KJ333

I am looking to buy or convert an old road bike to a single speed. I want to put straight bars on it with bar ends so I can jam up those hills. What is the best way to approach a project like this? I want to stay under $300 and something that won't fall apart on me, at least soon. what are the suggestions as for the first step? buy a full bike? just frame? used? new? and if possible I want the specs to be modern, like 700c wheels, etc? any pointers?


-KJ

cnnrmccloskey

Buying a bike from a distributor like Bikesdirect seems to be a very cost effective method that many people are satisfied with, however if you enjoy mechanical endevors converting a road bike to a single speed can be a satisfying and simple task, depending on the bike of coarse.
If you decide to convert your own I suggest familiarizing yourself with Sheldon Brown (www.sheldonbrown.com) who was a prolific mechanic who assembled an amazing database of bicycle knowlege, and he happened to be quite the fan of fixed gear conversions (which applies widly to single speeds) his website covers almost every scenario imaginable and he is highly regarded among the community (The United Bicycle Institute references his material in their coarse work).
As to buying from BikesDirect, they have several SS bikes for 299 although if your willing to pay a bit more (350) the Kilo TT seems to be an excellent option, I don't ride one but it has legions of fans (que Scrodzilla)

evilcryalotmore

Hate to ruin your project, But i think you should get a Bikesdirect bike for a starter, Then build a Project bike. With in 3 - 4months with the right equipment and help you should be a perfect candidate for a Project bike.

wroomwroomoops

First of all, do not listen to the naysayers, and go the build-yourself route. You'll be glad you did.

That said, there are several options on how to do that, and they differ in the amount of money and work invested, as well as niceness of end result.

The cheapest alternative is to get a beater geared bike with horizontal dropouts. Always look for horizontal dropouts, in used bikes or frames. So, old geared bikes can be had for peanuts. Then what you can do is just remove the derailers (front and rear), remove the shifters and remove some segment of the chain, in order to have it tight. The horizontal dropouts will enable you to tighten the chain by pulling the rear wheel back as much as needed.

Then what you could do, to make things even tidier, is to remove the unnecessary chainrings and cogs (you can find spacers for cassette hubs that convert it into singlespeed setups, such as this).

Obvious further steps would be to buy a new crankset.

An example of bike/frame I'm talking about, is this.

A frame you do not want, is for example, this, because it doesn't have horizontal dropouts.

Alternatively, and a step up in total expenses, you could buy just a used frame (but a nice one), such as this. Of course, you must keep an eye on eBay to run into such nice frames at a low price.

And then the more expensive alternative would then be to get a brand new frame.


Do not forget that the frame size is extremely important, and has to match your height, your inseem etc. Generally, the taller you are the bigger frame you need.

Brian

If you live someplace like I do, where the odds are finding a decent older bike to convert are really bad, a bike from BD makes a lot more sense.

Retro Grouch 

What are you trying to accomplish?

If your goal is to acquire a single speed bike to "jam up those hills" buying a complete bike is your best bet.

If building it yourself is the goal, that's different. Acquiring a frame is the first logical step. I'd hunt garage sales, thrift shops and maybe even dumpsters. You need to find something with horizontal dropouts that's in reasonably good condition and doesn't weigh a ton.

Tjcooper4

I chose to build mine myself because I wanted the satisfaction of creating something, but also because I wanted to learn about bike mechanics. If you want instant satisfaction, go for the BD route.
Just be warned, if you decide to build your own, it's very easy to go over your budget. It helps a lot if you get a frame that has a headset, pedals, seatpost, stem, saddle, etc that are in good condition. This will save you some money to get nicer cranks or wheels.

John_Roger

+1 for the gentleman earlier who brought up the issue of going over budget. I ended up around $500.00 deep into my Schwinn Prelude. I love the bike and have no regrets.

BassNotBass

Building an SS is a hell of a lot easier to build than a proper (reliable) FG so I'd say convert your own, just about any fairly modern and complete bike you can get your hands on will work and meet your requirements. It's nice to have the ability to adjust chain tension via dropouts but it's not necessary with a SS... a modified derailleur will work nicely to take up chain slack, it just doesn't look as 'clean' and lean.

mccrackene

I know this sounds nutty, but my girlfriend bought me a old Schwinn Woodlands Mtb from Salvation Army and now after I finish painting it, it will be a fantastic heavy duty single speed. By the way when I started the project it was quite a daunting chanllenge, the forks are wrong, the handlebars, were wrong, the stem was wrong, and so were the wheels. But i sold all the parts or traded them and I was able to successfully fund my project.

powers2b

My favorite bike in the stable, and we are way into double digits here, is a conversion from a frame I found in the trash.
I prefer to find or buy a cheap used and build it up I feel more attached if I revive rather than buy.
I can build a bike from new parts in an hour but a restoration takes commitment.