Fixed Gear Bike Thoughts

Fixed gear dreaming

Back in March I spiffed up my old Raleigh Super Sport 'rat rod' fixed gear bike. I hadn't been using it much at all for a while but since then I've spent a fair amount of time on it. 

This has gotten me to thinking about a purpose-built, gravel road going fixed gear bike. Like I need another single speed bike! But I have a certain affinity for riding fixed gear at times and I would do a gravel ride or two fixed if I had the right bike. That Raleigh is okay, but it is kind of sketchy. The frame is pretty flexy. Those brakes are limiting, and the drop outs are not the greatest, and well, it just doesn't feel very good as it sits. I'd need to do a lot of modifications if I were to use that bike. 

I've had other fixed gear experiences that were better though. I spent a lot of time commuting on the old Surly 1X1 when I had that bike as a fixie commuter bike, but that wasn't an ideal fit for me and I did not think it would make for a good gravel set up. I used to use my old Surly Karate Monkey fixed gear at times, but I don't want to mess with that bike as it is pretty close to what I want it to stay as right now. 

So, thoughts have strayed to doing a fixed gear gravel frame, or getting something that would work as a fixed gear bike, and have clearance for gravel tires, that would be a drop bar bike as well. 

Maybe I already have the perfect bike for this? Maybe. The Twin Six Standard Rando v2 would make for a good fixed gear bike, but the one I have is pretty on point as a free wheeling single speed and again- I don't want to mess with that. And buying another Twin Six Standard Rando? Uh......I could, but this isn't that big of a need. 

I know that cheaper options exist, and are fixed specific, (State Bicycle company comes to mind here), and anyway, the geometry for most fixed specific designs have bottom bracket drops which are not deep enough for my tastes. I'm not going to be whirly-gigging through corners at all, so that is not a concern I have. 

Anyway, just a random thought that has sort of become a theme in my mind of late.