Originally posted by jimmymac4
Thanks for the input guys.
I certainly don't claim to be an expert mechanic, but I thought (as one of the repliers indicated) that the wheels would track the same way they are now; the cassette would just be gone. If that's incorrect, can you tell me why?
I don't think I can do it competently :-(
Thanks a lot...
If you really have an old steel 10-speed then you probably don't have a cassette, you probably have a freewheel. Freewheel hubs have threads and freewheels have the ratcheting mechanism in the gear cluster - cassette hubs have splines with ratcheting mechanism on the hub and the cassette slides on to the hub.
If you have a freewheel hub (with threads) you can screw on a track cog and a lock ring to make a fixed gear, and then you need to adjust the chain line and then re-dish. If you have a cassette hub you have to do a serious modification (~90USD) to the hub to make it suitable for a fixed gear - you can't lock out the ratchet but you can make a one-speed quite easily as shown above.
Also you probably won't be able to use track nuts with your existing axle since it doesn't stick out past the drop outs - you'll be stuck with your quick release. I suggest going all the way and getting a real track hub and have somebody build a new wheel for you - on the existing rim if you're cheap... cost me about 120USD to do my complete conversion: hub, spokes, cog and lockring, tracknuts, and single-ring stack bolts.