I am new to fixie and am looking to either build or buy my first. Right now I have an old Schwinn Traveler that i could convert. It would need new wheels, bb, headset, tires, and chainring.......... this seems like a lot to invest in a a heavy old frame. My other option would be to buy a new bike (i am looking at the surly steam roller). While the building on the old frame sounds fun i am worried i would spend a lot more in the long run.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

PS: the traveler is ugly teal green.

It would probably be a more sound investment overall to get a whole new bike. Although if you are replacing nearly everything but the frame, you could accumulate all those parts for relatively cheap and then ride that frame until you find another.

If you build, you have to also consider tools-if you don't have access to all of the necessary tools, that's either more cost in a shop bill for the build or some new tools for yourself. There are hidden costs in building a bike, things that you can't foresee, but I think if you can make it monetarily feasible for yourself, building one is worth if for no other reason than to learn about your bike and to know how to fix it.

in your case I would say buy. you don't want to be waiting for parts all summer! make your 2nd bike a fun build.

Yep, I say buy a new bike. Conversion builds can be tricky, too. I know I had to use a friend's tools to install my BB and headset.

Besides, like others said, you will be waiting for parts for a while. And you will go crazy thinking about which part to buy for every piece of the bike (which crank should I get? Which wheels? Which cog? etc) overall, if you have the cash, it's less stressful to just buy the bike and focus on riding it.

IMO, that's not a good frame to build on (meaning worthless). I'd also say get a new bike/frame. Steamroller's a good choice.

Steamroller is a good bike, no question, but if I were to get a new fixed gear bike, it would be an IRO just b/c you can customize it and they are lighter, more agile bikes.

You can customize a Steamroller, too. I just ordered the frame set and built up the whole thing to my specs. Doesn't get any more custom than that. (well, except a custom frame set).

if youre going to buy go with the "kilo TT". But the steamroller is a good bike

palu-

not to be nit picky, but that was a build not a complete bike. we are talking about complete bikes here. If he is going to buy all of his parts individually, he might as well start w/ the frame he already has. IRO is one of the most customizable complete bikes you can get. They build it for you, but you get to pick the parts...sounds like a good deal to me!

Iro.

I guess I assumed building was an option, as he was planning on building up his old bike anyway.

booooo!!!!!

With regard to "building" a bike:

- If you are going to *convert* an old bike, and doing so to save money (and for the experience), make sure you don't upgrade many of the parts. If you start upgrading all the parts, the price of a conversion will quickly start to look like the cost of a new beginner track bike. If you want to convert a bike for the purposes of fixing it up or making it look nice do so knowing you *aren't* going to be saving money. You could do this cheaply if you have nice spare parts lying around your house but if you are new to cycling this likely isn't the case.

- If you are going to build a new bike *from scratch*, the only reason to do this as a new cyclist is for the experience of building and maintaining your bike. Inevitably, building a bike from scratch will exceed the cost of a stock beginner track bike, PARTICULARLY if you want nicer parts than you would find on a stock beginner track bike. I personally think that experience is very very invaluable. Just know that it will cost you.

If you are not interested in the experience of building a bike, and can afford to spend a small sum of money, I recommend just getting a new beginner's track bike. If you spent $100 on new wheels, $20 on a cog/lock, and another $10 on a chain - basically the bare minimum of parts you'd need for a road-to-fixed conversion - you'd already be sitting at $130 (not to mention tubes/tires), plus the cost of the conversion bike. So if you were willing to wait one more pay period and drop an extra $200, you could get a really nice beginner's fixed gear bike.

But like I said before, if you are doing it for the experience of working on and maintaining a bike ... you can't really put a price on that. Just know your intent in doing it.

I've spent the last couple weeks/months building a fixed from scratch including a new paint job and pretty much all new components, low to mid range quality. The whole process has been like a wild relationship, and whether or not thats a good thing is up to you.

Finding parts is a *****, especially if youre trying to go used like i did. looking around everyday on craigslist sucks because nothing is ever perfect. that being said, when you find the right stuff its an awesome feeling, and customizing your bike specifically how you like it gives a real sense of ownership.

putting everything together is easy enough if you have a friendly DIY shop around and you're proative about educating yourself, looking through tutorials etc. In about 5 months ive gone from zero to hero in terms of bike maintainence and construction knowledge, which is also an awesome feeling.

Be prepared to spend. I've been saving up for this, so i wasn't too pissed about parting with about 400-500 bucks, but IMO the experience ive gained and the pleasure ive gotten out of birthing an awesome piece of machinery is totally invaluable. If i had just bought a bike new and complete I would: a. know nothing about it, b. not care as much about it, and c. probably not be as happy with the overall product. This is all just my own experience tho, im sure other people have not enjoyed it as much as i have

Buy the best priced complete bike that you can find, like a Kilo TT or Windsor. Seriously, unless you have special needs, like fenders, racks, or ultra-fat tires, these bikes are more than adequate and will last years. Anything better is wasted on a newbie, and I don't mean that to belittle newbies. Bikes like these give you the opportunity to ride without wasting lots of cash. In the meantime, you gain the experience to know what you really want in terms of geometry, componentry, fit, and frame material. Its very likely that you'll end up wanting/needing something different from your initial thoughts. At that point you can begin to build your dream machine.

Buy.
The price of a conversion adds up a lot faster than you might think.
Even your aim is to learn a whole lot about building a fixed gear bicycle without buying a frame, just buy a complete bike, tear it apart, and rebuild it. (This was my goal when I did a conversion, and though I learned a lot, it was not always an entirely pleasant experience.)

A friend of mine just got the Dawes SST, and for the price (~$320), it's a fine bike --- especially if you're new to the game. If you end up loving fixed gear riding, put your inexpensive complete bike on craigslist, recoup as much as you can, and build whatever you want.

Let me relate my conversion experience. I bought an old, incredibly rusty, Gitane for the conversion. I wanted the experience, but let's look at the cost.

With a good bit of work, I was able to reuse the handlebars, stem, brakes, bottom bracket, crank, headset and seatpost. I had a set of wheels with a freehub, tubes and tires, a saddle, pedals and a chain sitting around in my garage. I could have reused the brake levers, but I think old aluminum brake levers are too ugly to use.

The stem is permanently melded to the steerer, but it happens to be about where I need it, so I overhauled the headset with the stem in place, and I'm going to live with it.

Old, rusty Gitane: $40 (I overpaid)
Various cleaning products: $20
Grease: $4
Ball bearings: $5
Tektro R200A brake levers: $19
Brake cables: $15
Brake pads: $10
Bar tape: $12
Single speed conversion kit: $30

I got all this from local shops, so no shipping cost. First version of the bike on the road for $155.

I wasn't entirely happy with it like this. For one thing, the seatpost is about two inches too short for me. Beyond that, I like to upgrade. So I got a new seatpost and crankset. The old square taper didn't fit the new crankset, so the bottom bracket is going to have to be replaced.

Origin8 Pro Pulsion crank (cheap, but better than what I had): $50, shipped
Kalloy Uno seatpost: $19
Hardware for DIY tool to remove bottom bracket: $5
New bottom bracket: $31

So, version 2 will take me to about $260. Add proper wheels with a flipflop hub, and I'll be around $360. Then I still need to do something about the paint and decals on this thing, and I still won't have the Reynolds steel I could've gotten with a Kilo TT, but I will have brakes and some nice looking lugging.

I've probably even forgotten something. I did have nearly all the tools I needed before I started.

All things considered, I'd do it this way again. YMMV

hi, i would go for a build. i am just about finished with my first build and to be fair as i added up what i have spent it came to £40 short of the price of a new fuji track. but the way i look at it i have learned so much building it that i will be able to handle most repairs/builds in the future. i have also gathered a load of tools that will come in handy, and i dont think i would have become so attached to an of the shelf fuji.
another plus is that when i do come to upgrading the frame i will have most, of the parts ready to go on.

build, you'll learn.

For me, this is the big win for building. It's a great way to bond with your bike.

Ummm... depending on the model of the Traveller, it may be True Temper tubing, ie. a pretty dern nice frame, not worthless.

Yup, my bad. But chances are, his is the heavy steel version. Also, the TT CrMo isn't a "dern nice frame", IMO.

Double butted True Temper in a lugged frame with forged dropouts not nice?

Lugged, yes, nice. The fact that this bike was made for touring, therefore is generally heavier? Not nice. Again, for this application, I can think of other frames better suited.

damn, after reading this thread I am really considering buying a bike.

I was pumped about building my own though, but when I do the math, its going to be about the same cost as buying.

ugh.