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Pottsy

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Location
SW London
Oooh, can I be the first in this category, can I, can I !!

Just to qualify I have a Pompino fixed and a converted old 853 Kona Explosif set up as singlespeed.

Hi all.
 
Hi Pottsy. I've got a fixed bike too, but it's in bits in the shed. I used to ride it a lot though.
 
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Pottsy

Pottsy

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Location
SW London
Get those spanners out and build it back up! Then ride it of course too.

The Pomp was the first bike I've built myself and I really enjoyed the process (and learnt a lot too).
 
I have a single speed MTB, which I love. I can't justify a fixed really because I don't go out on the road enough. Honest it's nothing to do with being old and fat and lazy!
 

christian dieu

New Member
I have ridden single speed and fixed for a few years now. Recently bought an Orange P7 One which has put the fun back into it for me as I selected Fox Vanilla 140's which just beg you to ride a bit madly!
 
been riding a fixed (steel frame ,unknown make) for 10 months, wished i'd started years ago.
just did our clubs 200 miles in 24 hours on it. felt ok on the ride ,but could hardly move 2 days later.more miles needed i think!
 

rshall

Well-Known Member
I have bodged together a mid 90's Raleigh MTB into a road going singlespeed and it is great fun. Looking to either convert another bike to proper fixed/singlespeed (horizontal dropouts)or buy a dedicated machine. Must stop visiting LBS as he keeps tempting me with shiney things :blush:
 

graham56

Guru
Never been on a fixie for 35 years ,it belonged to a mate of mine, and all i can remember about it were the words being shouted "keep pedalling; keep bloody pedalling". I`m sure i had to check my pants later-if you know what i mean. :blush:
 

migmiller

New Member
Location
Cheltenham
I'm just about to embark on this fixie lark. Am I mad.
A collector is building me a 1957 Bill Gameson frame into a pretty authentic recreation of what would have been about at the time.

As the day dawns I am becoming more nervous about taking it on

Apart from a full suit of armour any other tips
 
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Pottsy

Pottsy

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Location
SW London
Top tip, like graham56 says, just keep pedaling.

It's a lot more strange sounding than it actually is doing. Once you try it, it's like, why didn't I do this before. I love the feeling of the momentum of the bike feeding my pedal strokes.
 
there is something about a singlespeed, bikes can get very complicated. I have just sold a singlespeed racer and a geared MTB. Favorite to replace them will be a single speed MTB. On One (edit) may be there first but you have to have one bike that is just a bike!!!
 

Amanda P

Legendary Member
I'm slowly building up a fixie on a fairly nice old Peugeot frame. It'll be my first - I just wanted to find out what all the fuss was about, but I'm too cheap to buy one new. And they say that half the fun is building your own anyway.

I want to do the thing properly, so I've swapped the rear drop outs for track ends. Then I found that the track ends put the rear axle at the same height as the ends of the chain stays, while the drop outs had them half an inch lower. That meant I had to raise the rear brake bridge to clear the rear wheel, so there's been altogether more metalwork involved than I envisaged. It looks a bit messy now, but a little more tidying with a file and some emery cloth and I think it'll look OK. Plus the paint always makes everything look 100% better. Sometimes misleadingly...

I'll post some pics of the progress when I have them handy.

I got some fixed wheels from these guys - with the exchange rate as it is, it seemed a good deal. The rear needed a little truing, though of course I haven't ridden them yet... The bearings are very smooth.

I've got all the bits I need, including a 48 tooth 165mm chainset (cheapish 1980s SR), except for brake cables. I've got an 18 tooth fixed sprocket - is that going to be a bit of a low gear for my flat commute, anyone?
 

NickM

Veteran
Uncle Phil said:
...is that going to be a bit of a low gear for my flat commute, anyone?
71" on an average 700c tyre - sounds OK to me. Largely a matter of taste, but you don't want to find yourself being conditioned to pedal slowly.

I use 48 x 19 (~68") on my flat London commute, and it suits me fine. My fixie has mudguards and robust tyres, so may be a bit slower than yours anyway.
 
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