I've been wanting to convert my old commuter (1976 Schwinn steel roac bike) to a lighter, sleeker, fixie. You can pay someone to do this for a lot of $$ or do it yourself (assuming you know how).
I don't know how, but I started anyway.
Has anyone done this? I would welcome any pointers.
I've already stripped it, but had to take to a bike shop to pop the headset and fork out. Getting ready to paint it, then will enlist a friend to help with the reassemble.
Most of the cost (about $75) is in buying a rear wheel with a fixed hub. This needs to be set solid on the axle lest the cogs spin off when you "brake" using the pedals. Some people go cheap and weld the rear cog to the axle. This is called a suicide hub.
DIY fixed gears around here sell for 150-200 on craigslist. I'd figure at least 115 of that are due to new components with the rear wheel comprising most of that (also need chain+chain wheel+rear cog/freewheel).
Here are the steps.
http://sheldonbrown.com/deakins/how-to-fixed-conversion.html#replace
I made a single-speed (one gear but freewheel hub, so I use brakes for braking). Most of the work is in respacing the axle and redishing the wheel. I didn't need a truing stand for this. I simply gave each spoke half a turn, tighten, loosen, etc. until the wheel was moved over.
Seeing that it's an old Schwinn (I have a 1968 Schwinn Continental) my guess is that it weighs close to 30 pounds. Taking the components off is not going to make it a whole lot lighter. Compared to my modern racing Trek, getting the Schwinn u to speed is still like starting a tank. The thing I enjoy most about single speeds are how silent they are because the chain tracks completely straight.
I converted a 1984 Trek road bike to a fixed gear a few years back. It's not too hard. You just need to need to learn what you're doing.
Personally I wouldn't convert a bike to fixed or single speed unless the drivetrain on it has failed.
What you gain:
- A bit of drivetrain efficiency (Maybe 5-10%. It helps ONLY if you're able to pedal at a reasonable rate - around 90rpm)
- Fewer parts to wear out
- A different pedaling feel (if you used fixed. no different for single speed). It's more direct since there's not the play from a ratchet in the freehub, plus the pedals kept moving by the wheel when you are riding. The 2nd doesn't really help anything, it just feels different. Some people say it helps you get better at pedaling.
- Better for riding in rainy/wet weather (This applies in the winter/spring, if you live in an area where they put gravel on the roads in the winter. That gravel feels really nasty in the drivetrain of a geared bike.
What you lose:
- Being able to pedal at a reasonable rate at a variety of speeds
- Likely knee issues if you spend a lot of time pedaling hard while going slow (if you go up a lot of hills )
- Being able to turn tightly at speed (only if you use fixed, no different for single speed)
- Having to also carry a wrench in addition to your normal flat tire fixing supplies
Basically the differences between a single speed and fixed gear are listed above. With a fixed gear, the pedaling is different with fixed (and maybe very slightly more efficient), you can't stop pedaling, and you can't turn tightly at speed
Safety:
1 - Whatever you do, keep a front brake on the bike. If you used a fixed gear, you can get used to braking the rear with your legs.
2 - Be careful when cleaning/lubing the chain. It's easy to run your finger into the ring/chain if you don't pay attention. A lot of people have hurt themselves this way. This isn't an issue with a derailleur drivetrain because the chain tension is created by a spring in the derailleur. For a fixed/SS, the chain tension is locked and if your finger goes in there, it will hurt very bad.
Some nice pictures on the web of people who have pretty much "mashed" a finger half off that way. The rear wheel acts as a flywheel.
I've never done this myself (my knees like having lots of gears), but they are really popular here in Austin. A lot of people buy flip-flop hubs for the rear wheel. They have a fixed gear cog on one side and a single-speed freewheel on the other side. That way if you decide you miss being able to fly down the hills without moving your legs furiously, you can just flip the wheel and freewheel.
Maybe this is a stupid question, but why did you have to remove the forks? I would think besides the rear wheel, you would just need to pick a gear ratio, put a new chainring on, and maybe new brakes if you want brakes that aren't coupled to shifters.
Nicer paint job?
After years of gears bike, I've assembled a freewheel single speed around three years ago and have been riding it since them. I did it mostly because it is more reliable. Wife kept the multi gears bike for her. Last week I had a problem with my single speed and had not time to fix it yet, so I am using the multi gears bike. That was a revelation. I am impressed by the difference of performance between the two. The multi gears has better parts and go quicker dowhill when you are not cycling. But with the single speed I get less tired. But that is a huge difference. I've made the same commute I do everyday in 32 minutes with gears, compared to 35 minutes in the single speed. Too little a difference in time, and much more tired. Also, if I put the multi speed bike in the same combination of the single speed, I get more tired on the multi speed than on the single speed. I guess it seems more than 10%.
I picked up a second-hand fixed gear from a bike shop, took the consumer route but paid 50% of the original price. I really like fixed gears, but think that a single gear bike is still a great idea. They are very quiet, and make you more aware of your upcoming stops, etc. On a side note, it wouldn't surprise me if all things being equal (as far as riders) the single gear is the safer bike in the city because the rider takes more time when braking and doesn't just hammer the brakes and forget about it.
The quiet is something that I really enjoy as well. I think that the average biker would tend to go just as, if not faster on a fixed because your legs are already moving anyway so you tend to bike a bit faster. Most bikers spend a lot of time taking breaks and gliding.
All the best with the conversion.
@Jacob-Thanks for the link. The frame itself is pretty light. After doing some more research I'm going to go with a single speed instead of a true fixie.
I had a fixie a few years back and got into a crash with it (aka a truck hit me) and it was totaled.
Doing the paint job on the frame and fork this weekend, so we will see how that goes. I've never done it before but want to learn the skill.
Thanks for the help everyone!
Hi, beav80, thanks for the info.
I am also thinking on trying a fixie. Based on your experience, could you answer me two questions of comparison between a single speed and a fixie?
Of course if another reader wants to answer too, it would be great.
- Given the same rider, what do you consider to be the quicker bike?
- Which one will be better for the less human energy spending?
I find I'm quicker on a fixie but use less energy on a single speed since I can coast on downhills.
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