Mountain bike conversion

[kaidotech]

Just bought a cheap 22" mountainbike on craigslist for $22. I plan on converting it to a single speed, and swapping in a BMX fork and handle bars. Also new seat, primer and color matching it to my truck. Has anyone done this kind of conversion? Would it be easier to keep the mountain bike fork and put on a set of BMX bars and mounting bracket? I'm also having a little trouble finding 22" BMX parts that arent $300-400 for the fork and bars alone.

This is my goal:

[benz88]

you'll find 24" bmx parts easier. Just try and find a BMX Stem and bars and see if you can get it to work with the existing fork.

[kaidotech]

This is the cheap ass piece of shit I bought. I honestly just wanted it for the frame and wheels. Everything from the arms, sprockets, pedals, seat, bars, fork, and tires and getting replaced. I dont think I'll be able to use the existing fork unless inside the frame in the front there is enough space for a BMX handlebar stem to fit into it. Its a 22" frame so 24" parts may make it look big and awkward.



I used to be hardcore into BMX but I outgrew my 20" Haro and sold it since I'm 6'2. It felt like a little kid's bike despite the fact the pros use them. I had to stand up everywhere to ride it and sitting down hurt my legs to bend them so much.

[magoo_lc1]

Dude i just sold a 24 inch red line like in your first pics...i restore old bmx bikes. You can convert a mtb bike but you will need a f chain tensioner becaust the bike dont have horizontal dropouts. That looks to be a trek 820 you have....it would be nice to fix up.. You can do the bmx parts and forks it just takes some doing. BTW if you go the route of the tensioner by yourself a couple half links for the chain at your local bike store for fine adjustment in getting the chaing tight.

[kaidotech]

Dude i just sold a 24 inch red line like in your first pics...i restore old bmx bikes. You can convert a mtb bike but you will need a f chain tensioner becaust the bike dont have horizontal dropouts. That looks to be a trek 820 you have....it would be nice to fix up.. You can do the bmx parts and forks it just takes some doing. BTW if you go the route of the tensioner by yourself a couple half links for the chain at your local bike store for fine adjustment in getting the chaing tight.

I'd honestly like to avoid getting a tensioner and going with a straight chain gear to gear. The bike has a [___ shaped frame in the back so I'd be able to adjust the wheel forward and back to get the right tension wouldnt I?

Im pretty hard on my mnt bikes as I've done a lot of black diamond downhill in Vail, CO and always seem to eat derailers. I've exploded at least 3 derailers on two bikes from pedaling too hard or something.

I ordered one of these cheap to try it out before I get a good expensive one [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Ops-Bolt-Alloy-Stem/dp/B000AO9ZL6/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1313295578&sr=8-22"]Amazon.com: Black Ops 4 Bolt Alloy BMX Stem - 1" Silver: Sports & Outdoors[/ame] . I'm hoping this will fit in the frame, then I can put on the following parts:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Origin8-Single-Speed-Conversion-Kit/dp/B002UZFU7G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313296408&sr=8-2"]Amazon.com: Origin8 Single Speed Conversion Kit: Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Diamondback-Trail-Handlebars-Black-27-1/dp/B002BW3H64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313296388&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Diamondback BMX Trail Handlebars, Black, 27-1/4 Inch wide: Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Diamondback-Urban-Seat-Camo-Grey/dp/B001C3AU4K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313296444&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Diamondback Urban Pro Seat: Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

Hopefully I can find some Maxxis slicks or another brand of slick tire in 22" to swap from the MNT bike knobbies. I had a set of Maxxis on my old 20" and loved them.

[kaidotech]

Unless someone has a better single speed conversion Im open to ideas. Id like to spend the majority of my money on the fork and gear conversion. Trying to stay under $100 for the total of it though. (not including the bike's cost) Moar low on my truck takes priority lol

[kaidotech]

Dude i just sold a 24 inch red line like in your first pics...i restore old bmx bikes. You can convert a mtb bike but you will need a f chain tensioner becaust the bike dont have horizontal dropouts. That looks to be a trek 820 you have....it would be nice to fix up.. You can do the bmx parts and forks it just takes some doing. BTW if you go the route of the tensioner by yourself a couple half links for the chain at your local bike store for fine adjustment in getting the chaing tight.

Sorry, was slightly drunk when I read this earlier on my phone. The bike in fact DOES have a horizontal dropout. I read that and thought vertical for some stupid reason. So since my rear looks like this:



I can ditch a derailer right? I hope I just got sheer dumb luck on buying this with a frame perfect for a fixie-conversion.

I'll also mention that I'm extremely hard on my bikes (dirt jumps, etc) So if I have that type of frame and dont run a derailer, will my chain fall off?

[Anonymoose]

If you want a fixie you'd be better off buying an old road bike, then you need to buy a rear wheel (&front if you want a matching pair) with a single gear hub, you could remove the two other sprokets off the front and run the smaller one or if you're doing it proper you'd get a new set of cranks and suitable gear. With the old road bikes it's nicer imo coz you can just cut the handle bars up etc but with these mountain bikes it's not really worth it after buying all the shit to convert it over you could have bought a new fixie. Plus it'll look gay IMO

Also you being 6'2 on a 22" frame is going to be big and akward ;p The're also 24 or 26" wheels btw.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BARBICAN-ROAD-BIKE-RETRO-VINTAGE-/320743950631?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item4aadd44927

+ new wheels and cranks, chop the handle bars, done

[therealvilla]

If you want a fixie you'd be better off buying an old road bike, then you need to buy a rear wheel (&front if you want a matching pair) with a single gear hub, you could remove the two other sprokets off the front and run the smaller one or if you're doing it proper you'd get a new set of cranks and suitable gear. With the old road bikes it's nicer imo coz you can just cut the handle bars up etc but with these mountain bikes it's not really worth it after buying all the shit to convert it over you could have bought a new fixie. Plus it'll look gay IMO

Also you being 6'2 on a 22" frame is going to be big and akward ;p The're also 24 or 26" wheels btw.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BARBICAN-ROAD-BIKE-RETRO-VINTAGE-/320743950631?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item4aadd44927

+ new wheels and cranks, chop the handle bars, done

+1 on this. This is the route you should look into before you put any more money into what you've got. 22" parts are going to be the hardest to find. And the end result probably won't be the best looking bike, and probably not the most efficient use of your $$$'s. You said you were trying to keep everything under $100 plus the cost of the bike. That's gonna be a tight budget. So you need to shop/spend wisely.

But if you are set on this 22" BMX style fixie conversion look into Sunday bikes stuff. I'm pretty sure they have a 22" cruiser style BMX bike they make. So that may be where you want to look for forks, etc. But they won't be cheap. They'll be lifetime guaranteed though. And I don't even know if they'll fit that frame. Most BMX bikes are using integrated headtube bearings now so the race is machined onto the fork crown. And they may not fit that frame if the headset isn't integrated in(which I doubt it is).

**EDIT** I just looked at Sunday bikes their "C Model" is actually a 24" cruiser sized bike with BMX style geometry. Here's a link -

http://www.sundaybikes.com/catalog/completes/plus-4/

This would be really easy to make what you want. Buy this + replace hub + change gearing if desired = done. BMX style fixie conversion. This would be super easy, but way out of your budget. Sorry I guess that wasn't much help.

[Ollie]

I would just ride a 21". I ride 20.5 and Im like 5'10"

[kaidotech]

I know my posts were a bit long but you guys are missing the point of some things I said. For one, the $100 does -not- include the bike. Also, I noted I ride my bikes very hard, and am looking for something for dirt jumps, trails, etc - so a road bike is completely and utterly useless for me. I want the look of a big BMX bike, thats what I'm going for.

Ollie: on my old 20" I had to ride standing almost all the time or my knees would be bent back too much. Guess my legs are really long.

I went ahead and ordered the parts since I didnt hear back from anyone here for a while. The front needed an entirely new crankset/pedals/axle because it could not be taken apart. The cranks were riveted to the crankgear, so Im replacing it for $30. Got a friend to donate the downstem, handlebars and grip from his old Diamondback BMX bike. For the rear, I ordered a $20 SSC, 16 tooth and 17tooth (will see which I like better). Comes with crap loads of spacers, the works. Also ordered a cassette lockring tool and bikechain tool for $10 together, so I'll come under budget.

therealvilla, Anonymoose; I appreciate the input. Me on a 22" fits perfect. Same fit I had on the 20" BMX but I'm not all squished together.

I'm taking this bike to Vail, Colorado to do downhill and elevated platform riding when I'm finished with it. Tis why I bought a mountainbike to start with, but only need one gear.

I used to have one of these sick ass bikes but someone broke into our garage and stole it, and our lawnmower when I was younger. Suuuuucked.

[kartikeya]

I just did that on an shitty old MTB I bought for $20. I converted it to a road bike though, just because my BMX is too tiring to do long trips on.

I used a wheel with a BMX hub, and just picked my favourite crank gear, which happened to line up perfectly with the casette's gear. Job done. Took all of 20 minutes (and $200) As you can see, I also have horizontal dropouts, which are pretty much essential for this sort of setup (because tensioners are lame).


Getting rid of both derailleurs and the front brake meant I could take off a whole bunch of shit.


Budget shopping for a bike build is hard, because most of the time you really do get what you pay for. And when you're doing some sort of hybrid project, your options sometimes are limited.

[magoo_lc1]

Sorry, was slightly drunk when I read this earlier on my phone. The bike in fact DOES have a horizontal dropout. I read that and thought vertical for some stupid reason. So since my rear looks like this:



I can ditch a derailer right? I hope I just got sheer dumb luck on buying this with a frame perfect for a fixie-conversion.

I'll also mention that I'm extremely hard on my bikes (dirt jumps, etc) So if I have that type of frame and dont run a derailer, will my chain fall off?

Sorry couldnt tell from the pic. Yea ditch the derailer. Im six foot 3 and about 240lbs im rough on my stuff to. I have one with a tesnsioner and never had a issue

[kaidotech]

I just did that on an shitty old MTB I bought for $20. I converted it to a road bike though, just because my BMX is too tiring to do long trips on.

I used a wheel with a BMX hub, and just picked my favourite crank gear, which happened to line up perfectly with the casette's gear. Job done. Took all of 20 minutes (and $200) As you can see, I also have horizontal dropouts, which are pretty much essential for this sort of setup (because tensioners are lame).


Getting rid of both derailleurs and the front brake meant I could take off a whole bunch of shit.


Budget shopping for a bike build is hard, because most of the time you really do get what you pay for. And when you're doing some sort of hybrid project, your options sometimes are limited.

So jelly!!! You just gave me an idea to go with different colors. I was gonna do all white but that's boring. I'm so excited to put this together now. I might get some bullhorns or something instead of the BMX bars

[kaidotech]

I agree with you Kartikeya, chain tensioners are lame and muddy up the clean look of a fixie.

Got the front and rear crank ordered. Replaced the stock grips for the time-being since the original ones were for some stupid reason connected to the gear shifters. I removed the front derailer, both gear shifters, all gear shift lines. I also removed the front brakes and lines to leave it clean with only one rear brake. Tomorrow I will be taking it for a 6 mile trip to get a feel for it and decide what handlebars I want. Just going to leave it on the gear setting it's on now since the ratio is close to the fixed position I will be converting to. I'm torn between these two:

White bullhorns, with lightblue colored handle-bar tape.


or....

Diamondback BMX bars w/teal, or light blue grips.


Also ordered a white chain for the bike tonight:


I'll post some pictures tomorrow with my SLR of how it looks now, all debadged and de-geared. I need to take a hacksaw and cut the old gear/line loops off the frame and sand down the areas. I still plan on painting the whole bike, but I'm thinking white now instead of matte-black.