Should I buy this?
 

Okay...I'm a roadie, but new to the fixed gear/single speed world. My local bike shop has a used Surly Steamroller for $300. It comes with a flip-flop hub which I will have them put a free wheel on the other side, and a front brake. I think everything else is stock. The bike looks to be in great shape. I guess the guy bought it, rode it a few times and then stored it. Is this a good deal, and is there anything I should be looking for that a road cyclist wouldn't know to look for?

Well it's hard to say what "stock" is since the Steamroller is only a frameset but at $300 it sounds like a pretty good deal as long as it's not built up with cardboard. The only thing that you might want to eyeball is to make sure that the threads on the unused side of the hub are in good shape and that the chainline is nice and straight. I suspect they're probably both fine.

Otherwise it's the same stuff as any other road ride, just less.

is it $300 for the whole bike?

Yeah, it's $300 for the whole bike. The shop sells consignment, and I think the guy just wants to get rid of it. It seems like a pretty good find, I'm just not familiar with fixed gear brands and quality. If it was a straight-up road bike, I'd have no problem, but like I said I'm not real sure when it comes to fixies. I'll stop by today and get some more info and take it for a test ride.

Just buy it already! That is a great deal- provided the frame isn't broken.

Since it is fixed, you can consider reliability a bit more than weight (sort of opposite how road bike culture operates).

I'd take a look at the wheels. There are some crappy rear hubs floating around. $300 for a rideable bike is a good deal. It can easily cost that much to build up a fixed conversion if you want semi-decent parts.

Okay, I just bought it.

I'm happy.

congrats, now just wait calmly for the craziness to set in.
it won't hurt very much.

Congrats. I see the frame/fork listed as $389us retail. The rest is gravy.

Pictures?

I cleaned her today. Damn she shined up nice. I'm going to re-wrap the bars tomorrow and then I'll post some pics.

Okay, here are some pics. If anyone is interested I'll list components later.

My $300 Steamroller Fixie:

You got that for $300?!

I, for one, am kinda pissed off.



;)

You got a sickly sweet deal. I really would like to know the parts on that bike. What kind of cranks are those? They look really nice, kind of campagnolo style

Okay, here are components...remember though...this was only a $300 dollar bike, so don't jump on me about crap components. :)

Front Hub - Shimano (not sure what type, look like ultegra)
Rear Hub - Suzue Flip-Flop with a 16 cog on one side, nothing on the other (yet)
Rims - Sun Rims M13 II's
Cranks - Sugino "Aero Maxy" 170's
Chain Ring - Sugino 42
Brake - Tektro POS (my first upgrad with be this little bastard)
Stem & Bars - ITM
Headset - Aheadset

Wow! Thats a nice ride, especially for the price. Don't park it in my neighborhood though...I'll steal it.

$300!!! The frame and cranks alone could be worth that much!
Jealous indeed! :D

Thats a very solid set of components there. If I were you I would either upgrade the brake a little if you want to go the brake route, or get rid of the brake and invest in a better rear hub for brakeless stopping. Other than that I don't see much that would benefit all that much from upgrading... maybe the pedals, but those ones do the job just fine anyways.

I am alternately happy for you/sad for me. I always check the consignments at the local LBSs, I've found great deals in the past. Congratulations!

Sweet indeed. Your Tektro brake may just need cleaning and adjusting. Most of the
Tektro's I've dealt with are decent. I'd get rid of some spacers in the stem area though.

The biggest problem I have with the Tektro is centering it. I need a brake tool to get it centered properly, which I don't have. I've also heard bad things about them, but depending on how well I pick up riding a fixie, I might just do away with a brake eventually. I do planning on removing some of the spacers as well, but I'll probably wait until I'm a little more comfortable on the bike before I get into a more aggressive position on it.

i love the freewheel installed at LBS ..downgraded to a (no freewheel yet) to a mention of removing the brakes alltogether.. believe me.. skip any thought of a free wheel on that thing.. you'll use it never... you got a fixie.. i feel bad for your road bike....