Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Specific noobie question -- where to skimp?

So, now I've got a Centurion frame w/ fork, red and shiny. BB and headset functioning, but need repacking. that's all -- no handlebars, no wheels, no crank. Needs a lot of building up.

My question is, from this point, where can I cut back on cost and still have a reliable ride. Not super, but reliable. A beater, but not a bum. Is it worth it to get a cheap-but-quality rear wheel (i.e., IRO) and throw some found, trued wheel on the front? Is it worth it to get a sealed BB and do away with the (don't know just how old but functional) cone and cup rather than spend money on a crank? Where do I cut back?

Hope this isn't an insufferable noob thing--i've been doing a lot of searching on the forums and reading Sheldon Brown, but I'm having a hard time figuring out the next step. Whatever advice y'all can give will be appreciated.

Colin

Look around for a good used crankset.

You can use any crankset, provided its got removable chain rings, and is made out of some sort or aluminum alloy. Steel cranks are generally bad. Steel cranks = cheap = bad. These cranks should be plentiful. My LBS has 8+ milk crates full stuffed with old cranks, some crap, but most of them are sevicable.

*EDIT* I pm'd you, wambat, check you pm's

Yes, used is the way to go. Find some good quality used 170mm or less cranks.

I think the cup and cone stuff is great and very reliable. No need to change to a sealed BB.

I use IRO hubs and think they're great. Good quality at a good price. As far as rims go, look at some lower end alex, matrix, or sun rims for economical options. If you build them up right, they'll be fine as long as you don't beat them to hell.

Handle bars are another thing you get used. You can get great quality cinelli drops for next to nothing on ebay or (probably) at your LBS.

Parts like handlebars and cranksc are great used because unless they have been abused, they are just as good as new ones and they cost so much less.

Get a decent rear wheel, skimp on the front as long as the bearings run smooth and it's reasonably true. Get a new sealed BB like a Shimano UN52 or UN72 - they are only $10-15. Here's why: What moving parts (bearings) of a fixed gear are seeing the most use? The wheels and the BB because they are always moving when the bike is. Therefore, don't skimp here. You don't have to go high end, just durable and reliable. If you can use your current BB go ahead, but I preferred sealed since I consider my bikes all weather machines and like to do minimal maintenance on those types of parts.

You can find things like tires, seat, seatpost, handlebars, stem, etc. cheap, so skimp there.

One place you might want to be choosy is in looking for a seat. Some of your favorite parts are going to be spending a lot of time there. If you buy new, check out the Serfas Cosmos. I've had one on my Bianchi pista for two years and it's been extremely comfortable-I hardly ever think about it. Make sure you can try whatever seat you buy and bring it back if it's not right for you. Good luck.

Rear hub/wheel is probably the thing you'll want to spend cash on as it's what will take the beating. It's also the part you can pretty much shift to any other frame. Same can't always be said for bb, etc. It's also probably has the least flexible price of things you're likely to buy if you're going fixed and buying a track hub (not so with SS). It's also the spot, the hub anyway, where price makes a big difference. Suzue basic's are cheap, have the bearing life of a male mosquito and tend to strip with fun fixie stuff like skipping and skidding. Better quality (more expensive hubs) don't have these issues, generally.

Most everything else is up to you or availability of used parts. Old doesn't mean pooched. If the bb/headset races are intact (no scoring etc.) they're fine. A sealed BB may only be $30 but a handful of bearings are $2.

My priority for building up the dream bike is along the lines of rear wheel/hub combo > seat > crankset > frame > bb > front wheel > bits and bites.
I'm sort of stuck in limbo at frame right now, having bought a cheap Suzue hub and regretting it to some extent. Sundries like tires come and go as you need them.

skimp on the parts that don't move, ie., seatpost, seat, handlebars, stem, etc... invest seriously on the parts that move, such as your drivetrain: chain, crank, rear hub, cog (i would also add your bb and headset but you already have that covered). ask santa for a dotek crankset for 29.99 at danscomp.com...

Yes, used is the way to go. Find some good quality used 170mm or less cranks.

I think the cup and cone stuff is great and very reliable. No need to change to a sealed BB.

I use IRO hubs and think they're great. Good quality at a good price. As far as rims go, look at some lower end alex, matrix, or sun rims for economical options. If you build them up right, they'll be fine as long as you don't beat them to hell.

Handle bars are another thing you get used. You can get great quality cinelli drops for next to nothing on ebay or (probably) at your LBS.

Parts like handlebars and cranksc are great used because unless they have been abused, they are just as good as new ones and they cost so much less.

I dunno about you guys, but I wouldn't touch used handlebars with a 10 foot pole. especially modern aluminum ones. they fatigue, and handlebars are not a place that I'd want to have a failure, especially with a fixie, where you're putting a lot of stress on them.

I suppose the cromo track bars might be alright, they seem pretty bulletproof. but most bars on ebay aren't cromo.

Honestly, I've never had a set of new bars and I've been alu all the way. Maybe I've just been lucky, but of the 4 sets of bars I've gone through, they've all been used. The only problem I had was one set had been slightly bent (trash picked) and my used Cinelli stem developed a crack, but the creaking tipped me off to that.

I agree that in theory metal fatigue should make them a poor candidate for a used part buildup, but in practice I've never had a problem and I know reputable shops that have no ethical dilemmas selling them.

Okay, so, I work at a sporting goods store, so I get stuff at 10% above cost. I can order a "track hub" laced to a 32h Sun M13 for $36. I'm trying to find out what brand this hub is because I'm in desperate need of a new wheel. If its a suzue jr, is it worth it? That price is hard to pass up. Oh, and I can get the matching front for $23.

Damn. At that price, I'd buy it, but then I have a problem with finding bike crap to spend money on.

But that should would be swell for my other FG ride so I didn't have to keep swapping wheels with it.

Hmm.. I should at least get a new/used front + tire now that I think of it.

I dunno about you guys, but I wouldn't touch used handlebars with a 10 foot pole. especially modern aluminum ones. they fatigue, and handlebars are not a place that I'd want to have a failure, especially with a fixie, where you're putting a lot of stress on them.

I suppose the cromo track bars might be alright, they seem pretty bulletproof. but most bars on ebay aren't cromo.

Have you seen a lot of handlebar failure? I don't think it hardly ever happens. I would guess that the bars would have to be incredibly used or incredibly abused to be at failure point.

I agree. All of my handlebars are used jobbies. Some of them are 20+ years old, and are just as good as theday they were bought. The bars I am using now were my pop's when he toured france/italy/europe in the mid 80's. They are fine, they look like they are brand new, and work like they were brand new. Wait, my whole bike is the bike he used to tour on... well except the gears... :D

Have you seen a lot of handlebar failure? I don't think it hardly ever happens. I would guess that the bars would have to be incredibly used or incredibly abused to be at failure point.

I've never seen a failure, but i've seen a bar that was fatigued to the point where it was drooping...

and you know, whenever you guys bust out that mind bending torque to the point where you are flexing the bar, you just cut the bar's life short a bit more, since aluminum gets weaker everytime it is flexed.

all I'm saying is, if you dont know the history, the handlebar is a part that can fail and if it does, it wouldn't be pretty.

If you are pounding out torque to the point where you are bending alu bars, then you should be an olympian or some thing. I don't think its possible to bend alu handlebars from your torque while riding.
But If you bend an alu bar, replace it. I wouldn't ride a bent alu bar. That's a death wish. Even worse is to try to bend a bent alu bar back.

Thats not very possible for alu to flex. If it does flex, than that would probably be followed by cracks or a break. The only thing less ductile would be carbon fiber. There is a quick fix to this. . . steel as it will bend forever before breaking

Aluminum does flex as evidenced by crushed aluminum cans, my bent aluminum bars, the bent aluminum rack I straightened just today, etc, etc. It just doesn't handle it as well as ferrous metals.

Touché.
Now that I think about it I have bent aluminum BMX bars, but did not dare bend them back. I on the other hand have only cracked or broken aluminum frames where I have bent steel and 4130 frames

Thats not very possible for alu to flex. If it does flex, than that would probably be followed by cracks or a break. The only thing less ductile would be carbon fiber. There is a quick fix to this. . . steel as it will bend forever before breaking

you've never felt flex in your bars? I definitly have...

I agree. I feel flex in my bars, and I don't thibk that they are bending/breaking.
I think that flex is different from the bars actually bending. Anyone care to explain / prove me wrong? Metalurgists? (sp?)

Yes, bars flexing and bending are two different things. But they are a result of the same stress on the bars. Some materials are more prone to fatigue than others because of their tensile strength. Aluminum for example is extremely stiff in comparison to steel, and can only take so much of this stress before failure now because of its lower ultimate strength it will break before steel. The point before it breaks is called the ultimate tensile strength.

There is the elastic region which is what you feel in the flex of your bars, this is where the deformation of the material will return to its normal shape after the force is removed.

There is the plastic region which is called the yeild tensile strength. This is where the materials, or aluminum in this case, deformation can not be recovered. This is a bend in the bars. I would not attempt to bend it back if it did pass this plastic region as at this point where the aluminum looses its loading properties.

I'm not really sure at this point where the hell I went with that. I hope this explained what you wanted to know. My point is if you feel nervous about riding used aluminum, get steel which is like 50% stronger or titanium bars which would be twice as strong as aluminum.

Ferrous metals and titanium can flex safely. They have a fatigue threshold below which they may flex ad infinitum without any damage. Aluminum is not one of materials. Every flex counts towards its eventual fatigue death.