Just picked this thing up today for $60 CAD. my main goal is to turn it into a fixie, at which, I have no clue how to do. I’m fully capable, and ready to learn, but I just don’t know how much it’ll cost. I’m on a budget.
by Kieran_Legge1
Just picked this thing up today for $60 CAD. my main goal is to turn it into a fixie, at which, I have no clue how to do. I’m fully capable, and ready to learn, but I just don’t know how much it’ll cost. I’m on a budget.
by Kieran_Legge1
12 Comments
at a minimum, you’ll need a new rear wheel, cog, lockring, and chain. you can keep everything else if you want to. so not the cheapest but not expensive either. investing in a quality rear wheel is a smart move if you can afford it: your rear wheel basically does all the work of the bike, it’s a great place to spend the cash (that and and good tires).
i highly recommend it! it’s great that the fixie fad has largely died away because now we can all go back to appreciating fixed gears for their merits instead of their cultural cache. riding fixed feels great and is very economical. it helps you become a better rider if you do it right.
a word about your bike. as it turns out, the tubes of these frames were bonded together with an epoxy that degrades over time. given the age of these bikes, you need to be careful in checking over all the seams to make sure the frame isn’t literally coming apart, and then keep an eye on it as you ride it.
i myself have a Technium set up as a fixed gear (with mid-size tires and fenders, for commuting) and it’s a delight. good luck!
Not that I am recommending any of this, options include
1. Derailleur delete, new wheel with fixed cog ($$) and resize the chain
2. Derailleur delete, get a buddy with a welder to weld the freewheel mechanism in your rear gear cluster, choose one of those cogs to use, resize the chain
3. IF it has a freewheel: derailleur delete, install a single cog ($) and have a buddy with a welder fill it with weld so it doesn’t work, install it on the wheel with loctite red/ weld it to the wheel, resize chain
Why not just select a rear & front gear & not shift out of it! Net cost $0.00.
Your biggest cost is going to be a new rear wheel.
This page has all the info you need for a conversion.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html
Read Sheldon’s post pbih. If you have any questions hit me up. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html
[Fixed gear on the cheap](https://www.sheldonbrown.com/deakins/how-to-fixed-conversion.html) < this will tell you everything you need to know
You might be able to sell those brakes and derailleurs to defer the cost a little.
We talking social capital? /s nah, not too expensive and that would be a fun bike!
That is a very well kept and well fitted technium sir, bravo.
Now strip it, kit it, and rip it through dem muthaf*ckin’ streets
Do what you want but that bike is better as a road bike.
You’ll need a single speed rear wheel that’s sized to 126mm(most single speed wheels are 120mm). Most steel bikes can take a 120 rear and be fine but your bike is Aluminum.
That’s also a pretty good bike, I’d say you got a good deal on the bike if it doesn’t need much and the bike is rolling decent.
trivial…. take off the derailleur, pick a gear towards the middle of the cassette, size the chain appopriately, and then ride. This would be a “single speed” (the freewheel will allow you to coast), not a fixie, but it will give you a good idea of what you’re up against for approximately $0.
Honestly don’t understand why anyone would want to turn a regular bike into a fixie? Like it’s way harder to do elevation changes that way. But if you really want that, why not just not shift gears? Or changes the set screws of the derailleurs so the gear literally can’t change?