Has anyone here successfully built up a beater from a frame?
 

You know, without spending more than you planned on bling parts?

yeah, i've done it pretty cheap. it helps immeasurably to have access to a good shop and lots of used parts, but if you do your homework and have a good set of calipers, you can get it right on the first try.

http://static.flickr.com/28/91870128_c2514064b4.jpg

this was my old conversion. i built it for about 250, 300 dollars.

i'll be building my third one as soon as i get off my lazy ass and get to the shop.

first one
old Dawes i got from my dad - free
beater wheelset with a ss hub - $40
shimano 600 crank - free from my cousin
shimano sealed cart bb - free from my cousin
crappy spd pedals - also free from my cousin
new chain - $10
total - $50

second one for my girlfriend
beater peugeot frame - $50 from some hippy in everett
same crank and BB - free - the Dawes was too big so i dismantled it
same wheelset from the other bike - free
same chain - free
new brake pads - ~$15
total - ~$65

third that i'm building up
Azuki frame i got from the same hippy for $50
same crank, bb, and wheels - free - girl bought a new bike, doesn't need the beater anymore
will probably get a new chain - $10
stock saddle from my pista - free - will probably get something else though, that thing is just too squishy
gatorskins - however much i can find those for, it's gonna be my rain bike
total $60 + tires

it's not so hard i guess. but i have another bike i can spend money on :)

Nice. Let's see some more pics!

sadly, i don't have any of the bike in its more economical phases (the sprung brooks and formula/deep v combo killed that) but here it is.

http://static.flickr.com/74/216844917_6206749ce2.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/30/216844799_ffcef914e4.jpg

a photographer i am not.

p.s. did you see mclaughlin trying to wax dark matter this weekend? classic.

not fixed, or built from the frame up, but my beater cannondale road bike cost me $55 total. $40 for the bike at a yard sale, a free tune up from a mechanic friend, upgraded with free parts via trades and the local bike co-op, and $15 for bar tape.

god bless the hippies.

=)

You missed a naked black man swimming in that fountain last night.

for my beater, bought crankset/bb $40, used rear wheel $40...bike was garbage find.

Cool. Yeah. I'm not sure exactly what the plan is yet, but I have a thing for a particular style of vintage frame and I want to build up something a little more modern around it using 99% used parts and stuff from the bin and maybe as an excuse to take a crack at my first wheel build. I really don't have a lock-up-outside bike right now, and with my job situation changing I may need one before too long.

Mine is not fixed...yet. 1974 Schwinn Le Tour... definitely a beater. Currently set up SS w/ 39x14...used what I had available. Pretty good all around gear for my locale. Posted a while back... here is the link

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=223236

I plan to build up a fixed rear wheel soon, but that will push up the price quite a bit as all those parts will likely be new.

i just built up my commuter from a 1984 schwinn frameset. i'll do a full writuep later, but it cost me 200 and change. i had to pick up a new bb & headset, but the rest went towards things like tires, tubes, bar tape, brake levers, etc.

also, fgg's la conversion grande might be a source for good ideas

i got 15 dollar raleigh road bike in great shape with mostly campy parts at a garage sale, 40 on tires, i trash picked a single speed wheel, spent 6 dollars for some bmx levers and new brake cables, stripped off what i didn't need, a dollar bin selle marco rolls, a dollar bin itm goccia stem, a set of single stack chainring bolts(5 bucks), recently trash picked some cruiser bars for it and i'm at what 77 bucks, it could not be a sweeter ride, i haven't sold any of the original campy stuff, but it's got to be the only beater with campy seatpost, brakes, and front wheel

I hate you.





















;)

here's my story
 

I did it, keeping the money low is all about making sure the bike you start with has a lot of parts you'll finish with.

http://www.jaycokingpin.com/singlefix.pdf

that's all i do man. i've built up a few bikes for other people. then rarely come in over $200. bling is for the richies. they can buy "class".

If you spend more than $25 I don't think it's ok to call it a beater anymore.
I generally try to stay around $15-20.

i don't know where you live but round here unless it's trash picked you'd be luck to get the frame alone for under that, let alone slightly customizing the bike to get it to your liking, additionally the dude i bought the bike from had known exactly what he had and was glad as hell to find someone that appreciated it, i was living right outside of philly at the time and it was rather late in the day so i was surprised, usually good garage sale stuff is cleared by noon, that was also the day i found a yard sale of a guy who had previously owned a bike shop, i picked up a butt load of dollar bin awesomeness

on its third wheelset, 2nd BB, secnd saddle, many chains, was $100 initially
http://home.columbus.rr.com/pedex/000_0110.jpg
iced version after riding all day in a snow/sleet/rain storm
http://home.columbus.rr.com/pedex/000_0105.JPG

eh. i prefer my friend's definition: a bike you wouldn't mind throwing over a fence when you're getting chased.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...s/IMG_1874.jpg

built for 150 bucks

not bad at all...

I just finished this one for around $65, but of course it dosent have any fancy parts. but its fun to ride.
Based it off an old motor-pacing bike. i got a bubble gum blue frame exactly like this one, not sure what to do with it now...