shreksur

I want to build my own fixed gear/single speed bike. How do you go about learning to set up a bike properly? Where do you start? Does anyone have knowledge of learning tools (dvd's, etc.) that get you started?

GhostSS

The internet and common sense. I came from the car mod community, which is multitudes more difficult and expensive, so knowing your way around a wrench helps. A certain amount of taking things apart, looking at it, and putting it back together + trial and error = searching on the internet comes to mind.

Search around the web and youtube. Start here:

Maintenance Mondays | Global Cycling Network - YouTube

FG/SS building is rather easy IMO, there isn't a lot of parts, but knowing what you need is a place to start. Familiarize yourself with the parts of a bicycle first
, than figure out how to install the stuff that actually needs some learning, like the drivetrain. The rest you you can figure out with logic and monkeying around.

I learned the most from buying my vintage 1975 Fuji that some guy had converted to a single speed and he gave me a bag of components to convert it bike to a road bike. Never having dealt with a geared bike before it only took me a day of research and elbow grease to put it all back together.

shreksur

Thanks for the feedback and for the video. I just finished watching it. Off to the internet for videos on drivetrain installation and wheel building. Thanks again.

hueyhoolihan

these days, i focus (singlespeeds) on the frame's BB shell type, the BB i intend to use, especially if i decide on an eccentric one, and the type of crank that will work with them both.

BTW, make sure the number of holes in the rims match the number of holes in the hubs... don't ask.

shreksur

thank you, for both of these . bottom bracket and crank choice, establishing a chain line, threading rims- those seemed to me to be the areas where a newbie like me would need a lot of help. i'm not much of a wrench but i'm determined to get this done myself. thanks again for your direction.

hueyhoolihan

a rear road hub with freehub is best for providing flexibility in chainline. adjustment with a SS freewheel and adjustment at the crank are both limited.

for SS chain tensioning? it can be done with a separate chain tensioner (i've never used one, so i have no opinion), at the rear hub and/or at the crank. choices are limited at the hub to one hub. the ENO ECCENTRIC made by White Industries. and to some type (there are a couple) of Eccentric bottom brackets at the crank.

on my last build i used an eccentric BB on the crank. that provided all the chain tensiong duties i needed and a road freehub in the rear. that provided all the later chainline adjust-ability i needed.

i tend to shy away from using SS freewheels these days, in that lateral adjust-ability is limited at both the rear hub and at the crank.

this is what i have done in the past as regards chainline and chain tension.

i have two old steel road frames with horizontal dropouts and road freehub rear hubs. getting a proper chainline and tensioning is easy.

i also have two more road frames with vertical dropouts. i use the ENO ECCENTRIC road hub on those. proper tensioning is easy. chainline can be limited due to the of using a SS freewheel.

two modern aluminum road frames with track ends (120mm spaceing). chain tensioning is easy and accurate. chainline is difficult because track hubs must use SS freewheels, so i end up with limited adjust-ability on chainline.

and one modern carbon road frame with vertical dropouts. with it i used a modern rear hub with freehub, and an eccentric BB. chain tensioning is easy and so is chainline.

shreksur

i ordered two videos from bill mould about wheel building and one on derailleurs. Figure the wheel building will help with my future plans and the derailleur video helping now. they got great reviews. the derailleur video discusses everything about them as well as other topics such as chain line.

imi

Have you got a bike co-op near you? Just a thought

Retro Grouch 

I think that the real trick is +1.

Acquire a second bike frame for building up. That way you can just jump in and do it and you still have a bike to ride while you're figuring out solutions to whatever problems you encounter. Honestly, it's not rocket surgery.

Little Darwin

As a personal observation, the most logical reason to learn to build your own bike is if there is something unique about what you need that isn't provided by a commercial offering. With the simplicity of the SS/FG bikes, and the plethora of available offerings, I don't see anything cost effective happening for you. You will never save money building a bike yourself unless you scour garage sales, craigslist etc and get second hand parts... or have some high end equipment end up in your hands for free. We are in an environment where people sometimes buy complete bikes just to get the groups to put on their favorite frames because the complete bikes are cheaper than buying the components.

However, if you think you would enjoy the process, and telling people you built it yourself just to have them wonder why you didn't just buy one from the store, enjoy the build... I know I do, even though I don't do SS/FG.

chapel

I say buy a cheap bike on CL and go to town.
I yanked my brothers old bike from the 80s out of the shed and just went mental.
I also come from the automotive area, so these were a billion times easier than rebuilding the motor on a car

fietsbob

1st I learned to Braze and use silver brazing and Fabricate things in Metal , then I went to a Professional Frame builder

We Did the miter cutting , we together.. He had a Pedal powered Hole saw -miter cutting machine, to prepare the Tubes .

The I and some borrowed Community College and friends Torches and a few tools & built a Lugged Frame . in 1976.. I still have it .
a modest-light touring frame, It now has a Paul's Flatbed front rack on it.