Is it bad to have a one piece crankset on a fixed gear bike? I’m converting my single speed and just now I was told this type of crankset is bad on a fixie, but couldn’t find any more info on why
Is it bad to have a one piece crankset on a fixed gear bike? I’m converting my single speed and just now I was told this type of crankset is bad on a fixie, but couldn’t find any more info on why
Because they are all poorly made so the chainwheel will move out of round. The chain will be too tight and 180* around, way too loose.
weregeek on
There are decent chromoly 1-piece cranks, and decent bearing sets out in the world if you look at parts for vintage BMX bikes. That said, you’ll likely be stuck with 1/2″ pedal threads (or adapters that push the pedals quite a bit further out). You might also have issues finding a decent chainring in your preferred size.
While there are inevitably a few nice American made bikes up to the mid 80’s that have this style of bottom bracket, most bikes with the bottom bracket shell in question were pretty close to disposable when they were manufactured. If you do have a nice one, then you’re likely better off with a bottom bracket shell adapter unless you’re going for a very specific vintage setup.
2 Comments
Because they are all poorly made so the chainwheel will move out of round. The chain will be too tight and 180* around, way too loose.
There are decent chromoly 1-piece cranks, and decent bearing sets out in the world if you look at parts for vintage BMX bikes. That said, you’ll likely be stuck with 1/2″ pedal threads (or adapters that push the pedals quite a bit further out). You might also have issues finding a decent chainring in your preferred size.
While there are inevitably a few nice American made bikes up to the mid 80’s that have this style of bottom bracket, most bikes with the bottom bracket shell in question were pretty close to disposable when they were manufactured. If you do have a nice one, then you’re likely better off with a bottom bracket shell adapter unless you’re going for a very specific vintage setup.