Hey guys,

I am going to be making a new fixie (I already have one) out of an old frame such as a Peugeot Reynolds 531 (along those lines) and I am going to deck it out with some decently swanky parts. I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction of components that are in a not-too-pricey range and possibly give me a couple of options to weigh up. I'm not too new to fixed gear bikes but I have no clue about components and actually building a bike from scratch.

Thanks!

"Not too pricey range" is not specific

What do you not understand about "decently swanky"?

Paging [MENTION=71040]europa[/MENTION] !

I mean not top of the price range but good and affordable.

lmfaoooo

Look for wheels and a crankset at Harris Cyclery Harris Cyclery: Your Fixed-Gear Bicycle Headquarters! . The Sugino crankset is reasonable and looks good. You might want to look at an ENO rear hub if there are rear dropout issues. Harris made a rear wheel with an ENO hub (adjustable chain length) one of those for me. I don't remember how PX10 rear dropouts were cut but if they are any kind of horizontal or close you're ok. If you want to spend a lot of money look at Campagnolo, White Industries, and Phil Wood. Good luck!

Er, OP lives in Perth, Australia.

Thanks for the advice! I'll look into it.

Actually, Harris Cyclery is a good option for us Australians as they are one of the companies that actually understands the US postal systems and don't charge stupid shipping. I've found them a good option for Sugino cranks too.

Our our mate Scrod at Retrogression is another fixed gear shop that understands international postage and he's more than able to give good advice on how to match budget with aspirations. Hell, you could buy the entire bike from him (in bits or built) and still have a good deal (yes, he has gouged money from me).

Cell Bikes remain a good source - they're an Aussie on-line company so their postage is sensible and sell across the full quality range. Their actual range of bits is a bit limited though and patchy - what's there one month may not be the next.

Hillbrick racing frames in Sydney are another good source. They sell Miche bits and Rosselli cogs, both of which I use and recommend.

The Fixed.Org forums give you this forum with an Aussie slant. We're even happy to be rude to you, just like here and there are state specific forums.

But all that is just 'where' to buy, not 'what' to buy. I know that the 'what' is often affected by the 'where' but the OP could do with some component suggestions. There's not a lot of point him specifying an actual budget because pricing here here is rather different to pricing in the US and anything he buys from the US needs to include postage.

Soooooooo,
Peugeot Reynolds 531 frame.
How about Sugino DR cranks
Novatech or Formula hubs
Brooks saddle of course, and not for street cred, I just think they're the best choice
Rims from the new 23mm wide options such as the Archetype or the A23.

Similar suggestions to those would cover what I think his requirements are (ie, not White Industries which are nice but bloody expensive).

Thanks for the advice! I'll check out those components.
What would you recommend for a headset, chain and bottom bracket or doesn't it matter to much?

Buy the bottom bracket that comes with the crankset.

For the headset, take your frame to your lbs and buy what fits. They all have a stock of the things on hand. My experience has been that they'll press the things in for you while you wait and this saves mucking about getting special tools. I've never had to pay for it either though I've only ever used shops that know me well because of all the other stuff I buy from them.

Chain? I'd normally suggest going to the lbs too, but you might find you can't get anything heavier than the SRAAM PC1. The PC1 is an okay chain but you can get longer lasting chains such as the Miche Pista (from my personal experience, a very good chain) or the KMC K710 (often recommended, I have one but only with a few hundred kms on it) - much heavier duty chains. Your local track shop should be able to help with them though if you're ordering bits from a supplier and they sell chains as well, why not include a chain?

I'm not sure if there are any track specialist stores in Perth but thanks I'll give the local TBE a try, they should have some track parts, shouldn't they?

There will be track specialists. They may not appear so from outside but the track boys need to get their kit from somewhere and some of those competing will be working in the industry. For us, It's Norwood Cycles which, even when you walk in the door, just looks like a small, long established bike shop. It's only when you ask specific questions that you discover the track background. Just to to your local velodrome and ask, or ask in shops, good shops are quite happy to send you to the right place, those that aren't just don't get my money. Similarly, there'll be at least one hipster store there - that's where joining Fixed.Org will help (just ask). A local shop that gets big wraps from the local Adelaide scene looks exactly like a high end roadie shop when you walk in, and they roll their eyes as though you're some interesting sort of creature when you tell them you ride fixed, but ask specific questions and you get good answers. The shops and the local help is there, the trick is finding it. Lots of idiots who don't deserve your money but also shops who do.

I'll get onto Fixed.org and ask there, but if I don't find anything there I'll definitely look around Perth for fixed gear shop. Thanks again, you've been heaps of help!

Hey there again, europa.
I've been looking around on the internets quite a bit and all of the vintage frames that catch my eye (Indi 500's and the like) are extremely crappy and heavy frames.. I was wondering if you new any lightish vintage brands or models that are affordable. I have come across a page that advertises old, very snazzy looking Colnago and Campagnolo frames but they are out of my price range and I think that I would be scared to ride my bike because they are quite rare. I'm looking for frame sets around the $150 mark, I know it's not a lot but I thought I'd give it a try; I can maybe able to bump that up to $200.
Thanks for all your help.

Keep your eye on evilbay, particularly local ads where you can both inspect the bike and don't have to pay postage. When you search eBay, do an advanced search and specify 'available to Australia'. This gives you access to the international sites and some great deals come out of Europe, particularly Eastern Europe.

Get onto your bike recycling places - we've got Bikes for Refugees and Bike Kitchen here. They're both your bike co-op type place where old bikes go to get pulled apart and returned to use and can be a gold mine if you're patient. Good bikes are often found in hard rubbish on the side of the road too.

Gumtree seems to be replacing eBay as the source to go to.

Fixed.Org has a for sale section and a wanted to buy section.

Some of the bigger bike shops sell second hand frames but they can be pretty expensive.

Your local velodrome is probably a good source too seeing you're not chasing gears.

Keep in mind that there are some peculiarities in some French bikes that may require French, or even Swiss, threaded parts.

My favorite ride is my fixed gear 1967 English Carlton touring bike. I would keep my eyes peeled for Reynolds 531 frames from any builder. I search e-bay all the time for "531" under bicycles.

i supposedly have a 531 Raleigh. that i have converted to run fixed on. with a steel 700c fork it weighed around 20lbs (roughly a 58cm). I wouldn't suggest dropping any serious money on components.