How to build a bicycle

Everyone has them. They're in the basement rotting away, covered in dust and neglected. We wince when we see them and tip toe by as we feel guilty about not making some kind of use out of our long forgotten friends. You know what I mean guys.........your old bike. So how could that piece of junk ever be worth a second look. It won't shift, its heavy, and lets face it, its ugly. I thought the same way and so I threw out a perfectly good 70's schwinn ten speed with a broken shifting assembly. It brings a tear to my eye when I've had a few at the bar.

The truth is that there is a movement in big cities everywhere to use these old frames and parts and turn them into something useful. Not only that but knowing how to build a bike really isn't as difficult as you may think. You can turn an old bike into what is called a fixed gear bike easily. A fixed gear bike has no gears to fix, no deraileurs to adjust and all kinds new parts to make it a custom ride of your own design. The omission of these parts make a virtually maintence free ride with little or no expenditure necessary. Everytime I took my accessory laden mountain bike to the shop I paid up to 50 dollars for a tune up. The fix gear is maintence free! Another reason to learn how to build a bike out of one you have already is that it will be much less desirable among theives. They'd much rather steal new thousand dollar racing bikes than old schwinns.

I found out about this phenomenon when visiting a friend of mine that lived in the city. He had found a great book that had shown him everything he needed to know about dismantling and reparing bikes. His apartment contains four complete bikes he built himself and one mountain bike project he is in the middle of. This may seem overkill to the casual observer but once he got going he couldn't stop! The reason is commuting on subway where he lives is a long crowded messy process. Communting my car means you will lose your spot or pay twenty five dollars a day to park near work. His easiest commute is by bike and he loves it. One bike is for snow and is equipped with fenders, another is a fixed gear, another has gears, then there is a mountain bike and an extra possibly for his girlfriend with pink highlights. I was so blown away by this development I bought the book and let me tell you I've got the bug as well! Everything is broken down in nice easy steps and the pictures and diagrams make it possible for novices to get the idea easily. The latest specs on handlebar and headset sizes are included as well as methods of overhauling cranksets and freewheels to keep your bike performing wonderfully.

If you wanna keep paying ridiculous labor cost at bike shops, or sitting in your car looking at tail lights and sucking someone elses exhaust by all means continue life as usual. If your ready to make a change for sanity and health start with Jim Langley's Bicycle Maintenence and Repair and get things the way you want them to be.

I know your still wondering. Whats so great about this fixed gear bike? Aside from the complete lack of maintence regular bikes with changable gears demand and being less attractive to theives fixed gears have a few other attractive features that might make you consider building one. A fixed gear has a fixed hub on the rear tire which connects the petals directly to the movement in the rest of drive train. In other words, you can't coast but must pedal every step of the way for optimum exercise. To some this feature may seem less than attractive but it is also the reason for your superior balance and control while riding in tight areas. You can stand up confidently at traffic lights next to cars and never once touch the ground or worry about tiping over. You just stand on the stationary pedals and neither they or the bike move unless you want it to. Also, you can chop the handlebars so sliding in between cars is anything but difficult and the superior balance you command makes scratching them a non issue.

Fixed gears aren't for everyone just something useful if you live in the city or really want a maintence free bike.  The principles in the book however will allow you to fix up your old bike like new, adjust your gears and even mod it to be a bit more contemporary or fit your needs.  You don't have your afro to ride with any more, but your sporting a nice desk gut that needs a cushy seat and a lot of rides to the office so you can ditch the elastic pants! 

In essence, when you learn how to build a bike its yours. It wasn't created for the masses, you designed it for you to do what you want it to be and to fit you perfectly. Grocery hauler, speed demon, lights, flames, chrome, bullhorn racing bars, clipped pedals, its up to you really. So before you pull out your wallet to drop a hefty sum on a new bike, go down in that basement and dare to be creative. You might have had the answer sitting down there all along.