Dropout conversion / rim question
 

I have a 1976 OLMO road bike.

how hard would it be to convert it to a horizontal dropout for single speed usage?

also, are there any single speed hubs that are decent that are 36h, or even 48h?

I want a pretty light setup but I plan on running burley wheels.

I ride bmx now, mostly street and light park, and I just can trust those skinny single walled rims that trackbikes and single speeds usually use.

track bike on the street useally dont use single wall rims....

Here is what you do..

1. Send me the Olmo.

2. Now back to the streets and ride your bmx.

You have a 1976 road bike that doesn't already have horizontal drops?? Almost all hubs can be found in a 36h version and no reasonable road/track hubs are single walled. They are skinny but you probably won't have clearence for anything thats not.

Thanks jacob.

pipebomb, you're a ****.

And since you really had anything usefull to say...

I want to run a wider 36h rim (maybe an atomlab), on a good single speed hubset.

what is a good 36h hubset to look into?

I'll have to get pictures of it. I'm picking it up from a friend in chicago. her dad gave it to me, but I have no way of getting it here as of yet.

I really like the phil wood hubs. do those also come in a 36h?

if my wider rim idea doesnt pan out...

should I look for a cheaper complete wheelset to start out with, or blow the cash on phil's and a good set of rims?

what is a good rim to look into? I want something with a good sidewall for braking.

This is a horizontal drop
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/dropf-camp.gif
This is a track end
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/dropf-sub.gif
This is a vertical drop
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/dropf-vert.gif

Which do you have?

I was just kidding about sending me the bike chill out

Phil makes 36H and you can even get 40+ on special order. Your rim choices will suck with anything over 36H. These and Open pros are almost bomber. But if you want even better bullistic protection, maybe one of the SUN products intended for cycle-x?

and of course the deep v rim by velocity in like every size ever.

Does atomlabs even make a 700c rim? You can't use 24" or 26" with a road bike.

thanks pipebomb. Im rather new to this type of bike. but I know high end BMX inside and out.

it more than likely has horizontal drops. I want to convert it to a track end.

I like the deep V rims so I'll look into those. I def want a 36h in the rear, and maybe less up front.

There is no reason to convert to a track end. Don't do it.

right. well, there are reasons, like ease of use, but dutret is right in that it's not worth it to make the switch. i suppose if you're an experienced welder/framebuilder and you already have the track ends, go for it. otherwise, it just doesn't make sense. the horizontal drops give you plenty of room for adjustment.

what about for single speed usage? doesnt it make setting up the chain tension hard?

+1
A horizontal dropout is actually better (*ducks*) for street riding because it is easier to change a tire. Its not a big difference, but it will make for less greasy hands if you have to repair a flat. Plus if you go single speed with a flip flop hub, the brakes will still line up. The only downside is not being able to use chain tensioners.

im not worried about chain tensioners, I dont run them on the bmx and my wheel never slips. grinding and all.

so I should just leave it be? and try to sort out the chainline?

will it be hard to set up converting from a de-railure(sp?) to a single gear?

No, you just remove the derailleur.

Not at all. The only issue you may have is needing to respace the hub. Many track hubs are 120mm and road frames tend to be 135mm. You can order formula/iro/phil in 135 mm, or just use a 7.5mm spacer on either side of a 120mm hub. The chainline should still be 42mm in the rear. In the front, the set-up will depend on the cranks you use. If you use the road cranks on the bike, you'll probably need to put the chainring in the inner spot (for a double, middle spot for a triple) using bmx style chainring bolts, and you might need a slightly shorter bb spindle. You'll just have to measure one you start building. Since you're planning to run ss and not fixed, chainline is not as crucial.

mtbs are 135mm
new roadbikes are 130
old road bikes are 127
HIs is almost assuredly 127.

My mid 80s nishiki road bike is 135, as was my mid 80s bianchi touring frame and my girlfriends royce union frame.

Wierd what components came on them?

Thats not normal for mid-high end older road bikes though.

My nishiki had all decent suntour components. I think it was a 6 speed cassette. The Bianchi I bought as a conversion, so I'm not sure. I suppose it could have been cold set, but as it was exactly 135mm, i don't think it was. The royce union is really cheap, and came with cottered cranks and a 12lb suntour derailure.

Touring and hybrid frames are 135mm, allows for beefier rear hubs (fat people ride hybrids and tourers load their bikes down).

As to the OP, IRO sells a killer Formula/Velocity wheelset (love those cartridge bearings). If you can spring it (ie. you're a ******) go with Phil hubs on some hand built wheels.

No one has mentioned it yet, so in case you don't know http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html has most anything you could want to know about converting a bike to fixed gear.

that makes no sense to me, as your bikes predate even the MTB move to 135mm.
6-speed cassettes were 126mm, no?