I can't find a 'beginners' thread...

so I am going to ask some very silly questions

Please stop reading now if stupidity offends.


I'm pretty wet behind the ears when it comes to bikes, my knowledge stretches to nineties MTB, and even then it was basic.

I have recently bought an old road bike that I have stripped down, and I am getting it refurbed and rebuilding from bits from here and ebay. I think I'm going to make it single speed re cheaper

However, as it turns out, vintage parts are a bloody minefield! So many standards, sizes, threads and holes. Sheldon Brown has been a great help, but there are still some things I want confirmation on if somebody could please help?

1. I need to replace the bottom bracket. The tube is 36mm in diameter, and 68mm in length. Am I right in thinking that (for instance), I could buy http://tinyurl.com/ctvv7mt in 68mm and it would fit ok? I would also be looking for a short axle length due to single speed, yes? The frame is a Bromwich, so made in England, would any English thread be ok? Do I have to be careful of a lot of old Campagnolo stuff? Should I stick with square taper?

2. The frame seems to have horizontal dropouts, this means I don't need a chain tensioner for SS, yes? I have a rear wheel with a shimano 5653 hub that took a 6 speed cassette. Will something like this work? http://tinyurl.com/cerhj53
Also, if for instance, I have a 2 ring chainset, and I want to just use one of them, can I just use shorter chain ring bolts or do I need to buy something specially designed?

3. I measured the underside of the headtube, and the diameter of the fork tube. Am I right in thinking I need a standard 1" threaded headset to go with my quill stem? (pics below) Again, do I need to be careful of Campag/weird threads?

4. At the moment, the bike takes 27 inch rims. If there is space in the frame/forks, I should be able to put on 700c and just alter the brake surfaces out a bit, yes?

5. Last, and probably most silly, I hope it makes sense...will all chainrings work together ie spacing of teeth? Eg if I have a Campag front ring, and that SS one I posted earlier on the rear, will it be ok running with a regular chain?

Apologies, and thanks in advance




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Loads of info about converting bikes to fixed gear/single speed on LFGSS.

keepitmencap":1yfmb10c said:

1. I need to replace the bottom bracket. The tube is 36mm in diameter, and 68mm in length. Am I right in thinking that (for instance), I could buy http://tinyurl.com/ctvv7mt in 68mm and it would fit ok? I would also be looking for a short axle length due to single speed, yes? The frame is a Bromwich, so made in England, would any English thread be ok? Do I have to be careful of a lot of old Campagnolo stuff? Should I stick with square taper?

Click to expand...

Yep.
Yep.
Probably.
No more than with any other old stuff.
If you want an easy life, yep.

2. The frame seems to have horizontal dropouts, this means I don't need a chain tensioner for SS, yes? I have a rear wheel with a shimano 5653 hub that took a 6 speed cassette. Will something like this work? http://tinyurl.com/cerhj53
Also, if for instance, I have a 2 ring chainset, and I want to just use one of them, can I just use shorter chain ring bolts or do I need to buy something specially designed?

Click to expand...

Correct.
I imagine so, though it looks like a bit of a fudge. I'd go with a freewheel or flip-flop hub personally.
Shorter bolts will do it. Chainline will dictate whether the outer or inner is the better one to use.

3. I measured the underside of the headtube, and the diameter of the fork tube. Am I right in thinking I need a standard 1" threaded headset to go with my quill stem? (pics below) Again, do I need to be careful of Campag/weird threads?

Click to expand...

Yep.
Headset-wise, you're pretty safe (English/Italian/French/JIS all fit the same frames).

4. At the moment, the bike takes 27 inch rims. If there is space in the frame/forks, I should be able to put on 700c and just alter the brake surfaces out a bit, yes?

Click to expand...

Yep, you'll probably need long-drop brakes though.

5. Last, and probably most silly, I hope it makes sense...will all chainrings work together ie spacing of teeth? Eg if I have a Campag front ring, and that SS one I posted earlier on the rear, will it be ok running with a regular chain?

Click to expand...

Chains come in both 3/32" and 1/8" flavours. Single-speed bikes typically use 1/8". Not sure what size the cog on that converter is.
While it's best practice to use chain, chainring & cog all of the same size, you can get away with a 1/8" chain on a 3/12" chainring (but not vice-versa).

ScillySuffolk":2o5r0b7m said:

Loads of info about converting bikes to fixed gear/single speed on LFGSS.

Click to expand...

There is, but search for it rather than start a new thread unless you want to be eaten alive.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to help Anagrama, really appreciated.


I'll have a good read of the LFGSS forums and try and educate myself before asking any more questions.

keepitmencap":27t43wzr said:

...I'll have a good read of the LFGSS forums and try and educate myself before asking any more questions.

Click to expand...

I hope you don't think I was suggesting your questions were unwarranted; it's just that a fixed gear/single speed forum is a more likely resource than here (not that there aren't people who fall into both camps as has already been demonstrated), even if it is an old frame that you are converting.

Your forks should be English threaded so you'll want an English threaded headset, but the manufacturer isn't important: as far as I know only Raleigh had their own threads.

keepitmencap":238vsh5c said:

Thanks a lot for taking the time to help Anagrama, really appreciated.


I'll have a good read of the LFGSS forums and try and educate myself before asking any more questions.

Click to expand...

No probs And I only meant a friendly warning re. lfgss - it's an excellent (if acerbic) community, but pretty much any FG/SS conversion questions have come up many times already... Good luck with it!

This thread (and forum) is useful, and less bitchy than LFGSS:

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16.0

To be honest you have it sorted. You may find that you can't get the brakes to match if you go to 700c but some new brakes would match that. Other wise what you have is a dead easy conversion.
You are worrying to much and you know what to do.

ScillySuffolk":2bcxeed3 said:

Your forks should be English threaded so you'll want an English threaded headset, but the manufacturer isn't important: as far as I know only Raleigh had their own threads.

Click to expand...

Keep an eye on the height of the headset assembly (aka 'stack height') though - good low-height models to look out for come from Tange (Levin, Passage) and Shimano (105, STX); if it's too low and some thread still shows after assembly you can always dismantle and add extra spacing washers, whereas a too-high headset (e.g. Miche Primato) is a bigger problem to surmount.

David