Building the African Fixie, Part 5
Today I was very happy to find a bright yellow and red DHL padded envelope waiting for me at work. It weighed a mere 1.5 pounds (you needn’t ask the cost to send it) and arrived in my hands an astonishing 72 hours from Seattle. It was proof positive that instant gratification of a sort is possible here in Africa if one has a co-conspirator at home who is willing to fork over for it. Given the extremely rare, precious nature of its contents, it was worth every penny and then some. A manifest of the goods:
- One set of SPD cycling cleats
- One R.E. Load top tube pad taken from bike in storage
- One “Live to Ride” spoke card
- One set bootlegged Battlestar Galactica Season 3 CDs packaged in hand-folded and manually typed sleeves
- Assorted stickers
- A favorite t-shirt from home
- A nice card exclaiming “good luck”
I was glad that my afternoon student failed to show because this meant I could rush home and put the final touches on the bike. After last week’s shakedown ride, I opted to convert the bars into a pursuit style better suited for climbing Buea’s endless hills by using the tried-and-true budget method of flipping and chopping them with a hacksaw. Any regret I felt for hacking up a perfectly good vintage drop bar vanished the moment I tried them on the street. The KHS track pedals, barely used, went back in the box and the old SPDs took their place. I will use the latter with a pair of Shimano SPD sandals, which couldn’t be more ideal for cycling in Africa.
Without further ado, I give you the finished fixie:
The long wait was finally over. What began as a half-baked plan more than six months ago is at last a reality. Building it would not have been possible without the help of a good many people. Thanks go to Donald at Peace Corps, Henry (my bike mechanic buddy in Limbe), my local welder, Harris Cyclery, Excel Sports and most of all Jessica and Paul in Seattle.
It still needs a name. African Queen has a nice ring, don’t you think?
BZ –
I *soooooo* want to convert my old 80s ten-speed to a “fixie”. A few questions, though:
1) Should I not bother re-using my old chain?
2) How difficult is it to re-spoke my rear wheel, since I’ll be needing a new rear hub?
3) What’s a good flip-flop hub ratio for the Seattle area?
Thanks, Billy!
Scott
(Yipcanjo)
Hey Hunner,
You should go for it! The best reference for doing this is “Fixed Gear on the Cheap“, an article by Tom Deakins hosted by the late, great Sheldon Brown. This single resource has probably inspired most of the fixed gear conversions on the road today.
You *might* be able to re-use your old chain (if you cared for it the way your dad cared for his motorcycle chains) but they’re cheap enough that you should probably just replace it. Also, drivetrain parts (chain ring, cog and chain) all wear together so it’s best to start off with a fresh one.
You don’t necessarily need a new rear wheel unless your existing one is in bad shape. The link I gave you spells out your options better than I could here. For my Cameroon fixie, I converted a 5-speed rear wheel to a single cog by re-dishing it—no hub replacement. After you remove the old freewheel (often the hardest part) you’ll just need a spoke wrench, patience and some LocTite Blue to hold the lock ring onto your “suicide hub”. I’ve since traded up to a flip-flop hub which gives me the option of riding fixed or free, which is nice b/c Buea is built on the side of a freakin’ steep volcano.
As for gearing, after much experimentation I found that a 42×16 or 15 ratio works well for Seattle. You could go up to a 17-tooth rear cog if you wanted an easier time on the hills. However this, as they say, is one man’s opinion. Ask other fixie riders what gear they run or consult the guys at Recycled Cycles.
Also check out this page.
Good luck with it!