Dj Hunny

So, I currently have a Fuji Newest 2.0 and that's my current rider for when I do all of my bike tours.

My buddy bought a small road bike frame for his g/f but they broke up, now his loss is my gain

He gave it to me and it's a Nishiki frame, pretty much needs a lot of work. I've never done much to my bike besides changed the pedal and tires so I'm asking you pros here what I should start doing first.

My intention is to turn her into a single speed for fixie for cruising around town and it would be a great workout for me to train with in between the bike tours that I do.

I will take a couple snap shots of her soon and show you what she currently looks like.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been reading online about the differences between single speed and fixed gear bike and i'm still unsure of which route to take. I would love to try a fixie out since ppl keep mentioning that its sooo addicting, but a bit scared that i'll constantly have to pedal, especially down hill.

But as for restoring the bike, i have no clue where to start . I definitely need new everything...but I don't know where to begin or how to find out if I'm buying the right parts for what i'm going for..

Thanks again.

dsh

What condition is the bike in now? Is it just the frame, or is it rideable with gears and such?

renton20

even with a free frame if you have never worked on bikes before it will likely end up costing you more than buying a new SSFG bike would. Not saying don't do it because working on bikes is a ton of fun, but go into it eyes open

FastJake

Be more specific about the condition or amount of parts the bike has. "Needs new everything" doesn't help much. Or post a pic if you can.

Like renton20 said, it's easy to get carried away and spend way more than you would on a new bike, especially if you just have a bare frame.

seau grateau

Sell it for CASH!

xavier853

and then sell the cash for a bike!!!!!!!!!!

pjb

+1

Bat56

There is no such thing as a free bike.

dbwoi

Go to a bike co-op and try and build it with used parts.

Dj Hunny

It needs, new wheels, tires, seat, probably new chain and handle-bar tape.

It currently has gears, chain, brakes but since the tires/tubes are bad I haven't had a chance to ride it to see how it feels.

And I don't mind putting used parts on the bike, it's solely just a fun loving bike so I don't want to put too much money into it. Just enough to get her up and riding and from there I can slowly build. I would prefer to build myself just for the fun and experience.

But I will definitely consider buying another "new/newer" bike if it will end up costing me an arm and a leg.

ichitz

fixed
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

singlespeed
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

decide
and then conversion
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html

Dj Hunny

Oh and I was going to buy the tires and tubes for the bike, but can't find the info on size for it on the tire anywhere..any help on where I could look on the wheel to find that info?

Thank you.

Dj Hunny

I actually already did go to that website and it was great info, but I still haven't decided. Probably because I would like to ride both first to know for myself, but since none of my friends ride I'm still waiting on that.

mburgess86

If you are looking to train with it go with fixed. I ride both freewheel and fixed and fixed is the one that with make you a strong rider if you dont over do it. If you put new wheels on it get a flip flop hub and have the best of both worlds!

BurntPocketHole

what ever you do, just be sure to remove the brakes.

FastJake

The wheels are that wrecked, huh? That's too bad. A new wheelset is probably gonna be at least $100. Tires and tubes, another $30-40. Saddle: $20-30. Chain and bar tape: $25. I probably forgot some stuff.

These are just rough estimates. If you get used stuff it might be cheaper, and of course you can spend a lot more too. I figure about $200 to get it running again if you use all new parts. If you want to go FG/SS there aren't that many used flip flop wheelsets on craigslist compared to geared stuff, which is another problem if you're doing this on a budget. The wheelset will definitely be the biggest cost item here.

Dj Hunny

Thanks FastJake...

The wheels actually aren't too bad. And I can still ride with them, but I don't know what size they are?

And yes, I might go with the flip-flop hub in order to have the best of both worlds.

FastJake

I was going to suggest that you measure them, but the difference between 700c rims and 27 inchers is so small you'd need to be really accurate. Here's what I'd do: take the front wheel off. Remove the old tire and tube. Take in into a bike shop and have them fit a tire on (without a tube) just to see which size it is. With a tire of known size it'll be pretty obvious.

Before I did this, I'd search each tire and look for markings. I know you said you couldn't find any, but they might still be on there somewhere.

Dj Hunny

Great idea! Thanks so much, now I guess that will be my first step. Replace the tires and tube and see what needs to be replaced from there!! Thanks so much, will definitely snap some pics today once I get home from work!

Thanks again!

Henry III

Even with just a frame you could still have a good use able single speed for under 100. If the rear wheel uses a freewheel style hub instead of a freehub. You could just unthread the gears and thread on a BMX style freewheel. You might have to get the wheel redish in order for the chainline to be correct but I've never really had any problems just leaving it. I picked up a older Bottecchia mixte bike that was pretty beat looking but with some elbow grease and a few bucks(under 100). I built my wife a nice classic single speed. The wheels looked like a lost cause but WD40 and steel wool and an hour of time. They now look amazing. The only thing I had to pay for was a freewheel($10), chain($10),cork grips($10),new shimano bb($25),Sugino cranks($10), brake cable/housing($3), MKS pedals($25). I just cleaned up and reused alot of stuff since it was all still good working stuff. It's amazing how a bottle of degreaser and some rags and steel wool can make the most haggered looking bike look new. I still have to pick up some new tires as the tubes are still good. So that should set me back between $10-20 and push me right over the $100 mark. All in all I paid $50 for the bike and $93 for the parts for a great riding classic Italian custom single speed. Some things like the crank/bb and pedals I could of left but I hate cottered cranks with passion. All the parts were brand new except for the cranks as I wanted something older to not look so out of place. I can imagine keeping a bike original may run you up to 200 if it's a geared bike. Though I've built plenty of bikes for right around this price that I would take on my 20 mile commute to work and not worry about it falling apart a month or two down the road.
It just comes down to having a ride able bike and reusing the origin parts and saving cash or picking up different or new parts to build to your style. You could also pick up another bike to use just the parts to save from buying all new parts. I do alot of online buying for parts but actually everything was my LBS. You could also ask around at different shop if they have used parts as it might save you alot of cash. Just my .02