Single Speed - Fixed Advice . . .

[AJM100]

Thinking about picking up a fix/ss (flip flop) bike. Anyone have any experience with the sub $400-500 market, like a Fuji Feather or something similar. Recommendations appreciated. Prefer steel . . .

Thanks guys.

[Cameron]

If it were me I'd see if I could hold out for something a little nicer than the bottom rung stuff out there, but used to save some money. Something like an All-City Big Block or Soma Rush...

BUT if you want cheaper, steel and complete -- I'd go with a Traitor Cutlass. They're selling them for $374 complete right now. (https://www.traitorcycles.com/2015/Store_Detail.cfm?Token={ts_2016-04-05_13:52:29}-8cc4d551a19aec6f-0DAE2B0D-DD19-0D3C-65ACA5FA2A9D6BA9&P=545&PL=385&o=520&C=525)

[p nut]

If you're going to be riding on the road (not velodrome), I cannot think of a better buy than a Wabi Classic.

http://www.wabicycles.com/classic_bike_spec_11.html

It's a bit over your price limit, but the weight, quality of components make it well-worth it. I've ridden mine for a few thousand miles on the original components (exception of brakes, chain and tires). Owner is a great guy to deal with as well. Highly recommended.

[Vinci]

If you want to go cheap, check out BikesDirect. They have a number of fixed/SS bikes well inside that price range. I put thousands of commuting miles onto a Dawes SST and it held up fine with a few tweaks (saddle, pedals, brake pads). The components weren't high-grade, but they are plenty serviceable for the money.

That said, for a slightly larger budget, you can have a lot of fun building your own...

[FierteTi52]

Best ride choice is converting an 80's road bike into a fixie.

[azrider]

Best ride choice is converting an 80's road bike into a fixie.

+1

88 Centurion dipped in chrome :cool:

[donevwil]

Or even better a '70s conversion, 120mm rear spacing, long horizontal dropouts, lots of tire clearance and no braze-ons that scream "I used to be a geared bike".

1697917961

[Jaq]

A couple years back I picked up a Fuji Feather (used) for about 300 bucks.

Most fun I've had in years. Gearing's SS; I'm not a fan of fixed-gear in the city.

It had bull bars on it; not crazy about 'em, but not a big deal. It also has clinchers, and I'm not a fan. I'll change all that stuff one of these days. I also put on a set of Speedplays.

The bike's heavier that my road bike (also steel), and with a curved fork, the wheelbase is a little longer, so the ride's a bit smoother. With wider forks and stays, I'm pretty sure I could put some fairly big tires on it if I wanted to do any off-road single-speed riding.

Geared at 44/16 (iirc). I can climb some of the local hills/mountains easily enough, while still having a big enough gear in the descents.

Bottom line: I love it. Best bike buy I've made in 20 years.

[gavingould]

i picked up a Fuji Track close to ten years ago - pretty much the same as the current-day Feather, only mine came sans brakes.
i still have it as an occasional runabout, bar-bike, no worry about what might happen to it locked up out in public.
the cranks didn't make it very long - partly due to my shoddy (for the time) maintenance, partly due to being ultra-cheap square taper. replaced with Omnium cranks, much better. other than that, it's lived on with very little trouble.

[11.4]

The nice thing about a fixie is that it's such a simple bike, so practically anything can work. Make up a list of items you'd like and that'll narrow stuff down:

1. fender eyelets for wet weather?
2. rack mounts?
3. high track bottom bracket (better clearance on turns) or low road bottom bracket?
4. old braze-ons or a completely clean frame?
5. 120 mm rear spacing (traditional track spacing as well as old 1970s road spacing)?
6. old beat up bike ok or even preferred?
7. water bottle cage braze ons?
8. and so on.

Almost all fixie candidates will take a standard 27.2 mm seat post, English bottom bracket, etc. If recent production, almost all will have 1-1/8" steers, mostly steel; if older, 1" steers.

I'd stick to steel and not consider alloy or carbon frames, even though there are some really cheap frames out there in those materials. When you clamp down a fixed rear wheel it tends to chew up the shims on the rear stay ends commonly used on alloy or carbon frames.

At this point, with some sense of your preferences, absolutely shop for used. There are fixies all over the country on eBay, Craigslist, and other media, that are better than what you'll find new in your price range but are selling for half their original price.

Honestly, some people are just fine with the cheapest frame you can find out there -- a new steel frame costing $199 or less. But the quality really gets a lot better when the frame gets closer to around $500. I really like the quality of All City frames for use as fixies. I'd suggest something like the All City Nature Boy, a single speed cross bike. It's perfect as a road fixie -- not light but extremely durable and really nicely made and finished, with bottle cages, fender mounts, all the things you'd like. It starts with 130 mm rear spacing and you can get track hubs measuring 130 mm, but I'd suggest having your shop respace the rear to 120 mm. Then you have a million track hubs and track wheels to choose from, plus chainline gets a lot simpler. You can use old 120 mm road wheels from forty years ago and just put a lock ring on them; as long as you have front and rear brakes, you don't have to worry about a lockring (old freewheel road hubs have the same threading as a track hub cog, but no threading for a lockring). Also, eBay is littered with quite decent track wheels sets in 120 mm spacing. Many are double-sided, either fixed/fixed or fixed/freewheel -- any of those will work fine.

If you shop around, you can also find a Gunnar fixie, or a EAI Bareknuckle, Toyo Godzilla, etc. Those are all superb frames and you can find new ones for around $500 if you go hunting. There are simply too many good frames out there to name them all. You can find used Japanese keirin frames, but they come available because they've been crashed, and while some importers are fair, others are very unpredictable. I'd look at American steel frames and you'll find more than enough to keep you busy.

[AJM100]

Thanks everyone, I am very familiar with All City and Wabi as well, but was trying to avoid the extra $$. I was just looking to see if I could go sub $400 . . .

The Traitor recommendation looked very promising IMO, but believe it or not I located a Wabi Classic on the bay and got it for $400 shipped to me.

So looks like a win, win . . . Pic below - will be losing the bullhorns and the platform pedals, not sure if drops or a VO Postino type will be the route . . . .

[p nut]

Very nice. You got the whole bike for the cost of a frame set.

Just FYI, Wabi says 700x32 fits, but when I tried Pasela 700x32 and Gran Bois 700x30, they rubbed at the top of the brake caliper in the front. Rear was fine. 700x28 fit fine (Gatorskins), but I wanted to run 32's for some gravel rides, so I bought/installed a Surly Pacer fork. Works great and now has plenty of clearance. You do need long reach calipers (I used Shimano 650). I currently have Mud2's on there. Fun bike.

[RFC]

Lots of good advice here.

I am a dedicated SS rider and about half of my annual mileage is on one gear.

I have converted about 20 old steel road bikes for me, family and friends. It literally takes about 90 minutes to do the conversion.

Other options I'd consider.

1) Check out eBay for a used Schwinn Madison. IMHO the best ones are the white 2007's and blue/chrome 2008's. I have picked up three of these -- one for me and two for my sons.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Schwinn-Madison-Flip-Hub-Fixie-Single-Speed-Track-Bike-58-5-CM-/301913386163?hash=item464b70acb3:g:vtkAAOSwQjNW-x~m

2) Find a used Surly Cross Check or Bianchi Volpe. These have long horizonal dropouts and work great.

[Gummee]

I picked up a used Langster frame and fork for $265 and proceeded to put used/traded/leftover parts on it.

Its got no-name rear hub laced into a Mistral 'for racing only' 80s rim, Origin8 cranks/ring, etc.

My first fixed gear was $40 complete. Lots of used bits on that one...

M

[tbassak]

I've got an On One Pompino I'll sell you cheap if interested? A few paint blemishes but no dents or other damage.

[tbassak]

Looks like you found something already. Congrats on the score.

[redir]

I like the old converted road bikes myself but one thing I noticed about the flip flop hub is that I never ever not once ever flip flopped it. It's been on fixed for ever and that's it. I wonder what others have experienced? I think you either want fixed or SS the two are so different that it almost makes no sense to flip flop between them.

BTW also speaking of vintage, old freewheel style wheels make great track fixed or SS wheel sets. You can find what was once top of the line Campy Record hubs laced to nice Campy box section rims for next to nothing and just re-dish them, spin a track cog or SS freewheel, and off ya go.

[David Tollefson]

old freewheel style wheels make great track fixed or SS wheel sets.

PLEASE don't use old freewheel hubs for track wheels. Many tracks don't allow them, as the lockring (and cog) will unthread the first time you put any significant back-pressure on the cranks.

[Mzilliox]

Best ride choice is converting an 80's road bike into a fixie.

this is the winner, and makes the find more fun. vintage steel frames converted to fixies have style.

out of the box fixies have well, a style of their own i guess...

[CiclistiCliff]

Felt Brougham is a nice little bike.

[donevwil]

I like the old converted road bikes myself but one thing I noticed about the flip flop hub is that I never ever not once ever flip flopped it. It's been on fixed for ever and that's it. I wonder what others have experienced? I think you either want fixed or SS the two are so different that it almost makes no sense to flip flop between them.

Exact same experience here. Many years ago my wife and I converted two road bikes to fixed gears and went the fixed/free hub route just in case. Neither has ever seen a freewheel. When I built my fixed Mondia commuter I used a fixed/fixed for a second gear option.

[AJM100]

Looks like you found something already. Congrats on the score.

Thanks, yeah pretty coincidental. This thread is now taking on a life of its own.:beer:

[nooneline]

PLEASE don't use old freewheel hubs for track wheels. Many tracks don't allow them, as the lockring (and cog) will unthread the first time you put any significant back-pressure on the cranks.

I've raced at about 2/3rds of the tracks in the USA and I've never seen a track that requires lockrings.

Yes, with backpressure you can unthread a track cog threaded on to a freewheel thread, and for that reason that setup is a terrible choice off the track - commuting, pleasure riding, etc, all definitely call for the right hub for the job: a track hub with a lockring.

But on the track, nobody uses backpressure, and lots of people don't bother with lockrings.

[AJM100]

cYou do need long reach calipers (I used Shimano 650).

Are you saying that long reach are needed to accommodate tire size or because of the Wabi frame specs?

[p nut]

Are you saying that long reach are needed to accommodate tire size or because of the Wabi frame specs?

Because of the Surly fork (which has a slightly longer A/C). If you've got the stock Wabi fork, just use the stock Tektro's.

[FierteTi52]

I'm all about conversions and have completed close to a dozen. After spending money for a Fuji dedicated Fixie I learned that the cheap production fixies ride like crap. I sold it very quickly. The recent Raliegh Record I'm riding features 80's high tech "Aerospace Contour Tubing". LOL The bike rides so nice I bought a set of dedicated fixie wheels from Velomine. Origin8 hubs, butted spokes, and 32 hole Open Pro rims. The bike just feels dialed and is a blast to ride. $300.00 for wheels well spent to finish a bike I garbage picked. Way better investment than a $300.00 Fixie from Bikes Direct. With all the fixie fun, sometimes my Kirk Terraplane gets lonely.
In the past I have had no problems redishing threaded free wheel hubs and using a bottom bracket lock-ring. I do use brakes, don't try to skid, and never had a cog loosen.

[Gummee]

PLEASE don't use old freewheel hubs for track wheels. Many tracks don't allow them, as the lockring (and cog) will unthread the first time you put any significant back-pressure on the cranks.

yes

and no

I spent lots of years riding and racing at the Sandy Eggo track with no lockring and not once did I ever have the dreaded cog unthreading.

Nor did I when I was running a re-purposed FW rear hub on my commuting fixie

Nor have I on the Langster I regularly ride on the road

So... Take the 'you'll certainly die!' argument with a healthy dose salt.

...but... It *can* happen if you don't get things on tight enough, so while I don't run a lockring, you should. Don't come crying to me if you decide not to and bad things happen. I warned ya! (PSA over)

M

[11.4]

PLEASE don't use old freewheel hubs for track wheels. Many tracks don't allow them, as the lockring (and cog) will unthread the first time you put any significant back-pressure on the cranks.

I guess I have a differing point of view. Relying on a lockring-less cog on the road without brakes is stupid. But on the track and even on the road with brakes, here's my two cents': A cog sets pretty firmly on a hub, enough that it won't come off short of skid stops or a crash. On the track you should never ever be doing skid stops -- there's some fool behind you who pays the price for that kind of misbehavior on your part. Learn to steer around issues, learn to anticipate them, do anything but skid stop and kill the person behind you.

And if you have a crash, with a lockring, the track or road surface will grab your pedal and jerk your frame and you around. It's not hard to get injured by this -- torn muscles or worse. And on the track you create a bigger piece of damage to the boards. Better to have the cog come free in a crash and protect your own legs.

If you look at almost any domestic track these days and absolutely at any World Cup or other international event, lockrings are pretty much nonexistent. Chris Hoy didn't ride with one. Gregory Bauge doesn't use one. The Aussies don't use one. It's not a weight saving. It's a bit of a convenience on the track, one that doesn't increase risk level. But it's also a recognition that on the track, it's better to spin a cog loose than to have the crash damage your legs.

[Joel]

Lockring on the road. Don't leave home without it!

[AJM100]

Additional question related to brakes on a fixed gear.

It seems that a front brake is deemed sufficient for stopping power and control (when combined with backpedaling force, presumably).

What, if anything, does a rear brake contribute to stopping power on a fixed gear bike?

[p nut]

Additional question related to brakes on a fixed gear.

It seems that a front brake is deemed sufficient for stopping power and control (when combined with backpedaling force, presumably).

What, if anything, does a rear brake contribute to stopping power on a fixed gear bike?

...even more stopping power and control......... :D

I typically run just the front brake, but if I'm doing a ride with significant climbing/descending (7k ft+), then I install the rear brake.

[11.4]

Additional question related to brakes on a fixed gear.

It seems that a front brake is deemed sufficient for stopping power and control (when combined with backpedaling force, presumably).

What, if anything, does a rear brake contribute to stopping power on a fixed gear bike?

The rear brake doesn't provide all that much extra braking power, but it provides much more control. If you're on wet roads or a significant downhill and you only have a front brake, if you start sliding the front wheel, you go down uncontrollably and fast.