Help me get started...

What did you think of the BSA mikeTV?

Nah, Dylan, he's going to "seal" the parts- probably involves swimming around harbours looking for parts and perhaps a little basking on the shore. :-)

Mike- buying a complete road bike (eBay, gumtree, local ads etc) and then buying a rear track wheel is probably the best way to go. There's wealth of information on the forum about doing builds and many people have used parts for sale too, so do some reading and bide your time. I hear you about the student budget, but take your time with the build. It's more fun that way.

is Mike TV the boy from charlie and the chocolate factory?

My situation is that im a student so i dont have a large budget for the frame, probably around £100-£120, however, i do want a good frame which is light enough and without any dinks or problems. Could you point me in the right direction as far as brands are concerned and what to look out for, as ive been on eBay and i cant really tell which is a deal and which is a rip-off.

I wanted to know whether there are any parts of the bike which you would advise spending alot of money on, like the cranks or wheels...

Thanks -- MIKE TV

Look for 531 Awesome! It will be plenty light enough and a great ride. Try and find an old 531 racer for your project. As for problems, well mainly look for any bends or cracks - stays, dropouts and forks are the main areas to pay attention to. I think most people selling these types of frames are into bikes and fairly honest, but best to give it a good eyeball before you buy. Also look for suitable dropouts of course.

The frame is the most important thing, since other components can always be changed later. Apart from the frame, wheels are the most worthy of cash I think.

If you find a fairly nice old racer, all you really need is a fixed rear wheel at a minimum, plus a few other bits that you can scrounge.

The only other word of warning I would give is be careful if the object of your desire happens to be French or similar. Some of these older bikes have non-standard and odd sizes for certain things, which may prove a headache if you need a replacement.

My advice is find a 531 racer in OK condition and convert that - it will be fun, you will end up with something unique and learn a bit in the process too.

to be fair, sealed components are way more suitable for general road use than track-specific unsealed kit

grasping at funny straws are we.
Btw washed your Pedal t shirt last week with no shrinking, fraying, discolouration, or graphic fading. SP quality assured.

Sealed tarck FTW!

The Tarck Bike is a commonly found variant of the Track bicycle or Fixed-gear bicycle. Unlike true racing bikes used for track cycling races, the Tarck Bike was formed as a collaboration or "collabo" between bicycle messengers, hip-hop fashion designers, fixed-gear enthusiasts, former BMX riders, and members of national and regional cycling-related internet forums. The Tarck Bike gets its name from the common, lolcat-esque misspelling of Track Bike and references this online collaboration.

Tarck lol!!!

that was Bo Selecta moment

it would be best to go to a shop to see-all the off-the-peg bikes available before making a decision...

What is a unipack FTW?

http://www.unipackuk.co.uk/track-bikes_roadcourier.html

Note the spec.

Frame: Hi-ten steel.

Oh dear.

**175mm alloy cranks. **

Just the thing for corners. I'm riding 170 and it scares the shit out of me, three pedal strikes in the last month (minor scrapes luckily).

[B]Pedals: Black Nylon body[/B]

Awesome. Plastic pedals FTW.

[B]Chain: Endless link[/B]

What? Maybe I'm missing something, but are all chains not "endless"?

an endless link chain! amazing.

it would be best to go to a shop to see-all the off-the-peg bikes available before making a decision...

**see-all
**
I just saw what you did there. Nice.

Important note: Please Rub your Eyes or clean your glasses to read this next bit:

Hahaha.

Fully Tig welded

Good. So many times I've been disappointed when purchasing a track bike, eager with anticipation, only to experience bitter disappointment when I find that it hasn't been fully welded and bits of it are falling off. Such low quality would never be associated with the esteemed Unipack.

Hahaha.
Good. So many times I've been disappointed when purchasing a track bike, eager with anticipation, only to experience bitter disappointment when I find that it hasn't been fully welded and bits of it are falling off. Such low quality would never be associated with the esteemed Unipack.

And all you specialist riders who want to put a fixed cog on it, it's simple.
By the way they are UNISEX so anyone can ride them.

Oh they're UNISEX? That's GOOD TO KNOW. This truly is an age of EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES.

WATCH THIS: http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/columns/bobgarage/indexb.htm

This guy has a video that takes you most of the way thru building a fgss. Inc what type of bikes are suitable. It shud ans. allot of you Q's.

........ Also as for finding a frame there is a whole thread on eBay/Craigslist finds - so see what other members are saying about what's on ebay and learn from their comments.

Always remember to search the forums and read lots - its the only way to learn.

WATCH THIS: http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/columns/bobgarage/indexb.htm

This guy has a video that takes you most of the way thru building a fgss. Inc what type of bikes are suitable. It shud ans. allot of you Q's.

+1

Deffo the best way to go. Forgive me if I'm wrong but like loads of newbies – you'll probably ignore this route and get your mum's wallet out.

If you (as you've mentioned) buy wheels, a frame and cranks and cover these with 'shit you bought off eBay 'cus they looked nice and you saw it on MASH' you'll have spent loads and will have a crap bike most likely. But you'll probably think your fast, and that the bike looks 'the bomb'... then post it on fixedgeargallery anyway.

;-)

asm has got loads.

all different colours..

buy an IRO or BLB own brand frame, same factory I've heard, probably decent (if you want a track frame)
look ok too:
£175? for BLB own.
OR come up to OCW in oxford and choose a 2nd hand road frame for pittance, and respray it at armourtex.
then think more about components, spend more on wheels and your drivechain, as these are what stops you.
Halo OTP are really good value for money IMHO.
or get someone on here to build up a set after buying the components (or DIY):

Option 1: HIGH end: Up to £400.
Goldtec/profile/ phil wood
Either Aero section wheel:
CXP33/ Deep V/ DP18
or box section:
Gotta be Mavic Open Pros

Med End: (up to £230)
Gran Compes + any of above

Low End:(up to £150)
SJS/ ambrosio/ On one/.... ( I like on one- they seem better for some reason>?)

• any of the above
  
  

Drive chain, Get a decent chainring- convert a road crank
goldtec, Condor, TA.

Thats the majors.

Hi Eyebrows

do you need to know what condition the bike is inside crank where BB goes!!!, or what about the condition of the stem?*%$!!

so most of the frames on ebay might be crap before you get them or are most vintage frames repairable?. Ta very much soultourer

+1

Deffo the best way to go. Forgive me if I'm wrong but like loads of newbies – you'll probably ignore this route and get your mum's wallet out.

If you (as you've mentioned) buy wheels, a frame and cranks and cover these with 'shit you bought off eBay 'cus they looked nice and you saw it on MASH' you'll have spent loads and will have a crap bike most likely. But you'll probably think your fast, and that the bike looks 'the bomb'... then post it on fixedgeargallery anyway.

;-)

What a sharp and poisonous comment. Firstly, im buying an old bike from ebay and dismantling it and then restoring all the good parts and then replacing any old parts which are fucked. I dont know what your image of me is like, but i dont ponce off my Mum. In fact, she lives in France and i am in London by myself studying, barely eeking out enough money to survive thus that is why i am buying a bike to cut wasting money of London Transport. I think its quite vindictive of you to assume that i am building a bike purely to look 'cool'. My main issue for making the bike is for it to perfome well and for a long amount of time. I think you are quite rude and i dont want to continue any conversation with you again.

aaaah the fixie scene

hey mike. nice defence above. for what it's worth, i'd avoid unipack or anything cheap OTP. more fun to build one up as you are planning.

if you get a complete road bike to convert, all you need to replace is rear wheel, chain and chainring (SS specific is stronger). the rest can be left as it is (and remove derailleurs, shifters, chainset and brakes as desired).

important you need to make sure the frame has horizontal dropouts. otherwise you won't be able to get chain tension right. hope i'm not patronising you. it's not clear what you know