Single Speed, Fixed Cogs, whats it all about ?

[jimboalee]

Fork ends are where the front wheel is attached. "Dropouts" are where the chainstays and seatstays meet.
On a track bike or good fixie, they are 'horizontal dropouts' as opposed to 'vertical dropouts' on a bike with a rear brake.

Please note : the angle of the vertical dropout on an elderly frame is parallel to the rear brake blocks. This is so that when chain tension is adjusted on a single speed roadbike, the wheel rim moves along the brake block and not up-and-down it. When pulling the rear wheel back to take up chain stretch, the rear brake block position does not have to be altered.

I hope that's sorted.

 

[hackbike 6]

I tried making it up a Primrose Hill in West Lunnon but didn't succeed.

Anybody made it up Ditchling on a fixie.

Plan to get a fixie next year

http://tinyurl.com/fixedwheel

Got my eye on this^

 

[jimboalee]

Pearson Fixie.

Notice what I said about the parallelism of dropouts and rear brake blocks. Every time you pull the wheel back to take up stretch, you will need to realign the brake blocks to the rim.
IMHO, Pearson have bought in a batch of cheap Far East frames, chopped out the vert' dropouts, welded in horiz' dropouts, respayed and put on their own decals.
Fixie frames should not have a hole through the seatstay bridge, if the bridge is tubular.

My summer commute bike is a Dawes Giro 500. I bought it from Spa Cycles for £410. I also use it for Audax, 200s and 300s. The question is, what do you get for £550?

 

[Moose]

Fork ends are where the front wheel is attached. "Dropouts" are where the chainstays and seatstays meet.
On a track bike or good fixie, they are 'horizontal dropouts' as opposed to 'vertical dropouts' on a bike with a rear brake.

Please note : the angle of the vertical dropout on an elderly frame is parallel to the rear brake blocks. This is so that when chain tension is adjusted on a single speed roadbike, the wheel rim moves along the brake block and not up-and-down it. When pulling the rear wheel back to take up chain stretch, the rear brake block position does not have to be altered.

I hope that's sorted.

AASHTA - http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_dr-z.html#dropout

 

[Notsoblue]

I'm tempted to get a SS/Fixie next year. My current hybrid just requires too much maintenance for the amount I use it around London and really, I use the same two high gears all the time anyway. My commute is really very flat, and I've grown out of the whole using gears to blast away from the lights when they go green. I tend to catch up with the commuters madly spinning away in a lower gear soon enough.

 

[rnscotch]

What's with the cards in the spokes thing...... ?

Cards in the spokes date back to alley-cat races… that’s how you were numbered, messengers saved them over the years.

 

[hackbike 6]

Pearson Fixie.

Notice what I said about the parallelism of dropouts and rear brake blocks. Every time you pull the wheel back to take up stretch, you will need to realign the brake blocks to the rim.
IMHO, Pearson have bought in a batch of cheap Far East frames, chopped out the vert' dropouts, welded in horiz' dropouts, respayed and put on their own decals.
Fixie frames should not have a hole through the seatstay bridge, if the bridge is tubular.

My summer commute bike is a Dawes Giro 500. I bought it from Spa Cycles for £410. I also use it for Audax, 200s and 300s. The question is, what do you get for £550?

Good point I did wonder why they didn't sell,been watching them for ages.
Thanks for the advice here and I do think they are overpriced.
Thank's for the advice guys.

Going to look around more.

 

[jimboalee]

Believe me, if you ask a cyclist to show you his Fork Ends, he'll point to front of the bike. Ask to see his Dropouts, he'll point to the rear.

Sorry to Mrs Crowther, who built frames at Crowther's Cycles, Solihull, for the use of the masculine in my sentence. Mrs Crowther is the lady who taught me how to braze a frame and lace a wheel.

 

[Moose]

Believe me, if you ask a cyclist to show you his Fork Ends, he'll point to front of the bike. Ask to see his Dropouts, he'll point to the rear.

True - doesn't mean they're right though does it.

Billions of people believe in a God, doesn't mean they're right either

 

[Joe24]

I commute on my fixed. Not much to go wrong on it, if anything. Front brake, chain, puncture, is the only things which could go wrong on the fixed, which i like
My commute is down hill one way, all uphill the other. No problems on it, its amazing how much faster you can go up a hill on a fixed. Sometimes they are faster into wind aswell, well i think they are when i'm overtaking people on geared bikes.
More relaxed ride, more control when going slow in traffic, fun to spin on, look cool and easy to maintain.

 

[just jim]

Think I'll stick to my 478 gear borebrid thanks. I'm not hip with the hop, I'm out of the loop.

 

[fossyant]

Pearson sell through their web site - just think they cover their bottoms with e-bay.... many in use...

What's wrong with a Touche.... looks about right for the money..... yeh, not expecting top notch quality for a £250 frame....

 

[jimboalee]

Top tube
Seat tube
Down tube
Head tube
Head lugs
Seat lug
Bottom Bracket shell
Steerer tube
Fork crown
Fork blades
Fork ends
Seat stays
Chain stays
Brake bridge
Chainstay bridge
Left dropout
Right dropout ( with hanger )

What is a ‘Rear fork’?

 

[peanut]

you can get a freewheeling single speed sprocket . You don't have to have it fixed

 

[BentMikey]

I'm always very excited to see a fixed wheel on the road, and then so disappointed when it turns out to be yet another single speed.