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Started a fixie project that started with an initial investment of 200 dollars. It is now worth around 1000.
The bike started out as a road bike my dad bought in college.
I now have replaced every single part on it, besides the frame itself.
I ride fixed gear, brakeless.
it is always a work in progress.
Submitted by Caleb Heck
17 Comments Received
October 26th, 2011 @12:54 pm
That saddle angle can’t be comfortable. I recommend you level it. Have a look at Sheldon Brown’s article on saddle adjustment, and more particularly, saddle angle: http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html#angle
I also recommend you add a brake. Even if you don’t use it during day to day riding, there will be one time you wish you had a brake, but it will be too late. Riding brakeless is a dangerous fad. I don’t use my brake for anything but emergencies and it’s allowed me to ride faster and more confidently.
I’m staring at this bike and wonder how it “is now worth around $1000″.
October 26th, 2011 @1:07 pm
$1000 WOW thats Awesome for a conversion!
October 26th, 2011 @3:16 pm
hey it’s dollar nor euro…
October 26th, 2011 @5:54 pm
thanks for the article.
This conversion started from a road bike my dad sold his car to buy in college.
I tore the bike apart and took it to a local bike shop. I spent 300 initially, buying all new very nice wheels. rear gear and lockring, chain, blah blah
the sad part. from the start the bike has a vertical dropout, so my chain length was WAY too tight. adding a link only made it too loose… It creaked the frame as I rode it, but it rode great.
After a long ride one day the chain was so tight, it stripped the screws out of the crank pulling have the gear off. I spent a lot of money having bike shops do lots of repairs on it, replacing piece by piece.
It began making a weird noise last summer and it was time for a new tire. and the crank arms had broken agin and I knew it was time to break down and get new ones.
a guy at a small local shop said he would trade me a used origin 8 crank and labor to put it on if I could get him a new screen for his broken iphone4. (They knew I worked at a local cellphone repair shop, and did freelance iPhone repair)
I finally got the part in and I told him I was ready to fix it. The used 45 dollar crank set he had to give me, was gone. He traded them to a gentleman who bought 350 dollar track bike cranks, he had the wrong bottom bracket for them. It needed a new fancy type. it retailed well over 125. he said he would trade him the old ones for the news ones if he didnt charge labor.
He really wanted his phone fixed, so he agreed to give me the brand new 350 cranks with the brand new top of the line bottom bracket that retailed for 150!
I had also replaced my old white chain with a thicker half-link chain.
I upheld my end of the bargain, so I handed him my bike. He determined that during all my riding with the chain that was too tight. had caused my rear bearing to COLLAPSE. something he had never seen before. He had to cut it out and order a new one, that only existed oregon for some reason.
there has been a lot of other repairs and fixes along the way, it was a pain in the ass but. this thing is solid!
October 26th, 2011 @6:54 pm
It’s worth $1000 because he had to have that massive cog custom made.
October 26th, 2011 @7:10 pm
I am genuinely interested in how you came to the conclusion that this bike is worth $1000.
October 26th, 2011 @7:54 pm
Silly,it says so right under the seat! Now I’m off to buy some Treks so I can be rich!!
October 27th, 2011 @10:34 pm
not sure about the 1000. not sure about the bar angle. still a neat n’ nifty bike
October 28th, 2011 @10:35 am
Value and money spent are two different things. Glad to hear its working out. Be sure to keep everything lubed up and torqued to spec to keep your ride nice and quite
October 28th, 2011 @12:03 pm
So true. Many of my cheapest bikes grew to be priceless over time. Wish I’d kept them all.
October 29th, 2011 @6:20 am
You could have just added a half-link to your chain.
October 29th, 2011 @8:35 am
Scrod.. No one does things the easy way here!
But I do wis we could start a Jackarse tread here
October 29th, 2011 @8:41 am
maybe a new Message Board is in order for Jack Awards and other pithy laments.
November 6th, 2011 @7:48 pm
haha I have enjoyed reading all of your comments.
I would of appreciated a less shitty rating though…
Since then I have raised my seat quite a bit, and had all my bearing tightened.
Just installed a new rear Michelin commuter tire. hopefully it will hold up to a bit of fixie skidding.
I am still riding breakless
but yes believe it or not. Including the retail cost of every new part I bought. and all the labor over all this time is at a value of around $1000.00 every part is top of the line.
November 6th, 2011 @8:06 pm
@The Fix – Owner, don’t take the low rating personally. Even the best bikes on the website only have 7′s and 7.5′s.
November 7th, 2011 @7:38 am
send me $1000 and I will tell you all the secret ways to save money. The best way is don’t count.
November 7th, 2011 @11:03 am
Yeah keep those bearings really tight, makes stopping much easier..
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