Building a SS on a budget, advice please

gb155

After helping out a good friend with my Pug SS I lusted after another SS myself....


I now have a

Frame

Fork

Seat Post


Saddle

Cables

Brakes

So I need


Wheels


Chain


BB and Crank


Rear Sproket


Brake levers


Whats the CHEAPEST options in these areas peeps ?


Gaz

The Rookie

classifieds and ebay!

Cheapest SS gearing is to get a spacer kit and use a gear from a SRAM cassette until you can afford the SS specific expensive stuff 9or decide you want modern tech back!)

Simon

EKE_38BPM

If you had asked me yesterday, I would have recommended SJS cycles for the BB, but I checked a wobbly BB out and mine has cracked after about 500 miles! I also got my crankset there and it works but seems a bit cheap and flexy.

Condor for the sprocket. Don't know if they do mail order.

I got my wheels (fixed, not ss) built by Varno. He is on here, but I contacted him through LFGSS.com. They hub is fixed/free and comes with a sprocket and lock nut. You'd need to buy a freewheel or MTFU and ride fixed. I really recommend them.

The cheapest way to get SS wheels is to take the cassette off of a geared wheel and replace it with a sprocket and spacers. Try velosolo.com for what you need there.

If I were you, I'd check the classifieds/gumtree/ebay for cheap bikes to cannibalise or LFGSS.com for more specialised advice.

I built my fixie on a tight budget and I have to say, buy cheap, buy twice. You get what you pay for.

chrishd883

Your wheel options depend upon your frame.
Is it alu or steel? And what's the rear wheel spacing - 120mm 0r 130mm?

If steel you could squeeze a normal road hub in (130mm) no matter what the spacing is .
And fit a sprocket & spacer conversion set, as menitioned above

But if it's an alu frame you should really get the correct widht hub.

Not necessarily the cheapest but check out "Charlie the Bike Mknkey" website for tips and options on fixed / Ss conversions, etc

+1 for eBay on cheap cranks, wheels, etc

But it all depends upon what route you take - what chain size etc.

chrishd883

I bought and broke up a single speed bike a while back.
Got the spacers and SS sprocket (3/32") sat in the shed somewhere.
Can't remember the number of teeth.

If you decide to go down the cassette hub, 3/32" chain route PM me and I can let you know the number of teeth. No idea of price but can't believe it would be expensive!?!?!

Good luck with the build.

Blue Meanie

Rebuild rear wheel with a screw on hub, re-space axle and re-dish rim to centre, then fit cheap SS freewheel or even a fixed cog? Fixed cog means no need for rear brake and therefore more cheapness.
Does the frame have horizontal dropouts? Or where you hoping to use a tensioner? I guess an eccentric hub/BB is out of the budget.

mrushton

Have a look at

www.velosolo.co.uk

www.hubjub.co.uk

www.lfgss.co.uk

charlie the bikemonger

www.onone.co.uk

redvee

Blue Meanie wrote:

Rebuild rear wheel with a screw on hub, re-space axle and re-dish rim to centre, then fit cheap SS freewheel or even a fixed cog?

Done that myself though I started from scratch with an old screw-on hub, scrounged the spokes after finding an old Mavic Open4Cd rim, £20 for the wheel including have the LBS tension & true the wheel.

The url for the bikeshop by the sea.
http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/

itboffin

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I got my wheels (fixed, not ss) built by Varno. SHE is on here, but I contacted her through LFGSS.com. They hub is fixed/free and comes with a sprocket and lock nut. You'd need to buy a freewheel or MTFU and ride fixed. I really recommend them.

FTFY

http://www.jessvarnish.com/

AyrshireBacon

I have heard good things about the wheels from Varno. Also, I think there might be a set of track wheels in the Planet X sale for either £99 or £129 at the moment.

I have a set of brake levers you could have for the price of the P&P (should be £2-£3). Originally came from Charlie The BikeMonger, but only used for a couple of months until I switched to bullhorns. If you drop me a PM I'll get some photos done for you to decide.

The Rookie

I have a 103mm square taper BB that is designed for SS going spare - Tanga, did about 400 miles, still sweet as....

Simon

ketsbaia

I've got a SS rear wheel you could have for a score if you like. Will ping you a photo later if you're interested. Old Dura Ace hub laced to a Mavic rim (not sure of the model).

Mark Elvin

itboffin wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I got my wheels (fixed, not ss) built by Varno. SHE is on here, but I contacted her through LFGSS.com. They hub is fixed/free and comes with a sprocket and lock nut. You'd need to buy a freewheel or MTFU and ride fixed. I really recommend them.

FTFY

http://www.jessvarnish.com/

Dumbass , Jess & James are two different people, he is her dad. www.v-sprint.com

lardboy

Mark Elvin wrote:

itboffin wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I got my wheels (fixed, not ss) built by Varno. SHE is on here, but I contacted her through LFGSS.com. They hub is fixed/free and comes with a sprocket and lock nut. You'd need to buy a freewheel or MTFU and ride fixed. I really recommend them.

FTFY

http://www.jessvarnish.com/

Dumbass , Jess & James are two different people, he is her dad. www.v-sprint.com

Horrible website she's got. It looks like it's from 1997, and half the content is linked wrong.

edhornby

planetx have inexpensive stronglight cranks that are square taper fit, I have one on my commuter and it's great especially when you consider the price

get a shimano deore or similar square taper bb from CRC (depending on what axle length you need to get the chainline right)

the above is based on the assumption that you are talking road bike

edhornby

oh yeah, your list is missing the following stuff

bars
stem
tyres and tubes

EKE_38BPM

edhornby wrote:

oh yeah, your list is missing the following stuff

bars
stem
tyres and tubes

Ed, you may be right about the bars and stem, but Gaz has no need for tyres and tubes. He is now so light that he floats just above the road surface.

edhornby

EKE - would that just be one immense bunny hop ? :-)

oh yeah, planet x do chains for a fiver - if you buy seperate you are charged postage but if you get other stuff from them, chuck one in the basket at the same time

CRC do inexpensive chains also

KMC win every time

snooks

I had the cunning plan of building a SS on a budget, it started off well, I got a pair of practically new wheels from EBay for £90 inc p&p

Then I was looking for old frames, first problem is finding the right size, second was getting the right price, in the end I got a frame for £60 Inc delivery, nearly new condition, right dropouts, then I got a nice black cinelli stem and I was going to cannibalising my mtb commuter and using the bits off that to save money to get it on the road and upgrade slowly.

To cut a long, arduous, and quite expensive story short, the only things interchangeable were the bars, grips, and the saddle :roll:

Anyway here's how it looked mid build


It's now finished, and looks brand new, mostly cos all the stuff on it was new except for the bars, grips the stem and the saddle!!!

BB chain reactions £12/£15 once I knew the chain line for the crank.
Levers, depends on the style mine were avid £11 from wiggle
Crank I splashed the cash at velosolo, and got the right sized chain £12 for the crank
stem £20 on eBay, I wanted black
Tubes and tyres, same as my road bike, so all interchangeable

Sewinman

Anyone know a decent book or article on how to do this from scratch? It would need to be aimed at a novice. I would love to build my own SS, but I know nothing about how to go about it.

marchant

My three main resources for my singlespeed were:

The ubiquitous Sheldon Brown

Our very own Bike Radar

And if you like to watch, Shiftless Bastards

snooks

http://Www.velosolo.com has a really good FAQ section, but Sheldon Brown's site has everything technical you could ever wish for.

The hardest bit of it all is getting the chain line right, but all this needs is a ruler and a bit of measuring.

You'll also need some tools, but even e £15 set from lidl lasted one bike build.

There are also handy maintenance pages on this 'ere site which tell you how to dismantle things and even be able to put them back together again.

A lot of mtgs have installation instructions on their sites for download as well,

So save your pennies for your build, no need to buy a book

ketsbaia

The only bit of advice I can give is make sure you get your measurements right for things like stem, seatpost, etc. Because it becomes fairly expensive if you don't. It's expensive anyway, but annoying things like buying the wrong size handlebars/seatpost. etc. don't half bump up the final spend.

EKE_38BPM

snooks wrote:

The hardest bit of it all is getting the chain line right, but all this needs is a ruler and a bit of measuring.

I was really dreading the whole chainline thing but I was really lucky. After the buid the drivetrain sounded a bit noisy so I moved the chainring from the outside of the spider to the inside and that sorted it. No spacers and no measuring.

I have a MTB front disc hub that I want to build into a fixie rear wheel using the Velosolo sprocket one day. I guess all I need to do it is:
a) a Velosolo kit
b) a rim
c) rimtape
d) innertube
e) tyre
f) spoke nipples
g) spokes
h) advice/lessons on wheel building
i) a reason to actually do it.

wgwarburton

Hi,
Try and find a local bike recyler. Used parts will really save you money.

If you are converting an older bike (eg 80s "10-speed") then the only fixie-specific part you really need is a track sprocket (or freewheel). Doing it properly with a real track-hub (lockring etc) means you'll need one of those, too, either as a new wheel build or a rebuild with the original rim.
Most of the other bit & bobs are minor fettling parts- spacers and so on or "upgrades" like bullhorn bars, different brake levers etc. Finally there are the refurbishment parts- new tubes? tyres? bar tape? brake blocks? paint? chain?

If you get the frame resprayed and buy all-new parts you're going to be taking a pretty big hit on your wallet. If this is a budget build then you should be re-using as much as possible and raiding somone's parts bin for the bits you don't have....

Cheers,
W.

Mark Elvin

Sewinman wrote:

Anyone know a decent book or article on how to do this from scratch? It would need to be aimed at a novice. I would love to build my own SS, but I know nothing about how to go about it.

Pop over to LFGSS, they are a friendly bunch ........

gb155

edhornby wrote:

oh yeah, your list is missing the following stuff

bars
stem
tyres and tubes

This is true,. but I have them :0)

hatbeard

Mark Elvin wrote:

Pop over to LFGSS, they are a friendly bunch ........

Friendliest forum on the Internet ™

varno

lardboy wrote:

Mark Elvin wrote:

itboffin wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I got my wheels (fixed, not ss) built by Varno. SHE is on here, but I contacted her through LFGSS.com. They hub is fixed/free and comes with a sprocket and lock nut. You'd need to buy a freewheel or MTFU and ride fixed. I really recommend them.

FTFY

http://www.jessvarnish.com/

Dumbass , Jess & James are two different people, he is her dad. www.v-sprint.com

Horrible website she's got. It looks like it's from 1997, and half the content is linked wrong.

Haha Have a look now mate..

dhope

And great wheels. Have a pair on the commuter

Cheers Jim