Hi, new to the forums. Trying to absorb as much info as possible. Want to buy a old racer to run around town in and later on convert to fixed. Would the following be a good candidate?

https://imgur.com/21tSv0t
https://imgur.com/dRwppgt
https://imgur.com/w0iqJNU

My main concern is about the chainwheel/crank. I will need to replace it with a one piece 'spider web' one, if i ever want to go fixed, right?


Thanks for advice.

why would you think you couldn't use a modern crank?

I'm not sure I made myself clear. The bike in pic has 'swagged' cranks, so i'm worried i'll need to replace them in order to go fixed. https://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_st-z.html#swaging is where im getting the info from.

If you're ok with the size of the chainring on there already you dont need to replace. But if you plan on changing the gearing on the crankset youll need a new one.

I would take off the inner ring, use a shorter bottom bracket to scootch in the crankset, and rock that 52T bad boy. Gearing is personal, but I'd use a 19T or 20T cog with it.

So when Sheldon writes

"A swaged crank is an iffy proposition on a tandem, a fixed-gear bicycle, or a bicycle with a coaster brake, because applying force in both directions runs a substantial risk of loosening the chainwheel so it freewheels in both directions."


I shouldn't worry?

Yeah I will make do with the chainring that's already on the bike.

That's a good candidate IMO. You can always keep the crankset and manipulate a ratio that fits you via cog size or just moderize BB & crankset.
Only question now is price and fit. Considering there's plenty of economical pre-built complete bikes out there that can be had these days.

I'm buying the bike for 150 euro. Seems like an alright deal. Looks like it was well maintained. Will be riding it geared for a little while.

Ok, did a google search on my first question (yes I know, should of done it before) and apparently people have been using these cranks for fixed with none catastrophical results: https://www.lfgss.com/thread15068.html so I guess I'm fine.

Oh,would you guys give me a few pointers for what to look out for when going and picking up the bike? Haven't bought a used bike before.

Thanks for all the input :-)

It's gonna have way more swag when you make it a sw8 fixay.

What to look for: Check its vital signs. Spin the stuff that spins, and see if it spins free or sounds crunchy. Test the brakes. Check to see if the wheels are true (do they wobble when they spin). Look for dents. Finally, ask to take it for a test ride and see if it fits you.

Thanks for the tips. Also what's a sw8 fixie?

Also check for play in the hubs (wheels) and bottom bracket by trying to wiggle them with your hand.

Your bike after you're done with it.

A sweet fixed gear bike, in the parlance of our times.

Haha ok :-) so there shouldn't be any play in the hubs, am I correct?

No there shouldn't. If there is and previous owner rode it that way there's a chance the bearing races could've been pitted and need to be replaced.

This is a very good start, liking those oldschool Raleigh (I have 2 Raleighs before until I sold one of them)

FTFY
The most important part when buying an oldschool used bike. And test ride is a must.
Good luck on the build man

Yep, even though when I had gotten the 930, I didn't do a test ride.

Thanks for all the replies. Wish me luck. Will post a picture or 2 when/if I get it.

that bike will look nice setup as a fixed gear. looks nice now, i like the color of the quill stem and the crankset on that bike quite a bit and the look of that solid chainring.

So got the bike. Was ina bit worse condition than I thought. What's the best way of getting rid of rust? Also the handlebars , they shouldn't be above that maximum point, right?

Also there's a noise coming from the crank area. At a certain angle in the stroke there are 4 'clicks'. This is the bearings gone or? Thanks

Correct, that maximum height line is there for a reason.

Instead of trying to get rid of the rust, i would just change out the headset and bottom bracket.

And hope the head tube & BB shell don't fall apart while doing so.

So you guys think the rust is major? If I go into a bike shop, would they be able to tell me just from looking at the bike of it's not repairable? Is it possible that it has rusted through the whole frame? Thanks.