converting mid-90's Aluminum Cannondale Road bike to Fixed gear / or / SS
 

First time converting a Road bike to fixed that does Not have horizontal dropouts...

I've had this bike laying around for a while and I was considering making it into a nice little track bike... the bike has modern style vertical dropouts..

Will I need one of those springy pulley things that mounts on the derailleur hanger? Or is that only if I am unable to get the chain length correct with the vertical dropouts?... if I can't get the chain length correct would a half link chain solve this problem? if I get it just right then couldn't I get away with it working nicely in the vertical dropouts???

I am confused because if the half link chain solves the chain length problem then why would anybody bother with that springy derailleur hanger thing when they can just buy a half link chain instead????

Other question... If I need that derailleur hanger pulley thing then will I be able to run it as a fixed gear bike, or do those things only work with a freewheel as a single speed?

I suspect that you can only run a freewheel with the hanger thingie because when you pedal backwards there would be a problem with the chain bunching up.... but I'm not sure...

Thanks!!!

Read everything here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ed-Start-Here!


Come back with specific questions not covered in the link above.

Hi... Read it over and no dice... I couldn't find the answers... My question was pretty specific... I know the basics as this is my 9'th Fixie/SS build in the past 6 months... I just have never had to deal with vertical dropouts...

Any help or a link to a more specific thread that I can't seem to find would be much appreciated,

Thanks!

it most certainly is covered in the above thread. magic gear or eccentric bb or weld new dropouts or gtfo

honestly you should just make that cannondale a road bike and get a new fixed gear frame. the tensioner won't work with fixed gear because it only tensions the nonloaded side of the chain. a magic gear is still not a good idea because the wheel can come out of the dropout if the nuts slip. and welding new dropouts is expensive and ruins the frame for road use. just don't do it.

Short version: more trouble than it is worth.

Thanks for the advise... I'm sure that everything is in the thread but I'm not that great with threads / forums so I'm still learning how to navigate around the website... Most of the answers I am able to find on my own but whenever I get list in all the threads and posts I ask for some help...

I'm still a bit confused... Is there a chance that a half link chain would allOw me to not need the magic wheel thing?

The Sheldon Brown article on road bike conversions (in the first link posted) answers all the questions you've asked so far. Especially pay attention to the section on dropouts.

Viola - Mid 90's C-dale

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...6/DSCF3635.jpg

I used a combination of "magic gear" (with a 1/2 link) to get the length close. I opened up the dropouts a tiny bit with a dremmel to finalize chain tension (in hind sight, I should have ground the axle - but what's done is done).

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkaiu2hljd1qc4a4c.gif
super bass

Thanks! I read Sheldon brown and hit most of the answers...

I experiment with it a bit... I got the bike for dirt cheap ($100) because the brifters and dearilleurs were shot... So I figured it would be a good chance to experiment making a Ss / fixie with vertical dropouts

Thanks for the tip on Sheldon brown...

Hmmm... I'm Sensing you really don't like newbies, well thanks for making me feel welcome...

just playing around! nothing personal. I'm just saying, if the moderator of the forum says to read something and then you fire back with "i already did" it's not a great way to ask for help. especially when if you read it, you'd have most if not all of the answers you're asking.

if you had asked if it's worth it to do what you were asking was possible, and was explained as possible and discussed in the linked thread... then we'd love to discuss it.

but if you're too stubborn to actually listen to our advice and read the things we help you find so you'll understand more about what you're talking about... well, a nikki minaj gif is really pretty tame.

again, nothing personal.

FWIW - the Cannondale dropouts are aluminum and quite soft. The nuts will dig into the dropouts if you crank down on them and I haven't had any issues with the nuts slipping. I can see where vertical steel dropouts might be more risky.

Hi, I know...

I am new to forums in general and had some trouble navigating through where I was first linked... I am getting more familiar with how forums and threads work but it's taking time... Just bare with me...

I appreciate being directed to another forum because I know that I'm not the first person to ask these questions and that they probably have been answered but as I said, bare with me while I get tfe hang of this forum / thread layout... Don't ask me how long it took me to figure out how to add a picture to a post!! Hahaha I must have tried like 30 times over a couple days till I got it right!

Thanks! Good to know!

problem with half links and vertical dropouts in general.... after you've ridden for 15 miles or whatever... and your chain has stretched 1/256th, you notice.... a lot.... it sucks...

yes, there is a chance that a half link could work. it may not. filing the dropouts could work too, or it may not. getting an ENO eccentric hub could work depending on tire clearance issues. ENO eccentric hubs may not even work with a halflink. though i would be surprised if it didn't. BTW halflinks come in 1/8 and 3/32 inches sizes for different width chains.

i haven't had any experience with eccentric bottom brackets, so i can't say. i have had experience with the three other suggestions i've made though. and i think you may have meant "magic gear" not "magic thing".

and i've never used a chain tensioner. it's like wearing a condom, it takes a little bit of the joy :thumb: out of the whole experience...

I use an ENO eccentric hub and it works fine on 2 of my conversions. I think it's the easiest solution,

It adjusts chain tension
You can safely ride fixed w cog and lockring (as opposed to suicide hub)
It has the right chainline for most road double cranks (47.5 mm) so you won't have to change cranks or bb (track is 42.0)
It's available in 130 mm axle spacing (typical for road bikes, fixed frames are usually 120mm)

I think the hub is about $140, plus cost new rim, spokes, cog & lockring. You'll have to pay someone to build the wheel for you if you don't know how.

Or you can hunt on eBay and CL.

I think it's worth it, i love my conversions.

Thanks for all the help!! Now I've got some work ahead of me... I'll probably try a regular chain and see what happens then go from there... I think from now on I'll stick with horizontal dropouts...

+1

Conversions were popular years ago when the generally the only Single Speed or Fixed Gear frames available were actual track racing bikes...which were rare and sometimes expensive. They were also a way to bring old frames back to life. But, you are experiencing a few of the big headaches involved in the process.

Consider the cost/benefit and compare that to the cost and ease of buying a new or used bike with proper track ends.

Yup... You got it right!

I have already converted 8 bikes that have horizontal dropouts to both fixed gear and SS with no problems... This bike just happened to be a deal a couple years back that I couldn't turn down... I have been neglecting converting because I didn't know how... Now I see the problems involved in doing so... Much more hassle than its worth!!

Thanks for all the tips everybody!!

I would have kept it as a roadie just because I like those 90's Cannondale roadies look. I might pick one up if there ever is one in my size on CL.

I still may end up going that route... Problem is that the brifters, front and rear dearilleurs and brake calipers are all shot... Bike was left on a balcony and mother nature tool her course on all the steel screws and springs... So if I go roadie then I need to buy a whole new group for the frame...

Maybe you can buy a donor bike from the same era for cheap that has all of the components you need? Or simply buy a modern entry level group.

For $100 frame, fork + usable odds/ends, I don't think you have much to loose in experimenting with fixed. My C-dale frame is significantly nicer that, say, my new nashbar aluminum fixed frame - with the exception being ease of chain adjustment.

I built mine up about 7-years ago and I pretty much used all bargin bin components (Tektro brakes, cheap schraeder-valve Sun rims, alivio front hub etc.) Once you get your chain figured out, I say just build it up and have fun with it. I know I love mine.