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How to Build a Fixed Gear

Fixed gear riding has been undergoing somewhat of a revolution in
recent years. As well as the inner city hipsters that are rediscovering
the joys of riding fixed, increasingly roadies are becoming
increasingly interested in the training benefits a fixed gear bike can
provide.

One of the cheapest, and fun, ways to get up an running with a fixed
gear bike is to build one yourself by converting an old steel framed
racing bike. In this post I'll detail how I went about the process of
building up my own fixed gear bike that I plan to use for winter
training.

1. Find A Frame

Ok, so the first step is to find a suitable bike/frame. Most old steel
framed road bikes are suitable for conversion into fixed gear rides.
The two things to look out for are horizontal dropouts (see below -
these are essential) and also to take your time to ensure you pick up a
frame with the correct sizing.

Fixed Gear Bike- image credit

Road bike geometry has changed quite a bit over the last 20-30 years
and these old frames tend to come up a lot bigger than their modern day
equivalents so be sure try standing over some frame before buying. You
can usually pick up some very cheap bikes on eBay or other online
classifieds sites as well as garage sales and local junk shops.

Luckily I got talking to an old family friend (who used to be a keen
roadie) about my plans to find an old steel framed bike to turn into a
fixie for winter training. About 1/2 an hour later I left with his old
(and rusty) Peugeot steel frame road bike in the back of my car.

When looking at old steel frames the most important spec to look out
for is the grade of steel it is made from. Higher grades such as
Reynold 531 or 501 are worth looking out for. The bike I acquired was
made of Peugeot's `Carbolite 103' which was their mass market steel,
unfortunately not as light as 531. Despite this it'll do for my first
conversion project - I can always upgrade the frame at a later date.

After sitting in his shed unused for many year it was in a bit of a
state. Perished tyres, rust spots everywhere and of course all of the
brake cables were knackered.

2. Work Out What You've Got

After inspecting all of the components and looking for serial numbers
on the frame I managed to figure out what most of the bits were. Below
are the exact specifications of the bike I was given:

Size: Middle of BB to seatpost is 22 1/2 inches
Front Wheel: Mavic Model E 27 x 1 1/4
Rear Wheel: Unidentified. Seems a bit thicker rim than the front
Brakes: Shimano Tourney
Saddle: Brooks B17 Champion Narrow
Cranks: Solida
Frame: `Peugeot Tube Special Carbolite 103 by Peugeot France'
Bottom Bracket: `FAG Germany'
Deraileur: Sachs Huret
Distance between rear stays: 120mm
Stamp on rear chainstay dropout: - '310 18112'
Frame stamp underneath BB: '123'

From this excellent website about vintage Peugeot bikes i found out
that the checkered decals indicate that it was produced between 1979 &
1983.

3. Horizontal Drop Outs

The first check you need to make when sourcing a frame is to make sure
it has horizontal dropouts. It doesn't help that the above photo was
taken with the bike at an angle but essentially you need the dropouts
that hold the rear axle to be horizontal and as long as possible.

Horizontal Drop Outs-

The reason you need a horizontal dropouts with a fixed gear is that
there is no derailleur to tension the chain. Instead this must be done
by pulling the rear wheel back into the dropout before tightening the
wheel nut. As the chain stretches over time, you'll need to move the
wheel axle slightly further back to maintain a good tension.

4. Strip Down The Bike

The first job is to strip down the bike and decide which components you
are going to re-use and which you'll need to source. For this bike my
plan was to re use the stem, saddle, brake calipers.

How to Build a Fixed Gear Bike-

Obviously all the old derailleurs can come off, along with the brake
cables (these will be replaced), cranks, bottom bracket etc. Basically
I wanted to strip everything back to just the bare frame and thoroughly
clean it before figuring out which new parts I'd need to rebuild the
bike.

5. Shopping List

Based on the assessment above here is what I figured I'd need to get
the bike back on the road.
* 700c wheel set
* Freewheel: to allow single speed riding as well as fixed
* Drop Bars
* Brake Levers: to fit the drop bars
* Chainring: about a 42T
* Crank Arms: good quality as riding fixed places more strain on the
cranks
* Chain: 1/8'', stronger than a standard 3/32'' chain used for
geared bikes

6. Bottom Bracket & Crank Threading

After doing a fair bit of reading about vintage Peugeot bikes online I
had read that most pre 1980 bikes had French threaded bottom brackets.
Unfortunately my fears came true and indeed the threading on the bike
was not `English', which caused me two problems.

Firstly I was unable to remove the cranks with a standard crank removal
tool which meant a trip to my friendly local bike chop. Secondly the
bottom bracket turned out to be french so I had the bike shop re-tap
the threads on the inside of the frame so that I could fit a new,
regular English threaded bottom bracket.

7. Sourcing Fixed gear components

Inevitably when you build up a fixed gear bike from an old frame such
as the the end result will be that the sum of all the components will
be more expensive than the value of the finished bike. Despite this I
was keen to rebuild the Peugeot, learning some more mechanics along the
way but keep the cost down as much as possible.

Despite wanting to keep costs to a minimum, it is worth investing in
good quality cranks, chain ring and chain when building a fixed gear
bike as these come under quite a bit of strain when riding fixed. As a
result I decided to try and pick up good quality second hand components
where possible.

A friend from my local cycling club gave me some old aluminum drop bars
he had kicking around his shed. Tektro RL520 Levers- After
keeping an eye on ebay I managed to pick up a pair of secondhand Tektro
RL520 brake levers for about $10.

Next i found a set of cranks and chain ring on the excellent London
Fixed Gear Single Speed (LFGSS) forums, which not only has a great
classifieds section but lots of information about building fixed gear
bikes. A pair of Sugino RD2 175mm crank arms and a Brick Lane Bikes 48
teeth chain ring for Ł30 to be precise.

The local bike shop provided some new brake cables, chain and bar tape
as well as a new set of wheels. I found an old pair of used Gatorskin
tyres in the garage to get me going.

8. Fixed Gear Brakes

I planned to re-use the existing brake calipers that were on the bike
when I was given it. As the bike was designed to have 27 1/4 inch
wheels on which I was replacing with 700c rims I wasn't sure if the
drops on the brake calipers would be enough to reach the rims.

Luckily after fitting the new wheels the pads just reach the braking
surface on the wheel rims.

Fixie Brake Calipers-

One thing I have noticed since starting to ride fixed is the speed at
which you get through brake blocks. Most of the riding I have been
doing since building up the bike is on club rides, riding at close
quarters in a peloton of geared riders. As a result of not being able
to coast I have found I am braking a lot more than when I was on a
geared bike, therefore increasing wear on the brakes.

9. The Finished Build

So, here she is, my first fixed gear build. She may not be the
prettiest bike ever but I have fallen for her. Not only is the bike
going to be low on maintenance but it is also incredibly comfortable to
ride.

There are quite a few rust spots on the frame - I would have got it
resprayed if it were a better grade of steel however my aim was to do
the build for as cheap as possible so I'll put up with the rust.

Complete Fixie-

The biggest surprise has been how comfortable the Brooks B-17 saddle
has been. After really struggling to break in my Selle Italia I feared
I'd face another long battle to find comfort however I've found it to
be the most comfortable saddle I've ever used.

So, there you have it, hopefully this goes to show that building up a
fixed gear bike is a relatively simple process. With a little patience
you should be able to pick up all of the parts you need for very little
money meaning you can get a nice training bike for not very much at
all.

{ 0 comments }

Perfect Coffee at Work

We talked some time ago about how to make the perfect cycling coffee -
an essential pre-ride ritual that helps ensure you're in top top
condition to ride, race or train.

Being a fan of good coffee I've been experimenting with how to get a
cheap good quality cup of coffee at my desk. Obviously buying coffee
from one of the hundreds of local coffee shops is an option however the
expense and variable quality have left me searching for other ways to
get my fix.

Naturally I don't have access to a stove in the office, just a kettle,
so using my Bialetti is out of the equation, as is instant coffee of
course. The other day I remembered a little coffee press/filter that I
bought in Vietnam a couple of years ago that i never tried. I soon
remembered the great coffee we drunk while travelling round Vietnam and
thought i'd give it a go.

Vietnamese Coffee Press-

After a little experimentation i'm now making grade A coffee at work
and no longer have to face the brown liquid produced by the ghastly
coffee machine in the office. It took a while for me to perfect using
the press but i think I've perfected it now.

Below is a run down of how i make coffee using the Vietnamese coffee
press.

Preheat the press

Brewing coffee this way takes a few minutes so I think it's best to
pre-heat both the mug and filter before hand. I do this by simply
submersing both in hot water for a minute or two.

Add the Coffee

Much will depend on how strong you like it and the type you like. I've
tried a few different types and have settled down to using regular
pre-ground Lavazza espresso coffee. It might not be as good as freshly
ground Vietnamese beans but it's good quality and readily available in
the shops near work.

Vietnamese Coffee Press-

Ok so first you need to remove the press from the cup and add about 1
tablespoon of coffee to the filter cup. Gently tap the cup on a table
to even the coffee out inside.

Screw the Press

Next up replace the press inside the cup (the press part) - it should
screw into place. It took me a while to get the pressure right: to
loose and the coffee was too weak, to tight and the water can't pass
through the filter. The best way to describe the perfect amount is to
gently screw it down all the way until very loosely finger tight, then
back it off about 1 turn.

Screw the vietnamese coffee press-

Moisten The Filter

In order to ensure the water is able to filter the coffee properly
you'll first need to add a small amount of hot water on top of the
press and allow it to drain through for about 30 seconds.

If you fill the cup chamber with water straight away, the weight of the
water can force the dry coffee down too fast blocking the filter
completely.

Fill The Cup

Once the initial amount of water has fully filtered fill the chamber to
the top with boiling water, place the lid on and allow it to filter for
a few minutes.

The drip rate your filter produces will depend on the amount of coffee
you are using, the grind size and the pressure with which you packed it
down. That said a Vietnamese colleague of mine assures me that you
should be aiming for about 1 drip every second.

Repeat & Fill

Depending on how strong (and tall) you like your coffee you can either
add some more fresh water to the top chamber and allow it to filter
through the coffee or simple top your cup up with hot water or milk.
Traditionally in Vietnam you'd drip the coffee into a glass cup of
condensed milk.

Vietnamese Coffee Machine-

So there you have it. I don't know why but coffee plays a big part in
the lives of lots of cyclists. After quite a while i've finally found a
way to get a decent cup at my desk with minimal fuss or effort. If
you're interested in trying, you can pick up these little presses very
cheaply from Amazon. You'll be up and running drinking great quality
coffee at work for a little over 5 dollars.

{ 0 comments }

Century Training - Where to Start

Century Training - Where to Start-

Beginning to train to ride a century can be quite a daunting prospect.
You know you've got all sorts of worries about what kit you'll need,
hundreds of hours in the saddle ahead of you and all sorts of tips and
tricks to learn but where do you start? In this article we'll try and
[...]
Read the full article ->

On Bike Nutrition

I've written a lot in the past about all aspects of nutrition related
to cycling centuries. I'm pretty good at practicing what i preach but i
don't always get it right.... On Saturday I headed out with a couple of
friends for what turned into an 84 mile (130km) training ride and
really struggled for [...]
Read the full article ->

Oakley Jawbone Review

Recently I decided to buy a pair of good quality cycling specific
sunglasses. After breaking a fairly cheap pair i used for the last
couple of years I decided it was time i invested in a quality pair of
glasses ahead of the approaching summer. After much research and the
inevitable searching of blogs and [...]
Read the full article ->

Breaking In a New Saddle

As a result of buying a new bike over the winter I have recently
switched onto a new saddle, the Selle Italia SLR XP. Since I started
riding the bike in Mid Feburary i have loved it apart from one thing -
the saddle. Until recently i'd be suffering severely after only about
25 miles [...]
Read the full article ->

Post Ride Hunger

You know the feeling. You gingerly step off your bike (legs feeling
more than a little wobbly), lean your bike up against the house and
stagger inside with that distant, semi-gurn look on your face, a hollow
empty feeling inside your stomach. With your helmet still on, you head
straight for the fridge. What comes [...]
Read the full article ->

Century Training: How to Refocus your Efforts

Now is the time of year that many cyclists are reaching the point where
their target century ride is only a few weeks away. What, a few weeks
ago, seemed like a distant target is all of a sudden just round the
corner and doubts can start to creep in about whether you are fit [...]
Read the full article ->

Group Riding

Training for a century ride needs you to focus on many different
aspects of your riding from endurance, speed, nutrition etc. However
one aspect that many people fail to consider is the ability to ride
comfortably and safely within a group. Why Ride in a Group? Most
organized century rides or sportives are mass participation [...]
Read the full article ->

Cycle Training On Holiday

I'm currently in training to ride La Marmotte in July 2011. While it is
still 6 months away I'm keen to try and keep up as much training as
possible while on holiday. In fact as i am typing this I am in
Hyderabad in India, not famed for it's cycling culture. Staying here in
[...]
Read the full article ->

<- Previous Entries
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* Popular Posts
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+ Sleep and cycling performance
+ The Best Cycling Breakfast
+ Staionary Trainers
+ A Cyclists Guide to Near Perfect Coffee
+ Oakley Jawbone Review
+ Post Ride Hunger

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cycling, training advice | Refer to Disclaimer |

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