Sizing For First fixed Gear

Opeyquinn said:

I am looking at purchasing my first single speed / fixed gear bike in the next couple weeks. I am just starting at cycling but really like the simplicity of the SS/FG. I am around 5'9'' and around 185 pounds (Athletic build).

My question is what kind of set up should I be looking for?

I live in Portland Ore. So finding places to buy is not too hard.

Any help would be amazing

IMO, you want to size a SS the way you would a ROAD bike ...

In your case (based on also being 5'9"😉, I think you want the frame to have a top tube between 54.5cm & 56cm ... subsequently, you would probably want a stem that is between about 120mm to 100mm, respectively ...

The fore mentioned frame/stem sizes are ONLY a beginning point ...

I'm presuming that you will be using DROP bars. Different Drop bars have a different bend & a different reach -- adjust stem length according to the handlebars.

The gearing depends on how fit you are ... you may not have a choice if you are buying a ready-to-ride, off-the-peg bike.

2.5:1 is a good starting point -- a 42t chainring & a 16t Freewheel ... a 52 chainring & a 20t Freewheel is about the same AND could be better because you would have more chain to work with ...

It's probably easier to start with a 52t chainring & a 16t Freewheel than a 42t chainring & a 13t Freewheel ... and, it's easier to remove links in the chain if you go to a smaller Freewheel than to add links (which you won't have!) if you want to go from a 42t chainring to something larger.

FWIW. I geared ONE Single Speed to approximate the lowest gear I would use on a Road bike for a particular mountain roadway ... so, I opted for a 32t chainring and a 22t Freewheel! Of course, at one time I might have paired that 22t Freewheel with a 39t-or-larger chainring for the same roadway; and, some people would/could still do so ... ultimately, you need to gear your bike for YOU and where you will be riding it.

BTW. I had to use a 130mm stem with the particular frame (53cm top tube) because it's a smaller frame than my normal Road frames.