The worst thing about building a new bike!

I really love nothing better than collecting a load of bits and building yourself a new ride! But theres nothing worse than having to chain it up at a train station for a day!

So whats the solution?

 Step forward a load of scrap parts. People throw out perfectly god bikes every day. All it takes is to keep and eye out and use a little mechanical knowledge and of course a single speed conversion kit. So heres what i built from bits. Cost about £25 includeing a can of primer and black.

I had built another of these previously also costing in the region of £20 but a friend took a fancy to that one when i had a clear out.

old dawes one track

Just look around build yourself one and enjoy simplicity with no worries.

 

A Bit more about my surly troll that i had to type up

Surly troll Review

I will start from the beginning!

                Why this bike?

Well I needed a bike that could do everything, be really practical and mostly be individual. So it had to be able to commute, mountain bike, Keep up on club rides, carry the shopping and if needs be carry me to Australia.

After a few months on the internet it led to this bike. Just the rear drop out screams I CAN DO ANYTHING! At you just looking at it. It can run disc or v brake, a rack, rohloff, trailer and full wrap mudguards all at the same time if needs be. There’s full cable routings for all, two bottle mounts, Front rack eyelets on the fork and again the ability for disc, v brake and a rack. Also the frames got a 100mm corrected fork so it can handle suspension. What more could you need?

 

                So the build!

                Obviously it had to be reliable, strong, affordable and able to do everything. So unfortunately that meant the rohloff was out of the question so I opted for deore throughout as I think this group set offers good value for money this included hubs, hydraulic discs, rear mech, front mech, chain set, cassette  and shifters. The hubs were 36 spoke deore 6 bolt disc hubs. I laced these into rigida sputnik rims for strength and the ability to use rim brakes if the need ever arise.

                Right! So how to get the flexibility?

                It had to be a workhorse so I needed a strong rack this came from thorn cycles a 60kg rated affair should more than cope with the groceries and a trip to the continent, Also from thorn I opted for one of their comfort MTB bars as they worked well on my LHT. For the grips I used the ergon gr2 as they other multiple positions and wide support for the wrists. The front is set a bit higher then standard mountain bikes as this position suits the majority of my riding. I’m running a combination of BBB and SKS mudguards as there’s nothing worse than getting to work covered in horse presents from my commute through the forest. Also a couple of extra comfort bits from brooks, a B17 narrow and from Rockshox a recon tk silver.

 

                So what’s the ride like?

                Well it’s not fast, Its not super nimble. What can I say it’s a perfect bike? I will admit its not super refined in all areas. But it will ride in all areas and do it well. It’s super comfy to ride. It carries all my camping gear with no complaints. It will join the guys for a loop round the forest and I can still keep up. I smile when I over take their carbon full susses on a steel touring bike with racks and all. I would recommend this bike to everyone. But unfortunately it might ruin one thing that I love about it. That it’s my bike and no one else has got one the same. (Small did at the EX8 fellowship).

                So what would a bike like this cost?

                Well if you were internet savvy and have a few skills with a wrench You could prob build one like this for around £1200, Full RRP done by a shop £1500+ or they do offer a complete for £1199. Choices choices.

                It might seem a lot but to me it’s a bargain. This is my main form of transport and my weekend toy no matter what I’m up to. The savings in a years motoring will be double the cost of this bike. I look at it in a simple way cost versus miles travelled!