Re-build a conversion

Hi all,

I bought a ribble conversion off the forum just over a a year ago and now i want to convert it back to a road bike as i am cycling longer distance now and finding it tough on fixed...

WHen i bought the bike it came with the rear brake/front mech and rear mech in the bag so i am assuming i canm use them to build it back to geared...

what else will i need to get the bike back to geared? Can someone point me to a guide?

Well, difficult to say but depending on the number of speeds of the derailleurs, you'll need a wheel and compatible cassette, shifters, front cransket.

Might come out pretty pricey.

all you should need is shifters, a new rear wheel and a crankset with 2 chainrings, shouldn't be too pricey..

What sort of age is the frame?

here is a list i just came up with for a complete bike build - probably forgot somethings - much of it you will already have - be aware that you will need to source components which will work together in some cases.

Frame
Fork
Seat post
Seat Post clamp
Saddle
Stem
Handlebars
Headset
Bottom bracket
Cranks
Chainrings
Pedals
Front derailleur
Rear derailleur
Cassette
Front wheel
Back wheel (with freehub)
Brake levers
Gear levers
Brake cable
Gear cable
Cable end caps (2 x brake; 2x gear)
Handlebar tape
Bar end plugs (x2)

to put that back to being geared you'll need:

-Shifters (to match deraileur)
-Cables + ends
-Bartape
-New chain (to match the cassette/amount of gears)
-New rear wheel with cassette/freewheel (as stated before, to match your derailleur)
-Possibly a derailleur hanger incase it was taken off (older bikes just have athreaded hole as part of the drop out
-Possibly a new chainset if the double or triple chainset was removed. Maybe just a new chanring if they kept the old cranks.
-If STI shifters there's a possibility you'll also need cable stops on the downtube.

When buying a new rear wheel make sure you get the correct axle length for the frame or else you could be faced with a 120mm axle that you need to squeeze in and if it's a 7 speed cassette or larger (in terms of number of gears) it'll foul the frame. Which is shit.

If you just want some basic geared stuff it's not gonna break the bank but in case you want a proper roady stuff it might be well chaper to get a complete new bike at some good sale and keep the fixie as a side dish :-)

i got some fully working old school geared stuff like downtube shifters, rear mech and front mech. which you can have free of charge. the only possible source of trouble is that i live in reading :-). i also have a fair bit of modern geared stuff but i need to digg deeep into the shed to make sure what's there

than ks for the responces dudes,

Thisn is the exact bike i bought from Kowalski...

http://www.lfgss.com/thread30098.html

Is it possible to tell from thhis if it can be built back up cheaply??

I am having second thoughts though, i properly love this bike its been trouble free for a year and iv grown close to it... if cheap enopugh ill do it if not ill have to buy a used shiddy road bike off here if available...

Yeah,
Looks like the shifters have been left on so that's fine.

Just get some cables and hook them up to the mechs. You'll need mainly cable inners, and a bit of outer for the rear mech.

If the shifters you have are not indexed, then you will be able to get any 126mm spaced rear wheel with any screw-on cassette.
If the shifters are indexed, then you will still be able to use any 126mm spaced wheel, but the cassette which you use will have to match the shifters and rear derailleur - it will either be 5 or 6 speed campag.

You will also need a new crankset with 2 chainrings at the front, and probably a BB with a longer spindle. But that's it - all the parts you need can be picked up cheaply.

Also just seen the cranks are road cranks with single chainring bolts - this means that you will only need new chainrings and bolts.
So no need for new cranks or bottom bracket.