Fixed Gear Conversion Done Right






Motobecane Mirage
Bontrager Crowbar chromoly racing stem
Oh, the latest and most fashionable headset
27"
27"
Motobecane with Shimano UN-71
Bianchi saddle, Drive alloy post
Specialized sealed pedals, wide chain
46 16
Here is a vintage Motobecane Mirage fixed gear conversion. This has proper sized 27” semi aero rims with a fixed hub. These have even less rolling resistance than the smaller 700c wheels.
How many times have we seen dangerous “fixie” conversions with all kinds of corners cut? One of the most common fatal errors that the inexperienced make is to put 700c wheels on an old 27” frame, dropping the bottom bracket half an inch. These damned fixed gears are hard enough to force through a sharp corner. Dropping the ever-moving pedals even lower is a big sacrifice to make for style.
This old French frame has a new sealed cartridge bottom bracket and new aluminum BMX racer seat post. Those Specialized sealed ATB pedals are remarkably smooth strong and light.
Crank story: I put a new cartridge BB of the correct length, not realizing the new FSA crankset I have would be pushed out too far. Whoop. So I had to reuse the stock crank, which is quite light and good. I put the FSA chainring in the inside position. Actually, I think it turned out well.
Solid
brianmillerhotrodding.com