If you go over to SSFG these days and post a question about converting an old frame to fixed the vocal majority tells you to forget it, buy a Kilo or a Madison, don't waste your time. And then they go all off topic and you're left knowing nothing. Seems to me that happens here a little bit too.

The OP wanted to have a vintage fixed gear conversion...nothing wrong with that now that he knows he'll rot in hell for Drewing a bike.

Here you go...horizontal drops and you can have either gears or a flipflop hub. Just like Sixty Fivers '55. Find yourself a 21" Sports frame and go to town.

Attachment 155687

Post-'76, so he won't have to file the dropouts for an hour to get his axle to fit.

-Kurt

The problem with "cheap" conversions is, they sometimes end up being not so cheap. If you have an old road bike already, then you can keep costs down. But if you buy a decent bike for say ~$150, then add a fixed/free rear wheel for ~$70, then a cog and lockring for ~$35, then a new chain for ~$15, plus new bar wrap, etc., you're close to $300. That's assuming the crankset is suitable for running singlespeed. For ~$350 you can get a complete new singlespeed/fixed gear bike at a bike store, with a full warranty, some free service, etc.
I've seen many people come into my local bike store with the intent of buying a plain old road frame, and building up their own fixed gear bike. Once they realize the costs involved they either walk out or start looking at the dedicated singlespeed bikes for sale. So while a conversion is a nice concept and appears to be a frugal option for a general purpose bike, it can be a black hole for money outlays if you don't already have some parts on hand, and are not sure which steps to take to get it built.

Fixed gear conversions don't make much sense anymore with all of the inexpensive dedicated bikes and frames on the market. I don't think they're considered cool like they used to be, either. It would happen just as I'm putting together a conversion to sell. Story of my life.

Exactly. Knowledge, experience and parts enable us to make some really sublime builds, fixed or not without making some very wrong and expensive choices at the beginning of the process.

So ateam, don't assume your 80's vintage bike with horizontal drops is going to be a no brainer to fix-up. The devil is in the details and you do your homework before dropping some coin on a frame because it all starts there. You've gotta consider chainline, hubs, OLD, axles, cranks, wheel dish, q factor, threading, tooth gauge, overlap (not really), bottom bracket height, crank length, pedal width and brake reach. The there's the stuff that goes really wrong like stuck stems and posts, cotter pins and swiss threads and 26.4 stem clamps and then do you have the tools to deal with it all?
My last fixed build came from an assortment of parts collected (and paid for) over 15 years but you'd never know it to look at it and there's wasn't a single problem putting it together. I now look at that as a free bike....HA!

Say yes and build it. You'll get there but it's almost never as cheap as you think.

Few, if any of those inexpensive dedicated bikes will ride out as well as my Gran Sport and most of the fixed gear offerings are track based and not road based.

The 1955 is a Lenton Reg Harris road model with a 531 frame and fork... it looks like my '54 Sports road conversion which has a really nice ride but the Lenton is a few steps above that in the ride department.

I have a spare 1954 SA hub and Dunlop EA1 I could swap in if I wanted to go geared but have the '54 Ralerigh which is a three speed and have a few other geared bikes to ride.

Rode my Gran Sport all day today and am always pleased at how smooth and fast a bike it is and how effortless it is to maintain decent speeds... she just isn't for show.

There are obviously a number of people on this forum who don't know SFAB. But that's not important. What is important is that you express yourselves, rational or not, on point or not, and you will feel better. "Is the answer quilt?"

I have come to the conclusion that there are two reasons I ride SS bikes:

1) The aesthetic and riding simplicity. This has been discussed many times. Either you like it or you don't and/or you get it or you don't.

2) The workout / athletic challenge. Try this. I was a hard core distance runner until I was 35 and my knees gave me some advice. Runners have an engine, but no transmission. If you want to run faster, you have to move your legs faster. If you want to climb a hill, you have to shorten your stride and climb. The same thing is true for crosscountry skiing and speed skating. Therefore, riding SS is more like running. You have no transmission and have to make your body cover a wider range of work. Some of us like these sort of athletic workouts. And let me tell you, when I reach the top of a 2 mile hill that I have just ridden out of the saddle for the entire distance, the pain is greatly overshadowed by my smile and sense of accomplishment. I did it.

Now why SS/FG classic bike conversions. The answer is simple. Many classic bikes are cool. Many classic conversions are also cool.

Now that I have my second 1989 Trek 660 (one white, one grey), and have taken it down to nubs, I am going to build it up as a SS, and it will be lighter, more minimalistic, a great road riding machine with crit geometry, and cool.

And, unlike the dedicated SS/FG bikes on the market (many of which are nice), I can convert this to a geared bike any time I want.

From personal experience I would recommend a Raleigh Technium frame. Very comfortable high bottom brkt height (important) and handles and climbs well. They go off cheaply on Ebay, (paid $25.00 for mine in nice shape) all the time and don't seem to be considered the Holy Grail of bikes which cuts down on your flak factor. Mine came with 27" wheels but an ebay fixie wheel set fixed that. I flipped the BB axle side to side and used the original crankset and chain with good results. Gearing wise for NJ I used a 42/17 which limits top speed but allows it to climb well

Many of us get the "cool" factor of riding an old classic road bike, but really some new riders don't really care or appreciate them as such. I recently introduced 3 of my friends to road biking, they went out and bought new cheap singlespeeds even after I had found several nice craigslist classic road bikes to check out, for less $. To them it's just a bike, they don't care about different component qualities and aesthetic build details, they just want to ride for now. If they stay with it, they'll either come around and appreciate a nice older steel bike, or drink the plastic koolaid and shop carbon. If they don't stay with it their bikes will end up on craigslist in a year or so.

That may well be true, but I'm satisfied beyond expectation with my $300 Nashbar fixie. It's not track based, and it rides very comfortably. It's been 31 years since I rode my Gran Sport, so I can't do a proper comparison.

That may have been true a few years ago, but no more. You can even get them with bottle bosses and clearance for fenders. They don't have the slack geometry of an old Raleigh because that's not what people want.

Well put, and that largely captures the reasons I ride SS conversions. I have a bunch in the stable:

--70s St. Etienne converted to 650B wheels--my single speed porteur
http://web.mit.edu/nlerner/Public/Bi...nePorteur1.jpg

--80s Univega Competizione--my go-fast single speed
http://web.mit.edu/nlerner/Public/Bikes/OrangeUni1.jpg

--60s Falcon San Remo
http://web.mit.edu/nlerner/Public/Bi...onSanRemo1.jpg

--'75 Raleigh Super Course MkII--my winter beater and general commuter
http://web.mit.edu/nlerner/Public/Bi...ourseMkII3.jpg

With new projects, I'll often start them out as single speeds to get a sense of the overall ride and if it's worth it to go whole hog and make it into a geared bike.

Neal

...or go the modern route...

Raleigh One-Way is a great bike...

+1
I've only heard positive things about the One Way.

I have a 2007 Schwinn Madison and love it. I did a quick 20 on it this morning before work.

What gear ratio do you find yourself leaning towards? I've always heard 42/16 is the default "comfortable" ratio for SS'ers.

42/16 is what came stock on my One-Way and I found it a nice balance of acceleration and top speed. I top out around 17mph before I start bouncing out of the saddle.

Its got a flip/flop hub and the Fixed cog is 14. Thats not bad either unless there is head wind.

I haven't tried the Madison (which I'm well aware is a good machine), but I have had the unfortunate displeasure of riding a Cutter. That thing is a Wal-Mart gas pipe junker in a bike shop - a modern singlespeed Varsity (and even that is a compliment).

-Kurt

52:18 ftw... :)

This is 75 gear inches.

If you are bouncing your saddle is too low or your pedal stroke needs some work... or both.

...simply bouncing from spinning too fast. If I was running 52:18 I wouldn't have that problem hardly ever :lol:

42x16 is 69 g.i.. It's not that much lower than 52x18. I find it a good winter commuting gear, but prefer to go up to 75 for the summer when I'm more likely to be able to go for a long ride in the country.

My guess is that 42 tends to be common for vintage FG conversions chainring because 52/42 was the common road double set up.

Yes, a 70 inch gear is a good default. I can spin at 100 rpm at about 21 mph. It is a somewhat vigorous, but easily maintainable pace. Also, this gearing allows me to climb most of the hills in the McDowells without blowing. I had my Ti SS setup at 53x18, which is about 77-78 gear inches. I think I'll set the 660 up at 53x19, about 74 gear inches. My Volpe with set up with 2 rear cogs so I had a road gear and trail gear -- 42x16/18. Seems to be just about right.

I lean more towards 66 inches. It's easier for hills and protects your knees. It also forces you to work on your stroke. Years ago, I put many miles on a fixie with that ratio, and I was able to go downhills very fast without bouncing in the saddle. I timed my cadence at roughly 180 rpm, though I can't claim that was an accurate measurement.

I prefer to run as large a chain ring and cog as possible as it makes for a smoother and more efficient drive... have really noticed how much faster a small ring / smal cog set up wears than a big/big set up.