Murdo11

Hello, first time poster looking to get into fixed gears for between 300-500 dollars and am weighing a variety of choices, I'm having trouble deciding so am asking for some input.
Option A: Convert my 70s Schwinn Varsity, would buy/build 700c wheels, probably weinmann dp18s with formulas or vuelta pistas and a new crank/pedals. love the huge frame but hate that frame alone is ~30 pounds...
Option B: Buy a new fixed gear, either a Kilo, an IRO (likely a WTF which might be fun), a Gavin Solo or FISSO(bikes look great, decent components/specs but questionable due to lack of reviews), a Schwinn Intersection + fixed parts or Schwinn Cutter.

Some extra info: Im 6'2" and the Varsity fits me quite well, and its in perfect condition (i got it 2 months ago and have barely ridden it due to cold weather,and it actually had the original, very dry, tires on it from the 70s with the tire hairs still intact!) so am unsure whether I want to modify it, love it as a collectible.

Any input or new and better options would be much appreciated!

sharpsandflatts

umm option b. varsities are terrible conversion candidates

scionsound5

My first answer is craigslist. If you live close or within driving distance to a metro center you are almost guaranteed to find someone's old project for between 200-300 and you might find some nice, used stuff for 300-400. I found from personal experience that building a bike up from new parts ALWAYS exceeds your budget. But if you're in good luck with ebay or craigslist and don't mind used parts then i think you can make a pretty nice bike up for your budget. Patience is key. When you start rushing through looking at shiny new parts, thats when you break the budget. good luck and hope you get out riding real soon.

Murdo11

Hmm thanks for the input guys, I'm leaning towards buying a new fixed, but some follow up questions if anyone can answer:
Why are Varsities such bad conversion projects? I've seen quite a few fixed varsity conversions on the web and one on the street. I also have a 1984-85 Univega Viva Sport, would this be a better conversion?
-and-
If i choose to buy a new fixed gear, any suggestions? I like the Kilo and Gavin Solo/FISSO, but am somewhat skeptical about Gavins. I cannot find any real opinions about them or the tec9 cranks/hubs that they use. I have heard some bad things about the BB used on The Hour, and plan on riding this bike pretty hard, and would prefer not to have to buy a new BB in the immediate future. Thus far a Kilo or Moto Messengar are looking pretty appealng in this price range without taking chances...

Ken Cox

I've not ridden an IRO, but parts and prices look right.

powers2b

You have $500 and you want to convert a varsity???
Really? Do you have bling rims on your Yugo to match?
FYI Varsity's are about as collectible as cinder blocks and weigh about as much.

Enjoy

Murdo11

haha not collectible in any economic sense. more just for fun and the vintage look. i've got a few bikes and enjoy keeping this one around as its just such a picture-perfect blast from the past, if somewhat useless for speed or resale value. THe IROs look quite nice, and I hear nothing but rave reviews about Tony. The Kilo TT pro looks like a pretty good value(real nice wheelset) for a starter fixed gear as well, but I would love to find any input about Gavins, if the Gavin turned out to be a decent bike it would save me close to 200 dollars...
also, converting the varsity would cost me far less than 500, always a plus.

powers2b

peugotpigeon says, "Unfortunately, prohibitively expensive bicycles don't just come up to you and place themselves between your legs like friendly dogs or people with low self-esteem. You've got to purchase them with money--like pedigree dogs or people with low self-esteem who have turned to prostitution"

Enjoy

lostarchitect 

I had an Iro, had to sell it when I got broke but it is a solid bike. Formula hubs. Mine had Mavic cxp22 rims which rode and looked great.

ismellfish2

A varsity is a crude and very heavy frame, with old, heavy parts. They're indestructible, but that's almost a bad thing given how heavy they are.

Your Univega is a better candidate potentially- look at the connection to the dropouts and the detail to the lugwork and see whether it looks like the maker gave a ****. Hoist it and see whether there's any chance the tubing used was something decent (stronger tubing can be drawn thinner, resulting in a lighter bike).

You sound like you want to buy a premade fixed. Have at it. If I were you I'd convert. There's no practical reason you need rearward-facing fork ends, and you can find a nice old steel frame for less money than a new one, then build it just like you want it by patiently sniping eBay ads and lurking on craigslist. It's more fun.