Many people have queried the tensioner - I don't know anything about the technicalities of bikes (I just bought this on a whim) so the mention of 'horizontal dropouts' draws a blank until I get used to all this lovely stuff
Which freewheel sprocket do I get for my fixie please?
- Thread starter Rimmer
- Start date
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Many people have queried the tensioner - I don't know anything about the technicalities of bikes (I just bought this on a whim) so the mention of 'horizontal dropouts' draws a blank until I get used to all this lovely stuff
I do find it difficult-ish - I wouldn't mind a tip on how to slow down on a fixie while currently it is a fixie. Do you put a little bit of resistive force against the forward motion of the pedalling (plus brakes - in fact do you even need brakes when expert at this?) - or do you let your legs relax completely and just apply brakes?
Just use your brakes as normal to slow down and stop. Back force will slow you down, but at any great speed will rip your legs off. If both brake cables snapped, you could come to a stop, but would take a huge distance.
You can do skid stops (I can't), but dangerous and illegal if you don't have a front brake as well.
Juan Kog
permanently grumpy
Good question, braking technique I had to think about this. First my bikes have front and rear brakes so not a hipster fixie skidder . I use a combination of your method , to skim of some speed for example bends in country lane or turning left or right, a transmission brake technique back pressure on pedals.for more serious braking relax legs and use brakes and back pressure for final stop. I probably did more " leg braking" when I was younger, but the above way is better for my 66 year old knees . Hope this helps and good luck.
Remove the tensioner and shorten the chain and just slide the wheel fore/aft to take up the slack.
OK thanks for that - no five speed option here then - for now I will put on an appropriate rear freewheel single cog - what cog will work well with this bike considering it has such a large front chain ring?
If I wanted to go five speed I guess I just need to buy this (not sure though)? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/700c-REAR-Hybrid-Bike-Cycle-Wheel-5-SPEED-FREEWHEEL-/251696079161
Maybe/may be not.
The wheel above has a 135mm OLN (google this term). Your frame being an older model is probably less (126mm?). It's not going to be easy.
The wheel you have looks like a double fixed hub, but you will be able to screw on a single freewheel on one side.
I think you will need to pick up some new technical skills. Particularly how to split a chain and re join it. If you are going for a larger freewheel than you currently have, you will probably need a new chain.
Good luck
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
For lovers of high cadence... That equates to ~29 kph (18mph) for 100 rpm! I prefer 90 rpm, corresponding to only ~26 kph (16 mph)
My 52/19 singlespeed gear is ~72", equating to ~31kph (19mph) at 90 rpm and I often feel undergeared on the flat. If I didn't have hills to consider I would prefer more like 52/17, ~81", giving me ~35 kph (22 mph) at 90 rpm.
Yep - technical skills (other than IT which is my profession) are going to need to roll on in. For now - to keep things easy - do I simply get a freewheel 13 toothed cog which sits on the existing hub - then flip the rear wheel around?
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
You use your brakes and legs. Helps you stop even quicker. Let's just say my fixed was a bit of a weapon for commuting, and I'd wear rims out in 18 months because of all the braking needed !
You really don't want a tensioner on a fixed - not a good idea and fairly likely to cause the chain to come off or jam. Tensioners are OK on single speeds with a freewheel, but not fixed. Don't try leg braking with a tensioner.
You won't be able to find a 13t freewheel, You can with a fixed sprocket, but a freewheel mechanism inside the freewheel restricts the size it can be.
Be aware that BMX sprockets can be smaller, but I think that the hub thread size is also smaller.
To get the right size, assume that your wheel is 27" in diameter, then multiply by the number of teeth on the chainwheel and divide by the number on the rear sprocket. If the result is greater than 70, then you are going to have hard time on any incline.
Good luck - as an IT person, you should be Agile.
Interesting maths - well with 50T on front and 13T on rear - that equates to 104 !!!
Meaning I should really be looking for a 20T or 19T in that case
The maths is to calculate the equivalent wheel diameter of a penny farthing. If it was a penny farthing wheel, you would need an inside leg measurement of more than 52".
This is where the long tradition of expressing gear ratios in inches comes from.
There are online web pages (bikecalc) that does a more accurate calc based on metric wheel sizes.
A 104" gear is a monster. Dedicated timetrialists may use such a gear for short distance flat timetrials, but for general riding, you need one around 70" or less.
Yep a 19t or 20t is probably what you need or a smaller chain ring.
Good luck
