Went into my local bike shop today with my absolute hack of a single speed (which I am dearly in love with) with the intention of converting it from single-speed to fixie. However, after just five minutes of looking at my bike the mechanic points out the extreme wear on my front chain ring, and points out that if I change the chain & also intend to convert to fixie, then there is a high likelihood of the teeth simply snapping off. He does a quick run through of how much all the parts would cost, and it ends up coming to a total of £101 (without labor) which is already the amount I've already spent on the bike.
This is a reminder to all that if you see a cool bike on FB market place for suspiciouly cheap, please for God's sake, check it over PROPPERLY before purchasing it, or you may find what was supposed to be a simple £20 part could very quickly turn into replacing your entire drive train!
P.s. please lmk if this sort of content is not welcome here!
by Some1elsethanu
9 Comments
Chainring, fixie cog and chain, no way that’s 100£.
As you go down this path, it’s a lot of fun to start doing the work yourself. SS aren’t particularly complicated, and you might be able to find a bike coop near you where you can use tools.
That’s the price for new, proper fixed gear components. Not terrible, they do get somehow even more expensive. Check out second hand markets online. Don’t be afraid to seek out message boards that aren’t Reddit or Facebook. Not only will you get in touch with your local scene but you’ll save a ton of cash. Also it’s very worthwhile to do the conversion yourself. There’s only a handful of technical issues a fixed gear can run into, but it’s important to be aware of them and to have the right tools to address them.
Dude the whole point is restoring these cheap bikes is to do it yourself,It’s not only satisfying but it saves a small fortune.
One of the main reasons I like single speed is that I can do most of the work myself – the only thing I’ve tried and totally sucked at was trueing my wheels.
It’s worth it if you plan on keeping the bike. The amount you spent on a bike is not relevant to the cost for repair. By that logic a free bike should not be worth fixing.
Of course don’t spend money on new quality parts, if you have a salvage bike! Are there any co-op bikeshops in your area? You can use old used parts, if they are in good condition (there are special tools to measure chain and sprocket wear), and if there are co-op shops they’ll help you to find right parts and DIY your repairs.
Main thing to check if you might do the work yourself: see if it’s already a conversion from a multi-speed bike. Such a converted SS bike would, if newer than around 1985, typically have a chain tensioner or old derailleur for this, due to the vertical dropouts. Occasionally someone gets a SS conversion together that works without a chain tensioner. Just be aware that a fixed gear can NOT work with a chain tensioner, thus can not generally work with vertical dropouts.
Yeah it’s easy to spend on new parts. Bike co-ops are great, I have worked at one for years and we have used parts very cheap and new parts at our cost. If you are in a city of any size there is probably one you can ride to.
Those teeth are super pointy- you’re on borrowed time, they’ll have to be replaced soon, regardless, along with the chain and possibly the rear cog.