Can it be converted?

I have just picked up a carbon 58cm frame, which i was going to use as a geared TT frame but am thinking of using it as a fixed bike frame instead.

I know there are chain tensioners on the market for SS gearing, however can a standard geared frame be converted to run FG safely? and if so what parts will i need? (considering i have a fully running FG bike i am ready to switch over)

thanks

Fred's your man, he rides a super smart BMC road frame as a fixed. It's less hassle if you don't have vertical rear droputs. Brian Kwan also had a Kuota carbon fixed last year.

endohub

as far as i know, no chain tensioner currently on the market can stand up to the backwards pressure of decelerating with the pedals, therefore if a frame has vertical dropouts and you want to run it fixed your options are limited to a white ENO hub, which i use and would happily recommend, or an excentriker bottom bracket (i think hubjub and charlie the bikemonger have them), which i think takes a 24mm hollowtech 2 type crankset. hope that helps.

as far as i know, no chain tensioner currently on the market can stand up to the backwards pressure of decelerating with the pedals, therefore if a frame has vertical dropouts and you want to run it fixed your options are limited to a white ENO hub, which i use and would happily recommend, or an excentriker bottom bracket (i think hubjub and charlie the bikemonger have them), which i think takes a 24mm hollowtech 2 type crankset. hope that helps.

Or magic ratio.

yeah, there are always magic gears & floating cog set-ups. just checked & niether hubjub or charlie have the excentriker, but ukbikestore.com do. £108 seems pricey but i guess its cheaper than the ENO hub!

simple, magic gear:
as done on this bike:

and here

its very simple, even better if you have a half link chain ( a fact I learnt in the process of build 2)

measure the chainstays, and you'll need to know what GI you want to ride. suggest aim for 69" or so if you're not sure.

chainline:
on a 130mm frame, use 5mm of spacers either side for a standard 42mm chainline.

magic gear:
go here for a calculator for ratios that'll work with your chainstay length. Be prepared to dremel a couple of mm from your dropouts and use a halflink or a halflink chain.

different chains are slightly different lengths and so if it doesn't work with one chain, try another. Also the first 10km on a chain will bed it in, so don't worry too much if it doesn't quite fit properly at first.

I wouldn't run fixed on a conversion without a front brake just in case you slip the chain, especially whilst you're first trying things out.

alternatives:
WI eno hub plus spacers - available from will at hubjub
eccentric BB

these will give you more flexibility if you want to change ratios in the future

also don't forget to check your bb height. lots of road conversions will give you pedal strike problems - the only way to deal with this is run clipless (narrower) and learn to deal with it.

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also don't forget to check your bb height. lots of road conversions will give you pedal strike problems - the only way to deal with this is run clipless (narrower) and learn to deal with it.

or shorter cranks (165mm) and some of these

magic gears are great, but, chain wear makes your chain slack.
only disadvantage is you must renew the chain regularly.