Off piste pista

My experience on fixed gear builds. CONVERT

Off piste pista

My first fixed gear was a ****ty $200 fixie. It just didn't feel right to me, so I used the parts for a conversion. I also always had a respect for conversion bikes.

Off piste pista

My first conversion attempt was this German jaguar bike. I used parts from the black fixie.

Off piste pista

Here is the jaguar more built up. This is the day where I realized that the cranks are rusted together and it is so rusty that it might crack under pressure. I took it back apart and hung the frame on my workbench.

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Taken apart jaguar hanging on my workbench.

Off piste pista

A month later I went to the bike co op and bought this already converted chaparral from the same as is bike building. $50. The frame cracked because the brazer had a defect.

Off piste pista

2 days ago, I went back to the bike co op and traded the cracked chaparral frame for another frame. I picked this 1981 Schwinn world sport. It was in good condition and was made of 1020 steel. I then built it up a bit with the chaparral parts. More pics on this bike once I get more parts.

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Now for some teaching! The Schwinn's brazer has a mostly uniform thickness, that's what you want in a good bike. Look for uniformity when buying your frame!

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As you can see, the old jaguar's brazer is an uneven thickness, It is thicker on the left side than on the right. The chaparral had this same problem, but worse. That is why it cracked.

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For those who don't know, this is a brake bridge. It holds the brake. This is on my 1993 specialized roadie. Not a fixed gear.

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So, here is the brake bridge on my Schwinn. Look for a frame with a metal tube as the brake bridge. This means quality most of the time.

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The jaguar has a plate as the brake bridge. This means that the bike was cheaply built and poor quality. Stay away from this.

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Purpose built fixed gear bikes like the crappy $200 fixie that I mentioned first have this kind of dropout. When the wheel slides forward, it just hits the frame and stops you suddenly.

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The Schwinn has dropouts where the wheel falls out when the wheel slides forward. This may lead in dumps. That last sentence was a Top Gear reference.

Off piste pista

What you should avoid completely is vertical dropouts. Unlike the 2 horizontal dropouts I showed you earlier, you cannot adjust the chain tension with these. They are only meant for geared bikes where the derailleur tensions the chain. Stay away from these.

Off piste pista

Also make sure the bike doesn't have a lot of rust, fixed gear bikes crack easier.
Also flick the frame with your finger, if it makes a small ping, it is good quality steel. If it makes a dull thud, it is bad steel and you should not consider buying.
Up next once I build more on the Schwinn.
Gear ratios
pedals
brakes
bottom brackets
seatposts
chains
and more

Off piste pista

Nailed it with this Schwinn, perfect frame for converting.

seau grateau

Mah dude gettin that post count up.

Butthash

tashi

Shouldn't the first post have been to sheldonbrown.com?