Building a fixie for free or thereabouts

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Fast_Mark

Active Member
Following a number of threads on fixed wheel bikes I really fancy one myself to see what all this fuss about feeling more connected to the bike is all about. Trouble is with my ever growing collection of bikes I don't want to break the bank on it. I'm not after anything trendy, just something light, solid and easy to maintain. I've been browsing eBay for old Peugeot racer frames and the like, but a quick mental total would put me at over £200 by the time I'd finished building.

So how cheaply do you think I could build or convert for?

For reference this is my idea if fixed wheel nirvana:
http://velospace.org/files/jonheslop1.jpg
 

YahudaMoon

Über Member
It never works out cheaper building a bike, only cheaper buying a second hand bike.

Unless you get lucky ?

£200 not bad
 

tyred

Squire
Location
Ireland
Like most things, it will cost as much or as little as you want.

Get an old steel road bike in your size (you might get lucky at a car boot sale, the local paper, house clearance sale or in a skip. Ebay has got to be too expensive IMO). It helps if the wheels are serviceable. Rebuild and re-grease all the bearings (pretty inexpensive unless you have major wear), take off the freewheel block, replace with track sprocket of desired size, re-space and re-dish the back wheel so it lines up with the inner chainwheel, remove derailleur components and you have an inexpensive but probably not trendy fixed gear bike.

Just beware of swaged cranks as they will break with leg braking (I learned this the hard way, 15 miles from home and "slipping clutch syndrome"). You can still use them, just re-enforce the swaged joint with braze/weld before it strips.
 

swee'pea99

Squire
Like most things, it will cost as much or as little as you want.

Get an old steel road bike in your size (you might get lucky at a car boot sale, the local paper, house clearance sale or in a skip. Ebay has got to be too expensive IMO). It helps if the wheels are serviceable. Rebuild and re-grease all the bearings (pretty inexpensive unless you have major wear), take off the freewheel block, replace with track sprocket of desired size, re-space and re-dish the back wheel so it lines up with the inner chainwheel, remove derailleur components and you have an inexpensive but probably not trendy fixed gear bike.

Just beware of swaged cranks as they will break with leg braking (I learned this the hard way, 15 miles from home and "slipping clutch syndrome"). You can still use them, just re-enforce the swaged joint with braze/weld before it strips.

What in the world is a swaged crank?


That aside, a pretty good summary. The only additional expense you need to take on, over & above the cost of the bike (and bargains *are* still to be found on ebay, if you're careful and patient) is a single speed sprocket and any tools you need that you don't already have - eg, a freewheel remover, chain link remover, spoke key. You can put together a damn fine fixie for under a hundred without too much effort.

(Incidentally, this assumes you don't mind riding with the double-chainset the bike will almost certainly come with. Just chain up round the 42 tooth inner and accept that you'll be carrying a redundant 52 tooth sprocket. If you insist on replacing it with a single, that will cost extra. Second hand ones almost all go for fixie-building these days, and they tend to carry a premium.)
 

tyred

Squire
Location
Ireland
A swaged crank is one where the chainwheel is basically rivetted to the crank arm. They work fine with a freewheel but if you try to leg brake on a fixed gear, you will break it eventually.

Edit: Swaged crank
 

swee'pea99

Squire
This will go for under the ton, and would build up into a fine fixie. For just one example...
 

Rohloff_Brompton_Rider

Formerly just_fixed
a fellow ccer (pennine_paul) i ride with sometimes, told me he bought a bike off ebay for £1.99 (iirc) and just put a fixed wheel into it, chopped n flopped the bars and removed all the excess crap and was good to go (inc rear brake, he's far better at leg braking than i am).
 

PpPete

Legendary Member
Location
Chandler's Ford
[quote name='swee'pea99' timestamp='1311069144' post='1757482']

(Incidentally, this assumes you don't mind riding with the double-chainset the bike will almost certainly come with. Just chain up round the 42 tooth inner and accept that you'll be carrying a redundant 52 tooth sprocket. If you insist on replacing it with a single, that will cost extra. Second hand ones almost all go for fixie-building these days, and they tend to carry a premium.)

[/quote]

Or you can take the 52 off - replacing the chainring bolts with shorter ones - about a £10 from VeloSolo IIRC.

Personally I used some M10 washers to make up the space. The variation in the order you place chainring, washers and crank spider gives you some quite useful control over chainline.

When I built my first one (on an £80 frame from eBay) the only other thing I spent was £2.99 for a fixed sprocket. All the other bits came from the "box of spares" - aka my garage.
 

tyred

Squire
Location
Ireland
You can file the teeth off the 52 ring and use it as a trouser guard. I seen it suggested somewhere. Personally, I wouldn't bother. Either take it off or leave it.
 
a fellow ccer (pennine_paul) i ride with sometimes, told me he bought a bike off ebay for £1.99 (iirc) and just put a fixed wheel into it, chopped n flopped the bars and removed all the excess crap and was good to go (inc rear brake, he's far better at leg braking than i am).

My old Raleigh cost me 99p off fleabay

Had to spend an extortionate £2.50 for my 80's Peugeot frame :laugh:

99p for a chainset

99p for the bars

99p for the leather offcuts for the bars

Bought the wheelset from Edinburgh cycle coop in the sale

Less than £150 all in
 
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