Chosen Solution
This has been answered on the internet in various other places, but I am new to bike repair and modification. The things I have read are geared towards people who seem to know bike parts well. With the exception of my most recent bike, every bike I have ever owned were fixed gears. I got a used road bike specifically to practice working on it and eventually converting it. That being said, what is the best way to go about converting it to a fixed gear? Like I said, I know next to nothing about the subject, so please feel free to over explain.
I would change the wheel out to one with a fixed sprocket. Then shorten the chain to fit it by removing the master link and adjusting length to fit. Take up play on the chain by sliding the wheel back in the elongated slots and and tighten the new wheel. Remove all your cables and shifting hardware and you should be good to go. Regards, Frank
Re verical dropouts The problem with vertical dropouts is that you can’t tension the chain by moving the wheel forward/backward in the dropout. You can still do the conversion if you add a chain tensioner. This is a tensioning gear that bolts onto the chain stay. It’s adjustable and pushes downward on the chain to take up any slack. I think they cost about $10-15. I got one on ebay and it seems to work ok for my daughter. I think Harris Cyclery also sells them, http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/
If your rear wheel has a freehub (as opposed to a freewheel) Surly makes a single-cog cassette that just slides on and locks down like a gear cluster. If you have a freewheel, there are single-speed freewheels available from Shimano and Dicta (to name two brands). You’ll need a freewheel tool, a vise and possibly a chainwhip to get the old one off; bear this in mind as opposed to simply hiring it done by the bike shop. If you really want to do it right, you’ll re-dish the rear wheel so it’s more nearly symmetrical, and that’s when the fun really starts. There’s something very Zen about wheelwork. There are loads of tutorials available online; I particularly like the ones available at Instructables.com
There is a lot of good advise here but something that was not brought up is the dropouts. If your road bike has vertical dropouts then you can’t turn the bike into a true fixed gear bicycle. The dropouts are the slots that the axle of your wheel fits into. However if you have a bicycle with semi-horizontal or horizontal dropouts then you can convert the bike into a true fixed gear. As mentioned above, it will require a special type of wheel that you can thread a fix gear cog and lock ring on to. Unfortunately you can’t use a hub with threads for a freewheel because if you try to skid stop you will unthread the fixed cog. If you are just trying to turn it into a single speed you can ignore the above information.
CAUTION! Keep in mind that the chain will not stop unless the back wheel stops when your working on your fixie. If your finger is riding on the inside of the chain when it meets the chain-ring, you could very well lose it. At least its gonna’ hurt…a lot.
If i was you i wouldn’t. I ride a conversion and they are full of issues. Track frames are the way forward im afraid. Conversions need chain tugs really to be skid-able. The chain will loosen with every skid. Eventually your frame will start to bend due to the pressure applied during skidding. If you are going to convert it i would run a front brake and try not to skid stop do many times. i would advise getting a track frame but converions can still be fun but just a bit of hard work.
I say build one for sure but due to my age, I took the flip flop hub route. Mine is a 1976 Royce Union. I did put front and rear side pull brakes in mine. I wanted to add these as a last resort. It’s a good idea in case the fixie experience doesn’t work out for you. The bike becomes an Urban Street bike. Either way, they’re both cool. You can’t go wrong!
If your road bike has vertical dropouts then you can’t turn the bike into a true fixed gear bicycle. The dropouts are the slots that the axle of your wheel fits into. However if you have a bicycle with semi-horizontal or horizontal dropouts then you can convert the bike into a true fixed gear.
