My first attempt: Puch Cavalier

Hi,

My buddy convinced me ss or fg would be fun and when i got interested he donated an old Puch Cavalier for me to convert. I stripped the frame and intend to send the frame and forks away to be powder coated/sprayed. The thing is i know nothing about building bikes and i need to do this to a sensible budget. The ultimate endgame at this point is to try to do the coast to coast on it (ss) while my buddy uses his fixie.

So at this point I'm willing to take any advice thats could help.

How sensible a budget?
I'd sooner spend money on components than paint for a conversion. Rattle-cans FTW.

not that sensible, more practical. Think less than buying a entry level single speed. The paint is a gift from my better half which is nice but stuff like components is uncharted territory for me.

stuff like components is uncharted territory for me.

What I'm saying is that if your powdercoat was going to cost, say, £70, and the rattle-can job would cost you ~£20, you're better off asking your better half to add £50 to your budget for cranks/wheels/brakes/tools than you are spunking it on powder coat.
You asked for advice, this is some.

fair point. I think i have all the tools i need but is there any components you would recommend prioritising price wise over others. I was planning just a cheap saddle off ebay thats comfortable but the rest i want to be decent sturdy bits that will take a hammering. So far my prerequisites are drop bars and while i debated a flip flop hub for later use i have to be realistic and fit brakes for the intended use.

Depends if you're buying new or used.
For things like headset, BB, freewheel and tyres/tubes I'd always buy new. Practically everything else is fine second-hand, imo. Loads of stuff for sale on here.
Spending cash on brand-new cranks for a conversion, for example, is a bit silly.

Tyres and Tubes cost pennies so i'll pick them up new, I figured bearings would need replacing and was correct when i stripped the frame and the bearings just disintegrated. I imagine i'll probably replace the wheels i have as they are quite battered and its seems to be cheaper to just buy new wheels with the hubs fitted than buying hubs and relacing the wheel (something i have been warned is a genuine pain in the arse to get right). My major concern is buying parts that don't fit, i'm planning on just measuring all the bits that came off for the sizes but as I'm new to this i don't know which manufacturers to avoid or use. I'll try and get some pictures up eventually but at the moment I'm just trying to get a feel for things. The other forum posts are quite handy for getting some ideas as well.

My advice to someone new would be to consider refurbing a complete but neglected / broken SS, like a Langster. A less steep learning curve!

Your way will cost you much more than you think by the time you get what you eventually want.

I did consider an easier route but this bike fell into my lap and it got me interested so i'll see how far i can get, although 57Hawkes i do see your point.

Hi, whilst I too am new to building fixed/ss, I have maintained/built bikes on a budget for many years. My advice is buy secondhand wherever possible and don't be precious about image; Campagnolo may be nice but old Suntour will be much cheaper. Also don't immediately head for eBay, there's a lot of people take their bikes to the local bike shop to replace those oh-so-embarrassing entry level parts with something sexy looking and said bike shops might be prepared to let such unwanted parts go very cheaply; it's always worth asking and you're more likely to get bits that fit if you buy them from someone in the know.

There's still bargains to be had on ebay if you put the hours in and seek out really badly listed stuff. This time of year is great, too.

E.g. my latest Vitus ebay bargain; my best buy (bike-wise) over the last 12 years on the 'bay.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281222990712?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_443wt_1200

I did consider an easier route but this bike fell into my lap and it got me interested so i'll see how far i can get, although 57Hawkes i do see your point.

Fair enough. Neglected 70's - 90's racers on ebay often go for about 50 quid and yield many good parts.
Here's a Dawes I bought this week (another bad listing) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mens-racing-bike-/121231197004?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=YvZxVOwmEaGdpe6tE%252FC%252FVe6cdrg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_139wt_1170

What you don't use you can sell / swap or give away.

I guess anyone - including myself - trying their first build without much knowledge should be pointed towards Sheldon Brown.
Loads of very useful information.

http://sheldonbrown.com/

Good luck, and let's see some pictures!

one thing to be aware of if you intend to replace the headset, some Puch forks are slightly larger than 1" threaded. as in 0.6 of a milimetre but enough to mean that you can't fit a standard 1" headset. i bought a set of forks that are now doing absolutely nothing at home as it's virtually impossible to get an austrian threaded headset that isn't already on a bike.

There's still bargains to be had on ebay if you put the hours in and seek out really badly listed stuff. This time of year is great, too.

E.g. my latest Vitus ebay bargain; my best buy (bike-wise) over the last 12 years on the 'bay.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281222990712?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_443wt_1200

That certainly defines the word "bargain"!

Stick some photos up of the frame and I am sure you will get more precise advice.
I also back up going for second hand. Look on the classifieds on here, check out retrobike, bike radar, cycle chat and you will pick up some really good deals.

That certainly defines the word "bargain"!

I put in what I considered a low-ish bid of £256 at the last minute, as I don't really *need * any more bikes.

I was dumfounded to get it for £97.

I don't know what a Puch Cavalier is tbh so this may be irrelevant but make sure buying wheels, you get the right spacing.
Track wheels i.e. flip flop and ss etc are 120 spaced and geared road frames will take a 130. a 120 wheel might not have long enough axles to be able to fit. So a cassette wheel with ss conversion might be the way.
Definitely second hand through here all the way.
My mate built up "the fanelli" for under 200 quid all in and all from lfgss classifieds parts. Search it on here if you're interested.

ok, an update. I actually dragged myself to the local bike shop and he says i need a standard thread bottom bracket with an length to fit my crankset (with a recessed cartridge due to a weld line inside the frame), a 1" threaded headset and wheels to fit the frame. My question is... do i pay his prices or can i buy from ebay? will the quality realistically be that much different between an unbranded part and what i will purchase in the shop?

I've converted a couple of frames into fixies over the years. My two pence worth is
buy new quality wheels, new bottom bracket, headset and pedals. Anything else can/should be 2nd hand. It is not worth spending a lot on something which ultimately is only a hack bike.
Don't bother re spraying a frame (unless it is something worthwhile) Buy a bottle of Artist's Linseed Oil and coat the frame liberally with It - preserves the frame.

I'm looking at new headsets and bottom brackets on ebay, they aren't branded but the headset is half the price compared to the shop and the BB comes with the crank at the princely sum of 20 quid. With the intention of riding this beast on the coast to coast my main concern is that the quality may lead to failure en route.