Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - need new entry level free wheel

hey i brought my old 80's kabuki into a bunch of bike shops in my neighborhood and got the about the same quote 175-200@ to convert it from a 10speed to a freewheel/fixed gear bike. with that said i figure it's probably just better to drop an extra 200 or 300$ and get a bike thats infinetly lighter and was designed to be single gear bike. any sugguestions?

one of the stores was willing to sell me a SE LAGER for 470$ which seems pretty cheap to me.

i appreciate the help

the SE bikes aren't very good, from what i've heard. the lager is better than the draft for sure, but $470 is WAY too much for it. a shop down the road from me has em for $299. if you'd prefer to buy instead of build, look at what bikes direct has, or go check out the KHS flite for $500.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/images/win_hour_silver600.jpg

Buy this at bikesdirect.com for $299

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/250/NS-RBCL-NCL-FRONT.jpg
This as a pair for $29.99 at nashbar.com

http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/250/50-2083-NCL-TOP.jpg
Freewheel at performancebike.com for $17.99

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/250/NS-ABL-NCL-FRONT.jpg
These at nashbar.com for $19.99

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/250/NA-CHS-NCL-TOP.jpg
2 of these for $3.99 each at nashbar.com

Thats $374 before shipping and any tax. The bike is new too.
This is the best value in you getting a singlespeed bike.

thanks alot guys. that was great help

Thats your one freebie. After this, everyone will demand that you use 'search' on the forum.

Thats your one freebie. After this, everyone will demand that you use 'search' on the forum.

and challenge you to katana duels. get ready.

I had an 80's Schwinn Sprint that I "converted" by simply hacksawing off the small chainring, ditching the rear derailleur, finding the rear cog that gave the straightest chainline, and shortening the chain. That gave me a taste of singlespeed (though not fixed). You can do that in like a half hour and it's not pretty, but it's basically free, so I recommend it. I had planned to follow through with a real conversion, but looking at how the money I was planning on dropping on tools and parts was adding up, I just saved up and bought a new bike.

and challenge you to katana duels. get ready.

mortal kombat status

I had an 80's Schwinn Sprint that I "converted" by simply hacksawing off the small chainring, ditching the rear derailleur, finding the rear cog that gave the straightest chainline, and shortening the chain. That gave me a taste of singlespeed (though not fixed). You can do that in like a half hour and it's not pretty, but it's basically free, so I recommend it. I had planned to follow through with a real conversion, but looking at how the money I was planning on dropping on tools and parts was adding up, I just saved up and bought a new bike.

Or you can just ride your regular road bike all the time in one gear. Which = the exact same as a singlespeed.

an old 80's bike will have a freewheel cassette, if you just want a SS (not fixed) then just chainwhip that guy off, throw on a $15 freewheel, ditch the deraillers, shifters, and cables... you might have to redish the wheel.

point is with about $15, a couple bike tools and some screwdrivers you got yourself a single speed conversion.

the above also has the benefit of not looking super janky like looping a shortened shifter chain around one cog of a cassette and one ring of a triple crank.

just take apart a cassette, it wont cost you anything, it's easy, and it will work just as good as any $20 freewheel that you can find

an old 80's bike will have a freewheel cassette, if you just want a SS (not fixed) then just chainwhip that guy off, throw on a $15 freewheel, ditch the deraillers, shifters, and cables... you might have to redish the wheel.

point is with about $15, a couple bike tools and some screwdrivers you got yourself a single speed conversion.

You can't chainwhip a cassette off- it will just coast. You need a cassette removal tool or a pin spanner.

You can't chainwhip a cassette off- it will just coast. You need a cassette removal tool or a pin spanner.

AKA Hammer and Screwdriver- this is how i've removed a couple of (atom) freewheels before that I didn't have the right tool for

Hammer and screwdriver? That's a good way to permanently break the freewheel. Just go to a bike shop and politely ask the mechanics, especially if you know them, if they would kindly remove the freewheel from the wheel for you. It helps if you buy your freewheel from the same shop. Then, using simple hand tools, you can respace and redish the rear wheel. For this recipe, you will need patience and a spoke wrench.

Motobecane Messenger $349 at bikesdirect.. Has brakeset and freewheel included.

Going on the title alone, I recommend a dicta freewheel.

seriously guys, you're telling this guy to spend $300 on a ****ty bike when he could have a perfectly functional ss wheel for $0

we would all like a free wheel buddy

but in america you gotta work for your wheel

You can't chainwhip a cassette off- it will just coast. You need a cassette removal tool or a pin spanner.

you're right, my bad... but it still takes minimal work and tools, so i stand by my overall statement.

dont even do that much work, chainwhip all the cogs off the cassette and then screw the 16 tooth one back on, and viola! you have a single speed

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/images/win_hour_silver600.jpg

Buy this at bikesdirect.com for $299

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/250/NS-RBCL-NCL-FRONT.jpg
This as a pair for $29.99 at nashbar.com

http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/250/50-2083-NCL-TOP.jpg
Freewheel at performancebike.com for $17.99

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/250/NS-ABL-NCL-FRONT.jpg
These at nashbar.com for $19.99

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/250/NA-CHS-NCL-TOP.jpg
2 of these for $3.99 each at nashbar.com

Thats $374 before shipping and any tax. The bike is new too.
This is the best value in you getting a singlespeed bike.

or get the motobecane messenger. it's the same bike, and has all of those things.

or get the motobecane messenger. it's the same bike, and has all of those things.

I totally missed seeing that on bikesdirect.com. I wasted a lot of time finding those pics :(

not to worry i partially took your advise. am buying the mercier kilo tt and all those parts you recommended.

thanks

This is my first ss/fix I love It.
349.95 Complete with fixed gear and freewheel
and Dual brakes.

Same Geo as Windsor.
You might have to wait limited sizes in stock now.
I am 5'8" 30 inseam and the 52 cm is a great fit.

No tax no shipping charges. Came in 4 days.
I have had it about 3 weeks.
Good Luck.
Danolink
PS I added Brooks pro team saddle and spd's
I also changed stem. Oh I forgot Bikesdirect.com

dont even do that much work, chainwhip all the cogs off the cassette and then screw the 16 tooth one back on, and viola! you have a single speed

It's fine if you don't know something, but WTF?

there is a whole ot of confusion about the difference between freewheels and cassettes in this thread. some of you need to read this article Freewheel or Cassette? (http://sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html)

Whichever it is, converting a working geared bike to a singlespeed should NOT cost $200. If it's a freewheel, remove it and replace with a singlespeed freewheel, re-space the axel, and redish the wheel to get decent chainline. We're talking $25 in parts, and an hour labor.

If it's a cassette it's even easier. remove the cassette, and replace all but one of the cogs with spacers. 6-7 spacers should cost somewhere between $0-10 depending upon wether you pull them from an old cassette you've got in the scrap bin, or buy them from the LBS parts bin. It should be a 20 minute job.

dont even do that much work, chainwhip all the cogs off the cassette and then screw the 16 tooth one back on, and viola! you have a single speed
did this
worked for me :]
...for 3 weeks until that cog broke :|
saving up to get a kilo tt~