HowTo? Fixed / Singlespeed conversion from an old bike

Basically, yes.

ok all my questions answered, thanks guys. And very quick work may I add ;)

If you're going fixed with a low bottom bracket and long cranks, you might want to google "pedal strike".

yes. you can make a freewheel fixed by using a bottom bracket lockring next to the cog, which will do little to counteract the forces involved in leg braking/skidding as it is not reverse threaded like a conventional track hub, but this is a stupid idea if you value your life. seriously.

there is little point to this method, as an on one track hub costs fifteen pounds.

fifteen pounds expenditure versus expensive surgery/funeral because your cog came off and caused you to flip the bars in the middle of traffic and get run over? i don't think any sane person would think 'man, those fixies are so cool i just gotta get one. i don't give a shit about my life, can't you tell from my expensive yet faux retro clothing? i'll just screw a cog onto a freewheel hub. no brakes too. fuck that lockring shit. its overrated.*' because, in reality, a lockring is very very important, unless you are solely a track rider who never puts any back pressure on the pedals. and even then it's silly.

*this is sarcasm.

i thought it was ok to use a bb lock ring aslong as you used this method
http://204.73.203.34/fisso/eng/schpignone.htm

and be sensible with atleast one brake and loctite it
this is how i was going to do it til i can afford a proper wheelset/bike

It's up to you.

Natural selection an' that.

im on quiet roads and the cycle path round here, just mainly to get fit abit before i get a proper one in may
is it ok on low GI like 60/62/65 ???
and would u recommend both brakes, its just a beater ive finally got some bits for
if its going to be a proper death trap then ill just have to delay my plans

have you read any of this thread?

If you don't use a proper track hub with a lockring, you really should have two hand brakes. If not, a front brake failure followed by a sudden extra effort at "resisting" could break the sprocket loose at the worst possible time, and you'd be toast!

the rotafix method really isn't any better than using a nice quality chainwhip.

This is why I don't bother mentioning suicide hub conversions any more. Yes they are an option but they are a shit option. If they were simply forgotten when people asked about building a fixed we'd all be a lot safer. Silence. I kill you.

This is why I don't bother mentioning suicide hub conversions any more. Yes they are an option but they are a shit option. If they were simply forgotten when people asked about building a fixed we'd all be a lot safer. Silence. I kill you.

i was just mentioning the stupidity of it in case anyone came across the method and thought it was acceptable/safe.

I've got a suicide hub, I removed all trace of grease then glued it on wih Araldite superglue+ and the rotafix method. Sheldon says this is what they used back in the day before reverse thread lockrings. I'm not riding brakeless, never skid, and use my front brake for 90% of the stopping. I'm happy with it, but I'm very careful with how I treat it. It's not a permanent solution.

yeah mine was going to be braked and i dont think my knee could skid stop anyways, i was just thinking of it as a quick way to get fixed, if i grab an on one hub will i need new spokes or can i just turn the hub a bit more for the same length ??
ive never built a wheel in my life but my mate reckons he can do it for me

I've got an old Edison cyclocross bike I'd like to make single speed (not fixed, too scared for that). It is currently a triple chainset with bar end shifters, 10 speed cassette. Shoud that be easy to convert?

yeah mine was going to be braked and i dont think my knee could skid stop anyways, i was just thinking of it as a quick way to get fixed, if i grab an on one hub will i need new spokes or can i just turn the hub a bit more for the same length ??
ive never built a wheel in my life but my mate reckons he can do it for me

you will need new spokes. use sheldon's wheelbuilding piece, it is not that difficult.

I've got an old Edison cyclocross bike I'd like to make single speed (not fixed, too scared for that). It is currently a triple chainset with bar end shifters, 10 speed cassette. Shoud that be easy to convert?

yes. you need a single speed kit like this which has everything included, you will need a tensioner as i presume it has vertical dropouts and finding a lasting magic gear is a myth. remove the two front rings you don't want, you will likely need some shorter stack chainring bolts, or just cut down the female part of your current chainring bolts. to do this yourself you will need a 5mm allen key, a hacksaw (if cutting down the chainring bolts) and one of these. merely use the spacers with the s/s kit to get correct chainline.

A cheaper way is to use old spacers from a couple of cassettes you can fine tune the chain line then and just buy a tensioner and sprocket for 20 quid or less

Thanks for the advice, re the "lasting magic gear" apologies for the question based on ignorance but does a tensioner allow you to change the ration of the fixed gear in case you find out that the one you have gone for turns out to be harder (or too easy) to turn that you had first thought? I'm looking to use the bike as single speed to and from work and around London basically, not really many hills to speak of coming in from Kingston way.

No a tensioner is for singlespeed not fixed it is designed for use on vertical dropouts where you cant move the wheel fore and aft to tighten the chain .A common gear to do most things on is about 72 inches which is 48 tooth ring and an18 tooth sprocket based on 27 inch wheels.to work out the ratio multiple the chain ring size by the wheel size and divide the result by the sprocket size hence 48x27/16=72.

Thanks again, I'd like to say I'd have a go at the conversion myself (to singlespeed) but reckon to save botchin it myself .....and then getting someone to fix my mess I'll take it to someone who knows their stuff. Anyone familiar with Recycles in Surbiton? I need to be convinced of the joy of the fixed ride before I consider that one and I guess this is definitely the place to receive a positive message.

work out gi here
http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/index.html

i wanted to do it dirt cheap, i could do cog n bb lock ring for under a tenner
to buy a hub and spokes etc is going to push it right up on me hmmmm
also id need spacers for the hub wouldnt i ? im getting 130 across the ends of the frame and its a 120 hub

this is proving more ball ache than buying a unipack lol

can i have some advice on chain line/ rings, ive read sheldon n still not got it
ive got a double sr custom set with a 52 outer, how would i get the chain line right for this
if its going to be a waste of time using this wots it worth roughly ? might be able to get new cranks if these fetch decent cash

im not too up on this i was always bmx and mtb

Right!

This project has really come on, I think you guys will like her when she's done...

First though, problem: I bought some shiny new wheels, Mavic open pro on zenith hubs. Info on zeniths at http://www.outspokencycles.co.uk/hubs/zenith-hubs.html

The front wheel won't fit in the fork. The axle threaded bit is too wide (see pic). What are my options? I would like to keep the forks.

Cheers

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file down either two sides of the axle so that you leave enough thread or widen the dropout. it really depends on what you think is more worth preserving. i have done both and both worked fine. the first time i did it, the hubs were not very good so i didnt care that much. it doesnt actually fuck them up, but if you want to resell them, then this might remove from their value. that sorted the problem really well.

but then i got some campag pista hubs that were in really good nick so i didnt want to mess up the axle in case i wanted to resell in the future. looking at the zenith price (21pounds) i would do that because the chrome might be harder and its easier to do a clean job.

just file the dropouts, i had the same issue with my chromes forks, it will only need a tiny bit of filing, after all you want a snug fit.

What phi-pp said. I've done a couple of sets of axles and it takes about 30seconds.
Cheap axles are easier to find and replace than shiny forks.

Don't think I could ever bring myself to take a file to a frame. Puppykilling is bad.

Hi,

I know nothing about single speed stuff.

Helping a friend, will a single speed cog (like thishttp://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=7805) fit on to the threading for a 5 speed cassette like the ones found on older wheels? Do i need some kind of spacer?

I should UTFS, but if someone can just say 'yes', thats it.