first fixie, first project. (stabilisers not inc.)

Hey,

So bare with me im as im a bit of a newbie to the fixed gear world, iv been looking around here for a while now and have fallen in love with the whole idea of owning and riding a fixie.

Being a bit of a hands on person iv decided to build my creation from scratch rather than buying a complete bike.

I have also just brought my first house which i should be moving into within about 4-6 weeks which gives me a good amount of time to complete the bike. my new house is closer to work so i will be riding in rather than driving.

The aim of my project is to achieve a bike that looks great, rides great and gets me to work and back (only about 2miles each way lol) and cost me less than £100- £150 to build.

............

ANYWAY enough jibber jabber heres the bike im starting with..

so its a Raleigh 5 speed not sure of the model, not sure of the year, but the frames straight and it cost me the grand some of £15

i will update this thread each time i do something to the bike or buy something.

like I say I am new to this so I may do something wrong, I may do something twice but im here to gain your expertise and advice so please don't feel that your cant call me a bellend for doing something stupid. :D

Do ask the forum if you're unsure about anything, we can be nice, so don't run off buying multicoloured parts, ask for recommendations etc

Looks like a nice bike. They look like 27" wheels to me so don't go getting 700c or it will look very gappy. Looks like a firm basis for a first fixie, as the front is just a single all you really need is a new rear 27" fixed wheel.
However, are you sure this frame is your size? That looks like a mighty high stem and saddle so will feel cramped and the handling will be twitchy. If you want to spend £100 then spend it getting something that fits you and is comfortable, only then look at making it a fixie and get some better parts.

Buy second hand, wheels can be had on here for £40. Cranks for a similar price.
Don't get anything coloured. Don't powder coat it.

Other than that, enjoy!

Hi thanks for your thoughts

Regarding this size it seems perfect iv rode it as it is and it it feels real good.

Yes the wheels are 27" iirc so does that mean 700s won't fit or will they be to small?

I'm not going to be powder coating it however I will be painting it.

Oh and no stupid bright colours here just plain gray frame with black and white parts.

I hope to start stripping it down tomorrow so will post pics of how I get on :D
Thanks

How are you painting it? Unless you have access to a proper paint sprayer you'd spend just as much money taking it somewhere to be done properly, in my experience.
700Cs will fit, they'll just look silly as the clearances will be huge.

I will be using spray cans I get them at trade so about £2.60 a tin of car spray so about £10 should do the job easy I'm pretty handy with some sand paper and a tin of spray ;)

And yes I'm now looking at 27" rims I like the look of the big wheel and no clearance, I wouldn't want 700s now as I don't want the wheels to look small

Can you buy 27" rims with a flip flop hub ? Or should I consider building my own wheel ? I quiet like the idea of building my own as iv never done this before !

Fair enough then! Yeah, 27" flip flop wheels are available. Not sure where from, but they pop up on eBay. Not so much on here I imagine.
You could build your own but it might cost you more, tbh!

As a half way house between buying and building your own, and the cheapest option, you could convert the existing wheel. Replace the current freewheel with a screw on fixed cog, adjust the spacing to get the chain line right and and re-dish the wheel yourself. It's work, but you'll learn about setting up a chain line, truing and dishing a wheel and know that you did it yourself.

And suicide it? How's he going to lock the cog on?
Agree though, redishing is a good skill and not that hard at all.

Good point, forgetting it's not a track wheel with a reverse thread for the lockring.

Locktite and the power of prayer?

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=271136147647&index=1&nav=SEARCH&nid=63478550417
You can get this sort of stuff or build up a new wheel, again an expensive option. Never do the suicide cog, not worth it.
Try sticking a 700c wheel in there if you or a friend has any, if your keeping the mudguards (which i suggest) it might not look too gappy at all. 700c wheels can be got of here super cheap so it could be wise financially

Redishing ??? I need to google that lol

Iv trued/ straightened wheels before as I used to ride bmx a fair bit years ago

But yes keeping these wheels and converting them could be a good option however I liked the idea of having sealed bearings and a decent hub ( iv never had one before lol)

And 700C with fat tyres looks rad.

That stem looks fucking terrifying, by the way. Is it above its minimum insertion?

Yes it is I need to lower the stem an inch plus the seat needs to go down a tad as well this picture is just as I brought it. I kinda like the stem though, not sure if its any good but I like the shape so will be keeping it ;)

Redishing ??? I need to google that lol

Iv trued/ straightened wheels before as I used to ride bmx a fair bit years ago

But yes keeping these wheels and converting them could be a good option however I liked the idea of having sealed bearings and a decent hub ( iv never had one before lol)

Take note of the post after mine. Conversion to fixed is probably not a good idea unless you like the idea of your rear cog spontaneously unscrewing itself the first time you try and skid.

Track hubs have stepped threads, one larger one for screwing on the cog, one smaller reverse threaded one for the locking that stops the cog unscrewing. I managed to forget this small but rather important detail...

Sorry what does suicide it mean ? Fixed gear/cog??

'Suiciding' is where you glue the cog onto the thread.
Track hubs have two threads. One for the cog, and one for the lockring that locks in the opposite direction, meaning that when there's a force on the cog from slowing down with legs that tries to untighten it, the lockring keeps it on.

In a 'suicide' set up, the only thing keeping the cog on is glue. The forces involved are quite strong, so it's not a good plan, unless you're planning to do very little leg braking.

I plan on doing leg braking as this will be my only means of braking. As I don't want any brakes, I don't like the idea of suiciding it then ;)

Also don't really want to keep the mud guards I want the bike to look as clean as possible, even if my back don't

Keep one brake, ffs.

Haha why? Is it REALLY necessary, I will be riding 2 miles of which 1.5 miles is off road ?

I think so, you never know what could happen.
Others may disagree.

Think I will see how I get on I don't really want the brakes tbh

more importantly, first I need to source a bb and sort the rear wheel/ fixed gear issue and get a front crank

Keep a front brake. You might be confidant in what you can do, but there is always the other guy. All it takes is for a kid or a dog to run out in front of you and it can get nasty very quickly.

What foot retention are you planning to use, by the way?
Straps or clipless?