cormacf

I currently have a roadie (Lynskey Sportive, 2x11) I use for all of my road riding, which tends to range in the 30-70 mile zone, with occasional centuries, and an upcoming Everesting attempt later this year. I've also been throwing in some "fake commute" rides of around 20 miles, since I work from home.

Several years ago, I donated my Felt TK3 to the Juniors program at my local velodrome when I moved away, and I really miss singlespeed life. No track within 60 minutes of driving, so I won't be doing that, but I'd like to start riding the fake commutes and the shorter long rides (up to maybe 40 miles) on a SS for a change and to keep up my cadence.

I live in SoCal, so fenders aren't necessary, but given the distance and my age (almost 52), an aggressive track build isn't going to be the best fit. Bikes/frames I'm considering:

• Random 80s Japanese steel bike (lotus, Panasonic, Univega, etc.) converted to SS. I won't be changing cogs much, so I could probably make this work if I could sort out the BB/dropouts (no idea if they even make EBBs that would fit, and I think most of them have verticals.). This would be kindof retro hip, give me lugs, and allow me to pretend to my wife that I'm not dropping buckets of cash (helpful when I already have two ti bikes)
• An old Quickbeam, if I can find one in decent shape (I like lugs)
• A Pista Classica (because LUGS!), though I need to look. into the geo. As I recall, it was a bit more relaxed than legit track bikes
• Some kind of NJS frame (more lugs!), but again--might be a little twitchy. I seem to recall some 72ish degree headtubes, though, so maybe not too bad?
• All-City Nature Boy or maybe a Super Professional with drops? No real lugs, but I like the forks and the geo is pretty roadie.

Any thoughts?

Re. geometry, steep seat tubes aren't a problem. I have short femurs and a long torso, so everything I have is like 73.5 degrees with a zero setback already. The real annoyance of a track geo for long rides would be toe overlap in the spots where I really have to steer on hills.

79pmooney

There are lots of early to mid '80s Japanese bikes and the US and European bikes they inspired that have horizontal dropouts and make great fix gear/SS bikes. My winter/rain/city fix gear is on frame number 5. Last 4 fit that description. A Japanese built circa 1980 Schwinn. '83 Trek 4-something; my current ride, '85? Miyata 610, a low end Sekine. That Sekine wasn't worth much but the other three served me very well. The Schwinn was a quality ride and the 610 would have been if the fit were better.

Other bikes I've owned with horizontal dropouts - a sport Peugeot circa 1990 with the internal lugs. Fun ride! Univega Competitione. '83 Pro Miyata. Never rode the last two without gears but they'd be fun.

Edit: I rode centuries on all of those fix gears except the Schwinn (got stolen too soon) and the Sekine. There's also a long, long history of the English riding 531 road frames with horizontal dropout for very long rides fix gear. 531 frames go nearly forever when built decently - nothing special required - and not crashed too hard or many times.

rustystrings61 

I can relate. I had a series of fixed-gear conversions, then had an early Bianchi Pista for a while. I sold that one off many years ago, because I just prefer road geometry. My conversions through the years have included an early 80s Trek 620, a Falcon San Remo, a '71 Raleigh Competition, a '75 Peugeot PR-10L, a c.1958 Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix, a Gitane Tdf, a Gitane Super Corsa, and probably something else. I tend to go for British and French bikes primarily, and usually mid-70s or earlier because the older ones have more tire clearance and longer horizontal dropouts. If you haven't trawled the works of the late, much-missed St. Sheldon, this article on fixed-gear conversions would be a good start.

These are my three current long-haul capable fixed-gear/SS road bikes -

The latest build - 1973 Raleigh Competition, 531 with rapid-taper stays, running Dingle fixed cog/Dos Eno 2-speed freewheel with 42/44T chainrings giving 70-in fixed pavement, 60-in fixed gravel, 60-in general freewheeling and 51-in light singletrack gearing, all without cross-chaining. It's currently set up for easily transitioning from pavement to gravel to single-track, but I could easily swap out the 35mm Conti Cyclocross Speeds for 32mm (or narrower) Paselas, even fenders, and do long road rides. Bonus - this one has low-trail geometry, ideal for hanging a handlebar bag and front rack for rando adventures.

cormacf mentioned a Quickbeam, and as someone who actually took care of two (mine and my wife's), I will note that I did not love mine. I love Grant and the idea of Rivendell, but the insistence on using oversized tubing and rugged tubing gauges made for a bike that lacked flex and sometimes felt lifeless. I came to feel the same way about the Joe Starck-built Rivendell Road Custom I had, too. Frankly, this Raleigh does what the QB was supposed to do, but better. It feels lighter, it's springier, the drivetrain is less hassle, and the forward-opening ends make wheel flips or gear changes so much easier.



Longest serving - 2002 Derek Land-built Mercian Vincitore custom road fixed gear, 531 throughout, set up 42x16 or 18 fixed, expressly designed for long, long rides. I've ridden this one on centuries and cross-state rides, and for a while dreamed of doing rides like The Big Fix of 2006. It's done lots of pavement and gravel as well on 28 mm Continentals or Paselas, and something like half my total cycling mileage over the last 20 years has been on this bike. In hindsight, if I were ordering it again today I would NOT have rear track ends, which are a nuisance when flipping the wheel 'round, but would instead see if I could get some long traditional horizontal dropouts. The slight angle would make it easier to line up brake pads when flipping the wheel to different cogs. I also would have it built today for 32 mm tires and fenders.

Another Quickbeam note - I was really excited when Grant announced he was experimenting with what would become the QB. Then it took like 18 months or two years to bring them to fruition. In the meantime, I ordered this custom frameset from Mercian in England, built up my own wheels, gathered parts, got to choose my own colors, got exactly the geometry I wanted (at the time - now I wish I'd gone low-trail up front!), and got a lighter, more comfortable and better handling bike for about what I eventually paid for the QB.



Most fun - I built up this c.1971 Gitane TdF fixed-gear conversion (metric gauge 531 - 1.0-.7-1.0 tubing, I think) ten years ago to be a beater for family vacations at the beach. It became my go-to grab-n-go bike for early morning Dawn Patrol rides, zip around training rides, etc. I paid a whopping $50 for the frameset and double that to have it shipped to me in South Carolina. It came to me with the French headset already in place (the original Stronglight P3 but with a Zeus top locknut), which is good. The Velo Orange French headsets require more stack height, but there are other options if you dig around, so don't be afraid of French threading no matter how obnoxious today's bike shops are about it. The bottom bracket is a used Phil Wood with their French thread lockrings - for a while there the trick was to use those mounting rings with Shimano cartridge BBs, but then they went to having the one mounting ring integrated into the housing.

Should you stumble onto a quality 531 or Vitus-tubed road bike in your size with good clearances and geometry, especially at a good price, they are more than worth the hassle of locating parts. There is something exquisite about the feel of metric gauge 531, and if you can ride a 60cm to top, the Gitane TdF like this one has amazing handling. The geometry is very close to what British custom builders and others specified in the years when single-geared machines were the choice of U.K. club riders - mine has a 74 degree head and 73 degree seat tube angles, a touch more aggressive than the 71 seat/73 head of many immediate postwar British fixed/SS road machines.

TugaDude

I like your idea of a SS conversion. If you don't do that, then I would investigate All City, whether the Nature Boy as mentioned or the Big Block. The Big Block rides nicely on pavement. It isn't a "track-only" bike by any means. I like their product, the fact they provide anti-rust treatment on the inside of the frame is a nice plus and their paint always impresses me. So if you go new, All City would be definitely worth checking out in my opinion.

Have fun!

veganbikes

All City Super Profesh...all the way. I like that bike quite a bit at least from what I have seen it looks like the cats pajamas. Really clean dropout/thru axle system and a fine steel frame and fork, nothing super fancy but good quality and well worth building something fun. I have a build sheet for one in case I ever decide to go for it. (I essentially spec out bikes on paper when I see one I like and potentially want to own it). I wouldn't go NJS except for a looker or wall hanger deal. I want a road bike for my single speed or fixed gear pursuits on the road not a track bike. For the track hell yeah track bike but on the streets I am happy with a proper road bike that is fixed or single.

I think my next bike this year to celebrate my new job and higher pay bracket I am going to do a custom Ren Cycles Yarak(ish) but obviously in a nice upright road geo but with ridiculous parts because I have lusted over these parts for years and years now or have owned them and know they are really good and just want to replace the Langster which I had kind of wanted to do when my old one cracked but then they said nope we will send you a new one because lifetime warranty. It is not that I hate that bike it was my first foray into fixed gear and when I was younger and had less gut and more guts it was awesome now I want to be more upright (after riding a more upright bike while commuting).

Road Fan

Rusty, I really like the idea of converting a Brit or French bike to a fixed. Have you ever tried to convert a UO-8 into a fixed gear local touring bike? I imagine something like your Raleigh or Mercian with a supple frame with low trail, big clearances, and a supple ride. And I already have the frame, fork, saddle, bars, brakes, front hubs and rims!

79pmooney

If you go UO-8 use big 27" tires and wheels. UO-8s have low bottom brackets. I rode mine with training sewups. With 168 cranks, all I had to do to unscrew the left pedal dustcap was look at a corner. The relatively narrow Leotard platform scraped and that cap was gone. I called that bike (and my much later Reynolds 501 tubed sport Peugeot with the same BB height "slinkies" for their low BBs. I developed a style of extreme lean and.or bike rocking to minimize pedal strikes. Not ideal for cornering but I was on a budget and trying to make my pedals last.

rustystrings61 

I am with @79pmooney on noting the low BB on the Peugeot - I would suggest clipless pedals like the Eggbeaters on my Mercian and my Raleigh as they are shorter and narrower. 27-in wheels have their own virtues too. You can still get Paselas in that size that are a true 28mm wide, and that tire size is an awesome all-rounder for multi-surface road rides. Should you go with a Raleigh, look for a Super Course or a Gran(d) Sport(s) - there used to be a lot of those converted in the old fixed gear gallery site. The coolest Raleigh to convert would be the ‘73-76 Competition Mk Ii with the rapid-taper chain stays like mine or its kissing cousin the ‘71 Competition (I had a conversion based on one for a while) or even the earlier Gran Sport with Zeus dropouts. They have generous tire clearance (35-38 mm tires!) and are all Reynolds, though some contend the rapid taper stays are ‘50s era Reynolds B or lesser tubing than 531. No matter - they work really well for fixed road conversions and have long wheelbases.

TejanoTrackie 

Just one note. The OP is talking about building a single speed, not a fixed gear, so a low bottom bracket is not a problem. I have an old French Mercier road bike with horizontal dropouts that I've converted to a single speed, and it worked out great.

Russ Roth

I plan on buying the Motobecane Uno this year, I'd been itching to try out SS cross racing and finally lost enough weight/added enough speed to feel like I wouldn't be a complete washout. It was a really good time and at 350 for a 4130 steel disc frameset its cheap enough to spend a little on upgrades.

79pmooney

My '73 Competition with its tapered chainstays is another slinky. (Very low bottom bracket.) With 700c wheels and big 32c or more, I hit double-sided MTB SPD pedals regularly.

Re: fix gear and clipless pedals - I don't and won't. I find when I'm going downhill fast, I have no idea what angle my feet are at and I certainly am not going to look. I don't even want to think about the injury I would get if my shoe un-clipped and I caught the 200 RPM pedal with my Achilles. (Long term, the crash that would almost certainly follow is probably going to do a lot less damage. Broken bones, esp collarbone, road rash, likely concussion. But that Achilles strike might well be a life long injury.

I always set my fix gears up with toeclips and straps. Ride traditional cycling shoes with slotted aluminum cleats, just like we all raced in the 1970s and earlier. Because ... when you pull your cleat free on a high RPM descent - and you will - it is still on the pedal. Thank you, toestrap! Swallow that heart and bet it back where it belongs. Slide your foot forward and feel that nice cleat engagement. And enjoy the rest of the descent. A very very different outcome from that clipless un-cleat.

That 200 RPM is not exaggeration. I've had cars call out that I'm doing 40 when I've been riding a 42-17. If you do the math, you will see that 42-17 at 40 mph = 200 rpm. I've gone a lot faster. In my crazy days in my 20s as a recent bike racer, I used to bomb down Oakland's Juaquim and never got passed by a car. (Two lanes each way, well paved parkway. 1000' of drop but a stop sign half way down. California.) Now if you don't love going fast downhill, feel free to go clipless.

TugaDude

Congrats on the job and good luck with your new project. Would love to see photos of the build during and/or after! Nice to hear that a company didn't hesitate to honor their warranty too.

rustystrings61 

These are good points, AND after a Wellgo Look-clone clipless pedal released in me at 25 mph and I had a spectacular crash, I quit clipless altogether for several years. They crept back in for SS mountain biking with the Eggbeaters, then I started using Looks again on my 80s road bikes. Toe clips and straps are visually verifiable technology and @79pmooney makes a strong case for them. My experience has been that using really strong clipless with metal cleats - AND CHECKING THEM REGULARLY AND REPLACING WORN CLEATS EARLY! - has been a safe experience for me. I also not that the fastest descents I have done in my region of South Carolina and parts east have topped out around 35 mph. A non-clipless option would be the MKS clones of the old Lyotard Berthet platform pedals.

Trakhak

Always happy to provide a counter-example. My high-speed-cadence days are long gone, but once when I was riding a Bianchi Eco Pista on a training ride in the mid-1980s, one of the other guys was on a similarly geared fixed-gear bike. He told me after we reached the bottom of a long hill that his bike computer showed a cadence of 220 as I passed him. I was using the original Look clipless pedals. I've continued to use clipless pedals to this day on all my fixed-gear bikes, because I never liked having to cinch down toe straps to achieve a secure connection. Clipless gives security without foot discomfort.

True, though, you do have to be careful to have the spring tension right on clipless pedals, especially with a fixed-gear bike. One of my moron friends (riding fixed and brakeless) unclipped one foot from his SpeedPlay pedal while heading down a hill toward a road with heavy traffic. He managed to get his foot clipped in again, but with only a dozen yards or so to spare. (He still rides without brakes on the bike. I asked why once. "Aesthetics!," he said, smiling fatuously.)

veganbikes

Thanks Dude! I am excited for new things to come.

It was nice of them to honor their warranty but I had plans for a different bike but when they came through I said all right get the parts I want or close to it and go for it. Now I am like go for the parts you want 100% or at least sensibly the Bastion Advanced Track Cranks are several thousand dollars vs. a thousand or so for the Sugino Super 75 DDs so I have to have some sense of reality. I am not a wealthy person or anywhere near it.

TugaDude

Lately I've been playing with the idea of selling all of my bikes except one and building it up the best I can with the proceeds. The idea being to thin the herd and spend my time on one bike, but a bike that would be a blast to ride, and to look at too! Even if I never follow through it is fun to dream.

veganbikes

It is a great idea. I mean go for the dream. Having a bunch of mediocre bikes or having one kick ass bike I would rather have the kick ass bike.