My starter bike, a 1967 Peugeot U)-8 I bought as a 13 yo was by 1971 barely working as a 10 speed what with all the times I had stopped the chain into the spokes and mangled the dropout. So some time over the next two years, I took off the derailleur and shortened the chain. 1973 I bought a good bike with sewups. Built sewup wheels for the Peugeot . 1976 I started club racing. The vets in the club said I should convert that bike to fixed to be a better trainer to improve my pedaling style. I did and it did. And I loved riding fixed from that first ride! Had a fix gear, now two ever since.

Ben