Starting my first fixie project

[Losidan]

picked this up the other day for £40. Plan is to use it on my usual work lunch hour jaunts instead of my mtb.

It is 501 frame and I believe it is racing geometry. Initially I'm just going to run it pretty much as is...just remove the deraulliers and shifters....Would like to replace the saddle with a rolls and I have a race face seatpost that will fit too....keeping the shimano brakes. and running the 52 chainwheel perhaps....??

Is that iso cog thing london fixie bike any good?

Can anyone give me some recommendations for gearing please? I ride on mainly rolling roads with the odd sting in the tail thrown in

I thought i'd upgrade to some more bling as cash comes available....

Dan

 

[Joe24]

picked this up the other day for £40. Plan is to use it on my usual work lunch hour jaunts instead of my mtb.

It is 501 frame and I believe it is racing geometry. Initially I'm just going to run it pretty much as is...just remove the deraulliers and shifters....Would like to replace the saddle with a rolls and I have a race face seatpost that will fit too....keeping the shimano brakes. and running the 52 chainwheel perhaps....??

Is that iso cog thing london fixie bike any good?

Can anyone give me some recommendations for gearing please? I ride on mainly rolling roads with the odd sting in the tail thrown in

I thought i'd upgrade to some more bling as cash comes available....

Dan

Start off at about 65" or maybe a few inches over that for the gear.
You can run the 52 tooth chainring, but if your doing it properly get a proper single speed one. The teeth are longer and they are stronger.
Those London iso cog things i think are good, i would just go for a normal fixed hub so you can just get any sprocket you see going cheap and get a collection of them going if you ever need them.
My recomendations for getting a fixed going are:
Get a good strong chainride/crankset
Get a back wheel built strong with a decent hub. Get this right and you can pretty much just change these from bike to bike if you upgrade your frame.
When i built up my fixed i could just take the spacers out(was spaced to 130mm) and put the wheel into the new frame. The chainline was spot on without me having to mes about.
Oh, what is the dropout spacing?

 

[Losidan]

Start off at about 65" or maybe a few inches over that for the gear.
You can run the 52 tooth chainring, but if your doing it properly get a proper single speed one. The teeth are longer and they are stronger.
Those London iso cog things i think are good, i would just go for a normal fixed hub so you can just get any sprocket you see going cheap and get a collection of them going if you ever need them.
My recomendations for getting a fixed going are:
Get a good strong chainride/crankset
Get a back wheel built strong with a decent hub. Get this right and you can pretty much just change these from bike to bike if you upgrade your frame.
When i built up my fixed i could just take the spacers out(was spaced to 130mm) and put the wheel into the new frame. The chainline was spot on without me having to mes about.
Oh, what is the dropout spacing?

thanks for the info...as far as droput spacing goes i';ll have to update later..i only bought it friday evening and i said to the dude to post it after the bank hol to save messing around...
looking forward to receiving for sure

 

[Tel]

£40 is a good price where did you get it?

 

[Losidan]

bought it from a guy off retrobike...

 

[Brahan]

Hey Losidan your bike's cool. The only thing I can add here is that you will need to replace the biopace chainring with a standard one. I'm in the process of my first single/fixed (not decided yet) and I have the same problem with chain tension you are about to get unless you change it. The Biopace isn't perfectly curcular you see so the chain tightens and loosens on each revolution. I've seen loads of suitable options on ebay. I'm just waiting to get the cheapest one going.

Keep us posted on your progress please.

 

[Losidan]

Hey Losidan your bike's cool. The only thing I can add here is that you will need to replace the biopace chainring with a standard one. I'm in the process of my first single/fixed (not decided yet) and I have the same problem with chain tension you are about to get unless you change it. The Biopace isn't perfectly curcular you see so the chain tightens and loosens on each revolution. I've seen loads of suitable options on ebay. I'm just waiting to get the cheapest one going.

Keep us posted on your progress please.

thanks mate...i had no idea about that. just got a pm to say it is on it's way and will be here tomorrow...so should be coming home from work to a nice bike waiting for me!

 

[MSeries]

despite the biopace chainring being not round, the circumference remains the same doesn't it ? It should work without a chain tensioner. Try it, rotate the cranks and see if the derailleur moves backwards and forwards, it shouldn't. I have certainly seen Highpaths Egg Rings doing this, that is keeping a constant circumference and static derailleur.

 

[Losidan]

despite the biopace chainring being not round, the circumference remains the same doesn't it ? It should work without a chain tensioner. Try it, rotate the cranks and see if the derailleur moves backwards and forwards, it shouldn't. I have certainly seen Highpaths Egg Rings doing this, that is keeping a constant circumference and static derailleur.

i'll give it a shot...cheers....

can i ask if biopace cranks can work with normal round chainrings?

if not...any recommendations for some cranks at a price to keep a yorkshireman happy?
thanks

 

[Brahan]

No it doesn't I promise. I have a biopace on my current hack which is currently single speed and the chain tension changes with every revolution. Quite a lot more than you may think too.

I'm hunting a circular one at the moment which will fit....

 

[Dan B]

can i ask if biopace cranks can work with normal round chainrings?

Yes, they do - this is exactly what I have on my commuter bike. Make sure you get the correct BCD (130mm if yours is the same as mine)

 

[Losidan]

to be on the safe side i've bought a 44t stronglight which is round..came yesterday...another retrobike bargain for ten nuggets I checked with the seller and he ran it on biopace cranks so should be ok....fingers crossed!

black rolls saddle is on it's way too Post is a nice fluted one but uses one of those orrible cheapo clamp jobs....lucky i have a race face evolve post in 27.2 spare which is going on too.

sprocket arrived today too....going to start with 44x18

 

[koks]

nice one

 

[4F]

going to start with 44x18

Do you live in the alps ? Seriously depending on whether you live in an area with a lot of hills you are going to find that very spinny. I live in flat Suffolk and ride either 48 x 18 or 48 x 16 dending on what mood I am in and whether I can be arsed to flip the wheel.

 

[Joe24]

Do you live in the alps ? Seriously depending on whether you live in an area with a lot of hills you are going to find that very spinny. I live in flat Suffolk and ride either 48 x 18 or 48 x 16 dending on what mood I am in and whether I can be arsed to flip the wheel.

Nope, not spinny at all.
Ive rode that gear, and it does get you suple and very fit.
That was the gear i rode until i got my new fixed, then got a bigger gear.
For starting off, it will be fine.