Would love your recommendations and any tips on how to make it work.
My current plans are to change the crankset to Miche Pistard 165mm
Im planning on using the rim in the pictures, but i need some spacers (please let me know if you know what those bolts/spacers should be)
But for now thats step one
Thanks!
by SpookyOn
12 Comments
You have a flip flop hub, that means one side of the rear wheel has a fixed cog and the other has a freewheel. To make it a fixed gear, all you have to do is turn the rear wheel around. However, you may need some spacers between your frame and wheel because the frame was designed for a wider rear wheel. Also, getting the right chain tension might be tough as there arent any dropouts on the bike as it was designed to have a derailleur. But this can be fixed by using a chain tensioner or just using half links on your chain to get the right tesion.
You might need a chain tensioner as the dropout are vertical.
Easy conversion with a chain tensioner mounted to the existing derailleur hanger.
Better to ask on r/fixedgearbicycle if you really want to convert it into a fixed gear.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t a derailleur style tensioner completely lose tension when you backpedal? Or at least risk it? Making it VERY dangerous for someone riding fixed. Haven’t done many conversions, but just a thought.
You would need at least an inch of adjustability at the rear dropouts. It’s hard to see in these photos (because none are fully side-on), but it looks like the answer is no.
Chain tensioners that attach at the derailleur hanger do not work with fixed. Not sure why folk are suggesting that.
If you have a little wiggle room in your dropouts to adjust the chain tension then you can get it to work. I’ve got an old road bike as well that I set up fixed, but I have about a *true* 1/2” of adjustability. A half-link will help, as will picking a chainring and cog tooth combo that will put the axle where you need it. (For example a 48t up front and an 19th in the rear might take up enough chain to get you where you need to be, but a 48×17 might make the chain too slack. No matter how many links to take away or add, you’re stuck with where the link falls. That’s why the half-link can sometimes help, but sometimes not help.)
Then you’d have to deal with chain wear. Over time the chain will become more slack, and it might start falling off. If you have little adjustability in the dropouts then it’s hard to totally remove that slack. So with picking a gear combo above, I’d aim for something that puts the axle a *little* towards the dangerous falling off end, so as the chain slackens you have room to adjust.
Ha and THEN you’ve gotta figure out the spacing of the axle in the wider frame. Take the wheel out and measure the width of the dropouts. This bike should be 130mm or 127mm. That hub should be 120mm. So you need to add 7 to 10mm of spacers, or 3.5 to 5mm to each side. I’d go to a shop and ask to buy some, or have them install them for you. If you zoom in you can see a few nuts backed up to each other on your axle. They hold the bearings in and offer adjustability on the pre-load. Take off ONE of the two, and add your spacers between the two end nuts. Then do that on the other side. (Do one side, re-tighten, then do other side. Don’t do both at same time.) That will effectively widen your hub but also have it do its job holding everything together. Just having some spacers flopping around on the end is a pain in the butt.
It all really comes down to what that dropout looks like.
No. You could do a single speed but not a fixie.
The bike has vertical dropouts which means you need a chain tensioner. That’s fine for a single speed that coasts. I may be wrong but I am not aware of a chain tensioner that will work on a fixie.
I hate to bring bad news, but turning this specific bike into fixed will be near impossible.
First you dont have adequate dropouts that would allow to to tension the chain. Speaking about tension, using tensioner that works like a deraiuller arm will not work, its hard to explain, but since you dont have the freewheel the tensioner will only tension the bottom half resulting in top being loose and bottom tight. and since such tensioner is spring loaded, the bike will behave like you would have chain few links long.
Second, bikes generally have 130/135mm long hubs, while single speed and track hubs are 120mm. If you squish the frame into such dimensions you will place extreme stress on the rear tubes risking snaping/breaking them.
Third, geometry. Roadbike have BB lover than track frames, meaning you are most likely to hit the ground with cranks and trust me from my experience, with how much force those cranks carry it will literally throw you intothe air and over bars.
Now the is one solution on how to turn this bike into fixed gear and that is hub like this one.
[https://www.whiteind.com/product/eno-flip-flop/](https://www.whiteind.com/product/eno-flip-flop/)
The hub body is offcenter to the axle allowing you to tension the chain by moving the whole wheel while keeping the axle in one place, also the hub is either 130 or 135mm meaning you will not stress the frame.
Also I understand that a fixed gear is fun, but singlespeed is also hella fun, you can also have much higher gear than on fixed, since you dont have to take into account backpedalling to brake or skid. (You can always get brakes on fixed, but lets not get political on such matter.)
If you need help with building fixed gear, I can help you. I had to dofew conversion before I managed to get my hands on frame with horizontal dropouts, so I can help with few redneck thing I did in order to make things work :]
Not quite. Chain tensioner won’t work with fixed. The solution is a white industries eno hub, which has an eccentric axle to adjust chain tension. It’s expensive and you’ll need to rebuild the rear wheel. Also, check the spacing.
You need horizontal dropouts.
not possible the rear dropout is designed around modern quick release standards and has no horizontal play for adjustment.
Hi can you tell me what year that bike is from? Also do you know what shade of blue that color is called?
The reason I am asking is because I had a bianchi, blue, fixed gear track bike, very similar in color to your bike. Unfortunately I sold it many years ago. But I am trying to find the exact same bike frame and rebuild it from scratch.