Fixed gear
GSJ
Posts: 150
Looking to purchase a fixed gear bike purely for commuting, what can you guys suggest?
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I'm a noob, what kind of ratio is this Single speed with 18T fixed cog & 16T freewheel ?0
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I'd build one if I were you. Find an old steel road bike with horizontal dropouts for less than 100 and convert it...
Either that or get an On One Pompino.
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I ride a 52x17 normally it's got a few hills but nothing where I have to move up a gear. Do you think I'd be able to ride a 44x16 easier or harder?0
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AH yeah! I live in bristol too! my commute is basically straight which I done today in 30mins going slow (not to mess up my hair) had to test it out i'm a vain guy lol0
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My next question is, i'm 5'5 maybe even smaller, so it's hard to find a smaller sized bike, now a singlespeed is even harder to find. Could I get away with a 53cm viking? or 52cm Releigh.0
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It would more normally have a 18 tooth free wheel and a 16 tooth fixed. Lower gear if you have to bail out in hilly country. You can then free wheel down the hills. What mine is anyway.Pross wrote:GSJ wrote:I'm a noob, what kind of ratio is this Single speed with 18T fixed cog & 16T freewheel ?
That's a 'flip flop' hub. You have a sprocket either side of the hub. One is fixed (the 18 tooth in this instance) and the other is a freewheel with 16 teeth.0 -
Simon Masterson wrote:I'd build one if I were you. Find an old steel road bike with horizontal dropouts for less than 100 and convert it...
Either that or get an On One Pompino.
Now my reasons why I didn't and you shouldn't build one:
1st It's a fixed gear, so pedals don't stop turning even through corners and fixed gear geometry has a higher bottom bracket for that exact purpose. With an old steel frame there's always the chance that you hit the ground with the inside pedal and start flying across the street.
2nd The dropouts on a fixed gear/track bike are horizontal and the ones on any old steel frame while they're not like modern dropouts and more like a fixed gear dropout they are still at an angle, so the wheel can slide out.
3rd The rear of the frame on a road bike is wide enough to fit a cassette and a fixed gear is a single cog. So by tightening the rear to fit the wheel you're squishing the metal together to fit the wheel
So my advice is to get a fixed gear from a fixed gear manufacturer0 -
V35k0 wrote:Simon Masterson wrote:I'd build one if I were you. Find an old steel road bike with horizontal dropouts for less than 100 and convert it...
Either that or get an On One Pompino.
Now my reasons why I didn't and you shouldn't build one:
1st It's a fixed gear, so pedals don't stop turning even through corners and fixed gear geometry has a higher bottom bracket for that exact purpose. With an old steel frame there's always the chance that you hit the ground with the inside pedal and start flying across the street.
2nd The dropouts on a fixed gear/track bike are horizontal and the ones on any old steel frame while they're not like modern dropouts and more like a fixed gear dropout they are still at an angle, so the wheel can slide out.
3rd The rear of the frame on a road bike is wide enough to fit a cassette and a fixed gear is a single cog. So by tightening the rear to fit the wheel you're squishing the metal together to fit the wheel
So my advice is to get a fixed gear from a fixed gear manufacturer
The first reason isn't completely invalid but the problem cannot be eliminated, so technique must change anyway. Many, many people ride fixed, and I would think that a large contingent of these bicycles if not the majority started life derailleur-geared. The relative of mine who is my go-to cycling guru with decades of experience is a fixed gear devotee and has both. Sheldon Brown is an obvious person to mention as well.
As for the third, this is a matter of axles; you just need the right one. It is necessary to widen the stays when using a freehub wheel on a frame built for a 5-speed freewheel, for example, but so far as I am aware the reverse is not true.
I'm not trying to dismiss your concerns; you're just essentially arguing against the success of thousands upon thousands of cyclists, and your knowledge seems to be fragmentary.0 -
So if fixed gear bikes have a slightly higher bottom bracket does that mean a 53cm bike would be higher than a normal 53cm road bike?0
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Yes, it is true that higher bottom bracket height necessitates a higher saddle height. It's difficult to make a like-for-like comparison though because all bicycle geometries produce different dimensions and therefore different effective 'sizes'. No-one can say 'The correct bicycle size for me is ...'
But modern road bikes have higher bottom brackets than old ones anyway. It really isn't something to worry about. As I said, you risk grounding a pedal when going around corners steeply on a fixed gear anyway, so it's not a factor for consideration. You have nothing to lose in opting for an old road frame, though something like an On-One (very cheap) would be an excellent choice.0 -
My Fixie was made from an old bike with sloping dropouts, means you can ot change the rear wheel with the tyre inflated!. I made the rear wheel with a Velocity A23 rim and a front MTB Shimano disc hub, you attach the rear cog to the disc mount.
http://www.velosolo.co.uk/shophub.html
The cranks are 170 I have never had any trouble cornering and pedaling at the same time, For riding on the road You don't want track bike geometry.
For commuting it may be worth thinking about a front disc brake.
I measure saddle height from Bottom Bracket.
Check out the Road Rat
http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/roadrat0 -
John.T wrote:
It would more normally have a 18 tooth free wheel and a 16 tooth fixed. Lower gear if you have to bail out in hilly country. You can then free wheel down the hills. What mine is anyway.Pross wrote:GSJ wrote:I'm a noob, what kind of ratio is this Single speed with 18T fixed cog & 16T freewheel ?
That's a 'flip flop' hub. You have a sprocket either side of the hub. One is fixed (the 18 tooth in this instance) and the other is a freewheel with 16 teeth.
Yes, does seem a bit odd that way around.0 -
If you have the option of both fixed and free the I think it IS normal to run the fixed with 1 or 2 less teeth on the fixed side. Reason I understood was that running fixed does allow a higher ration than free. Makes sense also if you encounter terrain that is just too hilly then you will appreciate a lower ratio and as freewheel it means you get up the hill and also can get down safely.0
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I can recommend the On One Pompino. I love mine although it took a bit of getting used to (still not keen on the cantilever brakes mind!).
It does feel strange initially to be turning pedals around corners/down hills where I would normally freewheel and getting off can be a bit tricky at first if you're clipped in. It's the only bike I ride where I prefer going uphill!
I live in an area where there are not many flat roads and went for a 48/20 and it suits me fine, although it does spin out really easily on the rare flat section.Trying Is The First Step Towards Failure
De Rosa Milanino :-
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab78 ... -00148.jpg0 -
What do you guys think of the Brev.M single speed?0
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Doesn't look very special to me, but if you want a basic flat bar fixed gear machine to ride to work, you could do worse. I'd buy the On-One Macinato at this price before I bought it, though. http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOMAC/on_ ... al_edition0
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Yeah I saw that bike, it's very nice. This is the particular bike I was on about http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bre ... e-ec0352140
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It looks sharp but I'm not keen on that brake lever arrangement! I get that they're going for the track bike look but there's nothing like brake calipers to ruin that anyway.
If you like it though, by all means buy it. At that price you can't go far wrong as I would expect you to find it hard to build something up with that money.0 -
ah yeah I know what you mean I was looking at the picture like where the **** are the brakes then realised they were at the top, that's probably going to take getting used to which is hard since I like to ride on my drops most of the time.0
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You could always switch them I suppose; I would hope a pair of aero levers would fit on those 'bars. At that price it's not unfeasible to spend £30-40 on a new pair of levers (well, more like £50-55 if you include the replacement bar tape and cables!)0
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what about a 47cm Brev.M would that be too small? my height is around 162cm and my inseem is 74cm0
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That's hard to tell without knowing all of the dimensions of the bike, and even then I would be no use. It's basically true that a bike 'fits' if you have enough distance between bottom bracket and saddle for optimal saddle height, as it definitely won't 'fit' if this requirement isn't met, but this doesn't account for the rest of the dimensions of the bike in relation to you.
I'm sure that there's someone here who can give a better insight than that, but honestly, you won't really know until you try. 0 -
Yeah true! I also found this website, the bikes look pretty decent i think.. single-speed.co.uk not sure if anyone can vouch for them
That's one of the bikes they have.0
