phil s.

I have an entry-level road bike that I've bought two years ago. I've been wanting to get into fixed-gear lately and I thought of converting my current bike into one. The problem is: my bike have vertical drop-outs and therefore I have to buy an eno eccentric hub and to have a wheel built with it (which will cost me around 250 $) My question is, is it worth to convert a road bike or I'd be better off just selling it and buy a brand new entry level fixed gear? I'm not planning to ride it on the track, but merely on the streets, as a commuter, bar bike, occasional long rides. After I change the rear wheel and hub, is there anything else that I must buy in order to the bike to work properly as a fixie? (For instance, I don't know if I have to change the chainrings and crankset too.)

SingleSpeeDemon

For the money, why not consider a Mercier Kilo TT from eBay? or a Schwinn Madison like mine for just a few dollars more?

Aeroplane

If you love your frame, and would love it even more as a SS/fixed, it is worth it. The ENO hub is a quality piece of machinery that will probably outlast all the parts on a budget complete bike. And you don't have to worry about fit.

If you want to save money, buy the hub and build the wheel yourself, it's pretty easy. Sheldon Brown taught me how over the internet.

carleton

Sell it and buy a proper fixie/track bike. You will be happy that you did.

By the way, what is the bike you are trying to convert?

phil s.

The mercier looks cool. I love the black one. And they are so cheap! I also like the Madison. Is it out yet? How much

phil s.

It's a 2005 k2 mach 1.00 aluminum with sora components.

SingleSpeeDemon

I'll bet the Madison is much like the Mercier--I like the green one myself. I scored my Madison from a shop near Boston. The MSRP is $525, mine was $365.

ryand

where/how did you score a madison for 365?

carleton

My vote: Yeah, just clean it up and sell it. Buy the best fixie/track specific bike that your money can buy.

phil s.

I probably will. What bike do you suggest? I sort of like the new Masi, although it's not even in the store yet. About the mercier, I just found out that it's a khs frame with cheap components on it.

carleton

That question is asked here about once a week. Just go back a few pages in the forum and you'll have more than enough info.

Aeroplane

For the record, a KHS is a KHS frame with cheap components on it too.

Learn_not2burn

Believe it or not, road bikes are actually ****ing cool. If you are looking for a bike to just ride around town on shorter rides and on errands, sell the road bike and get a fixed gear. If you do any sort of longer rides, stick with the K2.

fixed_but_free

Road bikes *and* fixies are both great. But don't ghettoize the fixed to just short trips! In the right conditions, a 20 miler on a fixed gear f'in rules! I've seen people do 30+ mile charity rides on track bikes, and a kid I know in Denver regularly rides 50 miles to Boulder on his fixie. All depends on what kind of rider you want to be.

Learn_not2burn

Yeah I wasn't dogging fixies for long rides. I was just thinking that if he was doing 20,30+ mile rides everyday he might as well just stick with the road bike and leave out the hassle. I wrecked my road bike after having it for 3 months when I first got into cycling and built my track bike about a month before I wrecked, so this entire last season I've been training on my track bike doing 60-70 mile rides 2-3 times a week and 25 mile rides the rest of the time. It's definetely do able.

paule

These kinds of elitist comments make me ill. A proper fixie? What the hell is that?

carleton

A "proper fixie" is a bicycle designed to be a fixed-gear bicycle.

Ill? Maybe you should go see a doctor about that. But, I'm not sure if insurance covers hateration.

paule

Hateration? Here you are claiming that conversions are not "proper" and I'm the hater. For the record, I know the dif between a track bike and a conversion, but I'll be damned if I can enjoy a "proper" track bicycle anymore than a well thought out conversion or beater for that matter.

Different machines but both are proper.

carleton

I'm just joshin' man.

My point is, the whole "simplicity of a fixed gear" stays simple when you use a fixie/track specific frameset as a base, like a steamroller, pista, IRO, etc...

paule

I'm with ya, I actually laughed outloud at the hateration comment.

Bone

How much did the Madison run you?? It looks great. Bone
Never mind I just saw your other post with the cost. Thanks

eddiebrannan

that is definitely the cutest pret a porter out there.

Jurrell

Get a old road frame and build it up. My frame took under 300 bucks to get it road worthy.

lymbzero

The mercer looks like a Sprit Commercial.

spud

so you paid a fistful of dollars?