nealtek

So, I was riding around town today with a good friend of mine. It was 2 engineering students, 2 new aluminum frames, 1 suspension fork,a mix of deore mech and a whole lotta heckling the whole ride.

My friend has a bit of trouble on the hills, what with that shock robbing his power and shifting, but I just sailed through without ever shifting, and this is Pittsburgh.

So, I was thinking maybe I should consider getting a (cheap) fixed/SS setup. However, as a fairly inexperianced cyclist, I had a few questions and concerns,

Can I use quick release skewers with vertical or semi-vertical dropouts? I really dont want to carry around a wrench. Also, how do I brake on a fixed? Just backpedal until i start reversing - or just lock up my legs?

And what are these track skids I hear about? So much to learn! -nrs

alexs

some people use quick release skeweres with horizontal dropouts. vertical dropouts are no-go since they don't allow for chain tensioning. however, even with horizontal dropouts i'd advise going with bolts, because while it may be a pain carrying a wrench, you do have some options which have a lot of style. get a campy peanut butter wrench that has a ton of history and fits in a jersey pocket or a surly wrench that'll open your beers. on the plus side, no QR skewers means only having to carry a mini lock that'll fit in your back pocket.

as for braking... i'd advise getting a front brake with a bmx-type lever (i like the snafu lever). some people ride without any brakes, and while that's totally cool and zen and i give them all props, i don't think that fixie newbies should be riding brakeless on city streets. get used to riding fixed and backpedaling before you make the decision to drop the brakes totally.

for info on skidding and other fixie skills, check out greg goode's articles. they're excellent introductions to the art of riding a fixie. read his stuff here

captsven

Yes you can use QR skewers. I use them w/o problems.

Your new Al frames with vertical drop outs won't work. You need horizontal drop outs. Thats why most people on this site scavange around odd places to find old frames with horizontal drop outs. This can be extremely rewarding when you spot that ultra cool frame for dirt cheap.

As far as braking do what you feel comfortable with. Brakes or no brakes is a personal thing when it comes to fixed.