BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Besides observing other peoples setups and asking how certain parts are working out for them in person. A mountain bike specific forum probably is the best chance of a collective based opinion on specific components.

When seeking out things for my bike I will for example do a Google image search of say "best carbon fiber fork"

After finding one that is visually appealing a general Google search of that particular brand and model more often than not has a wealth of consumer feedback if not recommendations of a better quality part.

And the cycle continues until settled with what seems to be the ideal buy.

From there I take note of the price online and head to a local shop(non chain) to see if ordering the part through them is reasonably comparable in cost to online.

I have found that buying local is usually very comparable if not cheaper if you buy frequently from them.

For the most part I never buy from anyone except a certain shop because of this and the possibility of having the part in hand the next day.

As far as at home DIY builds, single speeds are a piece of cake and 99% of it can be completed at home with a few common hand tools and a couple lubricants.

My bike is due for a overhaul and I can do a picture heavy thread of the process this evening if you want.

Find someone who is a bike mechanic or someone who could be a bike mechanic and have that person help you if willing.

@W Roger, I've never done it.

Sheldon Brown's web site has lots of tips about conversions. He is some kind of demigod of old bikes. Sounds like a fun Winter project!

Kraynick's (on Penn Avenue in Garfield) is your best source of parts for such a project. He could probably give you some advice on putting things together, too.

Sheldon's site is very good, as is the Park Tool website--they have many HOWTOs and videos.

I second building it at kraynicks. I have two people's (live with lots of bike nerds) worth of every tool that could possibly be useful and I'm still 100% more efficient at kraynicks and there is almost always someone in the back that will help out, and if not gerry's up front! every tool, most parts... not the best place for newish mtb stuff but it is great for tools and support.

don't forget about Free Ride.

Start doing some research on the bike...

What is the size of the head tube/ steerer? 1" or 1 and 1/8"

Is there a headset in the frame or do you need to buy one? You'll probably need to buy one regardless, since you'll need the fork crown race.

Will the fork need to be threaded or threadless?

What are the specs on the original fork? You will need to find one with the same amount of suspension or a rigid fork with the correct dimensions. You will need to know the axle-to-crown length of the original fork (and maybe even the rake/offset).

Beyond that,

You will need a new rear wheel or to re-dish the hub and change the cassette/freewheel. You will likely need to change the chain alignment by replacing the bottom braket spindle.

You will most likely need a chain tensioner.

Basically, to echo what has already been said...

The Sheldon Brown link that Pseudacris posted, read it until you have it practically memorized so that you know what you are getting yourself into and are familiar with some of the terminology.

Then go to kraynicks, b/c you are going to want to have a trained pair of eyes to answer your questions.

Dive in, it's the best way to learn.

Buy cheap everything, except for the headset and the tires.

And bottom bracket.

And saddle.

And brakes!

It never ends.

"Buy cheap everything, except for the headset and the tires."

LMAO... Wheels too, and make sure that they are color-coordinated! Matching velocity rims and Chris King headset. Oh, and bonus points if the tires are different colors... oh, and a gold-chain... gotsta have a gold chain... (or a blue one, or pink, or whatever floats your boat).

But then, you can buy a ready made bike that fits this description.

^don't take anything I just said seriously^

and rice rocket is right, it never ends... use what you can find second hand and don't start investing money. You don't have the best frame for this kind of conversion to begin with. It's a great learning experience, but only if you keep a really tight budget and make the emphasis be to learn rather than completing the bike itself.

Are you trying to build a ss mountain bike or is this for the road?

Single-speed mountain bike.

Then get a decent headset, but nothing super expensive (think cane creek 40), short stem and wide bars (at least 720mm), if you are swapping out the cranks then seriously consider ones with external bearings.

You don't need a special wheel to run ss, converting a standard freehub to single is easy and they make a ton of cog and spacer kits these days.

Spend your money on wheels and brakes. Get a rigid fork that's got a disc mount and run a mechanical disc in the front. You'll more than likely need to leave the rear as a v brake unless you want to spend a lot of money on custom braizing to get disc tabs attached to it.

If you need help building it let me know. I've got years of experience, a complete bike shop in my basement and a ton of spare time now that I'm unemployed again.

how do i figure out the head-tube size and wether or not to buy a threadless headset? and why rigid? i know the bike originally had front suspension. I loathe rigid

You can figure out the head-tube size with a ruler. Measure the inside diameter. If it is 30 mm you need a fork with a 1 inch steerer. If it is 34 mm you need a fork with a 1 1/8 inch steerer. There's some obsolete and proprietary headsets that fit on different sized headtubes but it's not likely you have that on this frame. In fact given its style and the year of its manufacture, I can all but guarantee that you need a standard (ISO) 1 1/8 headset/steerer.

Whatever fork you get, suspension or rigid, just make sure that it's got an appropriate length of travel for this frame, otherwise it'll affect the geometry in ways you might find undesirable.

and why rigid? i know the bike originally had front suspension. I loathe rigid

#1, it'll make you a better rider.

#2, cheap suspension forks are glorified pogo sticks. I had more control when I rode a rigid fork.

A few comments:

1. I understand the upsides of a rigid fork but if you want to ride the bike outside of Allegheny County and hit rocky places like Quebec Run, Davis, WV and Laurel Mountain, among others, a full rigid 26" setup may be a little harsh. With due respect to the other commenters, if you want to ride a lot of different places, be careful you don't build a very limiting bike. If riding in the mountains is not a concern, disregard this comment.

2. I have a few parts I'd be happy to give away: a Bontrager seat, nearly new Shimano outboard bottom bracket bearings, matching bottle cages and maybe an aluminum handlebar and 160mm discs.

3. If you plan to work on bikes yourself buy tools as "early and often" as your budget allows. Bike-specific tools from Park and the like are often necessary, but the garden variety hand tools don't need to be anything special. The Sears "scratch and dent" place in Lawrenceville even has some perfectly adequate tool sets for modest prices from time to time.

4. The skills you'll learn will transfer readily to other equipment and let you save a small fortune over your lifetime. To date I don't think I've ever had a tool fail to pay for itself over time.

5. Don't be afraid to try mechanical work you've never done before. If something doesn't seem quite right, someone here or elsewhere can tell you exactly what was done wrong.

@Jacob

That would be extremely helpful!! When/where/how could I meet up to get those items?

(also if anyone understands what a headset does/is specifically for, I would like them to explain it to me. I think I know but I don't know.)

I suggested a rigid fork because even a halfway decent new suspension fork will cost you between $500 and $800.

The headset is the group of bearings and races for the bearings that sit between the steerer tube of your fork and the head tube of your frame. They take a ton of abuse so you don't want to get crap. Also when you get the new headset either take the bike to a shop or someone who has shop quality tools and knows what they are doing to press the cups (essentially the races the bearings turn on) into the head tube. Doing it without the right tools or an experienced person to at least guide you is a really easy way to ruin a frame or at least destroy the headset.

Any modern fork you buy will be threadless. If someone tries to sell you a threaded fork for a mountain bike stop talking to them.

To expand on what cburch said about installing headsets:

If your bike happens to need a 1 inch headset, I strongly discourage you from using the crown race tool at Kraynick's. It's worn so badly that it'll almost certainly damage your race. Don't worry about what a crown race is for right now. Do some research on Sheldon Brown's site and it'll come up sooner than later.

"When/where/how could I meet up to get those items?"

Shoot me an email. jcm250b at juno dot com.