Moshiiii

https://tampa.craigslist.org/bik/366377518.html

or

https://tampa.craigslist.org/bik/366108015.html

I'm very new to fixed gears but im interested in building one for my college life. Would this be a good start?

slopvehicle

pssst, those are road bikes

Suttree

either one of those will be a decent bike to convert--
search the threads to compare road and track geometry to see
if you want a conversion vs. a track frame. . .
chain tensioning considerations, etc. etc.

1fluffhead

Do you even know your size? One is a 55 and the other is a 46.

Moshiiii

I really like the Bianchi look. The gear shifters on the second bar down of the frame (dont know correct terminology), will those be easy to take off? I think I see that Bianchi frame on a lot of conversions on the picture thread.

caloso

They're called downtube shifters. And yes, they're easy to take off. Although you don't have to if you don't want to leave the bare bosses underneath.

[edit]

But first thing you need to do is figure out what size frame will fit you. Those two bikes are wildly different sizes.

Moshiiii

Ahh i see Im probably 5'9

caloso

52-54 cm, maybe, depending on the relative length of legs to torso. Some folks ride bigger, some ride smaller. A cm or 2 either way is no big deal but 10 cm isn't remediable.

Moshiiii

Alright cool. I really appreciate your help, its probably frustating talking to someone who understands very little about bikes. If you would personaly look at the bianchi and think how much money you would need to put in upgrades for this bike so your comfortable with it. How much would you guess? Could you throw me some general updates that should be made?

kitten_sandwich

OGM, thats bianchi has 105 gears! and you want to take off 104 of them!??!
kthx bye

caloso

Check out Sheldon Brown's website. He has a number of excellent articles on fixed gears, including the how-to-do-its. Perhaps all you may need is a new rear wheel.

Cynikal 

The bianchi is the better of the bikes in both fit and parts. All you would need is a new rear wheel, about $100 and you would have a nice ride. Sell off some of the 105 parts and you could pay for most of the new wheel or keep them to have a good road bike down the road.

dijos

Moshiii,

I'm guessing that you are in tampa/ st. pete. we havea long thread in rides and races,and you may be able to get a hook up on a good deal.

Moshiiii

Yes st pete. Awesome, can you point me in the right direction?

skinnyland

I have a Bianchi frame very similar to that one (of course, mine's a 61). It's very nice.
These guys are right... You need to find out what size frame you need first. What's your inseam? That will help determine your standover height, a good starting point for choosing a frame that fits.

Yes, the shifters and bosses are easy to remove.

Pretty much any frame with horizontal dropouts will be fine. You may want to pick up a cheaper one, especially for your first conversion (what if you decide you don't like it?). You can get an old road bike for ~$50, or even less if you look around.

I like the Bianchi I have, because it feels more like a track bike than a road bike. Looks that way, too, except for the dropouts. Tight tire clearance in the fork & stays, nice short wheelbase, etc.

jamey

haha

Igneous Faction

Dropping $225.00 on a complete bicycle that you're just going to strip everything off of and convert anyways doesn't seem like a very good use of your money. You'll have to put in probably ~$100.00 to get it fixed, and at that point, why not just go for it and buy a bikesdirect.com complete bike?

bward1028

i don't know how i'd feel about buying a bike from a self-proclaimed "Squirrel Guy"

jamey

that guy lives off of selling bikes out of his backyard. my friends girlfriend bought a sick hercules townie from him and we hungout for a while. super nice dude but "squirrel guy" seems a very fitting nickname for himself.

yellowjeep

= tits idea.

disconnec

does that mean "good" or "bad?"

Mr. Joker

In my book, tits are good.

exfreewheeler

He's kinda right... for $350 you can get a new Mercier Kilo TT, which people around here really like. That's if you're going to spend that much on that frame.

the pope

tits = good.

what seminary you going to, son?

roadgator

if that bianchi has 105, its 90's vintage, not 70's. id take that over the miata.