How bad an idea is it?
 

To pay $80 for this bike and convert it to fixed gear? I'd keep the frame, of course, seat post, stem, and headset. Replace everything else. This will be my first conversion if I do it. Please don't hurt me.

http://usera.imagecave.com/reich96/traveler.jpg

take a close-up of the drop-outs. Otherwise, looks good to me from a style point of view. I like the fork.

if that's anything like my friend's schwinn, it probably weighs about 3,000 lbs

I guess my main concern is I'd be spending $80 just for the frame. The drop outs shouldn't be a problem.
Actually, here is what appears to be the same bike posted on the FGG.

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005/feb/tomj.jpg
I like this bike's set-up quite a bit and would like to build something similar. $80 for the frame though, I just don't know......

I'll just have to dump some ballast to compensate, maybe one of my legs.

I'd say $50 MAX.

yeah, try talking the seller down. Never hurts to try.
Or you could keep looking for just a frame and see if you can do better.

$80 is a lot for just that frame. Actualy $80 is a lot for the whole bike. If you're patient and resourceful you could come up with a bike as nice or nicer for free.

true...but you will loose a lot of weight once u take off all the extra crap

$80 does seem to be a bit high for that bike, I agree. However, a seasoned mechanic at my LBS here in DC put it into perspective when I asked his opinion as to whether I once overpaid for a bike. He maintained that I shouldn't really worry that much about the initial cost (especially when it's less than $100), that I was likely to put way more money into the bike over time and that the $20 or 30 that I might have overpaid was a pittance in the larger picture.

This isn't to say that I have money to spare or that you shouldn't haggle, but I think that $80 is probably a fairly rough ballpark price for the bike. In my most recent bike buying experience, I thought I slightly overpaid (and didn't haggle) because the guy I bought the bike from was pretty cool and straight forward. I now hang with him fairly regularly as part of a larger group and think that I would have been embarrassed trying to shake him down for an extra 20 bones. You never know. Karma works funny sometimes.

I like the fork too.

hey my friend has that same bike. almost exactly. it is a decent riding bike, but I'm kinda biased cause I also have an 80's schwinn. I don't know about $80 for it though, kinda pricey. then again we're spoiled with a thrift shop who sells those bikes for like $5-10

it's not worth it.

The big question is fit. If the bike is the right size for you then go for it. Does it have a nice long top tube and im sure it has horizontal drops and fender and rack eyelets.

You can actually keep everything on the bike and just get a 27" rear track wheel.

http://www.totalbike.com/items/wheel...ing_s_7d38.htm

Maybe ask the guy if he will come down on the bike a little bit, but the original question of how bad and idea is this-- the answer is not very bad.

it looks like an ok lugged Japanese model, not one of the tanklike American ones

I heart anything schwinn.

So how much do you want for that large/x-large rust-free central Ohio frame you have laying around?

I wouldn't pay more than $40 for that thing. Gas pipe tubes, STAMPED DROPOUTS, and just for the frameset and headset? Way more trouble than it's worth. Hit the thrift stores, garage sales, and classified ads. You can do far better. You're worth it.

my fixed is a schwinn traveler

this thread makes me sad

Ah, yes. I remember that bike. It has style written all over it. I used to ride one of those listening to my walkman. Back then they were about the size of a vidocassette but at least it had a cool belt clip.

Meh, my bike is a schwinn sprint, I paid 10 bucks for it. If you want a conversion I highly recommend thrift stores. You can get an old school road bike for less than $20...strip it down and you're in bidness.

value of:

stem = $8.00
frame/fork = $20.00
front wheel(steel I presume) - $15.00
deraillers, brakes, shifters, cables, rear wheel = 0.00
seatpost/bars/headset - $20.00
stamped dropouts = -$50.00
--------------------------------------
see if he'll take 13 bucks