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Making a fixed-wheel bike



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 19th 07, 12:47 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
D.M. Procida
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Posts: 357
Default Making a fixed-wheel bike

Following recent bike misadventures, I'm considering taking up a
friend's offer of an old frame, to turn it into a fixed-wheel bike.

He says it's an old touring frame with "relaxed geometry".

My main concern is that the bottom bracket will be too low and I'll keep
catching the pedals on the ground, something that I've done several
times lately on my old Raleigh hybrid.

What else do I need to consider?

I konw it needs to have horizontal drop-outs. What about axle spacing?

Daniele
  #2  
Old October 19th 07, 01:35 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Arthur Clune
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Posts: 185
Default Making a fixed-wheel bike

D.M. Procida wrote:

I konw it needs to have horizontal drop-outs. What about axle spacing?


Not a great problem. If it's an old road frame it'll either be 130mm or
(if very old 125mm), and I'm assuming it's steel.

That gives you two options

1) Buy a rear hub that can be run in 130mm OLN. Easy enough now or
2) Just respace the rear to 120mm and run a track hub. Costs not
a lot if you strip down the bike.

Arthur

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of memory against forgetting - Milan Kundera

  #4  
Old October 19th 07, 03:58 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Arthur Clune
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Default Making a fixed-wheel bike

Rob Morley wrote:

If it's an old road frame it will be 126mm, or 120mm if it's very old.


Opps. That's what I meant. Sigh.

Arthur

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of memory against forgetting - Milan Kundera

  #5  
Old October 19th 07, 01:38 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Rob Morley
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Default Making a fixed-wheel bike

In article 1i68e0g.1h02smm1lgpeqgN%real-not-anti-spam-address@apple-
juice.co.uk, D.M. Procida
says...
Following recent bike misadventures, I'm considering taking up a
friend's offer of an old frame, to turn it into a fixed-wheel bike.

He says it's an old touring frame with "relaxed geometry".

My main concern is that the bottom bracket will be too low and I'll keep
catching the pedals on the ground, something that I've done several
times lately on my old Raleigh hybrid.


Short cranks with a low Q-factor and small (narrow, shallow) pedals help
improve the clearance. RHS cranks usually stick out further (although
if you're using a double or triple you'll need to fit a shorter axle to
get the chainline correct) and in the UK the road camber means you're
more likely to ground the RHS pedal anyway. :-(

What else do I need to consider?

I konw it needs to have horizontal drop-outs. What about axle spacing?

Horizontal-ish dropouts - you really want at least 1/2 inch of
adjustment to be able to tension the chain properly, although you can
get away with 1/4 inch if you use a half-link in the chain. If it's a
steel frame you can just bend it to suit the hub width - a fixed hub
tends to be 110mm or 120mm OLN, although you can often space it out a
bit especially if it has a solid axle rather than QR (this also gives
some leeway with the chainline adjustment).
  #6  
Old October 19th 07, 12:58 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
M-gineering
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Posts: 1,016
Default Making a fixed-wheel bike

D.M. Procida wrote:
Following recent bike misadventures, I'm considering taking up a
friend's offer of an old frame, to turn it into a fixed-wheel bike.

He says it's an old touring frame with "relaxed geometry".

My main concern is that the bottom bracket will be too low and I'll keep
catching the pedals on the ground, something that I've done several
times lately on my old Raleigh hybrid.

What else do I need to consider?

I konw it needs to have horizontal drop-outs. What about axle spacing?

Daniele


consider spd pedals, you'll get cornering clearance, and loosing a pedal
because you forger you were on fixed is much more difficult If you
need conventional pedals fit the thinnest and narrowest you can find.
Shorter cranks or a nice fat tyre will help a lot.
You can bend an old steel frame to any hubwidth you want, but hubs are
available from 110 to 135mm



--
/Marten

info(apestaartje)m-gineering(punt)nl
  #7  
Old October 19th 07, 02:08 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
D.M. Procida
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Posts: 357
Default Making a fixed-wheel bike

M-gineering wrote:

My main concern is that the bottom bracket will be too low and I'll keep
catching the pedals on the ground, something that I've done several
times lately on my old Raleigh hybrid.

What else do I need to consider?

I konw it needs to have horizontal drop-outs. What about axle spacing?


consider spd pedals, you'll get cornering clearance, and loosing a pedal
because you forger you were on fixed is much more difficult If you
need conventional pedals fit the thinnest and narrowest you can find.
Shorter cranks or a nice fat tyre will help a lot.


Fat tyres, no thanks! But yes, of course I would have SPDs.

You can bend an old steel frame to any hubwidth you want, but hubs are
available from 110 to 135mm


I thought bending was bad for frames, and was not advised. In fact in
the days when six-speed hubs were new, I remember reading strong
warnings not to try forcing them to fit by bending.

Daniele
  #9  
Old October 19th 07, 03:59 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Arthur Clune
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Posts: 185
Default Making a fixed-wheel bike

D.M. Procida wrote:

I thought bending was bad for frames, and was not advised. In fact in


I wasn't suggesting bending the frame (a PITA when changing the wheel
if nothing else) but getting a shop to reset the rear to a different
width.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
The struggle of people against power is the struggle
of memory against forgetting - Milan Kundera

  #10  
Old October 19th 07, 05:39 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Simon Brooke
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Posts: 4,493
Default Making a fixed-wheel bike

in message
, D.M.
Procida ') wrote:

M-gineering wrote:

My main concern is that the bottom bracket will be too low and I'll
keep catching the pedals on the ground, something that I've done
several times lately on my old Raleigh hybrid.

What else do I need to consider?

I konw it needs to have horizontal drop-outs. What about axle spacing?


consider spd pedals, you'll get cornering clearance, and loosing a pedal
because you forger you were on fixed is much more difficult If you
need conventional pedals fit the thinnest and narrowest you can find.
Shorter cranks or a nice fat tyre will help a lot.


Fat tyres, no thanks! But yes, of course I would have SPDs.

You can bend an old steel frame to any hubwidth you want, but hubs are
available from 110 to 135mm


I thought bending was bad for frames, and was not advised. In fact in
the days when six-speed hubs were new, I remember reading strong
warnings not to try forcing them to fit by bending.


You shouldn't bend aluminium frames, they don't like it and are prone to
snap. Not so much of a problem with steel.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

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Yes! You, too, can SPAM in the Famous Brooke Rotating .sig!
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