Fixie-fever has gripped the capital, more and more people are building their own bikes and specifically a fixed-gear bike for training, commuting or just as a fun project and exercise in creative expression. Whatever your reason, starting from scratch can seem daunting if you haven’t built a bike before. Here’s a couple of things to help you on your way:

Ready-to-ride fixies

Both big and small bike manufacturers out there are catching on to the fixed-gear wave and introducing their own models, complete (often) with flip-flop hubs (means you can run them both as fixed or as single speed – in practive it means that the threads on one side are suited for a single speed instead of a track cog which needs a lockring) and brakes for both front and back.

More recent entries into this categories are the Ridgeback Genesis flyer and the Skyline, Lemond Fillmore and Trek T1. Bianchi have had their Pista for a long time already and Specialised with their Langster, Kona with their Paddywagon, On-one with the Pompino and Pearson with the Touche and later with the Cartouche (carbon frame) and Hanzo, not to mention Charge bikes who have really brought new steel frames back into fashion. This of course in addition to some lovely offerings from Condor Cycles, Planet X with their Stealth Pro Carbon and Brick Lane Bikes who can build you a fixie from any of their gorgeous old frames sourced from Italy or go to Freshtripe for madcap customisation built especially for you. The choice is overwhelming and has quadrupled in just a year – that’s how popular riding fixed has become, overnight! So choosing can be hard, try to go and try one before you buy, figure out if you want steel, aluminium or carbon.. do you want something bombproof or a little special? The world is your oyster!

Road or MTB?

This is your choice really – a few people are fixing their MTBs and some shops are even selling fixed MTBs, but personally – for the speed and nippy nature of fixie riding, I prefer a road frame.

I want to build my own!

So you’ve had enough of ploughing through endless shopfloors filled with the manufacturers’ ideas about what a fixie should look like and you decide to build your very own – where do you start?

You have a choice of buying frames already made for fixed-gear riding and some of the manufacturers above not only sell the complete bike, they can sell the frame too. Other sources of frames include Surly, Euro Asia Imports’ Bareknuckle, FBM Sword and Ebay for both track frames and old road bikes that can be converted for the purpose. Hub Jub also stock Gorilla and Burls to name but a few..

If you want to do a conversion, you need a road frame with old-school diagonal or horisontal rear-drop outs and no more than max 130mm spacing for the rear drop out. Modern road frames are wider in the back to accomodate all the gears and have dropouts designed for derailleurs that make them hard to fix. You could still make them into single-speeds by using spacers that mount onto the free-wheel hub, but you’ll need a rear brake as you won’t be able to brake by using your legs like on a fixie.

Basic or pimped?

Up to you – how fancy do you want to go? Some buy a basic set-up and tweak bits like handlebars, tape and tyres. Others go the full monty and have their frames refurbed from the ground up and here the sky’s the limit. Argos cycles, Atlantic Boulevard, Vaz finishes, Mercian and Bob Jackson to name a few can help you out – Mercian, Bob Jackson and Atlantic Boulevard can even pick your frame up and deliver it to your door.

Frame painting

Not for the faint hearted – simply because it is a lot of work if you want it looking nice and especially if you want powdercoating, chroming or anything special doing you are better off leaving it to the professionals. However, if you got the space, the patience and an itchy finger on a spray can this article will explain how to do it yourself.

More on buying frames on Ebay

Brakes for vintage frames and forks

More on finding good wheels for fixies

Great sources of fixie bits