Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Building a fixed..

New to this forum, looking to build my first fixed gear. Ever since I moved into the city and since my car has broke down :rolleyes:, I found it fun as hell to ride around town. I recently just bought two bikes from CL: a World Schwinn and a Univega Maxima Sport. I am looking to make the Schwinn a fixed since a) the back rim is bent :notamused:, and b) the Univega rides so much smoother than the Schwinn so I am going to keep it geared.

Is the Schwinn World a good frame to use as a fixed? The frame says its made in Taiwan, not much more info other than that.

Been looking at some parts to get me started, please acknowledge me if the part is good or not. Looking to build a moderately cheap but indestructible bike pretty much. My budget is about $350.

Gold Weinmann set w/ Formula hubs from Bicyclewheels.com - $257
Cheapo 15t cog from where ever - +/-$15
Origin-8 46t 165mm Crankset - $65 (http://www.eighthinch.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=C&Product_Code=or8_withchainrings&Category_Code=cranksets_bbs)
Shimano Bottom Bracket JIS 107x58 (http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Shimano-Bottom-Bracket-UN-52-107-x-68_W0QQitemZ360128346741QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCycling_Parts_Accessories?hash=item360128346741&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318) - $20
Origin-8 Gold Pedals - $30 (http://cgi.ebay.com/Origin-8-Track-Pedals-ANODIZED-GOLD-Fixed-Track-NEW_W0QQitemZ280315124685QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCycling_Parts_Accessories?hash=item280315124685&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318)

And here's my inspiration..
http://www.darwin.colinhoernig.com/Pictures/Bikes/white_gold.jpg

you can save a lot of money if you skip the gold Weinmann's and just get a pair of Alex wheels from Ben's Cycle for $70.

keep in mind you will also need:
1/8" track chain (no you can't use the old one off the schwinn)
lockring for your cog
clips and straps to go with your pedals
tires & tubes for your wheels

a schwinn world frame is cheap, heavy junk, but fine for a beater fixed gear. no need to go all out on the gold parts though. keep it sensible and save $150. you'll need that money if you really get into fixed-gears and decide to get a real FG track frame down the road.

keep in mind you will also need:
1/8" track chain (no you can't use the old one off the schwinn)


Sure he can, unless he buys a 1/8" sprocket.

*edit: I take it back, assuming that Origin-8 chainring is 1/8", which seems likely considering the website. Apparently I gave up reading for lent.

What kind of dropouts are you working with? if they're vertical you might as well scrap the frame it's not worth the trouble,, if you really want to save money, focus it all on your drivetrain and get everything else used or free (bike co-ops, friends, craigslist etc),, get the best rear wheel you can $120 (instead of an overpriced set) and think about something better than origin8 (crap), like some used Campy, Dura Ace etc crankset $150, nice tires and KMC chain,, better to be safe, solid and silent than matching gold accesories on some crappy manufactured wheels...

It's a cheap frame, better to make it a cheap bike. Buy a decent, but not expensive rear wheel. One that will last long enough for you to reuse. If the frame has a one piece crank, keep it as is. If it's 3 piece, just ditch the outer chainring. Buy a 3/8th cog, and reuse the chain. You can do a cheap conversion for the cost of a wheel, plus some chainring bolts.

Then, start saving up for a really nice fixed gear

If the number of teeth on the crankset changes, is the size of anything else going to have to change?
I'm a beginner on how bikes work.

I just asked this question here a few days ago, so I will relay the forum's answers to you. This all depends on your bottom bracket. The more teeth that are on the crank, the larger the diameter of that crank is. If you're bottom bracket spindle isn't wide enough, your crank MIGHT hit your chain stays. I have a 107mm bottom bracket spindle length running it with a 40 tooth chainring, and it doesn't hit. So, yes, if you get a really big chainring, you might hit your chain stays. If your bottom bracket is of a decent width (roughly 110mm spindle width), you shouldn't have to worry to much about that happening, though. Good luck.

you can save a lot of money if you skip the gold Weinmann's and just get a pair of Alex wheels from Ben's Cycle for $70.


Question: I have been looking at wheelset for my frame as well, and was reluctant to spend the money on some Deep Vs. This Alex wheelset is $100 shipped, making it a good deal. Are they decent rims? It says that they are black AND machined, how is this possible? Why don't the geniuses over at Velocity or Weinmann figure out how to do this?

Should the Univega be a better choice for this conversion? Not really going to rush on this project so I will buy the more reliable parts I would need. Motto has been "buy nice or buy twice". I have decided to spend the extra $80 on some Deep V's instead. How are the Pake cranks compared to Origin-8? Seems both are the same price.

Edit: Both of my bikes have this kind of dropout

http://sheldonbrown.com/images/dropf-nohang.gif

No matter what the specified biike as madison, cutter, paramount, Schwinn World -- Schwinn is my ONLY inspiration! ;)

If the number of teeth on the crankset changes, is the size of anything else going to have to change?
I'm a beginner on how bikes work.
Chain length, if the tooth count puts the rear axle out of range of your dropouts.

Question: I have been looking at wheelset for my frame as well, and was reluctant to spend the money on some Deep Vs. This Alex wheelset is $100 shipped, making it a good deal. Are they decent rims? It says that they are black AND machined, how is this possible? Why don't the geniuses over at Velocity or Weinmann figure out how to do this?


the Alex's are a great deal for the money. black & machined means there's a machined strip and then the rest of the rim is black beyond it. same way Velocity and Weinmann do their wheels. i think you're confused on the terminology. It looks like this:

http://www.spinlitecycling.com/images/DURA-AC1.jpg

i want to get some wheels for the affinity but im so confused about what to get. i want to stay kinda classy so im thinking polished, black or maybe even white wheels. im not looking for anything higher than a 29 spoke count. my budget is around $450 are.

let the suggestions roll. (pics please)

can the alex stickers be taken off? or are they painted on?

can i paint my 32H DRX2000 Aero Track DoubleWall rim from motomess?

Ok, so this build is going along pretty good so far. Stripped the Univega frame and going to paint later today. I ordered some gold Deep V's laced to silver spokes and silver formulas from Bicyclewheels[.]com. Does anyone have experience with them? How fast do they ship?

I ordered from them very recently and I got the wheels in a week from ordering. My son is converting an old road bike to fix to ride while in college.

if you want your 1st. bike to be your last,spare no expense! njs everything to the max.