Building a SS on a budget, advice please

[gb155]

After helping out a good friend with my Pug SS I lusted after another SS myself....


Thanks to Mac I now have a

Frame

Fork

Seat Post

In my "Stock" I have

Saddle

Cables

Brakes

So I need


Wheels


Chain


BB and Crank


Rear Sproket


Brake levers


Whats the CHEAPEST options in these areas peeps ?


Gaz

 

[Zoiders]

Sometimes the cheapest option is an entire bike, something early 80s ish with a screw on freewheel that you can respace and redish.

 

[gb155]

Sometimes the cheapest option is an entire bike, something early 80s ish with a screw on freewheel that you can respace and redish.

but I have gotten what I have now, so I need to make use of it

 

[Zoiders]

but I have gotten what I have now, so I need to make use of it

It can still work out cheaper even if you have a frame and forks already, you don't have to use them.

 

[wheres_my_beard]

Can you give any more detail, including pics, of the parts you already have?

 

[Rob3rt]

Wheels
I can sell you some nice, unused, white Tifosi Track wheels (fixed-free flip flop hub) with tyres, tubes and a 16t miche fixed sprocket + spare spokes for £150! (The rims have machined braking surfaces)

Chain
I use SRAM

BB and Crank
Stronglight track cranksets and BB's were selling very cheap on PX not that long ago. IMO, Miche Primato is the best compromise between cost and quality.

Rear Sproket
Cheap is probly something from Velo-Solo or similar, personally I'd choose quality over cheap, I use Dura-Ace fixed cogs and am very pleased with them.

Brake levers
What type of bars are you going to use?

My answers are below the bold!

 

[wheres_my_beard]

What budget are you working towards?

There's cheap, and there's good value; you don't want to end up with a POS BSO.

 

[MacB]

Gaz, what sort of riding are you planning for this build? I was kind of thinking you were wanting something you could really hammer for training/general use in all weathers. So strong and robust, rather than sleek and fleet was the priority. If that's the case then I reckon a good set of 36h handbuilts are the basic ingredient and I'd look at Spa for a build using Rigida Sputniks if you run 700x28 or bigger. The Sputniks weigh a bit more but I suspect that's a lot to do with the chunkier brake track, certainly longevity reports are very good for them. I don't have experience of their narrower rims but hear good things about the Chrinas.

I'd actually have a chat with Spa about a wheelset, chainset, BB, chain and tyres deal. I'd try not to compromise around the actual chainring and cog though.

Let us know what you're thinking useage and spend and maybe we can narrow it down more.

 

[gb155]

Gaz, what sort of riding are you planning for this build? I was kind of thinking you were wanting something you could really hammer for training/general use in all weathers. So strong and robust, rather than sleek and fleet was the priority. If that's the case then I reckon a good set of 36h handbuilts are the basic ingredient and I'd look at Spa for a build using Rigida Sputniks if you run 700x28 or bigger. The Sputniks weigh a bit more but I suspect that's a lot to do with the chunkier brake track, certainly longevity reports are very good for them. I don't have experience of their narrower rims but hear good things about the Chrinas.

I'd actually have a chat with Spa about a wheelset, chainset, BB, chain and tyres deal. I'd try not to compromise around the actual chainring and cog though.

Let us know what you're thinking useage and spend and maybe we can narrow it down more.

Ive had 2 sets of chrinas now ( on your recommendation of spa) they are pretty epic tbh

The SS will get thrashed to within an inch of it's life , every single time I ride it , none of that fancy sleek stuff for me :-) it's all about beatings beatings beatings

Got some money headed to paypal so eBay recommendations would be good

Thanks

Gaz

 

[MacB]

what size tyres/rims are you thinking of Gaz?

 

[gb155]

what size tyres/rims are you thinking of Gaz?

700x23 was my last SS , I'd quite like the same with this if it will take it

My GI was 70" iirc

 

[MacB]

700x23 was my last SS , I'd quite like the same with this if it will take it

My GI was 70" iirc

it'll take it, you can always go skinny, I was more thinking in terms of what rims you'd need, 700x23 narrows that down nicely....excuse the pun

 

[gb155]

it'll take it, you can always go skinny, I was more thinking in terms of what rims you'd need, 700x23 narrows that down nicely....excuse the pun

Hehe :-)

 

[Zoiders]

You do have to really decide at this point just how much you want to spend on a build and at what point it would be simpler to just get an entire 2nd hand ride to convert with just a rear wheel or even just buy a new one.

Just using the list you gave I could burn through the fat end of £500 very easily but that doesn't necessarily mean the value or utility will be any better.

Chainset - any reasonable quality double from the last 30 years will run just fine, that's why second hand rides work well for conversion, just stick with square taper and run the 42 ring on it's own.

Wheels - System EX hubs are cheap and cheerful and work, more expensive hubs won't offer anything more except a weight saving as nearly all of them run on the same old replaceable cartridge bearings, with an undished wheel at the rear you could also away with 32 over 36 as well.

A sturdy simple fixed that works is cheap to do, that's the whole point, you can use cycle jumbles, new old stock and your bits box to build them but just remember that it's almost always cheaper to convert a whole old bike rather than building up from scratch.

 

[Alan Whicker]

I built a budget SS based round a Raleigh Winner kindly donated by 'Wobbles' from this very forum. I got some Chrinas from the woollyhatshop for (I think) £68 with Shimano hub. 16 tooth cog from Superstar Components slotted right on. Very pleased so far. The wheels were by far the most expensive bit of the bike - I promised myself I'd spend no more than a tenner on any one bit.

FWIW, Here's my shopping list

Donor Bike: £20 (Wobbles wouldn't accept payment, but I gave him a donation to his new-born's nappy fund!)

Wheels: Rigida Chrinas, as above

Tyres: Vittorio Rubinos, donated from scrap roadbike I briefly owned. Tubes £3-ish from Decathlon (false economy - very prone to pinch flats).

Saddle: New Old Stock 80s perch from ebay. About a fiver. At least as comfy as my Charge Spoon.

Brake Levers: Crosstop BMX ones from Blank. £7 from Chain Reaction. Very good.

Handlebars: Originals chopped 'n' flipped to 'bull bars'. Covered in (surprisingly good) £3 tape from Chain Reaction.

Chain: KMC S1 from Chain Reaction. £3

I just couldn't get the original sidepull brakes to work properly, so I bit the bullet and got some Al Honga dual pivots from Velosolo. £19-ish. Look and work much better.

Singlespeed cog kit: About a tenner from Superstar Components.

New cabling came from ebay.

The build was very successful and pretty easy - and nobody is more surprised than me. It's a lovely, smooth ride and knocks a full ten minutes off my five mile commute, compared to when I ride my 7.3FX.