n8tron

I going to be getting a fixed gear but I'm haven't trouble deciding what to do. I could either buy new, and probably get a better bike for my money. Or I could by new and used parts and assemble my own and get something unique. I want something decent, but unique would be cool too. I'm just needing some advice to help me decide.

I've been looking at the surly steamroller in the new whole bike category. Or I would get a new or used frame, like a soma rush, and just cheap out on parts in the beginning to fit my budget, while possibly building it up to better parts later on. This will be an everyday commuter fixed gear, so i want it quick and comfortable. Yeah I know i want it all... its frustrating.

any thoughts?

mander

I'd buy a complete and tinker with that. You'll save a lot of money and eventually with all the inevitable swapping you'll have a unique ride.

helloamerican

this has been made a hundred times (several by me) butttttttt.... it's my opinion you learn the most by putting your bike together and i've come to feel like riding fixed gear should be like getting your first car when you're in your teens. You shouldnt get something that works fine out the gate or you'll just ride and not learn, i think you should get something you're going to have to convert and make good yourself that way you have a higher knowledge of bike maintenance and will have 'earned' a much nicer track frame later on.

that being said- i think a conversion is your best option- thats what i started on and i still think it was the best move. you can probably pick up an old bike for under 50 bucks, just make sure it has a square taper bottom bracket and the right spacing on the rear forks (probly will) and go from there. this way you'll have a lot more money to spend on parts that you'll be able to bring to a nicer frame later on having saved money originally and had something to ride in the mean time.

my 2 cents

mathletics

For an everyday commuter, definitely convert. If you find the right frame, you'll have something unique that you can put a lot of love/parts into to really make it your own. Plus, if you convert a road frame, it will have the proper mounts for brakes, bottles, and most importantly, fenders and racks which are WONDERFUL on commuters. When I bought my rack, the big selling point the guy at my LBS pitched was "imagine in the summer, being able to throw your stuff in a basket or strap it to the rack instead of having a bag slung across your back." It's a beautiful thing.

MrCjolsen

Conversions are a good idea if:

You have a really good bike to start with - a solid 80's road bike with horizontal dropouts and nothing major in need of replacing. At most you'll need a rear wheel, cogs and little more. The problem is that it takes a little luck, patience and/or cash to find such a bike if you don't already have one.

OR

You have a lot of old parts laying around from previous builds, upgrades etc. In other words, you are a seasoned roadie who likes to upgrade on a regular basis.

Doing a build up from scratch with a new frame is a lot of fun, but quite expensive. The big plus is you can get exactly what you want in terms of things like tires, wheels, saddles and pedals. If I were to buy a fixed gear "off the rack" I can almost guarantee you that I would soon be replacing the saddle, the pedals, and some part of the gearing.

helloamerican

dude, creativity on craigslist- you may have to drive an hour to find the right bike for cheap but so worth it.

Astronomical

The newer the frame and BB the better, new hubs are good too. An old and abused frame and BB is not worth the effort IMO, silence is golden.

Protip: If you've got the money start with a Mark V or one of the IRO groupbuys if you're real serious about it. Otherwise look for a well kept non-french roadie with horizontal d/o's.

San Rensho 

Bikesdirect.com is your friend. A new Winsdsor for $300 delivered, or a Mercier (which has a nicer fork) for $350 is hard to beat.

You can probably find a used fixie on craigs for about that much, but you will be hard pressed to convert anything to even a medium quality fixie for $350.

dijos

conversions can go one of 2 ways, and they generally go this way, like mine did:
Find a suitable bike in your size after months of scouring CL/ebay, that is rideable out of the gate.
spend too much money on powdercoating.
Hunt for a few more weeks enlessly searching for parts to make your bike the way you want it.
find out that some of the parts are not compatible with one another,
Keep looking for parts.
Put together, only to find that something is not quite right.
ruin at least one part in the process
go to LBS, and get assistance, and purchase additional parts.

Ride.

Now my lbs is a dream, ss/FG specific shop with a really talented mechanic/owner, who is seriously a nice guy. YMMV.

I ended up with almost exactly what I wanted, but I easily spent as much as an off the rack bike, and well above what the Bikes direct bikes run. And I do not have very high end parts on it, as I tried to keep the cost down.

n8tron

dijos,

that scenario is what I'm fear, and guessing would happen to me. especially with the parts being compatible or not. I also have a great LBS where a very good friend works. I'm leaning towards getting a pretty good off the shelf bike and changing around a very few parts to make it perfect. Thanks for all the advice so far.

michiganboy

You are right. It doesn't look like you can go wrong with one of these. Especially when you are planning on modifying the bike eventually.

helloamerican

not trying to be a jerk but its kinda obvious you took it to the extreme right? i was suggesting conversion a starter thing- and as far as parts not fitting... well you've got to check those things. not trying to be a jerk.

mander

My conversion experience started with a nice old 80s frame and basically it became a newb build-up much like dijos'. I had very little idea what I was doing so it was time consuming, expensive and full of trials and errors. I love my bike and i learned a lot, but you will get out of the gate much quicker and easier with an off the shelf and either way you are gonna wind up learning to wrench and building up a unique bike. If I were you i would just make sure your frame has all the stuff you need for commuting---bottle mounts, fender eyelets and tire/fender clearance. That way it'll be a nice solid foundation to build on. Even if you don't use these kinds of options right away it's a good idea to have em around because your tastes as a cyclist change so much with time.I really dig the bianchi san jose fwiw.

dijos

To be honest, I'm really happy with my bike, and I could have easily just switched the back wheel, got the right BB, and new chain, and been done. But, you live and learn. My BB spindle was too long, I tried out a few stems, handlebars, had a crank threading issue. I also wanted some nicer components than I had. A few really minor things went wrong, just enough to keep me off of my bike. I knew what I wanted in a frame-Lugged, double butted, fender eyelets, road geometry, made for 700c wheels, japanese threading, quill stem. For sure, I went a little overboard on some things, and I'm sure that I'll have some upgrades yet. I'd definitely consider it a learning process.

Other people can do a much more simplified job than I did, for sure.


A before and after; I have switched out the bars (yes, I know the angle is terrible, I was trying something
out) and the stem. sorry for the crap pics

n8tron

I'm probably going to buy new and have settled on two different bikes. The surly steamroller, or the IRO Angus. I'd be buying them complete and they are both pretty much the exact same price. I've ridden the steamroller, but there are no dealers within 500 miles of me that would have an IRO which sucks.

Which is the better bike?

I know this is a small point, but I love the classic style stem on the angus, and since the steamroller is threadless I wouldn't be able to get that same stem...

Dirtyspeed

This is exactly what I encountered when I was going to build my fixie/singlespeed. I found a brand new Redline 925 frame and was going to build off of that but by the time me and the guys at the bike shop gathered up some used parts and new stuff it was 200 dollars more than the bike was if it came complete, and the complete one was pretty much what I wanted. So I just got that and stated to swap things out through time.

I say get the Steamroller.

asherlighn

What if you cant get into one of the IRO group buys? Is the IRO Jamie Roy fully built up by IRO decent? It looks like it isnt a terribly bad deal and the parts seem ok ...

cc700

do you actively want to work on the bike? if so, get a clunker and be smart about it... don't ever buy a frame or component that you don't feel 100% in love with.

if you just want the best setup for the least amount of money and time and effort, get it off the shelf. you can still tinker with something off the shelf but the chances of you being happy for longer are better, even though you might not feel like you own that happiness as much as if you built from the ground up...


i have a great bike that i've changed the wheels, stem, handlebars, grip tape, hubs, cog, chainring, and seat on and it rides great... i've very happy with is condition and performance... but i want a better frame, headset, and i want to clean out the pedals and bb... which i'm just never going to get around to doing without spending enough on it to have had a better bike all along. get a bike that you would take to bed with you at night if it were comfortable, your bike should be something you value as much as any other possession.

the one thing you have an endless supply of is options.

cc700

i've never ridden one, but IMO it's a GREAT bike judging from the componentry.

n8tron

thats the problem. There are so many components out there, how is one even supposed to tell which they will like better anyway besides trying them out one by one? I certainly don't have the cash, or time to do that. All I can go by is what I know is at least decent, and then if something is bothering me after awhile I can upgrade it. I only know if I like a frame by comparing it to what I have already riden, and I mean for a few days, not for 5 mins at a shop, which is not that many. I don't really thinks its possible for someone to get their perfect bike on their first shot, but I think I can get close.

SexPanther

I'm in a similar boat right now, I'm not sure weather to buy an IRO complete bike right now, or build my own. I've never built a bike before, but I'm pretty mechanically inclined and I think I'd enjoy it. I'm just concerned I would mess something up... or buy bad parts.

Oh the woes of biking!

P.S.: Quick question... Is an IRO Angus worth the extra $100 over a Mark V or Jamie Roy?

asherlighn

After looking really hard at all the stuff on the angus and the jamie roy, Im pretty convinced they are marketing the Angus to people who do not value 100$ all that much. Im totally getting the all black Jamie Roy with Nitto Bullhorns.

The reason I decided to buy the complete bike was that I do not have all the tools to assemble a bike handy (unless I decide to drive 170 miles to go visit my dad). Also they give you a pretty hefty discount on the parts when you buy the complete bike, but Im pretty sure if you had the tools and some time you could get a better deal by watching the clearance/weekly specials at various online parts dealers. So, if you already have the tools, then go for it. If you dont, buy the complete bike. Thats my 2c.