits and turns fine if i pull up on the fork. looks like all i need is a stem and handlebars?? cause it feels pretty smooth if slide the cap down, and i verified that the bearing cartridge is in there.


That's an integrated headset. pull up on the steerer tube and try to spin it. Does it spin smoothly? you're good to go.

If it doesn't, your bearings are upside down, or you're missing something.



also, take a picture of the dropouts for us. The place where the back wheel goes.

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had to go look up what an eccentric bb was, but no biggie i'd spring for one. any reccommendations?




Good ID!

Yo op, ditch the fixed gear idea, unless you are ok with dropping the cash on an eccentric BB or hub.

Theres the phil wood philcentric. the Exzentriker from Trickstuff, might be others.

That being said, I have no experience with them, and have no idea if they're compatible. I am assuming that frame uses a 68mm english threaded BB, so I googled "eccentric BB 68mm english" and these came up.

They look pretty damn pricey.

Another alternative would be to build up a rear wheel using the White Industries ENO eccentric hub. might be a cheaper alternative. Theres one on ebay right now for 120, lace it to something cheap, with some fairly inexpensive spokes/nipples, and it will be less than 200.

nagrom, couldnt he just find himself a used eno rear hub "like you said" and lace it to a sun m13 with dt spokes? nothing fancy but it should be a solid build?

Kilo TT.

Kilo TT.

I was about to sing the praises of an eno eccentric wheel and how that's the better option when compared to the eccentric BB when this simple post rattled the scaffold.

OP is goIng to spend HUNDREDS getting this bike together just because he has this frame which for all we know doesn't really fit anyway.

Kilo TT

Save yourself a lot of headache and make it a singlespeed

hey guys,

thanks for all the input so far. this thread is certainly living up to it's name lol. ok so i did some more research and yeah it's gonna be a PITA to get that frame fixed so I'm just gonna pick up another frame and do a separate road bike project with this frame.

I know what to buy now lol. funny thing with bikes (as opposed to other 'gadget-ish' hobbies) is that you can actually save a lot of money buying (almost)complete bikes rather than putting together from scratch. I just assumed from the get-go that it would be cheaper if i built it up with used parts but turns out that's not always the case here.

in any case, i'm scoping around for an appropriate frame/bike now. (tk2,omnium,fuji,etc..).

Might end up not even having to build anything lol.



I think I got a good deal