Building a conversion
 

In my search for a first fixie, I've thought about doing a conversion, as it could be fairly cheap and I could get a decent result out of it.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/MIYATA-ONE-HUNDRE...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.ca/PEUGEOT-CORBIER-P...QQcmdZViewItem

Would any of these frames make a decent conversion? I can see they all have the horizontal dropouts, but what about in terms of BB/headset and frame material? I noticed the Peugot has a "Swiss threaded BB" and "english standard 22 mm quill stem".

I've also noticed some Cinelli frames that have an "Italian Threaded" BB. What's the diff b/w Swiss/Italian/whatever?

You guys are prob pissed at me for posting cheap **** but hell, I'm still exploring my options.

After the cost of shipping i doubt either will be worth the money you pay for it. Unless you really want a conversion and not something originally intended for single speed.

The Swiss threading could be a pain down the road if you want a different BB with the Peugeot. That said, I think it is the nicer frame of the two you linked (I have a soft spot for Peugeot).

Here is a link to a little bottom bracket primer: http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_bo-z.html#bottom

English threading is the most common, though Italian is readily available.

Ah Sheldon... you never cease to fail me.


Thanks

You'll save a lot by starting with a working complete bike instead of a frame like that peugot. The little things like stem, seat post and brakes really add up.

Just about anything japanese like that miyata will probably be a safe bet for finding compatible parts easily down the road. French bikes especially tend to have a lot of parts built to standards that were never widely adopted.

Italian threaded bb's are annoying (I know, i have one). They offer nothing over english threaded ones in terms of performance but are a lot harder to install properly, for a reason that sheldon will explain.