Building my fixed gear - parts

GerryRyan

Ok, I'm after searching through ebay and finding this frame:

About

Carrera LRS2 suspension frame
Matt black with silver graphics.

20 inch frame
measured from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube.

The gear mech hanger is in perfect condition.

Problems

Few minor scratches
Rear swingarm needs replacing - has failed in the usual place.
The rear shock was working fine before the swingarm failed.

The frame is set up to only run on discs, there are no other brake mounts.

This is my first bike-building project.
So is the frame an alright one to start with? (cheap enough, less than a fiver)

Morgan

ThatGuy wrote: »

So is the frame an alright one to start with?

No, the frame is broken and you shouldn't buy it.

Rear swingarm needs replacing - has failed in the usual place.

Also, it would be no easier to singlespeed this frame than your current one (they both have vertical dropouts). Try to find a frame with horizontal dropouts or track ends if you can. Otherwise, get a hardtail frame and use a tensioner.

Is there a particular reason you want to get a mountain bike frame? Where will you be riding?

kenmc

Do you have an alternative source for the replacement rear swing arm??
Or did you miss that line?

Morgan

I just read the title of your post - about a fixed gear. Do you want a fixed gear or a singlespeed, since they're not the same thing.

GerryRyan

Morgan wrote: »

Is there a particular reason you want to get a mountain bike frame? Where will you be riding?

No particular reason, except that's the frame I'm used to.

I'll be riding in a busy town or Dublin, so a light frame might be the way to go.

Could someone point me in the direction of a place (online or some store) for frames and parts?

GerryRyan

Morgan wrote: »

I just read the title of your post - about a fixed gear. Do you want a fixed gear or a singlespeed, since they're not the same thing.

Probably going to get slaps off some of the posters here - but could you explain the difference?

Morgan

eBay is a good place to look - I've picked up a frame there myself.

Re: the difference (from here):

Singlespeed vs Fixed Gear

The one-speed revolution actually involves two different styles of bikes, singlespeeds and fixed gears. These are not the same thing, althogh they have much in common.

A fixed gear bike differs in that it does not permit coasting; when the bike is rolling, the pedals will turn, just as with a child's tricycle. To enjoy the one-speed experience to the max, a fixed gear is the best choice if you ride mostly on pavement. A fixed gear gives a degree of control and one-ness with the bike that is not equalled by a freewheeling bike.

This site also contains several articles dealing with Fixed Gear Bikes.

Fixed gear is not ideal for all circumstances, however. A fixed gear is not well suited for seriously hilly terrain, and, more importantly, is not good for technical mountain biking. A mountain biker in difficult terrain must be able to control when each pedal is down, to avoid striking a pedal on rocks, logs or other obstructions. Similarly, jumping over obstacles is much more difficult on a fixed gear. If your single gear is low enough for off-road climbing, it will be too low to spin on the descents.

You don't have to choose once and for all between fixed and freewheel, because the same bike can be both, if you use a reversable "flip-flop" hub.

rp

ThatGuy wrote: »

Probably going to get slaps off some of the posters here - but could you explain the difference?

Single-speed: single gear, freewheel
Fixed-wheel: single gear, no freewheel, no goofing off...

GerryRyan

Thanks for the explanation. With that in mind I'm looking to build a fixed gear one.

What should I be looking for in the frame then? Preferably A thin/light one.

rp

ThatGuy wrote: »

Ok, I'm after searching through ebay and finding this frame:....

If you want to build a rear-suss fixer or SS, you need to make sure the swing-arm is concentric with the bottom-bracket, or strange things will happen to the chain.

fish-head

Get a Fuji Track.

Morgan

Pretty much everything you need to know is here:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html

This bit describes what kind of frame to get:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html#frame

You can save yourself a load of hassle by picking up a Fuji Track as mentioned above or a Giant Bowery etc.

rp

ThatGuy wrote: »

Thanks for the explanation. What should I be looking for in the frame then? Preferably A thin/light one.

I'm going to be selling one soon, if your interested: it's a compact road frame (1/2 man 1/2 mtb), fits me at 175cm

Itsfixed

If its an mtb frame you want, i would suggest a secondhand On-One Inbred. Lots of them come up for sale on ebay.co.uk in great nick for next to nothing. They're very cheap new too, but I think on-one are currenlty out of stock.

Horizontal dropouts, great basis for a road fixie with 26" wheels and a 135mm rear hub.

You could also try bidding for this

niceonetom

ThatGuy wrote: »

Thanks for the explanation. With that in mind I'm looking to build a fixed gear one.

What should I be looking for in the frame then? Preferably A thin/light one.

frame selection is a bloody minefield.

most people who build a fixie from scratch start with a good old steel framed racer, if it's more than about 15 years old it will almost certainly have horizontal drop outs. some thing like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RALEIGH-531-C-CUSTOM-BRAZED-23-INCH-ROAD-FRAMESET_W0QQitemZ130160296321QQihZ003QQcategoryZ22679QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem (that's just the first one i came across, i'm not recommending it.

any suspension on a fixie is pretty unusual as your average fixie rider wants the bike as simple and maintence free as possible. steel tubes give a nice pliable ride on road though.

Ghost Rider

I used an old steel Dawes racer from about 1981 that had been in my father's shed for the past 25 years. It wasn't exactly standard in some respects e.g. it would only take extra-long reach brakes and the frame had to be cold-set (a euphemism for "get bent"). Still, the guy who built it up for me found a work-around for everything.

I'd say bike shops that rebuild old bikes, such as Square Wheel Cycleworks in Temple Bar, would be a good source of old road bike frames.

niceonetom wrote: »

frame selection is a bloody minefield.

most people who build a fixie from scratch start with a good old steel framed racer, if it's more than about 15 years old it will almost certainly have horizontal drop outs. some thing like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RALEIGH-531-C-CUSTOM-BRAZED-23-INCH-ROAD-FRAMESET_W0QQitemZ130160296321QQihZ003QQcategoryZ22679QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem (that's just the first one i came across, i'm not recommending it.

any suspension on a fixie is pretty unusual as your average fixie rider wants the bike as simple and maintence free as possible. steel tubes give a nice pliable ride on road though.

flickerx

Yeah a racing frame is the only way to go. With horizontal dropouts. Dont start messing with a chain tensioner.

Read the entire Sheldon Brown conversion guide, give yourself a day to devote yourself to understanding all the part names and how they work, and you'll be sorted.

I got a Dawes 531c frame at the moment that I might sell, was gonna build another one but had to put it on hold for the moment due to cashflow problems, you interested? Can post a pic if you are. Its got forks, headset, seat post, and bottom bracket (with crank bolts).