Thoughts?
 

I've been given the opportunity to buy a late 80's non-funny Schwinn prologue with no dents for $150 and convert it into a singlespeed. I'd have to repaint it, buy new wheels, and upgrade the quill stem, seat post, saddle, and maybe crankset? (upgrades are just for looks) but I'm not sure if that would be worth it. The only stock things id be using is the frame, a break, and the crankset.

I'm not worried about the work that's going to be put into it because I'd love working on it but I wanted to know if I should just get a bike on bikes direct if I'd have to get new components for it anyways.

What are your thoughts?

I'm an advocate of learning to build your own. There's no need to buy a bunch of new parts like stems- just use whats there. Also, if the Schwinn is still in good condition, consider buying it and using it as-is, an start your build from just a frame.

I did a conversion 2 years back and it was sort of like my initiation into this whole bike riding thing... I recommend doing it if you haven't done it already, just to learn the ins and outs of the bike.

its lots of fun to do a conversion but its gonna end up being alot more money than say a kilo TT

What do you mean using it as is and then starting my build from the frame? The only thing is that the wheels are dished so I'd have to get a new wheelset if I'd want to convert it to a singlespeed. And I'm not really a fan of gears so I guess the only thing I'm going to commit to if I do get the Schwinn is to convert it to a single speed.

And yeah I think I'll probably hold off buying extra flashy components for it until i feel like I want to completely rebuild it.

Oh and what's the quality difference from a Prologue and a Kilo TT?

Sorry, I wasn't clear- I was suggesting not disassembling the road bike, and buying a different old frame for the project bike.

Also, I might be having some sort of lapse here, but I don't see a reason to re-dish the wheel- just take the old cassette off, put a singlespeed freewheel on, and modify the cranks as needed. The difference between the Schwinn and a Kilo TT is about $200 :)

You should clarify something, though: do you want a singlespeed (freewheel), or a fixed-gear? Its really not that different, except that the fixed-gear is going to require a new rear wheel.

Edit: Yeah, the price for the original bike is a little high- there are better deals out there. Its not a horrible price either, though. In San Francisco or Boston, that bike would be 200-300, unfortunately.

OP has to get new wheels, repaint and do a whole whack of work on it? And the initial investment is $150? **** that.

Unless that frameset/crank/brakes are in immaculate condition, paying $150 just to get those, beh.

Oh, I'm going to do a singlespeed freewheel and i was thinking of getting a new wheelset anyways because the wheelset on the Prologue is already a little old and is turning a gross dark color haha.

My friend suggested to buy the Prologue and to convert it because the Schwinn was a more top end bike? Not sure if he knows his stuff though. Is the Kilo $200 more than the Schwinn or the other way around?

Funny thing though, I took the bike to a local bike shop because I had no idea of how to take the cassette off and they said its too old and that they didnt have the tools to take it apart... I didnt really like that bike shop anyways but that just added to their fail.

But yeah, I'm thinking of just selling the old wheelset on Craigs or something because I got a friend who can sell me a new wheelset for like 60 which isnt that bad?

Yeah, every bike shop should carry every proprietary freewheel removal tool ever made just to satisfy you LBS bashers on the internet. Good luck with your money wasting venture.

Are you right or left handed?

The easy logical answer is "No!" If your only objective is to acquire a bike to ride there's much cheaper ways to do it.

On the other hand, if everything we did was purely logical there would be no music or art. Who wants to live like that? If part of your objective is to create a thing that matches a picture that is both beautiful and functional and exists only in your mind's eye, the equally easy answer is a resounding "Yes!"

Everybody draws the line between those two extremes differently. I know what I would do but it doesn't matter.

I agree haha, I'm right handed.
And I think you just convinced me :)

My friend told me the most important thing to look for in a conversion is frame quality so it'll last, are Schwinn Prologues of good quality?

I'm lucky to have a decent shop around,but there are quite a few shops out there that are always trying to push new stuff on their customers,instead of actually fixing something.This case sounds just like it.

I have no idea.

My fixed gear conversion started life as an entry level, Raleigh Technium, mountain bike. So much for frame quality.

Deep :)

You don't need every freewheel tool ever made if you're not planning to reuse the freewheel. When that's the case all that you need is a pipe wrench.

What, do you just smash the cogs into the bearings from the outside and bind it up to make it unscrew? Could you make a bench vise work in the same way? I've never not had the tool to take off a freewheel, so I'm just a little curious.

The search function is wonderful
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...Bike-Hierarchy

It's a good frame if it has been kept in good condition.

I restored the Schwinn, I'll post some pictures up later

Turns out the frame is was in real good condition and im happy with it :)
I wanted to keep it as a road bike but the shifting was pretty rusty so i decided to convert it.
Thinking of making it into a fixed gear but not so sure yet

Should i get a track frame to do that? Or will the Schwinn frame be just as good?

Better two bikes than one

With some work you can probably get the Schwinn to shift just fine

Prologues are nice...I'm not sure how I feel about converting one (especially if it has the downtube shifters). If I came across one I probably wouldn't...

The only reason I'm considering converting it is because the parts on it weren't the original Shimano 600 and I don't think I really need a road bike. If not maybe I'll just sell the frame. I've searched around the forums and heard its a pretty good frame too but I didn't find a definitive price on the sole frameset, any opinions?