First fixie project

[RCMCKC2]

Hello I love bikes and currently ride a road bike. My favorite to place be is on my bike. Now that my kids are getting older they are wanting to do some family bike rides. So in order for me not to look crazy I thought a fixie would be a great way to customize and make a bike mines.

So I was able to score a bike off of a friend. It is an old Ross bike and I was thinking of turning it into a fixie. Attached are some pics I just took Friday of the bike.

I was thinking of getting new color spokes (not sure what color or brand)
everything needed to make it into a fixie (components wise)
cut the handle bars
get a new seat
front break

Please feel free to name some good and reliable brands. Please also feel free to name some other upgrades that I may be missing.

PS: The first pic is of my mess. LOL

[nfmisso]

Brakes - Tektro Get your final wheels/rims, and measure the reach; before you purchase.

If you are on a budget; you current wheels are fine for a fixie OR a single speed - you have to choose. Or you can replace the rear hub or wheel with a "flip-flop" hub, which you can have fixed on one side and single speed freewheel on the other.

Is that a can of WD40 in the 1st picture? If yes, keep it AWAY from all of the mechanisms, bearings and chain on the bike. WD40 is not a lubricant, it is designed to displace water.

Looks like you are going to need some special bike tools too: crank puller, cone wrenches for the wheel bearings, cable cutters, BB tools (depends on your BB and what you want to install), spoke wrench of the right size for the spoke nipples you choose.

I use Wheelsmith Spokes and Nipples. I one nicer spoke wrench that fits them, and another one that fits a multitude of sizes (not so good). Generally, if I am rebuilding a wheel, I cut the old spokes with a bolt cutter (good idea to have an old trash tire mounted on the rim (no tube) to slow down the spokes as they explode from the rim).

Colored spokes are going to cost you around $1- each; the front wheel has all the same length spokes, the rear are different side to side, and if you are very lucky, the left side will be the same as the front wheel.

Rims - if steel, replace with aluminum. My favorite are Velocity Dyad - because they are very easy and fast to build. Sun CR18 are also nice.

Read all of Sheldon Brown's site - EVERY single thing.

[1FJEF]

If you want to go riding with the kids, why not service & detail everything, install flatbars, MTB or even cruiser bars (under $30). Keep your brakes, install new MTB levers (under $30), thumb shifters (under $20), new cables & housings ($10-$30), a cable stop here & there ($15), get some new tires & that bike would look great. Platform or MTB pedals too (under $20). All of these parts are pretty cheap. A new seat (under $40) and new tektro brakes ($ under 40 each) would be a nice upgrade.