Fixies - where to draw the line?
 

I'm having trouble staying awake at work right now, so I thought I'd post some thoughts I've been having about fixies/SS bikes and get some opinions. Basically, which bikes are appropriate for fixie conversion and which are not? No, I'm not talking about whether or not a bike physically can be converted or not, but rather, aren't there some bikes that should be left alone or preserved?

I know someone locally who just took a Bridgestone RB-1 that was in mint condition and converted it into a single speed. He bought it simply because of the horizontal dropouts. It cost him $550, and I consider that a deal for that bike. I would, however, have left it 100% stock and loved riding one of the greatest road bikes of all time!

Have you guys checked out Craigslist lately? I live in the Bay Area in California, so there may be more fixies here than anywhere else on the planet! 50% of all my road bike search results are either fixie or SS bikes. If they're not, well then they're advertising things like "perfect for fixie conversion!" I appreciate fixies and would love to make one in the next few months for riding around town, but this is getting ridiculous. This same person who converted the RB-1 criticized my Steel Allez for its vertical dropouts!

I respect everyone's right to do whatever they want to their bike and ride whatever makes them happy, but it saddens me to see that so many classic, beautiful bikes are being morphed into the latest hipster trend. Does anyone else agree, or am I just taking it too personally?

Cheers,

-Collin-

I do think it's a shame to convert really high end road frames. I get the beater thing but if you're going to spend serious money you might as well get a frame that was intended for the purpose in the first place - it's not like fixed frames are especially rare these days. It's particularly unfortunate when people grind off all the bits that allow you to run gears.

Matthew

Dudes have been taking nice road frames and riding them as fixed gears since the beginning of time, or at least as far back as I can remember. Hell, back before track frames were readily available, that was pretty much your only option if you wanted to train with a fixed wheel in the winter.

Let's not even talk about all the nice frames that got butchered into cross bikes back in the same time period..

Full disclosure - I have a 3rensho road frame that got hacked into a cross bike and now has a fixed wheel.

People can do whatever they want with their money, even converting a nice frame. But why not keep the parts that let you convert it back? The thing that gets me is how a lot of the fixed-gear people I know are adamant that there isn't any reason anyone would ever want variable gears.

Actually, several of them have conceded now that they do more actual riding, and their knees are bothering them from pushing such a big gear all the time and resisting the cranks to stop. Of course, a brake would help that, too, but they're SO uncool.

Yeah, the stupid high gears are a fairly recent development, we always ran in the high sixties.

I draw the line at grinding off bosses and derailleur hangers. Otherwise, knock yourself out.

As long as it gets ridden...

My 84 trek 760 is fixed right now. Just rode for almost 2 hrs on it.

i draw the line at calling fixed gear bikes "fixies."

I saw a cervelo P3C turned into a fixed gear on craigslist.

The rear derailleur hanger was broken off so I guess it made sense... but still.

I definitely notice that a lot of the fixie riders just loath the very existence of variable gears. That's pretty funny.

I wasn't necessarily as bothered by the conversion of high-end road frames as I was classics. Schwinn Paramount, Bridgestone RB-1, things of that nature. If I convert something into a fixie, I can almost guarantee it's going to be a bike from Goodwill! Lastly, if someone is going to convert a nice road bike into a velodrome or track bike, I'm all for it. I guess when I say "fixie," I'm talking about something like this:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1239768774.jpg

Why? I assume you ride a nice road bike. Why would you want to ride a P.O.S. as a fixed gear?

where's that mint condition dave moulton or something that was converted into a crap black FG bike?

I know it's in the FG jackass thread.

Just challenge the rider of that no bars bike to a race up a pot-holed hill.

Isn't there another sub-forum for fix geared bikes so why is this thread in the road section?

Yes, I have a pretty decent road bike. I guess I'd hunt down a decent steel frame, but I would never buy a $500-$1000 bike to convert simply because I wouldn't use a fixed gear for anything other than commuting around town. It would probably get stolen as well. If I were building a track bike, I'd have a different opinion.

Again, I hope I didn't offend anyone that has built a cool fixed gear bike. I was just curious if anyone shared the same view on the fact that the used bike market has been largely persuaded by the ability to convert something into a fixed gear, if it hasn't been done already.

-Collin-

There are so many cheap new fashion fixie frames out there I would not even bother dhck'n around with used stuff.

I have two answers for your question:

1) I was too stupid to realize that there was a SS/Fixed section. Guess that's why it says "Junior Member" next to my name.

2) After thinking more and more about number 1, I think I'd get killed over there. After all, this is about turning a nice road bike into something else.

-Collin-

PS: That picture was an april fool's joke from the manufacturer of that frame.

:deadhorse:

That's awesome. That took me a while to find.

Have you guys seen the "Performance" video on youtube? It won't let me post it here, but if you search "Performance" it should be the first video. Hilarious.

-Collin-

it's one of the hot topics in C&V... destroying perfectly good classics and turning them into jackass FG bikes.

Sometimes you can take it too far



http://velospace.org/files/tt02.jpg

I draw the line at fixed gear.

Exactly. Bought a BD Kilo last December and ride it for fun and with my5yr old son. Sans cards in the spokes and eyebrow piercings.... My other bike is a Tarmac (my apologies....)

Hey Rich, I'm hungy wadda ya got?

yeah just check out this chode
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Salad...mmm

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