Quick fixed/geared conversion
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@dkel 113238 wrote:
If you think zip ties are “hilarious,” you probably ought to get out more. :rolleyes:
I think most FG riders would find suggestions of zip ties and limp (I avoided using the term “flacid” to keep it safe-for-work) rear derailleurs to be an affront to the clean aesthetics that urged them down this path of the brakeless bicycle in the first place!
Honestly, this is puzzling. So you have a fixed gear now, which you like, and –other than the frame bag!– is pretty simple & clean, right? But you want a fixed-gear that can also haul cargo? Seems like you’re going to either be pushing too tall a gear when it’s fully loaded or you’ll gear it so that you’re just spinning out when there’s nothing on the rack(s)? Or is it for the larger tire clearance? I’m pretty sure it’s not for versatility with on- and off-road riding, though I know there are folks (@dvc, right?) that do FG off-road. (Riding singletrack fixed sounds like a great challenge.)
A single-speed quick-swap setup would be a lot simpler here. Get a SS hub like the Hope Pro 2 Evo Trials which has a few spacers (being a 6sp freehub body) so you don’t have any chainline issues. And definitely switch to a single ring up front — a CX ring, narrow-wide. Yes, 3/32 chain; goodness, it surprises me people actually run 1/8. I guess if you’re buying track 1/8-only track components. Or, as Patricky from bikeforums.net so eloquently puts it “uhhhhh fixy? 1/8 duh coz njs him self made onli 1/8 coz 4 njs fixy onl”. Run the solid housing for the RD of course (but you are probably doing that anyway; if not, do that) and c-clips to zip tie stops so you can just pull off the right shifter and RD. Assuming you have a non-integrated shifter (thumb shifters?).
N+1 sounds like a better idea here. Or +1 for new big-tire FG and then -1 to get rid of the now-redundant small-tire FG?
Buy a Traitor Crusade frameset. *That* is a beautiful bicycle.
So to summarize the discussion…my original question had two components:
1) Would it be possible to change the Straggler to a fixed setup by only changing out the wheel and chain, while leaving all the other components as is, and
2) Is it a dumb idea.
The answers, as far as I can tell, are:
1) No one has given me a convincing reason as to why it wouldn’t be possible. I have gotten several alternate ideas that either don’t result in a FG setup, or require changing the existing components, neither of which I want to do. (I’ll add here that SS is just not a substitute for FG; being linked to the movement of the back wheel is pretty priceless!)
2) Yeah, it’s probably a dumb idea! :p But only as a permanent solution to the problem of having both a FG and geared all-weather commuter. It would work if I really wanted to ride what I’ve got in both configurations before committing to the N+1 solution (which is what we all tell people new to bike commuting, isn’t it: ride what you’ve got until you figure out what would be better). Aesthetically, it really is a dumb idea, for all the reasons that Hozn points out about what FG bikes are at heart. Economically, building up a new FG wheel myself would be stupidly expensive for me, as I would have to get a truing stand on top of everything else; it would probably end up costing me $400 to do it myself, which is almost what that Kilo WT from BD would cost. It’s possible to buy a machine-built wheel in the right configuration for less than $200, but even that starts to seem dumb as a temporary solution to a problem that’s best solved by N+1 anyway. So, yeah: dumb idea, but I’d totally do it if I didn’t care about money.
As to Hozn’s question about the role of my current fixie in all this, the main reason I got started considering a beefy, all-weather commuter is because I built up my fixie in December, and then went weeks at a time without being able to ride it, which was disappointing. When I did ride it, the thing was a mess every time because it doesn’t have fenders. I could put fatter tires on pretty easily, and I could add fenders, and I could even put on a rear rack, but then it stops being a light, no-frills FG and starts being a different bike (like a FG Straggler…). So I think a Wolverine FG commuter would be great, and a fun, skinny-tire FG for fair-weather jaunts would be great, too. There’s that N+1 solution.
Lastly, speaking of gearing for FG, loaded commuting, I’m pretty sure a 135mm fixed, disc compatible hub would allow me to have the same chainline for a cog on the fixed side and a cog bolted to the disc mount, giving me a flip-flop low-fixed/high-fixed setup for loaded/not-loaded rides, as well as the possibility of putting a disc rotor and a freewheel on for SSCX, if I wanted to do that. (@Hozn: I love that Traitor, too, but I don’t think it would take racks and fenders and other dorky commuting things.)
I’ve really enjoyed everyone’s thoughts on this topic! Thanks for entertaining my cooky ideas!
I’ll let you all know if I make a move on another build…@hozn 113312 wrote:
Use clip-on / quick-release fenders on your minimalist FG: rain problem solved, minimal hassle (less than changing a chain, for sure). To solve the need for studded tires, build up a new wheelset that has permanently mounted studded tires.
I think I should add a rack and fenders to my existing FG for the summer (probably taken off my Cannondale Quick, which doesn’t see any action anymore), and try out all my commuting permutations that way, much as you suggest (the FG wheel for the Straggler was a way of getting to the same place, but a hair-brained way!). I envisioned keeping the studs mounted on the Straggler for the winter, and putting fat knobbies on the FG for less icy conditions; by winter of next year I may be ready for an N+1 there, and can reclaim the minimalist FG for care-free summer rides. As for gearing, I know that not shifting on a geared bike is really not the same thing as riding fixed, but I did try all my climbing today using a 46/18 combo on the Straggler, as well as attempting to spin out some of my descents; Wednesday is one of my days to carry the most junk into work, and I didn’t have any trouble with the climbs at all, at least (hard to tell on descents). Running a fixed/fixed 17/18 flip-flop would probably suit me pretty well on a FG commuter with racks and junk strapped all over it.
@hozn 113312 wrote:
I will lend you my truing stand [assuming it is during a time when I don’t need it] and other wheel-building tools and books/instructions.
You are a very generous friend.
I’ll let you know if I ever get to the point where I’m able to build some wheels.
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