Sammyboy

How difficult is the redishing, Kurt? And are you talking steel hubs, and aluminium rims?

cudak888 

No re-dishing, just re-lacing and truing from the ground up - you won't find aluminum rims laced to steel hubs in most cases, so one must build 'em.

-Kurt

Sammyboy

Which surely does add to the price....

caloso

Now that's what a road bike conversion should look like. VERY nice.

merlinextraligh

Great looking bike. Have you considered a bmx brake lever? Allows for very minimal cable routing and the brake is much less noticeable.

cudak888 

Nope - I prefer the road levers, even if just for a single front brake (I prefer standard road brakes however - soon as I get a pair of better fitting calipers then the Dia-Compe presently on it, it will receive two levers).

Incidentally, if I did wish to hide the brake's presence, I'd use reverse-action, bar-end brake levers.

Take care,

-Kurt

cadillacmike68

What the heck is a "fixie" - as opposed to a single speed (SS) bike and what is this fixation with them???

Kommisar89

Fixie is short for fixed gear bike. The rear cog is "fixed" relative to the hub, that is, it does not freewheel or spin if you stop pedaling. Instead the wheel keeps turning which turns the cog, the chain, the crank, the pedals, and throws you over the handlebars. This type of setup has been used for years on track bikes. Fixies are popular on the road today.

A single speed bike uses a traditional freewheel but with only one cog. If you stop pedaling you can cost. Single speeds are more popular as mountain bikes since it allows you the ability to position your cranks to avoid low obsticles like rocks and logs.

As to why the fixation with them, who knows. Before a few years ago I never heard of one. I just called them track bikes. The suddenly there they were, all over the place. Some would argue that they are good for cadence training through the winter but others have made reasonable arguements against that.

Sammyboy

Good or not, they've been used for cadence training since time immemorial by racers, and still are. Armstrong used a fix for training. To do that, you need a low gear. Those who ride them on the road usually like the clean looks, the fun of slowing down with their feet, and the simplicity.

marqueemoon

I would put the other brake and lever on there personally. Otherwise I think it looks great.

caloso

A lot of us commute on them--they're simple, light, reliable, and (at least around here) are less attractive to thieves and vandals.

Physically, they've helped me work on my tendency to mash a big gear. I have it set up with a nice mellow gear ratio and I really have to spin it to go any faster than 20mph. This has helped me in race and group ride situations on the geared bike: when the pace jumps I can sit and spin up a higher cadence, and then dump a cog or two. I used to stand and mash and that was much less efficient.

Mentally, it's very freeing. Rather than trying to figure out whether you're in the right gear, you just ride. You focus on the engine rather than the drivetrain. If you want to go faster, pedal harder. If you want to go slower, pedal slower. Headwind? Get down in the drops and power into it. Hill? Stand up and hump over it.

And finally, it's a throwback: you're riding what's essentially 1890s technology. The hard men of yore didn't need freewheels, much less 20 gear ratios.

sykerocker 

Don't feel too guilty, I'm about to follow the same path. Just picked up a mid/late-70's Shogun 10-speed for free, in pretty nice shape, figured I'm going to take it down the same path. Only have to buy a hub and sprocket and build the rear wheel.

Figure I can play with it for a week or two, see what all these young punk kids think is so great about them, then put it on Craigslist for about $175.00 out the door.

Kommisar89

True about the cadence from my perspective - I tried doing candence drills on a geared bike last year as part of my training and it absolutely bored me to tears. Took all the fun out of riding a bike. At least on the fixie it's just kind of built in. It's an exciting ride around here too with all of the hills. Slogging up and spinning like a mad man on the way down. I'll have to admit though that I don't use mine as my primary ride. It's just for fun. Right now mine still has 50x16 (86") gearing from the track so the hills are pretty rough.

cudak888 

A Shogun is fair game, indeed. I have a box full of genuine track cogs (all 1/8", some skiptooth, some brass + skiptooth) in two thread sizes, if you're interested in trading.

Believe it or not, I'm doing the same here. I'm riding it for the meantime, but soon as a C-lister gives me $150, she's out the door.

I won't be happy with any fixed-gear machine until I have a pair of track dropouts brazed into that Benotto 1500 frameset that I showed here on the forum a while back (but before then, I intend to fix the Paramount and finish the age-old '84 Raleigh Super Course project).

Take care,

-Kurt

bikemore 

I have to wonder about the less attractive to thieves. Maybe just bruit force thieves, but if they
read Craig's List here in Boston I am sure they would be more attracted to the fixies. At least if
the bike is 10 years old. There is a pretty hefty premium on them. They can go for more the twice
what a similar bike with traditional configuration goes for.

caloso

I guess I was thinking about the River Campers: you almost always see them on susp. mountain bikes, some of them very nice.

tjspiel

The three F's:

Function, Fad, and Fashion, - not necessarily in that order.

You see them mostly in cities but I predict their popularity will spread, and then eventually, decline.

They make a lot of sense for certain people and certain uses.

sykerocker 

I've been holding off on doing a fixie, probably more through refusing to go along with current fads, especially those current fads done by they who are young enough to be my children . However, a free bike with no set plans is just too neat a chance to pass up.
And, I'm in the mood to build up another wheel.

I live in the country. Very, very, very hilly country. I'm normally running 1st gear on my Bianchi Nyala to get up my driveway without standing on the pedals. So I have a feeling that a fixie is going to be a very short lived affectation - especially since I'm not really that keen on trucking a bike 33 miles into Richmond to go riding.

So I'm expecting this to be short lived. And if it turns out I like it, I start looking for a GOOD 80's frame . . . .