To Fix or not to Fix?

[runnernotabiker]

I, unfortunately, demolished the rear derailleur on my 89' Trek 1500 after spending quite a bit of time overhauling/cleaning much of the bike. I have no idea what happened, but found myself attempting a L turn when my chain seized, forcing me to still pedal (clip shoes) since a semi truck was headed my way. Next thing I know my bike is mangled- including the frame where the rear derailleur attaches. So, the question is- do I fixie it or part it out or try to reshape the hanger area on the frame? Is an aluminum bike like the Trek 1500 a good fixie converter? Would I have to remove my crank (Dura ace compact)? any suggestions?

[DaveM]

Doing a fixed conversion is a little tricky on a bike with a vertical dropout, but it can be done. Single speed is straight forward however.
If you have a replaceable derailleur hanger, then fixing that may be simple and you're up and running. But if it not a replaceable hanger and it's badly bent, it's going to be hard to get a derailleur back on there.

[GeorgeET]

A photo would greatly help.

Check video on this site for straighting derailer hangers.

IMO my experience with steel vs aluminum frames leads me to think that a springy steel frame is more responsive for a bare bone fixie. After all the idea is to get good road feel. I prefer a spinning rear wheel for safety, as in single speed.

[trevgbb]

is it the replaceable drop out that is broken, or the frame itself?
the drop out can be replaced but the alloy frame cannot usually be repaired.
Depending on how bad the damage is, you may be able to mount a wheel without gears,but to use as a fixie, you will need to look into things like OLD of the wheel and the chainline for a single speed.
As a beginner on a fixie I would advise using a freewheel to start with, this will mean using a flip flop wheel, you will also need to decide whether to use 3/32" or 1/8" chain and teeth, a 1/8" will run on 3/32" but 3/32" won't run on 1/8".
Note if it is the drop out, there are many, many variations of this.
a sample is shown.