Entry into the world of Fixed Gear
 

I've read a good amount of the resource thread and a bunch of other sites as well but I've still got a few questions.

I use to ride a lot when I was in elementary-high school just to get around and whatnot, stopped in college due to lack of a bike and time, and now I'm done and want to ride again. I've never ridden a fixed gear bike or a single speed aside from BMX.

For fixed gear cycling what size should the bike be? I almost got a Giant Bowery in Medium (52cm I believe) but couldn't end up affording it anyways at the time. Would that have been a good bike to make into a fixed gear for a beginner?

Would it be better to buy one on Ebay though even though I don't understand most of the components to know if I'm getting something worth the money? And then returns to the question of size, the medium Bowery if anything felt a tad small to me I like a high seat.

When purchasing what are some things I should look for I've never built a bike and don't really know about frames and all that, I just enjoy riding them.

oh and also I saw LBS in a bunch of threads, whats this mean?

The Giant Bowery would make a good choice for a first bike, it's just alot of people say it's relatively heavy compared to other offerings out there. Actually alot of the "off the shelf" fixed gear bikes avaliable from most major manufacturers would make great beginner bikes.

LBS = Local Bike Shop

bikesdirect.com is probably the best place for someone starting off to get a bike, if you know your fit already. All three of their fixed gear offerings are good values.

Anyway, there is a resource thread that's a good place to start.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=287364

There are SO MANY good, entry level fixed-gear bikes these days you have numerous options. If you're looking for strictly price, bikesdirect.com is good. If you're looking for brand name, Specialized, Giant, Swobo, Fuji, KHS, and numerous others have bikes.

And if you want to be a little more hands on, you could always look at a conversion.

Now, all that said, if this is your first fixed-gear bike -- and your first bike in general in a long time -- I really wouldn't recommend an online purchase. Go to a bike store and get a bike you can try before you buy. Make sure you go to a bike store that does good fixie/SS business, otherwise you might get bad advice, or steered towards a geared bike (which isn't bad, unless you have your heart set on fixied/SS).

Anyway, yeah, check out a bike store.

If you aren't certain about your fit, then I would definitely recommend that you use an LBS when you buy the bike. I'll offer two other bits of advice, make of them what you'd like:

-- If you haven't ridden in some time, I strongly encourage you to make sure your bike has a set of brakes, or a front brake at the least. Some off-the-peg bikes don't come with brakes. Don't be gulled into riding something that you aren't equipped for, and don't get rid of your brakes for the sake of fashion.

-- Whatever bike you get, you should be sure the rear wheel is flip-flop (I think they all are, but y'now) and has a SS freewheel on it that you can use. I prefer straight SS to fixed, but my commute is pretty long, with lots of hills. Learning to ride fixed can be kind of alarming at first, and you might want something familiar to go back to if you aren't comfortable.

...if you can think of some more specific questions to ask (e.g.-- 'I want mounts for racks/fenders,' 'I want to set it up for track') then I'm sure we could be much more helpful suggesting bikes you might look at.

I, too, am falling in love with the idea of a fixie. I went to my LBS a few days ago and rode a Raleigh Rush Hour. I took that baby down a steep hill near the shop; the last time I felt that terrified and thrilled at the same time was on my first time on a looping roller coaster when I was about 9. Of course, coming back up that steep hill was sure a *****. :)

Any thoughts on the Rush Hour and One Way? I'm going to try to find a Redline 925 at another shop this weekend. Any other name brands out there I should look at?

if you have the option, i'd highly recommend getting a fixed/fixed rear wheel. you can still have a freewheel if you want, or if/when you decide you want it fixed all the time, you can have two gear ratios (or a backup if one side of the hub gets stripped or something).

I personally don't recommend the Bowery. It's all of the negatives of aluminum, with none of the positive (lightness). There are better bikes out there for less money. Go with steel, weight isn't that big of a deal in the scheme of things.

Kona Paddy Wagon
Surly Steam Roller

SOMA or PAKE are inexpensive options too.

+1. I'm pretty bummed about my current flip flop because my other wheel is fixed/fixed. I loved having the choice of 2 different cogs.

i just bought a new rush hour on ebay for $420...should be in monday, can't wait.

you're not a tattoo artist are you? i've seen that user name before on a subie forum.

go to an LBS(local bike shop) and have them fit you for a road bike. unless they're real *******s, they should have no problem doing this. not a pro fit or anything, just have them get some sizes out that would fit and see how they feel.

get the same size or maybe a cm smaller for a fixed gear/track bike.

As long as you're running a brake you can put a track cog on the free side...

umm... no.

seriously, no. the second you put any backpressure on it will fall right off. that's just a terrible idea. you're joking, right? maybe you do it, but i wouldn't recommend it in a million years to someone else. it's just a terrible idea.

not to mention, the chainline will be all off.

No, I'm not joking. I have never spun a properly secured cog off of my freewheel side as I have always relied on my brake as my primary stopper, even with regular back-pedalling for scrubbing off speed.
Your chainline may be off a milimeter or two at most....but that's no big deal...

then you've been lucky so far, but it's pretty irresponsible to suggest this to someone who's totally new to riding fixed and hasn't decided to be as much of an idiot as you are.

max, everytime i see your signature it makes me miss tadashi

me too, ryan. me too.

Jesus, you guys are the safety police. Rotafix the cog with some Locktite, and maybe throw a bottom bracket lockring on there, and you'll be fine if you're using brakes. Even Sheldon condones this.

Thanks for all the information, the sizing and opinions on purchasing should definately come in handy.

I'm don't think I understand how the fixed/fixed vs fixed/free vs free/free works. I thought I did but now I'm sure I don't and I don't understand the info I can find on it. I always thought it had to do with the wheel as in the tire. Now I see it has to do with the gear and being able to turn one of the parts around to allow for coasting. Seems that is Fixed/Fixed with a flipflop hub? Nomenclature here makes me even more confused cause I would imagine if one of the parts was removable it wouldn't be called Fixed.

Could someone perhaps explain this better hopefully with a description of what the cog/wheel/hub is? I tried finding a diagram of this but couldn't

this might help with basic questions. you can also find it on eBay for $50 or something, so perhaps try selling it when you are done!

Thanks that helped a bit I ignored it in the resource thread cause I thought it was a joke with the ebay comment. But it still doesn't discuss the difference between Fixed Wheel and Free Wheel

The naming is pretty straightforward:

fixed= a track cog threaded onto a special threading scheme, that permits a lockring to be threaded on in the opposite direction (to prevent the cog from backing itself off). This means that when the wheels move, the cranks move-- no backpedaling, coasting, etc.

free= a standard freewheel threading, but the wheel isn't dished. A BMX-style freewheel is put on, so it's like a 'standard' bike, but with one gear. You can coast, backpedal, etc. but you can't pull off any of the maneuvers fixed riders seem to enjoy, i.e. trackstanding, skidding, pedaling backwards figure eights...

So, fixed/free= one side track cog, one side SS freewheel. You can put the rest together from there. If you've never ridden fixed, then I'd emphatically advise you to give it a shot before you plunk down your money on a fixed/fixed setup. It's fun, but it's not for all situations.

Gordiep explained it well but if you aren't understanding the previous things, let's start from the ground up...

one thing that might help (depending on how confused you are, and you sound pretty confused) is that the only thing different about a fixed/fixed and fixed/free wheel is the hub.

think of a wheel in three parts:
1. rim (metal hoop the tire goes around)
2. spokes
3. hub(center section that turns around itself and allows the wheel to be bolted to the frame)

since the hub is also the section of the wheel that the gears are attached to, the hub is what can have two sides on a track hub for a fixed gear that doesn't spin or a freewheel that does.

in case you're a visual learner, here's a picture of a free side of a track hub:
http://www.bikemannetwork.com/Mercha...ge/HU8812B.jpg
notice how, like everyone's been explaining, the threading is all one size and all one direction.

a fixed/free hub will have this on one side, and fixed on the other. this first pictured hub has a fixed on the right side with a lockring attached but no track cog.

a fixed side(without a cog or lockring) looks different, like this:
http://www.bikemannetwork.com/Mercha...ge/HU0203B.jpg
notice how there is a slight but definite step in the threading, from a larger inside threading down to a smaller and reversed outside threading for a lockring. this is what allows the track cog gear to be fixed to the wheel and not move, thus always putting a force through the chain whenever the wheel is in motion.

the reason the threading for free can still move is because you're essentially putting a one-way bearing on the threading for a free side, so the cog on the outside of the bearing will spin free when moving forward. there's no concievable way for the freewheel to spin off unless the bearing binds and there's backpressure, which never happens. with a track cog, you need a lockring because the second you put backpressure on the pedals it will unscrew like a bunch of spring snakes for a prank can of peanuts.

hopefully that helps.

they make track hubs with only one side, so those are usually fixed. they also make them with two sides, both fixed(fixed/fixed) or one free(fixed/free) or both free(free/free) but all that means is that the threading has a place for a lockring on the side that's fixed.