u/Organic_Exchange

Hey everyone,

I currently ride a fixie with horizontal track dropouts, but I’ve been wanting to build something around a Cannondale CAAD4 Saeco USA Team for a while. The CAAD4 Saeco has honestly been one of my dream frames, and I’ve found one that I’m seriously considering buying.

I know it has road-bike style rear dropouts rather than traditional horizontal track dropouts, so I’m wondering how realistic it would be to turn it into a true fixed gear.

A few questions:

• Is it possible to run a true fixed cog safely on this frame?
• What would be the best way to deal with chain tension?
• Would a chain tensioner be suitable for a fixed gear, or should I look at something like a magic gear / eccentric hub?
• Is there anything specific about the CAAD4 dropout that would make this a bad idea?
• Has anyone here actually built a CAAD4 or similar Cannondale as a fixed gear?

I already have a horizontal-dropout fixie, so I know what the usual setup is. I’d just really love to have the CAAD4 Saeco as a fixed gear if there’s a good way to do it without compromising the frame.

Thank you all for the help