Potential frame for a cheap first time fixie
 

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So I'm a bit interested in building a fixed gear, but I'm at n00b level right now, reading sheldon brown over and over, so I'll feel better if I get some feedback on this.

So this guy is selling the frame above, the size is right for me, but is this frame suitable for a fixed gear?

And in general what do you think about it? How much is it worth?

thanks

It has horizontal dropouts, so yeah sure, it'll work, but its a bottechia. I'd enrage if you were to turn that into a F1Xi3333. Convert it back to a geared setup or you better do you conversion damn perfectly.

Could be a nice conversion.

I'd invest money into a track frame with horizontal dropouts. Im not a huge fan of conversions even though I started with one. If you are going to invest more than a couple hundred bucks, I'd spend it on a track frame.

Potentially a frozen stem, ask if he can remove the stem and take a picture. I can see the bike going both ways, restoration and a conversion. I'd with the latter one, and if you are serious about biking, then restore it when you feel like you want to.

Conversions were/are popular because they made the best use of what was around. Left-over parts, if you will. Sort of like taking the turkey from Thanksgiving and making turkey sandwiches for a few days, then turkey soup after that.

Starting a project from scratch to make a conversion is like going to the grocery store and shopping for leftovers when the main ingredients are just as cheap.

Unless you are really keen on using that bike as the basis of your project, I'd suggest starting with a proper fixed gear or track frame as the foundation of your project. The bottom bracket shell looks rusty, anyway.

There are enough cheap COMPLETE fixed gear bikes around that you won't need to start building from leftovers. $300 shipped and you can be rolling 1 hour after the UPS truck leaves your house. Using my turkey analogy, this would be a can of Campbell's Turkey Soup. Not amazing, but cheap, fast, and easy.

I see where you're coming from. But in a lot of cases conversion frames offer more practical rides for street use. They often have more comfortable geometry, have water bottle cages, and can be had for cheaper than a track frame of the same quality. I just don't understand the hype of "track geometry" for bikes that will never touch a velodrome.

That's a pretty nice looking frame once you remove that "heavy metal" sticker; I bet very few people ride that...

Hell yeah. Tarck that 'ish.

So from what I gather it's worth the 30 bucks it's being offered for :D, only to check about the frozen stem issue and the rusty bottom bracket (as vixtor and carleton pointed out).

I'm not from the States, where I'm from you can't get a fixed gear nowhere, there's simply no fixed gear culture, nobody rides them, nobody sells them, and shipping anything larger then a hub would be expensive I imagine. And I'll hunt for flip flop hubs and sprockets and stuff on ebay or something, while cranks, bars, pedals etc. I can find here.

May I ask where you are from?

Serbia. Ok for other cycling related stuff but no market for fixed gears/single speeds that I'm aware of.

Rusty bottom bracket, is it a deal breaker or can it be dealt with?

Rust should come off with some sort of penetrating oil but if the threads are damage, you might not want to deal with it. It really depends on the condition of the threads.

That would make a fine fixed gear bike.

You can soak the bottom bracket in a solution of oxalic acid in water to remove the rust and it won't harm the paint. If the stem is stuck, a long pipe on the end of your wrench, another pipe onto the end of the stem, and a couple of friends to hold the frame while you give the wrench a good pull or push should do the trick. It helps to use penetrating oil a day or so before. Pour an ammonia solution into the downtube from the bottom bracket and rotate the frame so the solution can contact the stem from the inside of the frame. That will dissolve some of the aluminum and corrosion that is keeping the stem stuck.

Even if the stem isn't stuck, you should remove it and replace the bearings in the headset and apply fresh grease.

A bike shop will have a tap that will match the bottom bracket threads and they can use that to "chase" them. Cleans them up so the bottom bracket cartridge will fit nicely.

Please post pictures of the bike when you finish it.

$30?! Yeah, do it.

I have no idea how well they work, but if the threads are damaged you could try one of the many press-fit bottom brackets.


As for your question about that frame:

I don't think there is a person on this forum who wouldn't buy that frame for $30.

I want to move to Serbia now. Such a beautiful frame for $30?!

Yea, I don't see a problem with building a bike from scratch if the frame set is available.

Plus I still am of the opinion that conversion make unique bikes. I don't think there is another bike on the planet like my 1970's olive green soma Fixed gear with a soma fab wheelset, and burlap coffee bag TT protector.

But there are plenty of Mercier Kilo TT's and Schwinn Madison's of the world.

I say go for it. It's a labor of love!

I guess there's zero demand for old vintage steel frames so people sell them just to get rid of them...to make space in the basement or whatever. Either that or it's in really crap condition somehow (it's in another city so I can't go there and inspect it before I buy it).

DO WANT 30$ FRAMES! haha

One other thing:

Are you sure the size of this bike is appropriate for you? Nice bikes are like nice pairs of shoes in that if it doesn't matter how great and cheap they are. If they don't fit, you won't wear them.


I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer here. Just trying to be reasonable. Building a fixed gear from scratch requires lots of time, patience, some experience, and money. This will be tough if you don't have friends with experience, "fixie" boutiques, or co-ops to help you. If shipping is expensive, it will be even more expensive to ship parts a-la-carte.

Being that you are inexperienced and aren't dead-set on using this frame, I suggest you buy a complete fixed gear from a reputable online company or have a local bike shop import one from a line they carry being that all of the major bike manufacturers put a fixed gear in their lineups.

Here I go again with the analogies...

If you want a good, solid car don't go down the path of restoring and creating a hotrod from some old car as a foundation. Yes, it will be very fulfilling...*if* that's what you are looking for. If you are just looking to ride, it's just gonna seem like a big old headache.

Hot Frame,

if you've got 30 bucks to blow do it. Make the frame look clean and if you can't get it running as a bike again hang it on your wall for MAD STREET KREDZ and when people ask you say "Yeah I rode it for a few years but its too beautiful not to hang on my wall, you know?" and when you saw that all your friends will be like "HEZ GOT THAT KREDS I TOLD U ABOUT GAIZ"

But seriously, 30 bucks for a nice frame is worth just taking a chance. Check what they said above about dealing with the possible malfunctions. I'm guessing Bikes direct is going to be a much more expensive option given he is not in the US + I'm always one for a DIY unique build.

If you don't have the 30 bucks to blow senselessly i'd say go with a safer option.

But remember, Street Cred is like 95% of biking.

If the frame is too big, just buy it and hang it on your wall. Damn, its so beautiful.

I appreciate your sound advice, but my situation is specific, because I have some family that often travels to Washington or Seattle work related, so I could get smaller parts from hubs to sprockets to bottom brackets, maybe one at a time, but with no shipping costs.

And I'm not looking for a super smooth ride, and I'm not in a hurry, I view this as a side project, not knowing exactly where it will take me, I just have a curiosity about fixed gear, I have my main regular hard tail I ride all the time, it's just I was never into the mechanics that much...

Oh my god! It's bbattle, haven't seen him for a while. Hello bbattle.