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!

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)