How to Build a Fixed Gear Bike
Most bikes today are known as ‘freewheeling’ bikes. A fixed gear bike is a real oddity. Freewheeling bikes simply will roll down the road and you rest your feet on the pedals doing nothing. Fixed gear means that whenever the wheels are turning so are the pedals.
- Use a frame that you currently have or go buy just a frame. If you use one you already have you will be doing a conversion of sorts. That means you will take off the existing gearing and replace it with a fixed gear system.
- Look for a bike if possible with horizontal wheel dropout on the rear wheel. You can use vertical but it is a bit more complicated.
- Examine what else you will need. If you are converting a bike you already have you most likely have everything but the conversion. This means the seat to the handlebars, pedals and all that stuff. If you don’t of course you will have to buy that as well.
- Eliminate any brakes that are on the bike, as they will not be needed. With fixed gear bikes the pedals are the brakes. When you want to stop you stop pedaling and the rear tire stops as well.
- Remove any derailleur, shifters and all cables associated with them. These are not needed on a fixed gear bike. Just take them off and store if you like or throw them away.
- Buy a new wheel for the rear. You can use the old one but it is dangerous. You have to literally build a new rear one so it is much easier to buy one made for fixed gear bikes. They are special in the fact they are not made to ‘freewheel’ as we mentioned earlier.
- Align your chain on both sprockets and remove any extra links to make it tight. Tighten all your nuts and check to see that the chain is straight. If it is not make adjustments as needed until it is.
- Check the bike once done to make sure everything is working properly and then take your new fixed gear bike out for a ride.