what’s the best cyclocross frame to transfer my fixed gear components to?
07-27-18, 03:10 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 16
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
what’s the best cyclocross frame to transfer my fixed gear components to?
i have the dawes sst fixed gear from bikesdirect. it’s an ok starter bike, but I’m ready to upgrade it to something a little more decent. from what I understand cyclocross bikes are performance bicycles; as such, they are generally fast and relatively light. Second, they are designed to be carried; this is more useful than you would imagine, especially if your home or workplace requires you to carry your bike up stairs. Next, they are designed for both the road and path; the knobby, slightly wider tires and wider handlebars provide significantly better control for those times when you need to travel on dirt. Plus, they are strong enough to endure the punishment of city riding (jumping curbs, potholes, gravel, etc).
this sounds like exactly what I want.
this sounds like exactly what I want.
07-27-18, 03:20 PM
#2
cowboy, steel horse, etc
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: The hot spot.
Posts: 44,777
Bikes: everywhere
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12736 Post(s)
Liked 7,635 Times
in
4,050 Posts
I'd just sell the SST and buy an SS CXer.
If you're in PA by any chance, there's this Crux for $600. Looks like it needs one more tooth to hit magic ratio, though. or a half link
https://www.facebook.com/groups/183937968413697/
If you're in PA by any chance, there's this Crux for $600. Looks like it needs one more tooth to hit magic ratio, though. or a half link
https://www.facebook.com/groups/183937968413697/
07-27-18, 03:58 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,881
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 129 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4783 Post(s)
Liked 3,904 Times
in
2,539 Posts
I'm probably stating the obvious but you do know that very few off the shelf CX bikes have horizontal dropouts and therefor make poor fix gears. Yes, there are ways to make a vertically dropped frame work but they are all real compromises. Horizontal dropouts, either rear opening track ends or front opening horizontal road road dropouts make adjusting the chain "tension" (really "slack") easy. 50 years ago, CX bikes came with horizontal dropouts. No longer.
With a vertically dropped bike, you have two ways to get the correct chain tension. Use one of the few chainring and cog combinations that add up to getting the chain right (and limiting you to a select number of gear combinations) or using an eccentric bearing (either bottom bracket or hub). The eccentric bearing is one where the axle of the either hub or crankset is not along the center of the BB shell in the bike or the dropout. So by rotating the entire bearing unit, you can vary the location o the axle and add or subtract slack to your chain. Expensive and one more thing to have to play with but they work. (The BB one might require a tandem style bigger BB shell. White Industries makes the hub version.)
If I were in your shoes, I'd change my target or wait until I could afford a custom frame. (I used old horizontally dropped sport frames for years. Peugeot UP-8, a Japanese built Schwinn, a Sekine, a Miyata 610, a ~1990 Reynolds 501 Peugeot and now have a 400 level Trek. 7 years ago I had that 501 Peugeot loosely copied with a custom very long road style dropout as a super road fix gear. Expensive, yes. But it gets around your issue completely.
Ben
With a vertically dropped bike, you have two ways to get the correct chain tension. Use one of the few chainring and cog combinations that add up to getting the chain right (and limiting you to a select number of gear combinations) or using an eccentric bearing (either bottom bracket or hub). The eccentric bearing is one where the axle of the either hub or crankset is not along the center of the BB shell in the bike or the dropout. So by rotating the entire bearing unit, you can vary the location o the axle and add or subtract slack to your chain. Expensive and one more thing to have to play with but they work. (The BB one might require a tandem style bigger BB shell. White Industries makes the hub version.)
If I were in your shoes, I'd change my target or wait until I could afford a custom frame. (I used old horizontally dropped sport frames for years. Peugeot UP-8, a Japanese built Schwinn, a Sekine, a Miyata 610, a ~1990 Reynolds 501 Peugeot and now have a 400 level Trek. 7 years ago I had that 501 Peugeot loosely copied with a custom very long road style dropout as a super road fix gear. Expensive, yes. But it gets around your issue completely.
Ben
07-27-18, 04:52 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,062
Mentioned: 63 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1216 Post(s)
Liked 183 Times
in
116 Posts
https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespe...part-time.html
You may want to think a little more about what you actually want to do before soliciting advice.
You may want to think a little more about what you actually want to do before soliciting advice.
07-28-18, 12:30 AM
#5
Senior Member
Check out Black Mountain Cycles. The Monster Cross original has horizontal dropouts and is $595 for frame + fork.
Monster Cross Frame Tech - Black Mountain Cycles
Monster Cross Frame Tech - Black Mountain Cycles
07-28-18, 09:30 AM
#6
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 16
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespe...part-time.html
You may want to think a little more about what you actually want to do before soliciting advice.
You may want to think a little more about what you actually want to do before soliciting advice.
on that thread, people made the great point that I should aim higher than a kilo tt. this is what i came up with!
07-29-18, 10:50 AM
#7
vespertine member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Land of Angora, Turkey
Posts: 2,476
Bikes: Yes
Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 687 Post(s)
Liked 220 Times
in
163 Posts
Back in the day, the cool kids all had Surly fixed gears. The Cross Check frame was a popular option for an easy single speed/fixed gear setup that can handle wider tires.
08-02-18, 06:52 AM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,863
Bikes: too many of all kinds
Mentioned: 35 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1147 Post(s)
Liked 415 Times
in
335 Posts
The bike you describe is perfect for your needs. Personally, I got a BD Fantom Pro CX bike off of craigslist for $450. I got lucky there - that bike will do just about anything.
What size tire do you run? I find that older CX bikes are kind of limited in tire size, being built around 33mm. That is perfect for urban riding, but for rougher gravel I prefer a CX bike with at least 40mm clearance. Keep that in mind.
What size tire do you run? I find that older CX bikes are kind of limited in tire size, being built around 33mm. That is perfect for urban riding, but for rougher gravel I prefer a CX bike with at least 40mm clearance. Keep that in mind.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
howeeee
Singlespeed & Fixed Gear
6
08-18-14 10:10 AM
hopyaboy
Singlespeed & Fixed Gear
8
08-12-11 10:56 AM
