LgHammer123

Hello everyone, I will try to keep this relatively short. (due to the fact that I am trying to head out the door + most of this is speculations/questions that some quick answers will hopefully resolve)
In advance thanks for taking some time to read the following;

Recently I have gone to live for the Summer @ my grandparents place.. to look after it and relax on a chill island environment. My father was very opposed to me bringing my fixed gear bike, doesnt go well on our bike rack for the car. So the only bike I have is a 51cm or 20 Inches Mountain bike (im 6" 1' and feel the bike is small, heavy & just not my riding style.) When I went back to Vancouver for a weekend I got to try out my brothers 59cm road/touring hybrid and it is phenomenal (in my opinion.) It's a Kona Sutra and seriously the most enjoyable bike I have ever rode, every time I go back to Vancouver I make a point to ride around the sea wall, go to my favourite outdoor basketball courts, bike to chillen spots in the sun to read or head over to my favourite & farthest away sushi restaurant Sake Maki. Or simply if I need to be some where at a certain time... yet I still have time for a quick 20min ride, I'll do some laps of the community centre + park next to it. As you can tell, I am very happy to ride such a bike. Thing is, I really do not have money to buy a whole new bicyle

My Current Bike; https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hnLLUIYk1S.../LG+Hammer.jpg

Now here's an idea that came to me yesterday, Whats better than having just 1 gear? Having multiple!
But what if I don't have cash at the moment to get whole new cranks? Am I able to just get like 6-10 gears going on the back??

Some concerns/questions I've got + parts I will want/changing;
-The bike was put together with mostly new parts, so nothing is really "old school".. I think
-Oldest part is the 2009 Fuji Steel frame (and yes I am happy with steel, my brothers Kona is steel)
-Could I get any thicker tires on those Brev rims? (hopefully the answers yes aha, but not the biggest deal)
-I believe I was told I may need a new Chain
-Drop bars, with brakes on the top of the curved portion (hope that makes sense, if not heres a link to a google photo; kona sutra - Google Search) <------That's basically my brothers bike and how I like it. Kona Sutra
-Where would you suggest I put the shifter? Im up for trying a new style, although the above link works for me ---------------------^
-I guess I'll add a back brake& get new levers
-Lastly; How do you think I should go about doing the whole extra gears + de-railer on the back wheel?? (if this isn't possible I guess I'm going back to the drawing boards!)

Thanks again for reading this thread, it's my first post.. hope it was not overly confusing
any and all replies/advice will be read, appreciated and taken into consideration.
Peeace (heading to the gym, probably wont be more than 3 hours til im back)

bikemig 

You need to figure out what your budget is and then start looking for a suitable used bike for your needs. This is a fine bike but there is no good or straightforward way to add gears and a derailleur to a bike that has track (or rear facing) drop outs. Even if the frame were suitable for a conversion to gears, the cost tends to be prohibitive. Again, you'd be better off finding a used bike that serves your needs.

LgHammer123

Yee, fair enough, Bikemig I do get your point. Makes sense really

Just got back home and I was hoping for more replies.. oh well.

I have maybe around 400$. and it's quicker to go to a Used bike parts shop (than to scope out craigslist everyday for the right bike.. sure I can do that in the mean time, cause it's possible to score a great deal tonight even.. or that great deal might come in a month.. or just never at all /Ill miss it cause it sells to someone else) that sells parts for like 90% off original price.. sure parts are used, but I prefer the term already loved and any parts I can't find I'll do the usual and ask one of my bike mechanic friends from highschool times.. which looks like I'll end up having to go to them for advice for the full build. I prefer to do some self-education/research first and that is why I tried turning to this forum for advice on my exact bike.

If it is possible to do the changes I listed above, I just need to find out how or what types of parts will work best. Leave the money problems up to me

Plus I cant remember if I wrote this earlier, but I LOVE using something I have built for a hobby. It gives me pride in using what I've crafted /made possible. So first Id like to go from store to store and look for parts to price check.. and then (and only then) will I move on and say screw it if the parts are truly impractical to acquire

DorkDisk

There is this product:Six Fyx Conversion Kit | Fyxation

But you need a new wheel and brakes, and it is a proprietary cassette so its very hard to recommend; you might as well buy another bike

LgHammer123

That fyxation product idea is phenomenal! Not entirely sure if it'll work with my bike, but ill have to figure it out. What exactly is wrong with my current rear wheel? (Haven't played around with bike since I made mine like 4 years ago.. soo I'm rusty when it comes to the technical side of things)

DorkDisk

Technically you just need to swap the hub, so that you can add the cassette. Swapping a hub on a wheel is like swapping a motherboard on a PC. Everything gets disconnected so it better be worth your while

Oh, it also doesnt include a chain.

fietsbob

Your frame even accept a rear brake at all?

NB 120 wide hubs were 5 speed era, stuff .. 70's the 6th gear made them passe.

N+1, new bike.. is a better approach ..

LgHammer123

looks like i've found and extremely similar bike to my brothers, even same size frame.. only difference is it's aluminium instead of steel. so guess this six fyx idea will have to wait for another time.

Maverick 13330

Try buying a cheap road bike at walmart and cannivalized the gears, derailure, handlebars, shifters, cable housing and the cassettes and put them to your beloved old bike and make the new bike as your new fixie.. crazy idea from me.lol

Monstermash

Unless you buy something like that kit mentioned in an earlier post, the conversion is going to be difficult to do. The spacing in the rear won't allow a traditional road bike wheel to be installed. You could source an internally geared hub but those are not cheap.

Imo you would be better served just buying something on your local Craig's List for a few hundred dollars.