duderanch

hey guys,


im new to this forum and riding as well. i have no technical knowledge other than trying to put together a bike i got in a promotion at subway, and failing. recently i was given an old rundown 20 something speed bike, but the gears and the spokes were broken. my friend suggested that i change it into a 'single speed' or 'fixed gear' bike (i dont know what either of them mean). I was wondering how to go about that and if anyone had any tips and hints?

thanks

Wordbiker

First off....what kind of bike is it? That "run-down 20-something" could be considered a classic bike by some and worth more restored than made into a singlespeed. I would also suggest getting a bike running in stock trim to gain some skill before taking on a single or fixed conversion. Who knows...you may actually like gears.

JiveTurkey

Fixed gear is a type of single-speed. Single-speed means just what it says, there's only one gear or speed. Generally you have one front sprocket (chainring) and one rear sprocket (cog) connected by a chain. A fixed gear looks the same, except there is no freewheeling/coasting mechanism, meaning when the rear wheel is moving, so too has to the pedals.

Most everything you need to know about fixed: https://sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html
And single-speed: https://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

Post a pic of the bike if you can.