Road to fix conversion
08-30-06 | 11:55 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 455
Likes: 0
From: Hollister, CA
Bikes: Bianchi San Jose, Mercian King of Mercia
Road to fix conversion
Hi,
I've got an old steel frame collecting dust and I'd like to turn it into a fixed gear. It's an early 80s Tom Ritchey frame, steel, lugless 63 cm. 74 degree parallel angles and a high bottom bracket. I've never been able to sell the thing, just too attached. It's got horizontal dropouts. Sooo, is there anything preventing me from removing a bunch of stuff, and going fixed? The rear hub now is set up for an old school freewheel. Does that work for a track cog and lock ring? Would it be prudent to build a new wheel? Do old Campy cranks accept track width chainwheels? Also, kinda hilly here. I was thinking 44x17. Is that about right?
Thanks.
I've got an old steel frame collecting dust and I'd like to turn it into a fixed gear. It's an early 80s Tom Ritchey frame, steel, lugless 63 cm. 74 degree parallel angles and a high bottom bracket. I've never been able to sell the thing, just too attached. It's got horizontal dropouts. Sooo, is there anything preventing me from removing a bunch of stuff, and going fixed? The rear hub now is set up for an old school freewheel. Does that work for a track cog and lock ring? Would it be prudent to build a new wheel? Do old Campy cranks accept track width chainwheels? Also, kinda hilly here. I was thinking 44x17. Is that about right?
Thanks.
08-30-06 | 01:36 PM
#2
jack of one or two trades
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,640
Likes: 0
From: Suburbia, CT
Bikes: Old-ass gearie hardtail MTB, fix-converted Centurion LeMans commuter, SS hardtail monster MTB
Originally Posted by paxtonm
It's got horizontal dropouts. Sooo, is there anything preventing me from removing a bunch of stuff, and going fixed?
Originally Posted by paxtonm
The rear hub now is set up for an old school freewheel. Does that work for a track cog and lock ring?
Originally Posted by paxtonm
Would it be prudent to build a new wheel?
Originally Posted by paxtonm
Do old Campy cranks accept track width chainwheels?
Originally Posted by paxtonm
Also, kinda hilly here. I was thinking 44x17. Is that about right?
09-01-06 | 02:37 AM
#3
If in doubt Fix it
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
From: Hong Kong
Bikes: All Hand built: Raleigh Record fixed conversion, On-One Pompino, Felt TK2, Look KG451, Rychtarski Lo-pro, Orlowski Lo-Pro, New Hudson, Haro X2
best bet with the gear ratio is to try on a geared bike without shifting, that way you'll be able to find out what sort of gear inch you like to push.
09-01-06 | 09:22 AM
#4
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 56
Likes: 0
From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Bikes: 05 Mondonico, 85 Schwinn Sierra, 90 DiBernardi now fixed gear, 99 VooDoo Dajab
I say go for it. I ride a converted DiBernardi and love it. I run my old 42 campy on the front (had to replace the chainring bolts w/ shorter ones) and a 17t track cog out back spun on with no lockring (wouldn’t fit) some say I’m nuts but I kept both brakes on.
Good luck
Good luck
