Building a road bike on the cheap

[OldCog]

As I still mourn the loss of my 62cm Lemond steel frame road bike ... I wonder about building something up. While I've done a lot of wrenching on cars and motorcycles - and some basic bicycle repairs --- I've never built one from the ground up.

Here is a Fuji 62cm steel frame on ebay for $75
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Fuji-Roa...QQcmdZViewItem

One thing I don't know about bikes are the various (if any) standards for crank sets - gear sets - derailleurs. So for this Fuji frame is it likely a Shimano Integra dual-ring crank will fit? As well as a Integra front & rear derailleurs ?

I guess I should start by talking to a few of the local shops doing rebuilds to start looking for a decent used steel frame

used frame $100
powder coat $100
used wheels $150
new crankset $80
new Cassette $80
new deraillurs $80

Thats about $600 for most of a bike

[lynnef]

Old frames have their quirks, for sure. At least that one isn't French-thread...

A modern bottom bracket would work, but be sure you've got the correct spindle length and all that.

The hub spacing is old/narrow - current hubs are spaced at 130mm. You can change the spacing by cold-setting the frame, but I myself would pay someone else to do that. Or you could find some nifty vintage hubs/wheels and you are set.

Wheelsize is another gotcha - for that bike it could be 27". You could go 700c, but finding brakes to reach, while not a challenge, is just something you can't assume will work.

It looks like it was sold - did you get it?

For rebuilding vintage frames, CityBikes and Community Cycling Center are your friends - awesome old parts selection!

As for Shimano Ultegra - no reason why the crankset shouldn't work, assuming the correct bottom bracket hub. The cassette is another story - older wheels were true freewheels - the rachety mechanism was included with the cogs, not built into the hub. You can buy freewheels, still, if that is what your rear wheel hub needs, but they need to be compatible.

[the Wumpus]

I'll second the recommendation for Citybikes and CCC. They have the experience mixing and matching parts, and a far better parts selection than any new-parts shop if secondhand things fit the bill. Respacing steel frames is no big deal at all, just take your time and use Sheldon's string method for checking squareness. I've done a few, it's easy.

And I think any cyclist who enjoys tinkering needs to do something like this. Take your time. There is so much that goes into a bike! More than you would think, and much of it interrelated. Work backwards: Sometimes a crankset will decide the bottom bracket you'll need, and your choice of bars will dictate the stem you'll be using! You'll learn a lot in the process, and your bike will benefit from your experience.

[OldCog]

Nope I didn't buy that frame --- still in the planning / learning stage. But thanks for the comments. At 6'2" and 200Lbs I want a good steel frame that fits me - I'll drop by the CCC and have a chat.

As we work for the school system - phase 1 is to ensure we're employed next year.

[vincentpaul]

Originally Posted by OldCog

Nope I didn't buy that frame --- still in the planning / learning stage. But thanks for the comments. At 6'2" and 200Lbs I want a good steel frame that fits me - I'll drop by the CCC and have a chat.

As we work for the school system - phase 1 is to ensure we're employed next year.

Two recommendations: Steel-framed touring bikes are great for us big guys. Or go cheap and get a large-framed late-80's to early-90's cross-country mountain bike frame. For those of us guys that are over 6' and 200lbs (me) and don't race (99.9% of us) road frames are a often a poor choice. At 200 lbs you should be riding 32-36 spoke wide rims minimum and large-volume, low-pressure tires (1.5-1.75 inches). You can pick up fantastic old x-country bikes without front-suspension on Craigs List for < $100. The frames, deraillers and brakes are bomb proof on these bikes and will last another 50 years. If its 7-speed I would update it to 8-speed when the wheelset wears out. They're much easier to adjust and index than 9-10 speeds, work with current wheelsets, and the chains and cassettes last forever. You'll probably need new shifters if the bike was used much, since they are a disposable that can't be repaired. Update the bike with a handlebar that has more grip options than a flat bar (check out the Albatross bar on the Rivendell web site, or a trekking bar at Nashbar). Get a good saddle. I favor Brooks. You'll be set to do anything from touring/commuting (these old bikes have all the brazings for front and rear racks) to centuries (I did 5 of them last year and outperformed my buddies on road bikes because I had proper gearing for hills) to modest single-track. These are great bikes to learn bike wrenching on because they're very forgiving.