Can I make a single-speed out of this?

zorkmundsson

Hey hey.
Have an old, sub-par mountain bike that is just sitting there since i got a road bike, and i got to thinking that it might be possible to make it into a fixie/single speed effort. is this possible, or is it only road-style frames that will work? this is a picture of the bike i have, although not my actual one.

anyways, thanks in advance

niceonetom

can't tell from photo.

it all depends on the dropouts. do they look like this:


or this:


if it's the latter then you can go fixed or ss pretty easily. if it's the former then not so much - at least not without chain tensioners etc.

kona

niceonetom wrote: »

can't tell from photo.

it all depends on the dropouts. do they look like this:


or this:


if it's the latter then you can go fixed or ss pretty easily. if it's the former then not so much - at least not without chain tensioners etc.

cheap bikes like that have the last drop out, although youd be better off buying a better base, it will be better for the longrun.

id just take the rear mech off and use the freewheel with a shorter chain, which will be alot cheaper and less hassle

flickerx

zorkmundsson wrote: »

Hey hey.
Have an old, sub-par mountain bike

My girlf. had the exact same bike before it was nicked from her apartment complex about a month ago. It weighed a ton and was big and sluggish and generally horrible. I cant remember what way the dropouts were, but really, I wouldnt bother changing it into a fixie, it wouldnt be pleasant.

lukester

I considered the same option for a mtb with vertical dropouts. Simplest and cheapest would be to get a chain tensioner and run it as a single speed. Fixed is not an option if you go this route.

You could use an eccentric hub, but it's a costly option for an old mtb in my opinion. In the end I found a cheap frame with horizontal dropouts.

zorkmundsson

thanks all, i appreciate it. yeah, it's a lump of a yoke all right, was just an idea. real heavy but took an amount of abuse.

lukester

zorkmundsson wrote: »

thanks all, i appreciate it. yeah, it's a lump of a yoke all right, was just an idea. real heavy but took an amount of abuse.

Is it beyond use? Could you keep it as a throwaway bike- I have one that I use if I know I'm going to have to leave it in town overnight. If drunks decide to party on its wheels I really don't care.