noob questions

Is this a good deal for a fixie frame?
http://www.on-one-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Il_Pompino_550.html

How much could I get the rest of the bits for?

That is a good deal. Its a great frame too, well liked in the messenger community. I reckon you could build it out for a couple of hundred.

I bought it. Friend has some spare wheels too, w00t.

wow those are cheap! and yeah, i've heard great things about the pompino

i've got a beat ass old trek that i've never liked very much frankly, i think it's time to get a decent road bike for tooling around. this is looking really great to me:

http://thehubbikecoop.org/itemdetails.cfm?LibId=53457

my question is, would it a better deal to find something similar used and have some work done on it? old 10-speed frames can't be that hard to get a hold of

it might be trickier than you think? mpls bike dorks are pretty on the ball when it comes to picking up nice old used bikes

wld agree here in denver, its got completely crazy to where if it has semi horizontal drops dood thinks its worth $x00.

talking about bare frame

also, i've heard bad things about ReCyles on Hennepin....inflated prices, bad mechanics, unscrupulous

OK... I have held on this one for a while, but here it is. This bike came into the shop a couple months ago, customer had just bought it from Recycle. They said something was wierd in the steering, our intial thought was maybe the headset was loose. Except when we grabbed the front brake and pushed the handlebar forward to check, the front wheel pivoted forward when the handlebar was pushed forward. Thats interesting... We took it in back and removed the fork to find that the steer tube had previously be severed clean off. They had put 2 pins through it, criss crossed and tacked them in. That was the remedy. Terribly, horribly disgustingly unsafe. That is someones face. Here is a link to the photos taked of the fork.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8293134@N08/2968936651/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8293134@N08/2968936525/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8293134@N08/2968936413/

good resource for mpls bike stuff, btw: mplsbikelove.com

omg wtf is all i can type

i know right? not sure if ReCycles did the tacking, but it's clear that, even if they didn't, they either didn't notice it or didn't care.

there's a whole thread on them on the mpls bike forum, most of it O_O wau how r u in business

hm yeah going the custom route right off is probably jumping in at the deep end.

still, that redline looks great, doesn't it? a road-style single speed is probably what i'm after, anyone have any recommendations?

kona paddy wagon: http://www.konaworld.com/09_paddywagon_u.cfm

Surly Steamroller http://www.surlybikes.com/steamroller_comp.html

http://www.myspace.com/fixedgearsareforjerksandlesbians

:O≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

baahahahaha

never actually heard that band's music, mind

but no i'm not interesting in a fixed gear tbh

steamrollers can be singlespeeds! it just depends on what you do with the rear wheel!

!!!

o i c

v v newb

steamrollers can be singlespeed, but I think they only come with a front brake stock. So you'd have to add a rear brake and a cable and a lever. Not such a big deal, but it will cost you a bit.

I've good things about that Redline, and the price is nice. I say go for it. The geometry is kind of slack, but that sounds like what you might like.

If you're looking for a budget option, a lot of people swear by the singlespeed offerings of bikesdirect.com

^I've HEARD good things about that Redline

A slightly more expensive option:

http://www.salsacycles.com/casserollCompSS08.html

It has a semi horizontal dropout so it can be converted to gears at a later stage and I love the super skinny tubing.

Incidentally, you can still get last years surly steamroller, which was a much nattier brown, and it is cheaper.

http://bicyclewarehouse.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=10948&site=google_base

Here's one: Is buying a Schwinn ten speed off craigslist and making it a single speed and changing out the handlebars a) cost-effective b) the kind of thing I can do in my attic with no bike-maintenance experience c) at all a good idea?

also: Salsa is local!

http://www.salsacromotostem.com/

Here's one: Is buying a Schwinn ten speed off craigslist and making it a single speed and changing out the handlebars a) cost-effective b) the kind of thing I can do in my attic with no bike-maintenance experience c) at all a good idea?

I don't have personal experience with conversions, but everything I've heard suggests that they are seldom that cost-effective, especially nowadays. You're unlikely to find a bargain, quality bike to work with on Craigslist. Prices for vintage road bikes are pretty inflated (or were before the economy headed south). So You'll have to expect to pay probably something like $100-200 just to get a decent bike to work with. Apparently there are still really cheap vintage bikes out there (fewer than there used to be, for sure), but you'll have to prowl Salvation Army shops and yard sales. Even then, you may not strike gold.

Once you get the bike, you'll have to invest in some parts and tools. The bike may need some work to function well, which will cost money. So, I've heard people say that a conversion often costs $200-300 (sometimes more) when it's all said and done.

If you want to learn about bikes and have that feeling of pride/accomplishment, then it makes sense. Otherwise, buy a bike from bikesdirect.com

Seriously, bikesdirect.com is a very good possibility. The bikes are really popular with people on a budget who want a nice bike. It's a solid product at a low price.

Another noob Q: What do you think a shop should or would charge for rebuilding a damanged 3-speed wheel, if the hub were supplied? Including rim, spokes, and labor, and anything else I'm missing...? Answers appreciated b/c right now a shop that I like is fixing to charge me $120 to replace a rear wheel w internally geared hub that wasn't damaged when I took it in -- I intended for them to rebuild it but they say it got damaged in the unlacing...?

if the hub is supplied, it shouldn't cost any more than any other kind of hub. generally $45 for labor, i'd wager, the rest depends on what kind of rim you put on it

A plain old steel rim, I guess. That's what was on there before. What do those run?

ugh don't get a steel rim, laurel, they weigh a billion pounds. plus i'm not sure if you can even get those anymore??

this is going on yr old---what, raleigh?---right? get something appropriately wide, for sure, but you may as well upgrade to modern technology!

plus braking on steel sucks bad. im thinking $25 cheap rim, $20 cheap spokes, $45 labor's about right, all retail. if theres a bit of fiddling required to get the shifting right, add $15 maaaybe. its not outrageous, but not a good deal either imo.

It's going on my 1967 Something or other made entirely of steel already. Plus the shop asst said they had to replace the shifter, too, because it wasn't compatible w the new hub...which means they just threw away my Sturmey-Archer and replaced it w a Shimano.

i am so lost on this thread but i will study it closely and make a wise decision

Actually I prefer the Shimano, but this is all costing more than just rebuilding my wheel, and no one EVER called me to say any problems had come up, or to authorize the new costs.

http://images.burningman.com/gallery/netmoser.10183.jpg

omar just search "gbx" and take all my advice because clearly it is the best

^he is a future doctor

and if there's one thing doctors know about, it's about owning hell of nice bikes and not really being fit enough to ride them properly

wait, that's lawyers

no, i mean, ~~~orthodontists~~~

Okay so apparently a new 3-spd wheel + hub runs around $150. That means the guy offering me $100 for new wheel & shifters is giving me a good deal. He gets to keep my good hub and wait for the correct size of wheel to come through his shop, and then sell it to someone else, so he's probably coming about even. But it works for me.

This is reassuring, b/c the shop is one that I rly like and I like the owners -- they've been helpful and friendly to me over the years, even when I was a dum noob. I would hate to think the level of service was going down, b/c I like recommending them to people.

That sounds like a fair deal all round. I am building my GF a second bike over the summer, for chicago and I was going to go with three speed and maybe build the wheel myself from parts at awesome bike store, kraynicks. Fantastic guy, has a free to use workshop, only pay for the parts and any labour he puts in. Has the most fantastic treasure trove of salvaged parts.

thinking of retiring the old nail and getting a nice practical bike around town - anybody here tried a trek allant?

Not tried one, however the portland and valencia models in the same urban range look a little lighter although trek doesn't put this information on their site who who knows.

where in london can i buy myself a pretty helmet that would fit my head? i mail ordered a "one size fit all" one and of course my head is too ridiculously large for it. finsbury cycle came to the same conclusion (although to be fair they only had 2 helmets for me to try)

i kind of want a skate style one as the shaved hedgehog style ones all look hella lame.

Ken you should try Bikefix on Lamb's Conduit Street, they have this (according to their website anyway):

The classic and popular skate/bmx helmet allows you aggressive riding while you feel absolutely safe. Featured with 13 head-cooling air vents, brushed cotton insulation and exchangeable pads, this is by far the best fitting, most comfortable and safest skate helmet at this price level. L/XL Only. Matt black (other colours and sizes are available to order).
£25.00

http://www.bikefix.co.uk/i/tsg_mattblk.jpg

that's what i need! thanks ledge, you're a ledge!

ha

except the drawing's missing two washers there. never mind, i'm sure i got it right by looking at the back wheel.

washers eh, what's the point in them.

i was having terrible trouble opening a super tight quick release lever the other day. my super bike nerdy friend - not quite up to the level of building his own wheels but i wouldn't put it past him - fixed it in a jiffy by turning the lever a full turn without opening it (anticlockwise i presume), then it popped open no trouble. magic!

washers probably sit between the nut and the spring at either end, but most quick release assemblies don't have them

i was having terrible trouble opening a super tight quick release lever the other day

my lo-tech solution to this is always to whack it open with my pump placed through the wheel

mine's one of those special quick releases that only open if the bike's upside down so that's maybe something to do with it.