This is so very true but if you start lurking on the Classic and Vintage board the formula is X^2 + 2X + 1 = frames hiding in the attic and one full garage.


Buying a bike will be cheaper.

My conversions cost ~A LOT or so. I never get the cheapest of anything; buying stuff a part at a time lets you rationalize spending a little extra here, a little more there. Pretty soon, that budget is blown and you've got an expensive but cool-looking/running bike.

Now, if you have gobs of time and are able to go yard-sailing for weeks and months on end to find bikes that you can use for frames and parts, you can do a conversion cheap. But these days, every Tom, Dick and Harry is doing this to flip bikes on eBay to ignorant hipsters and wanna-be commuters. So prices are going up on the used bikes, too.

$200 on Sun CR-18 rims, Formula hubs, DT Swiss spokes
$50 on tires
$10 on tubes
$4 on rim tape
$45 on brakes
$14 on brake levers
$80 on crankset
$36 on chainring
$46 on cog
$10 on lockring
$14 on chain
$30 on handlebars
$70 on saddle
$15 on seatpost
$90 on old Raleigh bike
$40 on primer, paint
$35 stem

= $789


Before LINK
More AFTER PICS


It was a lot of fun to build and the bike rides well and is dead silent but for that kind of cash you can get a brand new bike with great components and still have change leftover for the PBR.