Building a fixie

Now i have moved to london I am thinking about turning my aging bike into a fixie. I currently use it everyday cycling into london and i getting the feeling its about to give up.

Its an old fondriest steel frame with forward facing drop outs. The bike currently runs 8 speeds on the back 2 on the front. How is the easiest to convert. Can I buy a rear wheel with 130 mm fixed hub or do i need to get one made? Where can i get one from?

Also if anyone has any hints tips i would be grateful - have not had much experience with bikes before, i'm more used to tinkering with cars.
I guess i will have to replace the rest of the drive chain as well. (i need new pedals and crank anyway)

Thanks for your help

Where abouts in London are you? Afaik you can't get 'off the peg' wheels anywhere so will need to have one built up. Someone should be able to advise you of a good local shop to check out...

i'm in east london, not to from the city. I guess i will have to look at hubs/rims etc any advice on a decent (not too expensive) 130 mm hub?

Formula :)

It's the cheap workhorse of fixed gear hubs and often re-branded to shop or bike company name. The hub remains the same though, and you'll be able to pick them up at Brick Lane Cycles, Condor, Brixton Cycles, etc.

can you get them in 130mm i loooked on the website and it seemed to suggest 120mm ones only

There’s one guy in London who will build up a wheel for £10 using parts supplied by you. I used him and he is a star!

(http://yogarup.com/wheels/).

tom_e Now i have moved to london I am thinking about turning my aging bike into a fixie. I currently use it everyday cycling into london and i getting the feeling its about to give up.

Its an old fondriest steel frame with forward facing drop outs. The bike currently runs 8 speeds on the back 2 on the front. How is the easiest to convert. Can I buy a rear wheel with 130 mm fixed hub or do i need to get one made? Where can i get one from?

Also if anyone has any hints tips i would be grateful - have not had much experience with bikes before, i'm more used to tinkering with cars.
I guess i will have to replace the rest of the drive chain as well. (i need new pedals and crank anyway)

Thanks for your help

hey tom. these two links were really helpful when i was putting together my bikes:

Sheldon Brown
Park Tool's Mechanic Section
Wheel Building Tutorial

i'm sure that if you've got more questions, the people on this forum will help you out.

Some great sites thanks!

The only hubs i can find with 130mm spacing seem to be goldtec. Anyone know of any other makes which come in 130mm? Or do people just bend their frame to fit 120mm? (goldtec sound good but quite pricy)

I've bent my frame to fit 130mm's I bought by accident. Mine are IRO flip flops, and are 130mm.

I've had to order 120mm's as I don't like the idea of bending my frame constantly. Unfortunately my wheels are pre-sold otherwise I'd offer them to you. But the hubs are available, check the IRO site.

tom_e Some great sites thanks!

The only hubs i can find with 130mm spacing seem to be goldtec. Anyone know of any other makes which come in 130mm? Or do people just bend their frame to fit 120mm? (goldtec sound good but quite pricy)

some hubs have extended axels that could reach 130mm. as velocity boy said, you could cold-set your frame to 120mm, but don't do it too often. i think sheldon brown's got some comments on that on his site.

Goldtech hubs are available in 130mm/120mm and 135mm if you want
BETD LTD

130 is modern road spacings. Older free wheel stuff was mostly 126 so an old threaded hub wheel will go in. Either use a longer axles if needed and a washer or just push the frame together a bit. No problems and it was common on steel frames even at pr level. Using old wheels is cheap, seen a stack on the classifieds and allows you to use some nice old classic hubs

woah... you've been trawling the archives. Good work!

funnier still

the original poster

tom_e

        Last Activity: 18th August 2008

+1 mattsccm

funny, dredging up old threads to give useful advise that wasn't asked for.

Say UTFS enough times and people eventually will decide that they'd rather post in the old forum