What do you need to know?

The frame is the heart of a fixed gear bike, its fundamental element, determining the bike's handling and capabilities. Therefore, it's worth preparing thoroughly before purchasing and considering your needs. Many people are put off by a poorly chosen first frame, so we decided to create a guide that we hope will prevent such situations. Due to its similar construction, it partially applies to single speed bikes as well. You just need to consider the brakes :) Fixed-gear bikes are the simplest type of bike, but that doesn't mean choosing parts for them is trivial. The market is vast, and of course, there are different schools of thought, so this article is largely subjective. However, I'll try to focus on the most important issues and present various approaches and possibilities. I'll focus on fixed-gear frames used in urban environments, as choosing a frame for the track is a completely different matter.

Fixed Gear Frame - Basics

The frame must have horizontal dropouts. Without them, you can't move. These dropouts allow you to slide the hub to tension the chain , which is crucial for fixed-gear bikes. Track-style dropouts that open backwards are ideal, but slightly angled, forward-opening ones (found, for example, on older road bikes) will also work. Proper spacing is also important. The standard hub width for fixed-gear bikes is 120mm, while most road frames have a 130mm fork spacing. Although it's commonly believed that steel frames can be easily "squeezed," I don't recommend this solution. Older frames, in particular, tend to have uneven fork bends, resulting in a double-track appearance. This is also inconvenient for basic maintenance. Fortunately, you can find hubs with wider spacing, such as those from Sturmey-Archer.

Build an Agile Bike

Secondly, the frame must be compact and lightweight. A fixed gear bike is a bike for dynamic riding, whose strength also lies in its low weight. On OLX, search for "fixed gear frame" and you'll find plenty of old touring bikes, Dutch bikes, or city bikes with horizontal dropouts. Resting a fixed gear bike on such a frame makes no sense at all. You'll create an uncomfortable, slow bike, and surely that's not what we want? The ideal frame would be a track frame, a good quality frame designed for city singletrack, or perhaps an old road bike with horizontal dropouts. Pay attention to the wheelbase and clearance. Aside from extreme track bikes, the shorter the frame, the better.

Fixed gear frame new or used?

It's obvious that a new frame is nicer, but it's obviously a more expensive option. Relatively few manufacturers produce frames designed specifically for urban riding (we're one of them). A track frame (a real one, not the 300 PLN kind from Aliexpress) is a great choice, as virtually no one makes them below a certain level of quality. However, you should be aware that it won't accommodate wider tires, and the bike will be very jerky to handle. Besides, even if you have an unlimited budget, buying a top-of-the-line carbon track bike for city riding is a gross overstatement. Beware of extremely cheap new frames—they usually weigh a ton, and their build quality leaves much to be desired. As for used frames, forget about products from the People's Democratic Republics. Romets, Favorits, and Soviet-made bikes are made of clunky tubing, and their approach to dimensions and standards is, to put it mildly, lax. Focus on frames from manufacturers you can easily find online and avoid "inventions." And, of course, only consider frames in your size . Generally speaking, you can assume that for used frames, the absolute minimum budget is 400 PLN, and for new frames, 600 PLN . The selection is truly vast, but you'll have to sift through tons of junk and junk. However, if you're patient, you'll easily find something you like, and we're happy to help if you need anything :)