I'm a roadie, as in i-usually-ride with gears on my side. But the idea of a fixie has always been a turn-on for me, since i started riding almost a year ago. I've got an old 80's road bike, it's in pretty darn good condition. would i be able to convert to fixie for under $100? if so, any tips would be much welcomed.


Ride on.

All you need is a new rear wheel. The IRO is $105 for rear only and a damn good wheel. Sealed bearing hubs and a decent quality rim. You can find the wheel for about $70, but the quality isn't there. From experience, i wish I had spent the extra $35.

alright, alright. thanks for the info, how 'bout the chainring? i was pretty sure i was going to have to buy a brand new one, a single or something. shall i just leave double chainring on there?

you need a track cog too. You should be able to pick one that will give you around what ratio you want with your one or the other of the rings from your double.

after doing my commute with my fixie (as opposed to cruising downtown and sprinting around the neighborhood) it gives a whole new meaning to the ride. gears make you soft. there is no mystery to the fact that daily fixed gear riders are the strongest and the fastest.

really, your cranks and current chainring are fine. you should get a set of single-stack chainring bolts, and put the one you want on the outermost position on the spider. select your cog for a ratio that suits where you live. 70 gear inches is common, but if the terrain is flat and you are strong, gear as high as you can stand it. i felt overgeared at first, but as time goes on i keep switching to smaller cogs.

you can also try one of the surly conversions for shimano cassettes, but if your bike is older you probably have freewheel threads. some folks just thread a track cog to the freewheel threads and tighten it with a bottom bracket lockring and lots of locktite. you will find endless debate about this. my preference is for a real fo' sheezy track hub. i've had a cog loosen a half turn and the lockring stop it. i'm glad it was there.

if you order a wheel from IRO, make sure you specify it for a road frame, that way you get the proper axle width. also, it is preferable if you have slotted drop outs for chain tension. i think sheldon brown has written a bunch about the subject if memory serves.

good luck. (too much coffee makes me overly helpful here... where's the elite crowd with their hazing this morning?)

all you need to ride immediately is a new wheel, and an iro is probably the best bang for your buck. you're going to be good with that for a while... just long enough to get hooked on fixed wheel. after that be prepared to shell out money for new cranks, chain rings, cogs and all manner of rolled up jeans and messenger bags.

also, a word of wisdom: if you plan on converting your only ride, you may want to pick up a cheap beater frame on ebay or craigslist so you can learn on that and mess that up all you want, then when you get more confident convert your primary bike... you'll probably have stopped using it long before you convert it. i rode on a schwinn continental for about eight months before i converted my favorite bike. i didn't want to get stuck having to do a whole lot of cable routing if it turned out fixed just wasn't for me.

when you say mess up your frame, you mean getting hit by a car, right? i don't see how a newbie would fack up a frame just by converting and learning on it. run what you brung, and like it!

If you go to fixedgeargallery.com and look for their conversion contest, theres 10 or so bikes built for under 150. might give you some ideas.

He's right, but I've found the middle position of the spider, or inner if its a double, will give you a better chainline.