bandinger

Hey, I have decided to build my own singlespeed/fixed gear rather than buy one. I have been riding my old road bike for sometime and the frame is decent so why not use it as the basis for the new bike? IM not really sure on what size wheels I would need, or crankset for that matter. I would hate to buy something then have to send it back due to it not fitting correctly. I was thinking about going through bencycle.com. Can anyone give me some tips on how to figure what componets I would need?

RichardCovcas

Wheels should be 700c.

For cranks you could get something like: https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_S...ls&ProdID=1299.

If you are running a fixed gear the dropouts should be like:

soul05

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html

sheldon brown has some great articles on conversions. you should start there.

bandinger

So i can't use any frame that doesn't have horizontal dropouts? Mine aren't completely horizontal but i think they may work. Ive read that I just need to play with the chain size.

Andy_K 

Maybe.

Look at your tires. The size of the tire will be on the sidewall. It might say something like "28-622", that would indicate a 700c wheel. It might also say something like "700x28", which obviously would indicate a 700c wheel. If it's "27 x whatever", you can probably use 700c wheels, but you might have problems with brake reach. If it's "26 x 1 3/8" (35-590), you might be able to fit 700c wheels, but it could be tight, and again you could have brake reach issues.

You'll notice the theme here is that you want to be able to use 700c wheels. If you can't, the bike probably isn't a good candidate for conversion.


With regard to the crank, you may be able to use what you have. If the chainrings are removable independent of the crankarms, you can take all but one of them off and you're set. If not, you'll probably want a new crankset.

In the best possible scenario, your bike will take an English threaded bottom bracket and you can get a 103mm square taper bottom bracket and nearly any singlespeed crankset to get a good chainline with the 700c rear wheels you got above.

In the worst scenario, your bottom bracket takes some odd Raleigh-specific threading that nobody makes anymore. That indicates no conversion.

Another strong possibility is that you currently have a one-piece crank, which you'd recognize by seeing something like the image on the left below on the non-drive side:



(The image comes from https://sheldonbrown.com/opc.html)

That gives you the option of either getting a new chainring and keeping the crank as is, or buying an adapter which makes this work like the English threaded ideal above.

That's probably more than enough for you to process right now. Come back and ask lots more questions as you get details.

Andy_K 

Go here:

https://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_dr-z.html#dropout

If you have anything but vertical, you've got a decent chance. If you have vertical, you'll need a chain tensioner, but you can still do it.

bandinger

I went to my local shop and asked a few questions. My frame will work for a conversion, I had 26 rims on it. Im going to buy some 700cs and see if they fit. Im going to try and use the crank setup I have now and if it doesnt work i'll just buy a new one. I think i'll keep my head set and bars the same untill i actually get the bike going. No need to buy it all right now if I have something that will work. About the rims, If i have 26's now whats a good way to see if the 700c's will fit? Just measure with the 26's on or? Im thinking of buy some alex r450's, are these decent wheels? Im not looking to have the greatest bike on the road just something decent and reliable that gets me around.
THanks

jdpber

you can use ENO hubs and that would resolve the chain tention issue and you can use your frame
https://www.whiteind.com/rearhubs/singlespeedhubs.html

LupinIII

can we get pics of the bike?

conversions build in price fast. you can run ashtabula/ one piece cranks (like pictured above) single speed. I dunno about fixed duty seeing as the chainline probably will be off.

I know it's been said before, but don't write off getting like a windsor hour. for this conversion it will be wheels for 100, tubes and tires for 50, assuming you'll need a new chain and brake cables, so 20 bucks there. that's 170 already.

then if you need to replace the brakes (dunno about clearance from 26" to 700c), that's about 40 bucks for a set. $210. I don't think you'd need to convert the ashtabula cranks, but that alone could be another 100 bucks if you needed to for some reason.

I'm not saying don't convert it, but I just want to warn you the process can get expensive fast. all my projects go over budget due to the nickel and dimeing to death

Andy_K 

When you say your current rims are 26", I'm guessing that means 26 x 1 3/8", which is different than the 26" you find on current mountain bikes. (For details, https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html).

The way I would check to see if 700s will work is by taking off a wheel and putting a 700 with tire on there. Alternatively, you could measure clearance. If my assumption above is correct, you'll need 16 mm more clearance at the top of the tire than you have with your current wheels. You'll also need to be able to move the brakes 16 mm up from where they are.

Wheels that size tended to have fat tires, so brake position is more likely to be the limiting factor.

Andy_K 

+1. Pics of both sides of the crankset, the brakes and the dropouts are always helpful. Other pics are also fun.

+1 again. Building up your bike can be very rewarding and educational, and you're likely to come out loving your bike. But it's often not the cheapest way to get a singlespeed/fixed gear.

bandinger

Yes, my wheels are 26 1/3/8''. If I do put on any brakes, I will only use front but im not worried about that yet, i'll figure that out after I get it rolling. Here are some pictures of what i've got to work with. I found some 700c's on bencycle.com that seemed decently priced. I need to take a chain ring off, hopefully i can use the same cranset for now. Im pretty much want to get this bike going for as cheap as I can right now, use the old componets that I have and then down the road slowly upgrade. I have $300 that I can spend right now. I actually purchased a Windsor the hour and they were shipping it, but a couple days later got an email saying they were out of stock. B.S if you ask me.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/3834460...7618067007438/

LupinIII

hmm, well one piece would be easier to work with, you have cottered. they work, but overhauling is a pain. I had the chainline off on mine and the chain a bit too tight... so i taco'd the chainring and bent the spider arms to hell lol. running two brakes might not be the worst idea.

see if you can borrow somebody else's 700c's with tires to see if it clears. cheapest track wheelset i've seen after shipping is at bikeisland.com, dunno what availability is like.

i personally wouldn't dump all 300 in on this bike, those cottered cranks really are a pain to work with (though i like to do all repairs myself. keeps cost down and it's meditative)

edit: just saw the dropouts, they'll work but they're not much quality at all, this reassures me on my don't dump 300 on this bike stance

Andy_K 

I like the color. You should definitely be able to get it done for $300.

I don't have any experience with cottered cranks, but if worse comes to worse, you can get a 103 mm bottom bracket for about $30 and an Origin 8 crankset (cheap, but perfect for a project like this) on eBay for about $40 plus shipping.

Check out Bicycle Wheel Warehouse for a selection of quality handbuilt wheels at good prices. (No, I don't work for them, but I did buy my last wheels from them.)

moshimitsu

just wait until bd restocks, that frame is a disaster in waiting. those are very shoddy looking stamped dropouts and they're going to fail if you ride fixed.

Myqul

If your going to convert to single speed rather than fixed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93M9l...eature=related

sporkfly

Man those drop outs look -SCARY-

I would get a different frame. Eff riding that, I'd be afraid of breaking my face when those dropouts fail. Like I said, that thing looks scary, I wouldn't even trust that with single speed. Check some garage sales or something, save your face.

Andy_K 

I've got a Free Spirit with dropouts just like that. The whole frame on mine looks like something I might have made in shop class in seventh grade. If I can ever get the stem out of the steerer, I'm going to do something with it.