shlammed

Picked up a free bike with the intention of using the frame and using some bin parts/ local classifieds for what I can with minimal investment yet retaining a decent level of performance. I will be buying some new parts from my local bike shop that don't make sense to buy used (cables/chain for example). My parts bin is getting pretty full with some decent components after building our tandem last year and now changing it to a DI2 bike.

Bike as I picked it up. $ investment? FREE (LOL, you think... so did I)
-stem was really bent, which worried me, but the fork and frame appear to be straight enough (same as any other old bike)



Took it down to the frame, since the whole drivetrain is old, heavy and generally not desirable. Put a pair of $50 wheels (with 10 speed 12-28 cassette) on it with some parts bin tires that may or may not get changed out since they ride like bricks.



Not shown/parts bin list:
-drop handlebars I picked up with 105 10 speed 5600 STI levers - Price FREE from a local classified Wanted post
-Sram apex crankset/bottom bracket (parts bin)
-Shimano rear derailleur (parts bin... hope to use an old 7 speed mtb derailleur I have to keep it low key but I also have a 105 10speed RD I can use if I need to)


Need:
long reach brakes- preferably black (might spend a few $ here to get some newer used dual pivot that match the pull of the STI levers I have)
fenders
small front rack
quill stem adapter+ threadless stem (I have a salsa fitting stem so I have an adapter, but I would prefer to keep my fit kit complete. this will also help choose what stem I really need before I go searching lbs parts bins)
cable inner/housing
new saddle for my fast bike so I can take its saddle for this

Want:
aluminum 25.8 seatpost- mostly aesthetics, but I haven't had good luck with the seat angle staying put with the steel/peg style seatpost and clamps.

bikemig 

One of my favorite bikes is a parts bin bike that started with a cheap frame I picked up for $30 from CL, a 1992 Bridgestone BB-1. That bike has a decent frame (plain gauge chrome moly main triangle and fork) and good geometry for commuting. These kinds of builds are fun. This is the thread on my parts bin commuter build; I ride the bike regularly particularly when the roads get covered in winter grime, snow, and ice:

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...ter-build.html



My only question is whether this is the platform you want to build on or whether you might want to hunt for something you will like better for the long-term.

By the way, it has been a while since I've been there but Kingston is a pretty cool city; I like eastern Ontario.

shlammed

Yeah, the city is pretty nice as a whole. It still has the small town feeling with lots of nice looking "vintage" limestone buildings in the downtown area.


The frame I am happy with for its purpose. It has lots of clearance for larger tires, has a BSA bottom bracket shell, and is a smaller frame (21" ~52cm) which isn't rare, but not many older bikes I have come upon have been sized smaller than 55's. For some basic connection trails, I want the extra standover of the smaller frame. I have a Benotto frame as well, but it has an itallian BB shell (I would have to buy a bottom bracket to fit one of my bin cranksets) its fork is a bit bent and rust near the head tube on the top and down tubes makes me think those might be bent as well. Plus it only has clearance for ~28mm tire.

I understand that a higher end frame would have some different features like nicer dropouts, but for the purpose of this bike it wouldn't make a difference to me to have that. I have a nice "race" bike that I used to commute and ride around last year, that I will still have for fun nice day rides.

shlammed

Put my SRAM crankset on. needed one spacer on the bottom bracket to get the proper width, so I will need to run a pedal washer on the drive side to even it out a bit.

Also put a quill adapter and my bike fitting stem on with the seat that the bike came with to see roughly how much stem im going to need. a 110mm -6 stem will probably be roughly what I need. I haven't put the saddle into proper position yet since im not using this saddle and probably not this post.

sorry for the blueness... the overcast yesterday threw off the white balance and I don't know how to edit it on my current computer.

Senior Ryder 00 

Good start. I used mid level aluminum MTB frame to build a 7 X 1 commuter/townie. Simple, straight forward, efficient and unlikely to be stolen. Ride and enjoy!

shlammed

Thanks,

I have tubes to weld another frame up in aluminum and it would make a really nice bike, but I would have to buy some components and a fork for it to be worthwhile which starts getting out of hand. This is already getting out of hand in my mind with what im considering out of my bucket of nice components.


Right now im trying to scour the used market for disc brake wheels to trade for these nice mavic wheels. Since I do a little frame building here and there and I have a pair of Avid BB7road calipers im really having a hard time trying to tell myself its NOT worth it. The intent of the bike is a rain/commuter/don't trash the nice bike-bike. discs make a lot of sense for that use, and makes fenders way easier. With this though, I already have a front disc wheel, but the matching rear has a bent axle. I have a disc straight pull hub, but buying straight pull spokes is a lot of money!

M

shlammed

Picked up a few things at the LBS today to get this thing together being that the temperatures are now bike commuting friendly:

-Axiom Roadrunner fenders
-Derailleur hanger (not exactly correct, but its steel. Im going to TIG weld it on in the correct orientation)
-KMC chain so I get coated plates (no rust for a bike that's going to get wet)
-replacement seatpost for $10 with modern rails and clamp. I was up in the air about this, but the old seatpost had some really weird rails that wouldn't accept a different seat.
-housing and inner cables


I also picked up a pair of LONG reach Tektro r365 brake calipers on ebay. they wont be in for a while I bet, so im going to build the bike on the old single pivot brakes that came with the frame and some "new" pads that I have off another set of brakes that are too short of a reach.

This is enough to get the bike together and on the trainer to set my bike fitter stem to know what I need there for reach and get that.

Last thing I would like to get is a pair of 35c tires. Im thinking of getting something nice like Continental Cyclocross Speed folding tires.

shlammed

seatpost on.
Rear derailleur mount welded and painted black
RD on
Chain on, set to 32t cassette chain length.
fenders on but need alignment
most cables run (just holding off on the FD cabling for 5mm ferrule)
bars taped
going to need a 90mm stem, set +6 or jack the quill adapter up a bit.







Now I just need to get the final tires to set the fenders and change out the brake pads until the dual pivots come in to be able to ride it for now. Rack build will come soon but I am not in too much of a rush to build it.

shlammed

Bike is nearly ready.
I put on a 110mm stem since its all I had in my bin, but a 80mm 17 degree stem would be a much more comfortable fit here.

Seat will still come from my nicer bike once I figure out what I want.
My LBS price matched online for Continental Cyclocross speed, so I have a pair of those incoming this week. They also had an 11-34t cassette in shop that they gave me a good price on, so this project is starting to snowball into a full build lol.


I left the brake housing a bit long until the ebay brake calipers come in. Just in case.



Unfortunately the weatherman is calling for rain all week... not sure I want to ride to work in the morning while its raining. Riding home in the rain is a different story.

shlammed

the 110 stem I had in my bin is a bit too long and makes my front brake cable tight, but the bike rides like butter. I cant wait to have the good tires on it, will be a magic carpet ride.

shlammed

Commuter glory.

This bike rides quite nicely now with the larger tires. Still need to dial in the fender fit to make it 100%.