Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Spending too much?

I'm just starting my 2nd complete cycle conversion and already after the frame (1970 Batavus) and wheelset (Suzue basic, rims nothing special), I'm already up to 250 (including shipping).
I'm I just not shopping smart enough? My last conversion ended up being around 350.
I've seen thefixed gear conversions on ebay going for around 50-100, but I don't get the freedom of selecting the exact components.
So whats your opinions on spending?

Depends what you start with and what you want.

If you want a FG/SS, full stop, you can get a cheap used bike from the Salvation Army, get a new rear wheel and be rocking out for $100.

You want decent parts or you start with a bare frame or you'd like to upgrade your wheels, well them maybe $250 or $350 is a closer figure.

it is interesting how quickly money can be spent. i remember converting my 70's nishiki and finding out that i would need new cranks, bottom bracket, etc. in order to make my chainline work. plus the wheelset, and the money i'd spent on the frame, and then buying a decent front brake to replace the old style dealy with the slower lever, not to mention bar tape. it all adds up so quickly, and i feel like i'm still riding the original forks, seat, stem, etc. a person could really spend a lot of money tweaking their bike, it seems to me. it's been my experience that if you go little by little, you'll be okay, but sometimes that means spending some money here and there so that you won't have to replace things all the time.

but then, i'm still pretty new at this and mostly clueless, so it's anybody's guess.

i'd say that even being thrifty, you can expect to spend 400 on a project easy.

most of mine are making it into the 800 range, because i like pretty things too much.

see, i totally believe that. that's the sad thing. but 400 here and there is easier than $500-$800 for a new complete bike that you don't get to tinker on.

unless, like me, you're not a very adept tinkerer.

in my opinion/experience, it's better to spend a little bit more at the outset to avoid replacing/repairing parts later on. i'm on my third buildup, trying to scrape together money for my wheelset. i went cheap on the last two and was constantly having issues. not fun wrenching around issues, sh!tty "my hub blew up one mile into my ten mile commute home in the rain" issues.

i second what iamjberube says.
it's better (and usually cheaper in the long run) to spend a little more on good stuff. avoiding hassles caused by cheap crapola will make it worth it in saved time alone.
(i've found this to be true for almost everything; in the long run it's cheaper to buy quality stuff).

If you're looking for a complete here's an awesome deal on sf craigslist, I wish I could afford a frame that nice.
http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/bik/54639287.html

I've got about $850 in my current setup and I'm very glad I have it set up the way I do. I could have a servicable fixie for a lot less, but what I've got now is just about perfect for me and I'd rather have the comfort and performance that I have with this than have spent less but have to put up with various gripes and concessions in peformance.

Serbaside,

Like most of these guys are saying, you're doing fine, bike stuff just costs a lot. Here's the breakdown of what I have into my fixie:

$180 for complete lugged steel Bianchi. (included wheels, stem, cranks, Phil BB, etc.)
$200 for IRO hubs, MA3 rims, rim tape, tubes, and Vredestein tires (the old wheels were okay, but they were 27" wheels and I would need a new rear hub anyway, so I decided it would be worth it in the long run to build up a new set of wheels.)
$35 for cog and lockring.
$40 for generic bullhorns, tape, brake cable, and TT lever
$20 for Shimano 600 front brake and new brake pads. (The old brake calipers were old and crusty.)

That's $475 into a nice, very roadworthy, but not flashy or high-end, fixie. Quality bike gear costs a lot.

A friend of mine bought one of those fixed gear conversions from Ebay. I think he paid about $250 for a very nice looking bike. One rim was clincher, one was sew up.
One crank had stripped pedal threads. It needed two new tires. New bottom bracket.etc.etc. No pedals...

Bottom line ..........nice bike $650.

I bought a Brand new Fuji track bike for $150 less at the same time. My bike is 1 lb. lighter. All new stuff.

Hmmmm.... :rolleyes:

I started out cheaply, then decided to get a nice saddle. Then a wheelset. I wound up spending around $650 on various bits and pieces, grafting it all onto a $20 roadie frame. The components were good deals, and I figure I'll run the slippery slope of eventually trading that frame out for a nice track. But I can wait, as I'm really happy with my ride.

I think the cost of converting a bike goes anywhere from dumpster-dived to money-hemorrhaging-out-every-pore-in-your-fixie-riding-body. Folks will spend on average two to five hundred, I'd imagine. I tell myself that I fall way outside that range because I really should lay back on doing any more upgrades. My music gear and computers are getting jealous. ;)

[edited some weird grammatical thing]

i too have about $350 of components on my $10 frame. but i have dumped at least 500 or 600 dollars in total on tools, and other parts that i have experimented with, then switched out...i chalk it all up to a learning experience in prep for the dream bike im gonna build this summer...or next summer....or the summer after that, i guess just whenever i have the cash.

what i dont get is how applecart (the guy on ebay who always has 10 or so posted)can make the conversions for $100-$200...and the s.o.b. is unwilling to sell parts alone.

what i dont get is how applecart (the guy on ebay who always has 10 or so posted)can make the conversions for $100-$200...and the s.o.b. is unwilling to sell parts alone.

I suspect that he might have an 'in' at the local police station which is full of unclaimed 80's 10-speed style bikes. Or, connections at the local junkyard/scrapyard/dump etc. Maybe connections at a thrift shop or something.
he seems legit, i.e no illicit merchandise or stolen bikes. I don't think that these bikes were aquired by illegal means....

on my fixed gear I ended up stripping the entire frame of components, and now the only original parts are the frame and cranks. everything else is a replacement, wheel set, fork, headset, stem, bars, seat post, seat, seat clamp bolt, bottom bracket, pedals, everything. and because I wanted a decent bike I ended up spending around $550. though i could have easily kept everything except the chain and rear hub and spent $70. but I mean I didn't want cruddy looking parts, I like shiny and blue, so my bank account now reflects that...

oh and I scored the bike for $10 at the local good will, damn fine place to find an old bike, I must say.

I could have easily built up my own fixed gear bike. But I tend to go overboard when buying parts and I really wanted a true track bike. Example of my "problem"; My 20" bmx for street is up to $1,800 and was built from scratch and it gets railings, ledges, and ...well you get the idea (abuse like a matha f....). So I went the smart route and bought myself the cliche Bianchi Pista, 2005 model. I would have gotten an iro or maybe a khs but I found a Bike shop that would order me the Pista for $430+ tax, so I said SOLD!

I figure I saved myself about $500 at the very least by not building one from scratch, all because I have no self control.





P.S. Im not going to mention the fact that I am already searching for frames and parts for a proper track bike for Kissena and lehigh come spring.