Fixed gear questions
 

I just found a Peugeot carbolite 103 fora good price at my thrift shop. I have wanted a fixed gear for awhile and want to convert this one. Can someone post a link to some instructions on how to do this? FYI I know very little about working on bicycles.

google search 5 seconds
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html

I have read through that a few times and am apparently too stupid to figure out exactly what I need.

K will simplify
New rear wheel with a fixed gear hub and possibly a new crank / bottom bracket. if the BB is french threaded (and I'm no expert on timelines by any means but I think the carbolite models should be english) it will be more complicated, not impossible but the only two places I know of that make french threaded BB's are Velo Orange (Cheaper) or Phil Wood (Very high quality, but very expensive) Although if its a double you will most likely beable to reuse your crank, in that case you will most likely need a new shorter set of chainring bolts

Don't take the brakes off and get some toe cages too

Thanks Cnnrmccloskey. So how about these two?

http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Chainr...6289698&sr=8-5

http://www.amazon.com/ACTION-WHEEL-A...6289543&sr=1-3


A new chain and a rear sprocket. How many teeth?

not sure if those chainring bolts are for single speed use hard to tell by the picture, and I don't know about the wheel, but how far wrong can you go for 50 bucks?
How many gears does the bike have at the moment? depending the spacing might be off, but thats solvable via a couple different methods.

How many teeth you want is a question only you can answer, I would suggest going out for a ride and trying to the gear that works best for you for all around use, it depends on your riding style, strength and the local terrain.

Make sure when you get a cog for it you note wether its 1/8" or 3/32" this will dictate what chain you want, considering your using a 3/32" chainring (if you reuse your crank) I would suggest a 3/32" cog, they can be mismatched as long as you go with 1/8 chain but it won't give you any noticable performance increase and will be *slightly* heavier (going for 1/8 cog and chain that is)

Edit: lets go back here a bit, does your bike have horizontal dropouts?

Its a 20 speed. Also what wheel would you recommend on a budget? I can spend a bit more than 50.

its a 20 speed? do you mean a 21 speed, 20 is only possible with a 10 speed cassette. if you mean 21 that means you have a triple and will probably have to get a new BB.
I don't have any budget suggestions other than avoid spending too much money until you know you like FG riding and you want to continue.

before we go further. Does your bike have horizontal dropouts?

Vertical drop outs. And its actually a 12 speed. Not sure why I wrote 20.

Mkay well vertical dropouts do complicate matters
http://www.eehouse.org/fixin/formfmu.php
This can help you calculate a "magic gear" which is a gear that will have good chain tension without the ability to adjust,
http://www.blueskycycling.com/view_p...eProductSearch
heres a half link that can also help.

okay 12 speed makes more sense, you will most likely be able to keep your BB and crank then.

you should figure out the spacing of your frame, which can be done by measuring from the inside face of one dropout to the other.

This will determine which wheel you want (or if cold setting is necessary)

vertical dropouts kinda make that frame a no-go for a fixed conversion. I think it might be possible, but it would be super difficult or you might need to get a chain tensioner which are super oogly

Awesome thanks man. I doubled check the Sheldon Brown page and it seems that my drops are horizontal. I just picked up the bike tonight and thought they were vertical at first glance.

Really appreciate the help. This project is going to be fun.

Have Fun, converting my first road bike to a fixed gear was a blast for me!

And I will say this now, when installing your cog/lockring use grease and Tighten the Cog as much as possible, then tighten the lockring
Its pretty easy to strip the threads and ruin the hub if you don't do it right

Chain tensioners will only work if you're planning on doing a SS. A fixed gear won't take a chain tensioner on account of not tensioning properly if you're back pedaling.

Just a heads up.

True but the OP was mistaken on his type of drop-outs and the only viable way is with half links and magic gears

Post a picture of the bike (drive side).

Believe they ran a couple different cranks over the years, some with crank arm attached to the big chainring, which could complicate things if you are picky about aethetics (running on small inner ring with empty big one).

Basically you should be able to toss a 120mm spaced rear wheel and new chain on and be on your way.

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5441/downsizec.jpg


http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/6424/downsize2a.jpg

My roomate also has this wheel
he is willing to give me. Will it work?

oops double post.

Cant I use the larger chaingring?

Any thoughts on the pics?

you can use the larger chainring, your chainline will just be off a little bit. i converted a bike with the crank arm connected to the big chainring (52) and its fine. i would just suggest getting around a 20t 3/32" cog and a 3/32" chain, keeping the front brake, and gettin some clips and straps