Can I convert a SS/Fixed gear bike to a urban/commuter bike?

[vickster]

Would it not be simpler to sell the SS and buy a geared bike simultaneously? Presumably you’re not at school at the weekend?

Wouldn’t converting to hub gears cost more than any potential difference between a used SS and a used geared bike?

Presumably any conversion is going to take the bike out of service unless all can be done at weekend?

Aren’t school hols coming up also if you need more time to sell and buy?

Why can’t you commute on it as mentioned above however? I view a SS as the epitome of an urban/commuter personally! Unless you live on a mountain, in which case how do you get to school at present?

 

[Milkfloat]

Just fit some mud guards and get on with it - instant commuter bike. If you really want to be posh add a rack.

If you really think you need gears, then get a different bike, anything use would be uneconomical.

 

[vb17_val]

Would it not be simpler to sell the SS and buy a geared bike simultaneously? Presumably you’re not at school at the weekend?

Wouldn’t converting to hub gears cost more than any potential difference between a used SS and a used geared bike?

Presumably any conversion is going to take the bike out of service unless all can be done at weekend?

Aren’t school hols coming up also if you need more time to sell and buy?

Why can’t you commute on it as mentioned above however? I view a SS as the epitome of an urban/commuter personally! Unless you live on a mountain, in which case how do you get to school at present?

I live in a very hilly area similar to an area like San Francisco, but less developed. I purchased a SS bike with the same thought as you have about SS bikes. But recently I've been getting tired of putting maximum effort to get over hills just to get to school, and thats why I want more gears. I would take a bus as an alternate but the stop is way too far from my house so biking is still my main mode of transportation. I still have summer school so I can't really afford selling my bike. Additionally I never considered reselling in the first place since all I really wanted was to upgrade my bike and make a drivetrain conversion. I already ordered other bike components to fit my bike so selling it would just be a waste. Presumedly, after I install the new parts, I could sell my bike for a higher price in order to get a geared bike but I don't think my parents would be too fond of that. They're already on the edge about me upgrading my parts, so selling my bike right after I upgrade it would definitely not end well for me.

 

[vb17_val]

Hmm, that's a bit of a challenge. The small hole is most likely a mudguard fixing point, especially if there's a matching one on the other side.
You can get rear mechs that attach to the dropout ( the bit the axle sits in) but they're normally used with forward/downward facing droputs, whereas you have rearward facing ones.
You'll also need to consider the spacing between the dropouts. Typically this is greater on a multispeed wheel than a single speed. You can "cold set" (a fancy term for bend) the frame to accept a wider hub but it's a bit of a task.
Hub gears might work, subject to the hub width issue being sorted and you'll need some kind of anti rotation washer to help things stay in place.

Cold setting won't be too much of a problem for me since I know a friend who can do that for me. Can you recommend any mechs that can attach to my dropout? And if those mechs that you mentioned won't fit on my bike, do you know if there are any derailleur hangers that I could attach directly onto my bike?

 

[Cycleops]

A derailleur like this should work:

You have no fittings to carry the cable so you'll have to find some clips. You'll also need a rear wheel, cassette, handlebar shifter, cable and a chain.

 

[alicat]

Cycle to the bus stop and back. Or just get Zen-like about the hilly bits of your route.

 

[KneesUp]

Get an old derallieur hanger like this - it's be a bit of a faff getting the wheel off because the drop out would be closed at both ends, but it would work

or get an internally geared hub - a Sturmey 5 speed and a triple up front would give you 15 gears, for example, although I guess you'd still need something to take up the slack in the chain, so scratch the triple part!

 

[chriscross1966]

I'd say your best bet is a hub gear. The 8 speed Sturmey xrf8w is less than 120mm wide, built into a wheel with a shifter and a sensible sprocket and chainring will be a total of around 300 quid, but will be fittable in an evening. The Sturmey 8 speed has a 326% range so equivalent to an 11-28 with a double ring up front... absolutely fine for commuting and no messy derailleur to deal with. Hub gears might not have the street cred, but they are the superior solution for commuting.

 

[vickster]

I'd say your best bet is a hub gear. The 8 speed Sturmey xrf8w is less than 120mm wide, built into a wheel with a shifter and a sensible sprocket and chainring will be a total of around 300 quid, but will be fittable in an evening. The Sturmey 8 speed has a 326% range so equivalent to an 11-28 with a double ring up front... absolutely fine for commuting and no messy derailleur to deal with. Hub gears might not have the street cred, but they are the superior solution for commuting.

OP in US so presumably the hub system is $500+

Seems cheaper to just get a second hand geared bike surely

 

[KneesUp]

SA 8 speed has 1st as direct drive and 2 -8 are higher do you need a tiny chainring with 700c. I assume it’s designed with small wheels in mind. The 5 speed has third as direct with 2 higher and 2 lower.

 

[Sharky]

What size freewheel are you running? A bigger sprocket may solve the hills problem and a freewheel descent will not be slow either.

 

[TheDoctor]

Really, I'd pick up a second-hand bike off Ebay. Would have probably been cheaper than those bits you've already bought, whatever they are.

 

[ChrisEyles]

My road bike (1960s) can be switched between fixed and geared pretty easily.

With 120mm spacing on the rear drop-outs, a 5-speed freewheel block fits in no problems (not sure about more sprockets, I think drop-out spacing increased to 130mm - 135mm as number of gears increased on bikes).

You can then get a separate derailleur hanger as others have posted above. My favourite solution for shifters would be a friction shifter that clamps on to the down tube - nice and simple and cheap, and works great for a 5-speed set-up.

Having said all that though, it might well be easier and not much more expensive to just get a second hand geared bike and keep your fixed/SS as it is.

1990s rigid fork MTBs can make great commuters with slick tyres, have tons of gears and can be had for peanuts on ebay/gumtree.

 

[saoirse50]

I changed my old 70’s road bike from geared to fixed/SS pretty easily and could change it back if I chose. Those old road bikes had the true “horizontal dropouts” that made that conversion relatively easy. However vb17-val’s Fuji Declaration frame doesn’t actually have horizontal dropouts. Strictly speaking, they are just simple track ends. They aren’t drop outs precisely because the rear wheel won’t “drop out”. They were never designed to use a derailleur and I think it’s a waste of time trying to fit one. I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t fit a hub gear though, if the spacing is right.

 

[chriscross1966]

SA 8 speed has 1st as direct drive and 2 -8 are higher do you need a tiny chainring with 700c. I assume it’s designed with small wheels in mind. The 5 speed has third as direct with 2 higher and 2 lower.

Good point. Yes, tiny front ring and the biggest rear sprocket you can fit.