fixed gear bicycle
in the summer of 2005, i bought a old road bike at a pawn shop for $12 with hopes of converting it into a fixed gear bicycle. i got it new tubes and tires, and some grease. i tore off the derailleur and the extra chainwheels—it became my single speed. but i was too poor to convert it all the way.then i rode the bike to a coffee shop, left it there too long, and it was taken (either by someone wanting a bike or by the annoyed coffee shop owner).
who wants a fixie anyway? it's either too slow or too hard to pedal, and not always the most practical bike. i just thought they sounded cool. i wanted a bike to get me around town, and i figured there must be some reason why messengers prefer them.
some reasons to ride fixed
- good for training
- more control
- great on snow and ice
- can stop without brakes
- more tricks
built from scratch
late this summer, i set out to build a fixed gear bike from the ground up. i spent dozens of hours researching parts and brands and everything, then i finally made the purchases:- surly crosscheck 56cm white frameset
- surly 32h qr black front hub
- surly 32h black 130mm rear ff hub
- wheelsmith green alloy nipples (72)
- wheelsmith black 2mm straight guage spokes (72)
- velocity deep v yellow 32h 700c rims (2)
- salsa flip off black qr front skewer
- velocity rim hole plugs (72)
- michelin krylion carbon 700c x 23 yellow road tires (2)
- continental std 700x23c 48mm valve tubes (3)
- sugino messenger 165mm crankset
- sugino messenger 44t 130mm 1/2 x 1/8" track chainring
- shimano engl 68x110mm bb
- surly 1/8" 16t track cog
- surly lockring
- whipperman whitestar 1/2 x 1/8" silver chain
- mks platform silver pedals
- mks medium aluminum toe clips
- soma black leather toe straps
- cane creek s-1 black 1-1/8" headset
- cinelli splash black/yellow cork bar tape
- cane creek scr-5 aero black brake levers
- cane creek scx-5 canti black brake set
- ritchey pro +/-17deg 1-1/8" 100mm stem
- ritchey pro 40cm dropbar
- ritchey comp 27.2mm 150mm black aluminum seatpost
- selle italia prolink yellow gel saddle
- black brake cable housing
- ss brake cables
- black front brake housing catcher
- black chain wheel bolts
- black crank bolts
it was a pretty expensive bike, but i'm pleased with how everything turned out.
resources
- sheldon brown, a mountain of information. you need to check this site out.
- iro cycle, a fixed-gear parts manufacturer and retailer
- surly, a manufacturer with great parts
- universal cycles, one of my favorite online retailers; a huge selection with reasonable prices
- performance bicycle, less selection but some good deals