Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - should I or should I not????

Okay, My old school Bianchi Brava is just sitting in the room, collecting dust.
Should I convert it to a fixed gear? If so what all should I do, what do I need to do, what do I need to buy, change etc???
OR, should I just buy a Bianchi Pista???
Let me know guys, I am begining to itch here.

get a rear wheel with a track hub... and if needed hook up a track bb and have your dropouts respaced... dundadun... road bike convert. lot cheaper than a new ride.

Yea I already figured the rear wheel BB, and chainring.
I was looking at pics and saw LA bars or bullhorns.
Should I leave the 700x23 or go to 700x20?
what kind of pedals should I use, clipless or toe clips?
anything else please let me know...

Part of the fun in conversion is breathing life into old stuff. You can really use whatever tire size you want. Whatever pedals you want (not platforms, at least I wouldn't) and whatever bars you want.

Of course you could buy a pista and send me your old Brava. I wouldn't object.

Of course you could buy a pista and send me your old Brava. I wouldn't object.
LOL, this is a tuff call... I love my brava and it rides great, But I just dont seem to ride it anymore... I have been hanging on to it as a reminder of the good rides and fun I had with it.
I could send it to you, but I am sure its not the right size :)
I am not sure what I want to do, but this fixed gear thing has me curious...

The Bianchi Pista will make you a better lover.

The Bianchi Pista will make you a better lover.


A gallup poll of a random sample of bikeforums.net readers shows that phrase has clearly jumped the shark.

The Bianchi Pista will make you a better lover.

stop saying that, it will not. now, your other chrome accessory...

bianchi rider, you should just use the old brava if it has horizontal dropouts. it'll rule!

The Bianchi Pista will make you a better lover.

Faster is not better! Just ask her. :D

The primary question is what kind of dropouts does it have. If they are verticle then your options are limited to a white ind. eno hub or playing with chainrings to find one that works. If they are horizontal then you can use almost any track hub. The bars and pedals are a personal choice, I use toe clips and bullhorns.

Good Luck

Chris

stop saying that, it will not. now, your other chrome accessory...
Yes, but it's working to keep me off of the Bianchi... hmm... irony?

Yea I already figured the rear wheel BB, and chainring.
I was looking at pics and saw LA bars or bullhorns.
Should I leave the 700x23 or go to 700x20?
what kind of pedals should I use, clipless or toe clips?
anything else please let me know...

Just start with the basics and go from there... just get on the darn thing. You can play with pedals, bars etc. as you go. Most of this stuff is preference and you'll likely play a lot with it until you have it dialed in. Get on the bike.....It's calling you....

Just start with the basics and go from there... just get on the darn thing. You can play with pedals, bars etc. as you go. Most of this stuff is preference and you'll likely play a lot with it until you have it dialed in. Get on the bike.....It's calling you....
Thanks everyone, guess I will have to do something with this brava, any ideas where to start looking for the parts I need?

You can buy stuff online from places like Harris Cyclery. Downtown bicycles in Ft. Lauderdale appears to carry some fixed gear stuff in their extended catalog. http://downtownbicycles.com

I have no idea how good they are, just tried to google fixed gear bicycle and Florida...

You can buy stuff online from places like Harris Cyclery. Downtown bicycles in Ft. Lauderdale appears to carry some fixed gear stuff in their extended catalog. http://downtownbicycles.com

I have no idea how good they are, just tried to google fixed gear bicycle and Florida...
Thanks cavit8, but I was hoping some of these guys had spare parts laying around and would donate to me becomiing part of the group :D
I'll check that site out... thanks again :)

I like that bike! I was thinking along the same lines about my old Miyata that I was walking around on the way to my lighter weight racer; I did not want to part with it, but I wasn't using it either. The solution was the same as the one you are leaning to: I stripped it and fixed it, and added lighter tires and rims. I now love to ride the Miyata, and only slightly prefer to ride the racer ( that is now fixed as well.) I also put on wider bars and a Brooks Pro saddle-that later feature making me wish I was on it after one hour or so on the other bike. So, my recommendation: spend some money on it, don't sell it short, and enjoy the new life you will have breathed into it.

i still think that celeste looks like a bizarre accident in a health department branding scheme.

it only ever really wrked on mk2 vw golfs for a little while in the mid 90s.

fssb
sparky
eo: bush - chemicals between us

i still think that celeste looks like a bizarre accident in a health department branding scheme.

it only ever really wrked on mk2 vw golfs for a little while in the mid 90s.

fssb
sparky
eo: bush - chemicals between us
I just found this one on ebay, $300 right now and just my size.... Hmmmmmmm maybe i should see how this plays out and "if" I get this one I can add more celeste, what do ya guys think??? :D

I just found this one on ebay, $300 right now and just my size.... Hmmmmmmm maybe i should see how this plays out and "if" I get this one I can add more celeste, what do ya guys think??? :D
Ooooooooooops TYPO $400 not the $300 I previously stated, but still within range :)

I just found this one on ebay, $300 right now and just my size....

Get it. Don't mess with your Brava. I almost wanted to cry as I removed the campy record derailleurs and downtube shifters (friction) tonight off my mid 80s celeste Bianchi. I couldn't help but think of some old Italian patriarch many years ago patiently putting this bike together when it was new with what was then the finest components available and here I go stripping it naked! When I bought the bike about 12 years ago this bike was as a rainy day bike and became my present commuter.

There's something that doesn't seem right about taking all of this "stuff" off the bike when it works so well.

Get it. Don't mess with your Brava. I almost wanted to cry as I removed the campy record derailleurs and downtube shifters (friction) tonight off my mid 80s celeste Bianchi. I couldn't help but think of some old Italian patriarch many years ago patiently putting this bike together when it was new with what was then the finest components available and here I go stripping it naked! When I bought the bike about 12 years ago this bike was as a rainy day bike and became my present commuter.

There's something that doesn't seem right about taking all of this "stuff" off the bike when it works so well.
Yea I am watching it and if it doesnt get too far out of hand I will bid on it.... The ad says its new, never ridden, and Bianchi sells that bike for apx $550 so the reality is if it gets up another $50 I would have to add shipping and then that would be almost as much as buying from Bianchi or LBS, so guess i will have to watch it.. I also found another one, frame only and I will check into it....
and I guess if all else fails I will convert the brava, tho i am leaning more towards buying one already ready to ride....
Thanks for the info :)