First Fixed Gear Build
 

I am new to this site and also new to making a fixed gear bike or a bike from just the frame...I just bought a 58cm Road Bike frame for $30 off some kid. He said it was made in France and it also has the serial number still on it. I will be sand blasting it tmrw to see what the serial number is so i can look it up. My only problem is i am not sure what i need in order so i can ride it. I have the frame, fork and the piece where the handlebars go. Any info would help me.http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=234092

It's gonna be expensive. Unless you have a lot of free time, a line on some severely discounted parts, or a frame that is some awesome tubing and you want to build into your dream bike you're better off buying something off the shelf for $280-$350.

An unknown french frame with just the fork, headset and stem?

PASS

ETA:

Here's what you'd need, at a minimum, to be on your way to the coffeeshop.

• Handlebars
• Wheelset
• Cog
• Lockring
• Tires
• Tubes
• Rim Tape
• Seat post
• Saddle
• Crankset
• Bottom Bracket
• Chain
• Pedals
• Foot Retention
• Optional but recommended: Front Brake, Lever, Cable, Housing

I hope you have tools or a Co-Op nearby. Does it have French threading?

Ok so i just saw that a fixed speed bike you cant coast on it. I dont want the rear tire to brake on me when i stop peddling...what do i look for so that it wont stop on me if i stop pedaling or is it not a big deal? Im just worried about hills but yet I dont really have any hills where imma ride.

Pardon?

Go fixed. It's fun. Seriously.

Don't worry about hills, dude. You will get stronger mashing up them and no one has died (to my knowledge) dismounting and walking the thing to the top. Personally, I feel like each sizable hill that I get over is a little personal achievement. It's also loads of fun going down the hill when you get to the top.

I say the cheapest option is to buy complete. I've never done a build from the ground up though, and I could see how that would be more rewarding.

riding a fixed gear is the worst ever... EVAR!

If you want to coast, you need a single speed rather than a fixed gear. As others have said, a complete build from just the frame can be really expensive. One possible solution would be to find an inexpensive, used "donor" bike that would have many or most of the components you need and then transfer them to your frame. If you want tips on building a single speed or fixed gear without breaking the bank, check out this website: http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html. And this one: http://sheldonbrown.com/deakins/how-...onversion.html.

Dieboldly, read this: http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html

and this: http://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

Very important to read this: Fixed Gear Singlespeed Newbies Start Here!!

And also: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...imer-for-Newbs


That frame of yours looks like a Gitane Tour de Luxe, a 70's Boom Bike, and probably has a French bottom bracket. French bottom brackets are hard to find but here's one place that sells new ones: http://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...y-cups-26.html


My strong advice is to check out the information in the links I posted above and then buy a fully built bike. There's a website called BikesDirect that has a lot of bikes priced cheaper than you would end up spending fixing up that old frame. Here is a very popular choice: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...essenger_x.htm


It is a lot of fun to build up a bike but it is not cheaper.

too true...

nice part about buying a complete bike, is that you still have the opportunity to take it apart, experiment, fix it, etc. and KNOW that at least at one point in time it all went together. learning that bike parts are largely incompatible can be expensive and frustrating :bang:. best to be taken in small quantities.

If you know where to look, you could build it up for next to nothing... Gotta keep your eyes open and always look for deals.

It seemed like you new what my frame was...i have the serial number and was wondering if you know how to figure out what it is...the serial number is just like this.... 69756
LR

If i did my research right it is a 1979 frame that is 57.5cm but other than that i am not sure.

This is actually a question for the Classic and Vintage forum.

what would be the size for the crankset?

Take more and better pictures of the frame and post them in the Classic and Vintage forum. Do not use a cellphone camera.

The fork looks to be a Pyramid replacement.

I would save the frame until you can scavenge parts for nothing to build this up. If you are really set on sinking a lot of money into a crappy frame, then read the links posted earlier and good luck.