Putting together/buying a single-speed? - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

09-30-2003, 08:43 AM

I was talking to a guy at my LBS the other day and we were talking about the
state of water-deflection on my bike. The state is not good. It's a road
bike that would require major hacking to get some fenders on it and I
survived last winter in Oregon fine, but have been thinking about getting a
second bike, a winter bike that is easier to clean, maintain, etc. With that
in mind, I've spied some single speeds I've seen here and there and I was
wondering how people get these. Are there places where you can just buy them
straight-up? Or do most people buy old bikes and convert them? We also began
talking about disc brakes (so as not to sand down the rim quickly as often
happens here in Portland, Oregon), but that's another discussion. Either
way, I've been thinking about getting one of these for a while (freewheel,
not fixed) and I'm wondering where you get them.

Preston

09-30-2003, 10:34 AM

Another option would be e-bay. At the moment there
are several fixies out there, less than $200, and expiring
today. Try this search:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

09-30-2003, 02:44 PM

"Preston Crawford" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> I've spied some single speeds I've seen here and there and
> I was wondering how people get these. Are there places where
> you can just buy them straight-up?

Many people convert an old bike, but frames (and complete bikes) designed
for the purpose are sold by a number of companies. Even the major
manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon, e.g. Kona with their 'Unit',
and Cannondale with the '1FG'.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

These singlespeed mountain bikes are geared too low for general use on the
road - typically 52-54", compared with a typical 70" gear for road riding -
but it's not hard to modify the gear to your needs.

Surly sell a number of frames designed for single-speeding.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

> Or do most people buy old bikes and convert them?

That's probably the most common approach.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] has a lot of information and
some useful links.

A hub gear would be another option for a weatherproof commuting bike.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

James Thomson

10-01-2003, 03:51 AM

"Preston Crawford" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:blcbso$ah29c$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].uni-berlin.de...
> I was talking to a guy at my LBS the other day and we were talking about the
> state of water-deflection on my bike. The state is not good. It's a road
> bike that would require major hacking to get some fenders on it and I
> survived last winter in Oregon fine, but have been thinking about getting a
> second bike, a winter bike that is easier to clean, maintain, etc. With that
> in mind, I've spied some single speeds I've seen here and there and I was
> wondering how people get these. Are there places where you can just buy them
> straight-up? Or do most people buy old bikes and convert them? We also began
> talking about disc brakes (so as not to sand down the rim quickly as often
> happens here in Portland, Oregon), but that's another discussion. Either
> way, I've been thinking about getting one of these for a while (freewheel,
> not fixed) and I'm wondering where you get them.

Building up bikes is not usually a cost-effective way to go. Margins on
complete bikes are much lower than components, and then there are substantial
labor costs. Even if you do all the work yourself, and scrounge bargain bins,
it's hard to beat the price of a complete bike.

"Utility/City" bikes seem to be a growing category. Fenders, generators,
racks, etc. are easy enough to add, if you have the right starting bike, but
some may prefer the whole thing prefabricated (like Breezer or Electra). I
dunno about disks just to save rime wear in the rain, if you haven't already,
try KoolStop salmon-colored pads -- very effective at reducing wet grit rim
grinding.

10-01-2003, 09:07 AM

I've just got into SS by converting an old MTB - using sheldon browns
guide.

I tried my local hills on a geared bike to get the max ratio, allowing
me to get up the toughest hills without having to walk (but can't
pedal sitting down) and used this as a starting point for my gearing.

I ended up with a 42/17 and a 26inch wheel = 64"
Ok for spinning around 16 mph on the flats and getting up a local 16%
hill. Not the best of both worlds, always a compromise.

The weight saving by removing cassette, rings, mechs, shifters etc..
helps with the hills and overall, i'm enjoying the new experience. I'd
recommend it to anyone.

C

On Wed, 1 Oct 2003 00:44:32 +0200, "James Thomson"
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>"Preston Crawford" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
>> I've spied some single speeds I've seen here and there and
>> I was wondering how people get these. Are there places where
>> you can just buy them straight-up?
>
>Many people convert an old bike, but frames (and complete bikes) designed
>for the purpose are sold by a number of companies. Even the major
>manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon, e.g. Kona with their 'Unit',
>and Cannondale with the '1FG'.
>
>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>These singlespeed mountain bikes are geared too low for general use on the
>road - typically 52-54", compared with a typical 70" gear for road riding -
>but it's not hard to modify the gear to your needs.
>
>Surly sell a number of frames designed for single-speeding.
>
>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>> Or do most people buy old bikes and convert them?
>
>That's probably the most common approach.
>
>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] has a lot of information and
>some useful links.
>
>A hub gear would be another option for a weatherproof commuting bike.
>
>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>James Thomson
>
>

10-01-2003, 05:15 PM

I know nothing about the following bike except what I've read, but it
looks interesting. It's got a flip hub so you can pick genuine fixed
gear or single speed freewheel.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

"Preston Crawford" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:<blcbso$ah29c$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].uni-berlin.de>...
> I was talking to a guy at my LBS the other day and we were talking about the
> state of water-deflection on my bike. The state is not good. It's a road
> bike that would require major hacking to get some fenders on it and I
> survived last winter in Oregon fine, but have been thinking about getting a
> second bike, a winter bike that is easier to clean, maintain, etc. With that
> in mind, I've spied some single speeds I've seen here and there and I was
> wondering how people get these. Are there places where you can just buy them
> straight-up? Or do most people buy old bikes and convert them? We also began
> talking about disc brakes (so as not to sand down the rim quickly as often
> happens here in Portland, Oregon), but that's another discussion. Either
> way, I've been thinking about getting one of these for a while (freewheel,
> not fixed) and I'm wondering where you get them.
>
> Preston

10-01-2003, 05:37 PM

On Wed, 01 Oct 2003 11:51:00 +0000, Peter Cole wrote:

> Building up bikes is not usually a cost-effective way to go. Margins on
> complete bikes are much lower than components, and then there are
> substantial labor costs. Even if you do all the work yourself, and
> scrounge bargain bins, it's hard to beat the price of a complete bike.

Well, that depends. If you have a collection of parts, then the margin is
often the other way. Another way to really lower the costs is to go to a
swap meet and get what you can get cheap there.

BTW, the Trexlertown swap meet is this Saturday, beginning at 9:00. Great
selection, lots of stuff.

>
> "Utility/City" bikes seem to be a growing category.

This is a category that you can usually construct for very little money
with swap-meet and parts-bin stuff.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Arguing with an engineer is like mud wrestling with a pig... You
_`\(,_ | soon find out the pig likes it!
(_)/ (_) |

10-01-2003, 09:16 PM

Tue, 30 Sep 2003 09:43:14 -0700,
<blcbso$ah29c$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].uni-berlin.de>, "Preston Crawford"
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>I've been thinking about getting one of these for a while (freewheel,
>not fixed) and I'm wondering where you get them.
>
>Preston

Some companies make trendy expensive SS bikes: Kona, Surly, Spot, etc.

Cruiser replicas are often single speed. Cruisers can often have an
interesting social scene around them.

Most people seem to bash them together out of old road or mountain
bikes. You need horizontal drop-outs unless you want to run a chain
tensioner. But, they're as ugly as derailleurs.

Except for the freebie coaster brake bike, (with $15 in parts) that
goes a mile and back to the store, I don't get enough use from my
other SS bikes to warrant spending much money on any one of them.
(~$150 - $250 @)

They're fun toys but don't go nuts until after you see how often you
ride it.

For a more sensible bike in Portland, but maintaining the simple
aesthetic of a SS bike, I'd look at internally geared hubs.
--
zk