Okay, so I just bought a Schwinn Le Tour, and I'm going to try and turn it into a ss/fixed-gear, cause apparently they're popular now, and I want to be one of the cool kids as much as the next guy.

I understand the easy (or at least slightly easier) way to do this is to just buy a fixed wheelset, and depending on how things shake out I may end up going with that, but first... as long as the wheels already on the bike are adequate and functional, I want to try taking them apart and rebuilding them as fixed-gear wheels. To that end, I have a couple of questions.

First-- Is there any good reason for me not to buy a flip-flop hub and a spoke wrench, disassemble my rear wheel, and rebuild it with the fixie hub using the original spokes and rim? I understand the "Deep V" style wheel is sturdier than a standard wheel, but to be honest this will be my first time on a SS bike and I don't think I'm going to be pushing it or myself too hard. That's to say I'm an entry-level rider, and I'm happy to upgrade if I need to, but not if I don't.

Second-- If the first option (new hub, old spokes, old rim) isn't feasible, what can I salvage from the old bike? Keep the rim and get new spokes? Or am I better off just doing the whole thing from scratch? And if that's the case, any cash-saving tips on scoring functional (not pretty or hi-performance) spokes and rims for this kind of thing?

Bear in mind, again, I weigh 145 and tend to bike cautiously-- I can't imagine I'll be putting a ton of stress on whatever wheels I wind up with...

Thanks in advance for the collective wisdom...

Cale