Lovenutz

It is! It's still a work in progress. It needs a lower gear, a front brake, and a front basket. A cheap city cruising fixed is the goal.

I'm curious as to why you're dubious of it's non freewheeling nature?

brandon98

I sold my Schwinn Madison to a young lad in Alabama who commutes on it. It's simply too hilly here in Eastern GA and I'm too old/fat to make use of it.

I think the fixie/SS fad has come and gone....

due ruote 

Yep, that’s how I got mine, a Delta 14”. I would say it’s probably the minimal size to get for semi-serious work. Any smaller and you will almost certainly want a bigger one before long.

Bandera

Yep, it's not 2002 anymore and as predicted when the fixie fad has faded away the devotees of obsolete hardware and the old school club cyclists will continue to do as has been done for the last century: Ride FG on the road.

-Bandera

noglider 

@Lovenutz, it's just unusual; that's all. So what do people think about foot retention? The conventional wisdom has said that if you're riding fixed, you absolutely need foot retention, but I'm not convinced any more, if you ride gently or cautiously. I see some people doing. The only thing I think is nutso is riding fixed in traffic without a front brake.

belacqua

I've been really curious about this too, especially since seeing how much new speedplays cost (mine are about ten years old.) I find clipless more convenient and comfortable than mks sylvans with clips, which is my other usual set up. I've often admired @pcb 's bikes with platforms, some of his might even be fixed gear? Anyone else tried this?

noglider 

I'm a huge fan of SPD. Easy to get in and out of, and I already have tons of SPD shoes.

My city fixie has toe clips. It's my last bike with them, and I may switch it to SPD.

My track bike has SPD-SL, and I might switch that to SPD, too.

pcb 

Glad you like the bikes! All my fixed gears have spiky platforms, and I can spin 'em up pretty fast when I have to, or honk real slow up hills. I do have front/rear brakes on all of them, and use them to help control speed on downhills. One other thing/caveat, the thing that I don't do, is skid stops---at least not deliberately. I can still backpedal to help control speed.

I don't really miss foot retention even a little bit. But YMMV...

markwesti

Centurion Comp TA , converted to track . Read full describ here , just type in my name . https://www.pedalroom.com/

DSCF2588 by mark westi, on Flickr

belacqua

Any chance you have a photo of one of those beauties? I'm about this close to trying it.

Bobtoo

I built this a few years ago. It was originally a 1978 Carlton Corsair that I got cheap. The paint was terrible but all the components were reasonable enough. I had a 5 speed/fixed wheel that I'd bought for the tyre, and I already had a better touring bike than this Corsair would ever be, so it seemed a logical step.



Unfortunately the steerer tube was bent, I could have straightened it but I decided to build it into this Raleigh Royal frame instead.

2017-09-03_04-08-56 by RichardB5, on Flickr

I have since bought the correct length bottom bracket and shorter chainring bolts so I don't have to run the chainset as a reverse double.

pcb 

Sorry I didn't reply sooner...

Haven't shot this Waterford RS-22 for a while, it now has Xpedo Spry pedals, has Fyxation Mesa MP plastic pedals with metal pins (MP) in this photo:



And this Milwaukee Orange One has VIP Harriers, a little on the heavy side, but very wide, very supportive platforms:

Sir_Name 

Well, it's 2019 now. I got this Moto Grand Touring as a purely stock freebie from a shop several years back. Someone wanted them to "recycle" it. It's a bit small, but I found that Sparrow, then Albatross bars put my hands in the right spot more or less -- somewhere between the drops and tops on my other bikes. I rode this as a 27" single speed for a while, then got a Normandy flip flop rear hub from @randyjawa. After that I did nothing for a couple years, then finally built 700c wheels on the Normandy hubs. The rims are FiR EL45 36h f/r. The rims were also freebies. DT Swiss Revolutions all around. DIY fender flaps asap. As well as aluminum fenders.

I grabbed some 700x38c Gravelkings for Ms_Name's bike around the time I put the final tension on these wheels and was curious... turns out they fit. Oops.

This is my first fixed gear. I've got maybe a couple dozen miles on it, if that, but think it'll be a good bike to throw in the mix. Maybe get a better fitting frame at some point. It seems like this will be good for grunt work "training." I grew up on BMX, so getting back to single speed feels good, very direct and stout. Bar tape to follow as the hand position settles out.