£14 Fixie Chainring Bodge

[sleuthey]

I had a old Apollo MTB that cost me a tenner. It had a noisy Freewheel so doing a single speed conversion at a cost of £4 for a BMX Freewheel.

I am using the middle ring on the OEM Chainset which I know is not supposed to come apart, I know the 2 redundant rings won’t do any harm left there and I know I could go out and buy proper parts.

Here is my question: I have drilled out all the rivets and successfully removed the largest ring and the plastic work. Now how the dickens do I separate the small ring from the middle ring? Holesaw around the weld tacks in the centre?

 

[I like Skol]

Looks like the small chainring is the carrier for the other two. I think you are possibly at the point of throwing the whole lot in the bin....

 

[fossyant]

Bin time.

 

[sleuthey]

Looks like the small chainring is the carrier for the other two. I think you are possibly at the point of throwing the whole lot in the bin....

Yes but if it is it’s attached at the very centre under what looks like those sunflower petals around the crank hole so I was hoping to cut around it somehow

 

[sleuthey]

Bin time.

Iv just been out for a ride with it and it rides perfect. It just annoys me by The extra ring being there! I mean it’s a fixie, it’s supposed to have the bare minimum

 

[Drago]

You could have saved a lot of effort by leaving it as it was an simply never changing gear.

 

[neil_merseyside]

Bodge is the word!

 

[sleuthey]

You could have saved a lot of effort by leaving it as it was an simply never changing gear.

not with my OCD! It’s existence annoys me like a carrier bag getting stuck in a tree! The shifter, cable and mech have all been removed

 

[ColinJ]

I mean it’s a fixie

It isn't though, is it? I thought it was just a singlespeed! As in - you can freewheel. Most fixies are singlespeed, but most singlespeeds are not fixies!

 

[sleuthey]

It isn't though, is it? I thought it was just a singlespeed! As in - you can freewheel. Most fixies are singlespeed, but most singlespeeds are not fixies!

Yeah your right. Miss used term

 

[ColinJ]

I took as many bits off as I could when I made my singlespeed bike out of old bits, but mine were a lot easier to get apart!

 

[boydj]

It isn't though, is it? I thought it was just a singlespeed! As in - you can freewheel. Most fixies are singlespeed, but most singlespeeds are not fixies!

I've converted my fixie to a single-speed this year. The 16 tooth fixed gear was getting just too hard in my declining years and you do need to be pretty fit to ride a fixie. So the other side of the wheel had an 18 tooth freewheel added and the wheelbase shortened slightly to avoid a change to the chain. Went out on that one this afternoon for an hour and a bit.

 

[ColinJ]

I've converted my fixie to a single-speed this year. The 16 tooth fixed gear was getting just too hard in my declining years and you do need to be pretty fit to ride a fixie. So the other side of the wheel had an 18 tooth freewheel added and the wheelbase shortened slightly to avoid a change to the chain. Went out on that one this afternoon for an hour and a bit.

I have never ridden fixed. I like riding the singlespeed more than I thought I would and think I would probably like fixed on flattish roads but I wouldn't like riding my local hills on a fixed gear (because of the crazily high cadences descending), and I don't fancy fixed on busy poorly-maintained roads either.

 

[sleuthey]

I have never ridden fixed. I like riding the singlespeed more than I thought I would and think I would probably like fixed on flattish roads but I wouldn't like riding my local hills on a fixed gear (because of the crazily high cadences descending), and I don't fancy fixed on busy poorly-maintained roads either.

Must admit, I converted it as I was curious (and as tight as a ducks backside) but having ridden 16 miles on it over the last 2 days I’m hooked.

I like:
- having an excuse to go a bit slower on a long flat
- slowing down at junctions and realising there is no downshifting to be done
- The smoothness of it ie there’s no chain rub, jockey wheels or derailers to annoy me

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Bodge is the word!

That's my sort of bodge. Cheap as possible and it does the job..