Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - If this was your new frame...

...you'd be 5'5" with a pitiful 28" inseam and lucky to have found an older lugged frame with these dimensions (48x52). But that's not important right now. My question to all is, what would you slap on this sucker if it were yours? I'm starting from scratch and plan on building it up into a FG over the next few months. I'll be moving to portland soon so this will become my daily rider (read: it will get rained on). It's a 1985 Viner, italian BB, Columbus SL tubing, that was hung in a shop forever and never actually ridden, so i want to protect it as best I can. Let's say for the sake of argument that i don't want to spend much more than another $400-$500 on parts and will be scouring bike swaps, ebay, and craigslist to find used stuff... what would you look for? Any and all info is appreciated :)

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/2913/vinerframe6jr.jpg

campy record pista, haha, italian with italian.

i'd put a D/A 9-speed group on it. but that's just me. btw, we're about the same height, so don't feel too bad...

first off i'd hitnit with a couple of applications of framesaver, then i'd use mid-range stuff with sealed/cartridge bearings in every moving part that i could (formula hubs, shimano bb/hs, spd's) and then i'd ride the hell out of it.

i would NOT grind off any of the braze-ons.

i'd put a period correct record gruppo on it. converting's for beaters, imo

" Let's say for the sake of argument that i don't want to spend much more than another $400-$500 on parts and will be scouring bike swaps, ebay, and craigslist to find used stuff... what would you look for?"

Sounds like your gonna be using a mixed parts group no matter what so just get what you can.

first off i'd hitnit with a couple of applications of framesaver, then i'd use mid-range stuff with sealed/cartridge bearings in every moving part that i could (formula hubs, shimano bb/hs, spd's) and then i'd ride the hell out of it.

i would NOT grind off any of the braze-ons.

Framesaver is defintely task #1, i have to do my lemond soon anyway. No intention of grinding off the braze-ons, might feel like putting a full group on it someday.

A friend of mine mentioned a clear tape that you can put on parts of your frame to keep it from getting too scuffed up... anyone have an opinion on that? Is it hard to remove? Easy to see?

converting's for beaters

here here!

be pretty damn stoked. gah. it's so hard to find nice frames for us smaller in stature. i'm jealous.

my first step would be to get a top tube protector - but that's just me.

more importantly what shop in sac had that sitting in a window unused for so long?

I'd probably just slap a miche gruppo on that thing. You can get the whole thing for 300 from chucksbikes.com

more importantly what shop in sac had that sitting in a window unused for so long?

Got it off ebay from Minnesota :D

Actually i'm probably jumong the gun, it's still in Minnesota, i just won the auction this morning but i'm not getting any work done anyway so i figured i'd post it on here.


converting's for beaters

How come? Just curious why it would be a problem. Is it a mechanical issue or simply personal taste?

How come? Just curious why it would be a problem. Is it a mechanical issue or simply personal taste?

I just realized that "beaters" was refering to the bike and not to the rider. i'm dumb.

I already have a bike that i take on distance rides, what i needed was a good city bike. Part of the problem for me is finding anything that fits right. Even most beaters are too big. Plus i guess i just like the way this one looks.

I'd say some suzue promax sb hubs, some 40 buck campy sealed bb if there exists one in the right size, some open pro's, some random crankset found in a shop, cheap sealed headset, hmm... I'd also if you're gonna put a brake on the front see about drilling out the fork for recessed brakes (if it needs it), cause modern dual pivots for the win.

Nice. If you are planning to commute/live on this frame I would follow Dolface's comments. Sealed parts are your friends! Bike Biz has sealed Italian BB's and other track stuff in town but they are spendy. Also look at Bike Chef on Jst, they have surley hubs and some track parts and a great staff. If you need a hand PM me. I'll be happy to help.

Chucks bikes still has the track groupo deal. Go with that. People will always advocate Campy cause it's.... campy, but if you want to stay within your budget and want to keep it italian (which is an excellent idea), go with the miche. Buy yourself some nice italian rims, a selle italia, track down a cinelli stem/ bars and you're golden. Eventually you'll want a track frame and all of these components will swap over to that frame, when your budget permits.

umm.. couple of things. Is there a bb cup on there?

Ask chuck if his bb is english or italian. miche makes both.

You'll want a headset that's threaded. I beleive miche makes one, but you might have a little trouble finding it. I think ribblecycles has them for cheap.

umm.. couple of things. Is there a bb cup on there?

Ask chuck if his bb is english or italian. miche makes both.

You'll want a headset that's threaded. I beleive miche makes one, but you might have a little trouble finding it. I think ribblecycles has them for cheap.

There is a bb cup in there but the seller noted that he would remove it before shipping. Friend i talked to said i would need a "short" bb, given the size of the frame. Do you get to specify that with the order?

Thanks for the info.

you have to work that out as a matter of chainline. i'd say see what bb you can get, shimanos are decent and not expensive...whatever crankset works, some tough wheels (i will be maybe the one person to advocate deep v's here), and sealed hubs...you could get deep v rims, miche sealed bearing track hubs, a shimano bb, a somewhat more random chainring/cog/crank assortment...not real sure on the headset, don't have a lot of expertise on that end of things.

but you can keep it in that price range and have a bike that will be a quality ride, but not one you have to baby. you said you want a beater for rainy portland, so build accordingly...get parts that work, bling can wait for another bike, so can other style points like a full campy gruppo or somesuch. for a rain bike, just go for parts that will work. sealed bearing and frame saver, too.

so when you coming up? this is a great town, in my opinion.

for a rain bike, just go for parts that will work. sealed bearing and frame saver, too.

so when you coming up? this is a great town, in my opinion.

Based on budget and portland conditions i will likely have to go with whatever i can find at first that works. This will be my first fixed gear and although i've ridden other people's, i'm sure to screw it up a few times and eat concrete.

I'll be heading up there in mid may without my stuff to look for work and a place to live, then taking the uhaul up the first weekend in june. I was actually just there last weekend and had a blast. So much beer, so little time. I saw a ton of fixed gears and drooled over quite a few of them, can't wait to add mine to the mix and meet some new people. It seems portland gets rated the number one bike city for a reason and since i won't own a car, i'm excited to be part of it.

Can anyone suggest a good white/blue/yellow saddle? I don't want black anything on this bike.

If it was me....
and I was not going to build the wheels....

I would spend $200.00 on a good Formula/Iro/Velocity/Mavic wheelset.
Dura Ace cog and lockring ~$28.50
Sugino XD cranks ~$75.00
Shimano UN53/73 BB ~$20.00
Shimano sealed headset $16.00 - $33.00
Nitto technomic/Dynamic stem ~$32.00
Syntace bars from Chucks $12.50
Kalloy seatpost ~$ 12.00
Tektro 521AG brakes $39.00
Profile Design QS2 brake levers $45.00 (there is a pair on ebay now for 35.00, BIN)
Brooks B17 $52.00

That comes to $549.00..... a bit over your budget but that's gonna happen any way you do it.

These prices (except the wheelset) are mostly from AE Bike and should be about what you can expect to pay for new gear. You can save some by trawling ebay, CL and used bins at bike shops.

Dogbait

I forgot the most important:

SKS Chromo plastic fenders (in silver) $35

already been said, but yeah...
i'd put a a proper road group on it.
that's a nice frame made for a geared
gruppo. you want a conversion, go find a
$50 fuji or schwinn that doesn't have a hanger
on it.

I forgot the most important:

SKS Chromo plastic fenders (in silver) $35

Yep, I've been told it's wet up yonder

Although last fri/sat was totally dry during the day. It was even warm. For a while i forgot that I wasn't still in Sacramento until i walked into a bar and got lost in the smoke. :D


already been said, but yeah...
i'd put a a proper road group on it.
that's a nice frame made for a geared
gruppo. you want a conversion, go find a
$50 fuji or schwinn that doesn't have a hanger
on it.

I understand the point that you're making, but putting aside the condition of the frame, i have been searching for months for something that fits properly and isn't totally wrecked. Older 48/49cm frames with horizontal drops and 700c wheels are harder to find than you might think. Does the hanger actually cause any mechanical problems?

i'd put a D/A 9-speed group on it. but that's just me. btw, we're about the same height, so don't feel too bad...
here here!! downtube shifters would also be a must. don't convert this thing please! for the love of bikes and all things evil!!

No...it won't cause any problems. I'm also usually one for using a bike for what its designed to do...that said I can also see how it would suck trying to find a decent frame in an odd size.

yeah the hanger won't pose any problems,
i'm just being a sourpuss about converting
frames that would make great geared bikes.
do what you want, a proper fitting frame is a
nice thing to find, but i honestly don't think it should be
that hard to find a proper track frame or even something with
horizontal drops in that size.
either way, beautiful frame. have fun.

yeah the hanger won't pose any problems,
i'm just being a sourpuss about converting
frames that would make great geared bikes.
do what you want, a proper fitting frame is a
nice thing to find, but i honestly don't think it should be
that hard to find a proper track frame or even something with
horizontal drops in that size.
either way, beautiful frame. have fun.

Totally understand. And thanks for the compliment on the frame; when i saw it on ebay i knew i'd end up spending money i was supposed to be saving for my move. What can you do?

Maybe i should convert my '03 zurich instead ;)

I suppose i might gear this thing up at some point and use it as my winter bike. But for now, i think i'll probably go the FG route.

hint: many of the people on this forum would rather have you driving an suv, running over multiple litter of kittens, than riding a nice conversion. it's because they're pompous. don't try to figure it out beyond that. we still love them and passively accept their discrimination. i would suggest either buying a build kit or a complete bike, stripping it, and reselling the frameset. you'll save money and head/heartache.

The "proper tool for the job" or "what it's designed to do" thing is meaningless. Track bikes are meant to be ridden on the track, road bikes are meant to have gears. Either way you're using it in an unintended way, which is just fine. Set it up and have fun with it, fixed or geared. Nice looking frame.

IRO has a build kit for $189 and a $200 set of wheels. You might want to call Tony to see if he can get italian threaded BB's.

I get cynical when people get conversion fever(not refering to OP). When they are so narrowly focussed on FG's that whatever bike they see is candidate for conversion no matter what its background or history or anything. I'm sure most people would cringe to see a 3rensho track frame drilled for a rear brake and someone running a SS freewheel with two brakes and fenders etc. Same thing.

hint: many of the people on this forum would rather have you driving an suv, running over multiple litter of kittens, than riding a nice conversion. it's because they're pompous. don't try to figure it out beyond that. we still love them and passively accept their discrimination. i would suggest either buying a build kit or a complete bike, stripping it, and reselling the frameset. you'll save money and head/heartache.

In my view of things, converting a bike with period correct, good working parts is a shiesty thing to do, and typically lame. But converting a bare frame is fair game, it's not like we're losing some part of bicycle history, it'll be used and hopefully used well. I've got an old 72-3 Italvega Super Speciale conversion that I bought as a bare frame and have never once been called out for "destroying history." Although if I had bought it with all the drilled out campy record stuff on it and then converted it, yes I'd be a dipsht.

I get cynical when people get conversion fever(not refering to OP). When they are so narrowly focussed on FG's that whatever bike they see is candidate for conversion no matter what its background or history or anything. I'm sure most people would cringe to see a 3rensho track frame drilled for a rear brake and someone running a SS freewheel with two brakes and fenders etc. Same thing.

...and yet most seem to adore strange colored deep v clinchers on classic lugged track frames...makes you wonder if it's not just fashion rather than histor(icit)y/authenticity/(taking the broad view)

Based on budget and portland conditions i will likely have to go with whatever i can find at first that works. This will be my first fixed gear and although i've ridden other people's, i'm sure to screw it up a few times and eat concrete.

I'll be heading up there in mid may without my stuff to look for work and a place to live, then taking the uhaul up the first weekend in june. I was actually just there last weekend and had a blast. So much beer, so little time. I saw a ton of fixed gears and drooled over quite a few of them, can't wait to add mine to the mix and meet some new people. It seems portland gets rated the number one bike city for a reason and since i won't own a car, i'm excited to be part of it.

Can anyone suggest a good white/blue/yellow saddle? I don't want black anything on this bike.

you know, after reading some other posts that suggest keeping this frame geared, i'm slightly more inclined to agree, even if you have to set it aside till you can afford that. for a rain bike, use a thrift store frame and parts like i described--functional, but not priceless. you want to have something that rolls but you don't feel bad for taking out in inclement weather. that's my next project, a rain bike.

but yeah, portland's got a lot of fixed riders here. go to stumptown somtimes, i always see nice fixed gears locked up in front of that coffee shop. man, don't get me started on the fun things to do in portland. and not only is it a good city to commute in--you have problems, but compared to my old home in idaho, it's not bad--but in addition to good commuting conditions (aside from weather), there's a bike scene, so there are bike parties, etc...in june or so, there's pedalpalooza, a week (or is it two?) of bike-related stuff--rides, parties, shows, dance parties, obstacle courses, races, bike rodeos, all sorts of ****. i love it here, i think you will, too.

i'd probably get the miche primato pista grupo for it from chucksbikes.

if you're patient, you can get a lot of really nice new/like new parts off of ebay for a steal. for example, i scored a thomson elite stem and a campy record headset for about $30 each.

i'd put a D/A 9-speed group on it. but that's just me. btw, we're about the same height, so don't feel too bad...

D/A 9 is 130mms that frame is 127mm i know, 3mms r nothing... but well :)

Convert it and have fun. Screw what anyone says.

Jesus it's just a frame. If you want a fixed gear, make a fixed gear. For a group of people who tend to be iconoclastic about most things, people sure are conservative when it comes to bike frames.

Sacred cows make the best hamburger.

Grind off the extra stuff if you want and ride the hell out of it.

jesus, i keep going back and forth, but looking at rvabiker's thing, now i'm saying convert it. i mean, i think you should use a much cheaper frame as a beater, you know? but since you're looking for a rather small size, maybe this is a good idea. still, i'd say that for a beater, a cheaper frame, if found in your size, is a better bet.

blow it up with a big brick of c4. that way you can piss everyone in here off instead of just pissing some of them off.

or you can just do whatever you want with it and not really care what some people who live thousands of miles away think.

buy a waterbed instead. theyre awesome!!

jesus, i keep going back and forth, but looking at rvabiker's thing, now i'm saying convert it. i mean, i think you should use a much cheaper frame as a beater, you know? but since you're looking for a rather small size, maybe this is a good idea. still, i'd say that for a beater, a cheaper frame, if found in your size, is a better bet.

Although it will be my main city bike, i wouldn't say it's going to be a beater. Like most bikes, if it's nice to look at, you'll want to ride it more and i plan on taking care of it as best i can. Plus, i have to get a crappy bike by the end of the summer anyway, as last years burningman bike is now totally out of commission. So by then, if i decide that the Viner is too nice to keep taking out I'll have another option.

It comes down to what i need right now too. I have a road bike with gears, i don't have a fixed gear. For better or worse I own this frame now and it's getting converted for at least the first part of it's life with me. I'm not going to file anything off so who knows down the line. Truly though, if you look on ebay at any given time for a 48/49cm (and that would have to be 49cm c-t) frame the selection is paltry at best. Especially when it comes to older, lugged, steel frames with horizontal drops. Track frames are probably slightly easier to come by but (and not that it matters much at this point) isn't the geometry a lot tighter and therefor not quite as comfortable a ride for the city? I could be way off but that was my impression.


blow it up with a big brick of c4. that way you can piss everyone in here off instead of just pissing some of them off.

or you can just do whatever you want with it and not really care what some people who live thousands of miles away think.

c4 is SO 1990's, die hard style. And i don't necessarily care who thinks i should convert it and who doesn't, i posed the question because i'm new at the fixed gear game and not sure what kind of stuff i should be searching for. I have a friend here that could help but since i won't be living round these parts much longer i figured i'd consult the BF experts. Consider yourself consulted.


D/A 9 is 130mms that frame is 127mm

According to the auction info, it's actually 126mm. I assume you're talking about the dropout spacing. I was told i could fit an 8 speed were i to be gearing it up.

isn't wangster selling a weeny track bike?

According to the auction info, it's actually 126mm. I assume you're talking about the dropout spacing. I was told i could fit an 8 speed were i to be gearing it up.

8 thru 10 speed is all the same spacing: 130. but i think the eariler 7/8 cassette spacing is 126. either way, my guerciotti is spaced at 126mm, but i easliy run d-a 10. you have to spread the dropout barely, but it works fine and i have NO shifting issues.

but i think moz138 is on to it: buy a waterbed get a fat girlfriend... holla!!

I say convert it; I have a converted Masi. This way you can figure out if you like riding fixed. do not grind anything off though, you may want to put gears on later. If like riding fixed then either buy a track specific frame or fixedgear trainer.

Conversions are practical, it looks like it has good drop outs so it won't be slipping all over the place and with some high quality track nuts you should be gravy. It's absolutely ridiculous for all these people to say that somehow a track frame is such a magically better choice for runnning a fixed gear. Yes, chain tensioners are sweet, but it only takes a little more vigilance to keep your chain tight.

Here's what this frame has going for it:


easy to mount full fenders on
it fits him
he already owns it
and it's just cool
also if you're into this sort of thing, two brakes if you're running a freewheel


Conversions with nice frames can be quite a nice bike, I adore my single speed conversion.

Here are a few of the other pictures from the auction, sorry if you have a slow connection and this takes a bit... baby blue is so f'in HARD! ;)

http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/2149/vinerfork1mo.jpg

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9920/vinerbbtop4ml.jpg

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/4472/vinerbb5bo.jpg

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/2696/vinerdrops7oj.jpg

I'll probably put a flip flop hub on it so that if the FG thing doesn't work for me i'll have the option to switch it over to SS mode. My knees aren't the best in the world so I'm a tiny bit worried about backpeddling.

I've been searching around online and haven't founbd a single other picture of this bike or any Viner from that era.

Sick cutouts.