josephkim

Hey guys I posted a month ago I'd be getting a bike.

The bike is a road bike Im pretty sure it's a three speed. I'm getting it for 60ish and I want to convert it to a fixed gear. My main question is how much money would this project take? And what parts would I need to swap out? I can't really do the conversion myself so I'll have a lbs do it for me. I'd probably buy the parts for him in exchange he could do the work on it. But yeah it's kinda urgent and I'm sorry that this questions been asked plenty time sbefore. Thank you so much.

oneredstar

Well without knowing the exact bike, and if you want SS or fixed it is hard to say. It may have 27" wheels and a riveted crank. If this is the case and you want it to be SS you can remove the deraileurs and shorten the chain, that is the real cheap fix. If you want it fixed, you may want to get new wheels and a new crank set. At the shop I work at you would be looking at $85 for the rear wheel, $75 for the matching front, $10-50 for cog and lockring, and $90 for the crankset (all Canadian dollars). I am sure you can spend less and you can easily spend more. Give us some more details, and we can give you a better answer.

HandsomeRyan

Depends on what you have to replace and if you are buying all new parts or going used. New rear wheel and pedals w/ foot retention would be pretty much the minimum you'd need to buy.

Why can't you do it? You may not currently have the tools/knowledge but it'll be cheaper to learn than to just pay someone else to build it for you.

I wouldn't treat building up a bike as an urgent matter. I know it's exciting but take your time / do it right. Good luck!

bbattle

Sounds like a Raleigh Sport. If so, it'll have 650A wheels which will be steel and without hooked beads. I'd get rid of those wheels for new alloy ones but the Sturmey-Archer hub you can sell, along with the shifter and cable and pulley wheel on eBay. Or sell the wheels and stuff as a set.

It'll have a cottered crank. If it is a Raleigh, it'll be their 26tpi threading so keep that bottom bracket. Clean it, get new ball bearings, loose ones, and then get a new square taper axle for your new crankset. Or, keep the cottered cranks. But do rebuild the bottom bracket and replace the bearings.


I'd replace the brake cables and housings. Use the old ones as guides for cutting new ones. Before I got a nice set of cable cutters, I used a dremel tool. Regular wire cutters mash the housing.

Sheldonbrown.com has a lot of info. on working with older bikes; it was a great help to me when I built up this Raleigh 3-speed.

AngryScientist 

^^^what makes you think its a Raleigh based on what the OP said.

OP - get some pics of the new ride up and we can help more.

kyselad

Honestly, if the OP's not even motivated enough to click the sticky at the top of the ssfg page and figure this out, it sounds like someone else would have to do the conversion. If so, I'd suggest buying a complete bike rather than a conversion. You'd likely spend about the same either way if you're not handling the labor yourself. If the bike is in really good shape, maybe it wouldn't take much, but I expect you'll need to buy a decent amount on parts to make it worth the shop's time to do free installation. And if it is in good shape (i.e. rideable), then yeah, why is this "urgent?"

josephkim

hmmkay. its deffinitely not a raleigh sport. well ill get pictures up once i get it.. thanks for the help guys.

josephkim

alright my dad just came home and brought it...

its a suntour univega. im not sure what year. but i just took it out for a spin and its nice. i think one of the tires need work. some parts are switched out with shimano parts. uhm so basically what do i need to change out? i think pedals, crankshaft, hub, im not sure.. thanks.

josephkim

Oh yeah and I would like to get it fixed instead of ss

dervish

you could probably get away w/ a new rear wheel, lock ring, and cog

oneredstar

I hate to tell ya, but the fork is bent, and bent bad. I would check the downtube on the bike as well. If the paint is crinkled then the frame has is also bent. At the very minimum you need a new fork.

fuzz2050

You need to do some basic research first

While the sticky on the top of this forum that says 'start here' may be a little subtle, I'd suggest starting your conversion there. It links to many wonderful places that will be indispensable to your quest.

And a question for the rest of you, have you ever seen a bike with shimano 600 and suicide brakes? That's just a little odd.

josephkim

Hmmkay. Is it possible to just ride with the current fork? And don't I need to get rid of all the other gear thingies? ( excuse me for my lack of knolledge of bike jargon.) like the deraileur or whatever? And I know this sounds stupid but what dies the lockeing actually lock.. Hahaha thanks

jtarver

Not a good idea. Great bike for converting and worth investing in a new fork if the frame is straight. It sounds like you really need to go to your LBS and get some help. Just hang around and don't ask a million questions and they'll show you a few tips. But, if I understand your first post, it sounds as if you think labor comes free when you buy parts, which is not the case. be prepared to spend around $300 to have the LBS replace the fork, replace the rear wheel and all the other conversion parts and pieces(cog/lockring/tires...)

cblaster

Yeah, you will need to pay for labor regardless of where you buy the parts...same as any other mechanic who relies on his labor to make him money. You really might want to do some research and use the thread that everyone else has been recommending to you if you don't know what the lock ring is for. We're all newbs at some point, but it will make your life much easier if you learn what exactly a fixed gear bike is before you invest so much money in it.

josephkim

Yeah thanks guys. I hve been systematically googling and using sheldon brown fir reference. I kinda get the jist. Thanks

Lou627

you can find a cheap steel fork off nashbar or ebay

kyselad

That actually looks like a pretty decent frame, but the fork is dangerously shot. As mentioned, you can pick up a cheap fork, but at the very least, you should have a shop inspect the frame to check the head tube integrity before going any further. Fork / headset installation requires a few tools. Is there a coop in your area? That would be a great place to learn some basic wrenching and save a bundle on labor.

If you make this "urgent," it won't come together. Read up, find the right parts, and learn how to work on the bike. If you're not willing to go that route, scrape together $300 for a complete, entry-level bike. fwiw, Shimano 600 is decent stuff. I'd use that crank and definitely hold onto the derailers if / when you realize you want gears again.

bbattle

That's not a bad frame, assuming it isn't suffering more damage than that dangerously bent fork.

You can post pics of the bike in the Classic and Vintage forum; they'll be able to give you lots of info. and advice on the bike.

cblaster

This is a good idea. There is a coop "bike library" in my city. They let you have free parts and build up your bike with a small monthly fee if you spend time volunteering there and helping other people fix their bikes. Once you "work off" all the parts they gave you, they are yours to keep, and by then they'll have taught you to build a bike from the ground up. I know that there have been a few alleycats in the past here that have donated to the local bike library. Maybe there is something similar somewhere near you?

Thetank

Start taking parts off it so if you do take it to a shop to get inspected they can check out everything for you. You can use the stock cranks btw, shimano 600 is decent stuff just as long as the bottom bracket is good you can use the stock cranks.

Replace fork
New wheels
Cog & Lockring
Chain
Handlebar wrap

that's if the frame isn't busted or the BB is shot.

bbattle

The bike is a road bike Im pretty sure it's a three speed. I'm getting it for 60ish and I want to convert it to a fixed gear. My main question is how much money would this project take? And what parts would I need to swap out? I can't really do the conversion myself so I'll have a lbs do it for me. I'd probably buy the parts for him in exchange he could do the work on it. But yeah it's kinda urgent and I'm sorry that this questions been asked plenty time sbefore. Thank you so much.

It could have been a Schwinn 3-speed but wouldn't have made much difference.

josephkim

hmmmkay. ill try getting decent pics of the frame.. i took a look at it and it looks fine. so thanks for the help. and when i said urgent it was regarding the fact that i was going to get the bike in a day or two. i know that i cant reallly set up teh bike that fast. but yeah. how much do shimano parts cost? because im a bit shy on money so maye i can just sell the deraleuir.. but yeah thanks guys

bigvegan

Dude, it would probably be faster/cheaper for you to part that one out, sell the pieces on e-bay, save your pennies, and buy a new fixie on bikesdirect for $300-350, especially since you don't really know what you're doing.

If you buy the new fixie, you're ready to go after spending $300-350 with a brand new bike that's ready to ride.

If you do the conversion, it's going to be:
Bike - $60.
Wheels - $100 if you just get a rear track wheel, $200+ if you go for a new set of 700c wheels in shiny colors, in which case you may also need new brakes.
Fork - $50
Cog/Lockring - $15-40
Chain - $10
Handlebar wrap- $0(used inner tube is fine)-$15.
Pedals/Toeclips/Toe Straps - $20-40.
Crank - $0 (if your existing one has the right chainline (or does if you use spacers) - $85+ if you need a new crank/bottom bracket.
+$50 or so to have it all built.

Total that up and you're at $300+ on the conservative end for the conversion.

Or you buy this one for $319 https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/.../clockwork.htm, spend a few minutes putting the handle bars on and doing the final assembly with an Allen wrench, and you're good to go.

It's your call, and building bikes is tremendous fun if you've got access to the right tools, but paying somebody else to cobble together a conversion may not be the best bet if you're on a budget.

bitterspeak

If you are shy on money, you should just ride the bike as it is right now and save your money to rebuild it later.