Originally Posted by
dashsalinger
Hello Everyone,
Ive been in the market to buy a bike for a while and saw this Kuwahara Count sitting around in a family members garage so I figured I would take it and try to fix it up. It seems like pretty much everything is rusted up and needs to be replaced so I figured I would try and make it into a fixie I could ride around town. I was wondering if anyone has had experience with this particular model and could help me out with some suggestions when trying to build it up seeing as I have minimal knowledge on bike parts.
Thanks!
The most important aspect of building a fixie from a road frame is there! The rear dropouts are 'horizizontal' - meaning they have the cutout for the wheel to be moved forward and backward to create chain tension.
The rear derailer hanger will not be in the way for the single speed/fixie operation so it is best to leave it though fixie guys typically cut it off. If it is cut off it devalues the frame as it cannot be a road bike again without surgery...
If you have never ridden fixie, please use caution and keep the brakes, or at least the front brake - safety first!
You can get any fixie wheelset - they are all over Craigslist for $100 and less... most of them are flip flop so you can go fixie or single speed. If you go single speed retain both brakes!
The brakes on the bike can be used with the levers and bars on it, if you want to go flat or riser bars, any mountain bike levers should work with those brakes. Test in the driveway before hitting the streets!
The crankset can be used with either of those sprockets but you'll need shorter bolts. Those bolts are meant to hold both sprockets and if you run only one they will be too long. You may have to run the sprocket you decide to use on the INSIDE of the five 'fingers' of the crank arm to get proper - or close - chain alignment. I always prefer preserving the original crankset for a future rebuild back to a road bike and to run a single speed / fixie crankset - which is easier for alignment also.
There is a fixie space on this forum as well where you can get more answers and specifics. The brand of the frame has no relevance though...
Good luck!