SS roadie. what do i need? UPDATED: new donor

[hubbie]

UPDATE: just found a new donor bike. has cranks, bb, brakes STI brake levers, bullhorn bars, wheels etc. The frame is actually more suitable aswell! It's an Apollo frame, about 57 to 58 cm top tube, but theres something just not as appealing about an apollo as the red bennett frame. I will decide which frame to use then build it up wiht the apollo parts, and then just upgrade parts like cranks as they become available.



I've recently recovered some parts from council cleanup, and had been planning on building up an SS commuter. (as seen below). problem is the donor bike for drivetrain parts (also seen below), it just occurred to me, is US BB. I was hoping to take cranks and headset off it.

Am i correct in saying i need euro BB cranks and BB? does it matter what type? also, what sort of headset/stem arrangement will i need, and where would i be likely to be able to source cheaply?

Also, with a 54cm (21.5") top tube, is this likely to be too short for me, at approximately 179cm?

many thanks

roadie
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5948/dsc05482smalltu6.jpg

new donor
(below are pics of new cranks and current derailleur which i thought still looked in ok condition)
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/1483/dsc05571smallvn4.jpg

[Turner_rider]

The Roadie looks like a nice find and should make a nice SS road bike. Size wise it may be a bit short but put a long stem on it and you'll probably be fine.

As for the donor bike, I doubt you'll be able to use much from it, but as its all there (other than seatpost and saddle), you could give it a clean up and give it to someone younger who doesn't have a bike - I've one this before with stuff in similar condition and the end user thought it was great.

Back to the single speed....

The first step would be to determine what BB thread it has with a thread gauge or carefully with an old BB. If you don't want to spend a lot of money its worth asking a few shops if they have old stock which will fit which they could give you at a good price, ie a good threaded headset, there's not that much demand these days and there's bound to be one lurking in the back of a shop somewhere. The other altenative is to get along to a vets road race, there's always someone with some 80s brakes, cranks etc which they have in a shed as they were too good to throw away. Just ask around and I'm sure you'll come up with something.

Good luck and post some shots when its done. :)

[alexb618]

some parts going spare that you may be interested in, all near mint condition :

shimano 600 crankset (can supply 42t ring to suit)
shimano rx100 sti levers
'pro' bar w/ above sti levers * new bar tape attached
ITM 140mm quill stem

[luckyphil]

stop being cheap and built it up all nice like.
if you use anything from that "mtb" it will look like a heap of shit.
that frame and fork deserve better.

[LordNikon]

Those angles are ridiculously slack... almost as slack as my peugeot fixie. :P

Here's what I would do.

Cranks from here:
www.fyxomatosis.com
(Sugino Track cranks)

BB from here:
http://www.chainringtransitauthority.com/store/phil_wood/phil_wood.shtml
There is nothing better.

Alternatively there are good quality low cost BB's here:
www.kookiebikes.com
I have an NJS BB on my Pug.


And perhaps a new set of Phil Wood hubs aswell if you're feeling ridiculously wealthy.


That's it, no more options.

[hubbie]

stop being cheap and built it up all nice like.
if you use anything from that "mtb" it will look like a heap of shit.
that frame and fork deserve better.

if you see it close up, it aint great,a and i'm a poor HSC student, so i'll probably make it an extended project, and do a good job on it

[hubbie]

so i doubt i'll go fixie, probably just SS roadie. what is a good typical ratio to run on commuters like these? I run 32:14 on my STP, so i prefer slightly heavier gears.

also, can i make an SS converter for these style hubs, or is the cassette mount different to the typical hubs these days?
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/8467/dsc05490smallfj1.jpg

[Joel O]

you won't need an SS convertor kit type thing, it is 99% likely it is a threaded cassette, take it off and a regular bmx type freewheel will screw straight on

headset you'll need a 1" (i assume it is 1", you should be able to tell fairly easily) threaded (again, an assumption, is there threads on the fork steerer tube?) headset, best place to look would be ebay i'd say.

stem will need to be a quill stem to suit the fork, bars you'll need to buy to suit the stem clamp diameter, theres a whole bunch of sizes for roadies, make sure you get the right one.

Cranks and BB; BB could be one of a few options, you may get lucky and it will be a stardard euro BB like you get on current MTB's, or it could be one of the other less common styles, which use the same size shell but a different thread, so be careful not to force the wrong type in.

as for gear ratio, i ride 3:1 on my fixie and it is about right for me.

[fatnold]

no use worrying about a new bb. those cranks are one piece. you cannot physically use them in a euro bb. that is why a bmx bb is so large.....so you can snake the one piece cranks through it.

[hubbie]

no use worrying about a new bb. those cranks are one piece. you cannot physically use them in a euro bb. that is why a bmx bb is so large.....so you can snake the one piece cranks through it.

yeah, that's why i ditched the donor bike idea. i'll be sourcing new cranks with the BB

[hubbie]

whatever cranks i get, will i need square taper cranks, or will some splined BB's maybe fit?

do these look any good?
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=016&item=260033108674&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

[LordNikon]

Those are a cotter pin crank, old skool set up.

I'd go for square taper personally. Either an old set of Sugino Cranks if you want the vintage look, or you could go some new On-One single speed cranks.

Personally I'd go some new Miche cranks which are technically a track crankset but they'd work fine. They're around $300 brand new.

[Sleeman]

Run it fixed, saves money on stuff like brakes. I run mine with just front brake to help wash off speed down long hills, and it is awesome. And I can't believe how much it has helped my XC riding, it is making me pedal more efficiently then ever.

As for gearing, anywhere between a 75" and 90" rollout should do the trick. This obviously depends on the type of terrain you will be riding, ie: dead flat CBD, or out in the hills.

A good site to help work out a gear is here. (http://www.andysbikes.com/articles/gearchart/)

Although, a good way to save headaches is to just go and buy a cheap steel track bike, and run a brake on it, you can even but a BMX freewheel on it if you are completely against fixies. You should be able to do that for around $800, and the thing will be brand new.

[Joel O]

Those are a cotter pin crank, old skool set up.

I'd go for square taper personally. Either an old set of Sugino Cranks if you want the vintage look, or you could go some new On-One single speed cranks.

Personally I'd go some new Miche cranks which are technically a track crankset but they'd work fine. They're around $300 brand new.agreed, avoid cotter pins if possible, square taper is the go. try and find some cranks from the same sort of era, newer ones will look out of place. if you have one of those places at your local tip that sells anything of value which people throw out, hit it up, thats where i've bought my last 2 commuter fixies, ten bucks each.

[n plus one]

Square taper cranks good:) , cotter hoohars bad:( , that frame is probably too small I would suggest bull horn bars to lengthen the bike - cheapest way is just to cut and reverse old drop bars. I run 3:1 on my fixie- works ok although you could probably go a little lower on a single speed to help out on the uphills:) . You can pick up old track cranks pretty cheap, although you'd get less leverage, they're pretty tuff. I suggest finding an old bike shop and seeing if they've got any old track gear lying around, most places still don't see it as being worth much so you might get some good stuff real cheap (like I have:D ) and it may also result in you building a fixie, which is of course where its at:cool:

[hubbie]

Updated first post. just found a new donor bike. whatcha reckon? do i keep the current frame, or use the new, probably better sized apollo? i don't know. i really like that red frame.

i'm actually considering building an SS one now, and using the others to build an actual fixie gradually.

not sure what the dropouts on the apollo are. i'll go check now, and take a better foto.

[Turner_rider]

Updated first post. just found a new donor bike. whatcha reckon? do i keep the current frame, or use the new, probably better sized apollo? i don't know. i really like that red frame.


Considering that the Apollo is mostly complete I'd be inclined to used that one to start with as at least all the current parts are known to fit.

While the red looks better, the Apollo is probably less likely to be flogged if you leave it somewhere. If you decide that you really don't like the colour you can alway change it later. :)

[alexb618]

use the apollo, paint it if you must

all it needs is some tyres & seating arrangement and you are pretty much done

an hour with the allen key set/chain tool and your SS project is complete

[Carlin]

And it won't need lights riding the Apollo at night :p

My 2c:

The Apollo will fit better be a little faster and more comfortable as an every day commuter.

Build the Bennet up as a relaxed brakeless fixie for cruising.

[hubbie]

Build the Bennet up as a relaxed brakeless fixie for cruising.

exactly what i was thinking. I'll slowly build it up with spare parts. i'm watching a pair of cranks, headset etc on ebay and parts will rotate around and slowly build the two up.

thanks for the help everyone.

two quick questions. would it be more suitable to put flatbars on the apollo or the bennett, and can you just get a fixie ''freewheel'' attachment, or do you need a whole new hub?

the apollo will probably be painted. if it's steel, i might weld up the gear lever holes. I kinda like the original look of frames, but it'll most likely be painted, just gotta decide what colour. maybe a black/morone

[LordNikon]

If you buy a velocity track wheelset you will get a flip flop hub that is fixed / free, they're about $400 retail.

So you have a fixed cog with lock ring on one side, and a freewheel on the other. :cool: That's what I've got on my pug, although I've never used the freewheel. :D

Personally I'd go a fixed/fixed hub though, so both sides will take a fixed cog. This means you 'can' run a freewheel on one side but can also run 2 different fixed ratios.

As for the flat bars, that's just a matter of comfort really. I run a chopped riser bar on my fixie as it's a really big frame and other bars weren't comfortable after more than 10 minutes on the bike.

[n plus one]

Put flat bars on pub fixie, use Apollo as single speed, paint it white - only way to go:D , fixing a normal rear wheel is a bit difficult- check out sheldon brown web site for some useful articles.

[hubbie]

paint it white

i see a red door, and i want it painted black.

yeah, white could look the goods.


you think a fixie is safe for pub-runs? :p

[Joel O]

the rear wheel on the apollo looks like it uses a cluster rather than a cassette (i just learnt the difference in another thread) so once that is removed a freewheel/track cog will screw straight on where the cassette went. the spacers on the axle will need to be rearranged and the wheel dished a little and it should be read to go.