Am I getting ripped off?
 

At my LBS, there is an old Peugeot(different Peugeot from a previous post), they are selling it 'as is' for $125'ish. I went in there to see what it would take to convert it to a fixed. I was extremely surprised when the final total came out to $415!!! This $415 is also with them dropping the price of the bike itself to $60, so thats $355 in parts/labor.

I can't stand going to this place because I feel like their prices are too high and the manager talks down to anyone that he feels inferior to himself, so everyone. But at the same time this seems to be the only place where I can find used bikes in my area.

Anyways, this is the price he gave me.
Am I way out of line to think this is too much?

what's the parts list?

$350 is not out of line for a new set of wheels and a couple hours of labor.
convert it yourself if you really want to save the money.

This is WAY too much, in my fairly newbie opinion. I've built 2 bikes and have 2 extra frame sets and I still don't think I've spent $400.00! If you haven't already, check out this thread:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=226440

Lots of nice stuff. FWIW, I wouldn't pay $60.00 for an older peugeot unless it already had a good bottom bracket, headset, and seatpost. Otherwise, skip it. Even eBay has good deals from time to time.

ohhh hell yea. that is crazy. i mean, i guess he must have a shop in a really expensive location and has to cover costs but i mean damn, u can do it for $2.15 and a pack of gum. i would not do it. u can get a mercier for 300. if u want to convert the peugeot. buy it, (125ish) and buy a track rear wheel on ebay. (150 tops).

I can't honestly tell you what the parts were, but I'm pretty sure the guy was just trying to milk me for as much $$ as possible.

Thanks for that thread joelv, it's definitely got me thinking.
I don't need any amazing bike. I just would like a fixie that I can ride to work through the city in, like 5-6 miles.

ya know I think thebikebiz still has a fuji track or two at 350

I assume that cost is mainly for the wheels, which -handbuilt- can be very expensive. I'd ask him how that lays out, because you might be getting much better wheels than you want or need.. and you could probably have him substitute a pre-built pair, or just buy your own and have him forget about the wheels.

That is a bit steep, but these things aren't always cheap.. unless you don't mind a suicide hub. Or have a bunch of parts lying around.

the people who say you can grab any old frame and convert it to fixed for "a few bucks" are lying.

What do you want? A cog secured with loctite, or a real, reliable setup with track hubs and a lockring?

Totally overhauling a frame-- headset, bottom bracket, etc-- takes a fair amount of time and money. My first conversion cost about $300, and that's including a free frame, bars, stem, headset, cranks, and brake setup.

Even cheapest track wheelset will set you back $150. Add a couple decent tires and you've hit $200. Add frame, post, stem, bars, brake, lever, cranks, cog, lockring, tubes, tape, pedals, clips, straps and chain and see what number you come up with....something tells me it's more than a Fuji Track, Langster or Pista.

yeah i posted something to this effect in another thread last night.

there's a bike co-op near me that can put together a nice, basic conversion for about $300. i've seen conversions at other bike shops go for $450+. unless you're able to score something cheaper on craigslist used or willing to settle for some claptrap sludgy bumbike replete with suicide hub - with no tools, spare parts or experience, $300 is around the least you can expect to spend to get into fixed gear.

Without knowing the components 45 sounds like a ripoff. I built my conversion for around 250, and that includes a new wheel set. The mercier on ebay is probably a better option, and you'd be happier in the end.

it can be done for a few bucks easily, all you really need to do is change about half the drivetrain, new rear wheel (can do it yourself if you have a little patience), a new tire to go on the new rear wheel, maybe get some new cranks (if it has cottered, crank go ahead and throw down for new ones) and a new BB to get the chainline close to right, a cog and a lockring. you dont need a new saddle or bars or bartape, maybe a used/parts bin stem if you didnt pick a bike that fits correctly.

Dude, 125ish is a ripoff for the bike in the first place, IMO. I've converted 2 older (one 70's one 80's) Pugs.. I got one for 16 bucks complete, and the other for 20 bucks without front wheel.

That's why you should learn how to turn a wrench. Even if you have to buy most of the tools they pay for themselves.

And for the mercier and other bikes, people I know who do their own wrenching have bought a cheap mercier just for the parts, sold the frame on ebay, and walked away with a cheap set of parts.

Ok, I'm sure a lot of people are going to hate me for saying this but... the person installing the parts should get paid for the 2-4 hours labor to build up the fixie even if the wheels are pre-built. It's a bike shop, people gotta eat.

I have a pishy peugeot and it's frickin' nice, reynolds 531 lugged steel, chromed rear and chromed fork ...just saw one go on ebay for over $450 - frame only. Peugeot made bikes ranging from cheaptastic all the way to superfine. Lumping them together is like saying all schwinns are the same. I sold an old peugeot for $5 because I wanted it to go to a good person. bike love

EXACTLY!,

dishing out the $300+ means that you get true wheels, lubed bb & headset and a decent drivetrain.


For christs sake, getting a skateboard going with a blank deck, trucks, bearings, grip tape and wheels goes at least $100 these days.

A great thread for me considering Im about to purchase an IRO complete. With shipping and the total is right around 700. Could I build an eqquivelent bike to an IRO Angus for that cost?

i found my frame in the garbage... and then i waited for the monster track swap meet to get a rear wheel. 25 bucks. with cog and lockring attached. i got a free old 130 bcd crank arm from my LBS and a $17 rocket chain ring that gave me the right set up with my already attached cog. that got me going.

point is... you are in MKE... I sure there is a messenger or some fix-a-holic that has an old wheelset they would be willing to let go for a reasonable price. this will get you going. if you fall in love with it, which you will, you will easily be able to justify upgrading as you go.

good luck.

Keep your $400, buy a cheapo $40 tool set, rig a repair stand, get a $5 tub of marine bearing grease, and start looking for old bikes to take apart and fix.

What do you do with grip tape? Just askin'...

I add another vote to "read sheldonbrown.com and do it yourself"

That's definitely another option-- used parts. If you do a little research and know what you're buying, you can do well. When choosing a used frame, you should also figure out if the parts it comes with are recyclable for your purposes (standard three piece aluminum crank? good. Decent front wheel?)...

The Pug frame's real value could differ quite a bit. If you don't know what to look for, you might want to ask the bike shop why it's $120 and not $15 on Craigslist. I'm sure they'll wow you with the virtues of its tubes, lugs and chrome...

Grip tape is like an adhesive sand paper. If you had just a blank lacquered wood deck you wouldn't have any way to manipulate the board with your feet since there's not much grip too it. Ergo, you slap down some grip tape and voila, you tear the **** out of the asphalt and your shoes.

Sounds spendy, but conversions aren't "cheap" like everyone makes them out to be. My Trek conversion has run me about:

Complete old lugged steel touring Trek: $100 on ebay
Nitto Stem: $40
SPD Pedals: $50
27in rear fixed/ss wheel from Harris: $100
Cog and lockring: $38
New handlebar cork tape: $20
New tubes and tires: $50

Total: $398

I could have saved a little on the tires, maybe the stem, and cog... but I'm not one to skimp just to save $30.

Bianchi Pista = $550. I just rode my first one (hooray King's Bikes in Seal Beach!) and I'm hooked.

What bike shop are you dealing with? Understand that with practically every bike shop, you're going to be paying retail for parts plus, labour. That means IRO/Formula hubs laced to medium cheap rims are going to creep toward the $300 mark. For that price, you'll hopefully get free truing for life, and some kind of warranty.

If you go the machine-built route, you can either get similar quality parts for much cheaper (Nashbar, Performance, IRO, etc.) or a pair of light, sweet, brand name wunderwheels for a little more (Mavic Ellipse, Velomax). Your mileage may vary.

As for all the extraneous conversion stuff (switching your BB, flipping and chopping your bars, general maintenance), get over to the Milwaukee Bike Collective http://www.bikecollective.org/

and ask them for help. They'll do right by you.

Decent conversions are never cheap, unless you absolutely score on a rear wheel or buy a full bike on the cheap. Your LBS is most likely giving you a fair deal, but it's hard for them to compete with cheap overseas labour, vertical production sytems and volume discounts.