whatsmyname1991

Hey folks,

I stumbled upon a 97' Trek Mulitrack in someone's spring cleaning trash.

I really want to fix gear it, but behold the vertical dropouts. I do NOT want to spend $150 to put an Eno hub on a trash bike... obviously not worth it. Im hoping some of you guys with more experience can guide me here.

I plugged in the specs on the magic gear calculator and it says 42x17 would work. However, I'm hesitant to purchase anything. People have said those calculators can be significantly off. What's the best way to ensure I buy a rear sprocket that will work?

Note: currently the rear cassette has 11, 13, 15, 18, 21, 24, and 28T. While the front chain rings are 24, 34, and 42T.

None of the current possible combinations are listed on the magic calculator.

Beyond all this... Even if I find a magic gear ratio that works...will is just go limp after a few months of chain wear?

This is a free frame from the trash...so I'm not opposed to filing the axle/drop out a bit.... But would that be enough to keep tension for the life of a chain? Maybe with the addition of a half link?

Sheldon Brown has said he used just the QR skewer as an axle by cutting the actual axel short so just the skewer goes through the drop out...this gave more room for front/back tensioning.... Would I be dumb to give that a shot?

Very interested to hear your inputs!

TLDR: Vertical drop outs and want fixed. Is it a waste of time or not?

whatsmyname1991

Not allowed to post links, as I am new to the forum.

But imgur(.COM)/ gallery/ jofYqZs

For reference

Rage

Maybe put that bike up on CL and try and sell it to defray the cost of an actual fixie?
Alternately, you can try a chain tensioner. But they’re kind of clunky and unattractive. Not a huge fan of them myself.

seau grateau

Yes.

Rage

Is that a Snoop Dogg reference btw?

Mikefule

For fixed, you need forward and backward movement of at least centimetre/half an inch or so. For single speed (not fixed) you can fit a little jockey wheel chain tensioner. Personally, I wouldn't file it. It trade it or swap it.

whatsmyname1991

Thanks for the input and +1 for Snoop haha. You're probably right... swapping for a frame with horizontal drops might save a world of headache and frustration.

Any idea what something like this could sell for on CL? Typical "blue book" for this bike is around $120... could maybe get $50 in its current condition?

whatsmyname1991

Thanks, that is extremely helpful.... I think filing a 1 cm or 0.5 inch would be a stretch here. Leaning towards selling and looking for an old track frame.... maybe ill keep these wheels as the rims seem like they have enough life left for a beater.

Darth Lefty 

This bike was not junk but it's a pretty big heavy bike for people that only want one bike. It's very well suited for tasks that need gears - like touring or kid hauling or accommodating your new fitness level after you've left the bike in the rafters for six months.

It's also a pretty small frame size. The drop bars take it a size up

link help
https://imgur.com/gallery/jofYqZs

Dylansbob 

I've had good luck with magic gears in the past. I ran a 36/15 on a couple different mtb frames. I've also tried one of Sheldon's tricks of cutting a hollow axle off flush with the locknuts to give some wiggle. But that's a mainly a singlespeed trick.

GENESTARWIND

or a rear wheel with eccentric hub************************************************************?

edit
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/white-hubs.html
apparently i cant use a bajillion question marks... who knew

whatsmyname1991

So.. when you tried the axle cutting trick...did you have any problems?

I really like the concept here...as it seems like a very good and very cheap (free) work around. My biggest concern is if a QR skewer is actually strong enough to bare the full weight typically put on the axle?
Also did this work around give you enough wiggle room to keep the chain tensioned as it stretched? If so... do you think ANY gear combination would work with the cut axle, or should i stick close to the magic gear?

Final question! From your experience, would you recommend cutting the axle for a single speed.... or you did you feel it was too janky?

Thanks!

Dylansbob 

I didn't keep that bike for more than a season, but I never had any trouble with it. I'd recommend using a shimano qr or at least an internal cam design. They clamp with alot more force than exposed cam models.

I use this calc and honestly it's always given me good numbers whether it'll work or not.

https://www.eehouse.org/fixin/formfmu.php

ThermionicScott 

My hat will always be off to Sheldon's ingenuity, but I wouldn't feel comfortable on a bike whose axle didn't go through the dropouts. Just convert your frame into dollars, and convert those dollars into a frame with horizontal dropouts. They're not exactly hard to find anymore.