Macaronnie

I used to really love to bike fixed back in high school and frequently rode, but had bike friends who built my bike for me and maintained it. As a result, I developed a love for riding fixed gear, but knew next to nothing about maintenance.

Fast forward 6ish years and now at 24 and in San Diego (super flat and bike friendly) I have decided to build my own fixed gear bike for leisure riding from parts and have spent the last few weeks reading and watching a ton of videos to learn the basics.

I recently bought a steel frame from Craigslist that is just the frame and fork for $30, but cannot find any information on it.

It is a Kensington FS Elite, but when I google it, only other user sales listing come up with no specs. I'm fairly certain it's probably a cheap steel frame, but the brand doesn't seem to exist anywhere.


Does anyone know any specs about it, specifically the bottom bracket and seat post diameter?

I discovered that my old seat tube from a novara bike is too wide, and that the inner diameter of the frame seat post is roughly 24mm (I dont own vernier calipers so I had to use a measuring tape), but a quick search told me that this is an unusual size reserved mostly for the French vintage Peugeot bike, which mine clearly is not.

What would be the best size seat post for me to get? And has anyone heard of/owned a kensington fs elite frame? It wouldnt let me post photos as I am a new user

Also, I am 5'2, hence why I bought this frame because it is a size 47 and the only one I could find within budget that fit my height. Sorry if this was reposted or confusing but I am very new to the bike world and tried to find info but am at a loss now.

dsbrantjr

If you are going to build a bike you might as well invest in a good dial or digital caliper, a tape is not going to cut it. You will need to measure your seat tube diameter to within 0.1mm, perhaps the best way would be to go to a bike shop which has a sizing tool.

Crankycrank

From some photos I've seen the frame you have is from an inexpensive mountain/hybrid bike. If you're looking to build a road single speed this would not be a good choice. Depending on what parts you already have it may just be cheaper to buy a complete fixie such as what is available here. https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/trackbikes.htm Fortunately you get a lot more for your money with a fixie since you don't have to buy all those fancy gear parts. Since you're in San Diego give Bernie's Bike Shop a call if you need some help with inexpensive parts and advice or ask if they have any used fixies in stock. They mostly do repairs and parts for the beach community i.e. cruiser bikes, bmx and such but the couple that runs it are some of the most knowledgeable in San Diego with anything having to do with bikes. Don't be put off by the looks of the place. https://www.berniesbikeshop.com/

Macaronnie

[QUOTE=Crankycrank;21574129]From some photos I've seen the frame you have is from an inexpensive mountain/hybrid bike. If you're looking to build a road single speed this would not be a good choice. Depending on what parts you already have it may just be cheaper to buy a complete fixie such as what is available here. Fortunately you get a lot more for your money with a fixie since you don't have to buy all those fancy gear parts. Since you're in San Diego give Bernie's Bike Shop a call if you need some help with inexpensive parts and advice or ask if they have any used fixies in stock. They mostly do repairs and parts for the beach community i.e. cruiser bikes, bmx and such but the couple that runs it are some of the most knowledgeable in San Diego with anything having to do with bikes. Don't be put off by the looks of the place./QUOTE]

Thanks! I plan to go to a shop today to ask some questions/get some more knowledge and see if they have some better frames so I'll give them a check out.

Why would this hybrid bike not be good for a fixie?
I plan to ride casually and my budget for the entire bike is under $200, so I'm not too picky about quality for my first build.
Currently the parts I have purchased/already own are- chain, handlebars, quill stem, wheelset/tires, and seat.
I find the biggest struggle is that most used frames are 51cm or above, but as someone whos 5'2, I almost never find frames my size.

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Thomas15

[QUOTE=Macaronnie;21574667]
Unless you have a stash of parts that will fit this frame then you may have a difficult time finding everything you need to get this project rolling given your budget. I would think that most riders on a fixie would want something light/responsive and more of a road component grouping and frame geometry rather than a hybrid groupset.

Crankycrank

I just made the assumption that you were looking for a track type fixie with road bars as your frame has not the best geometry for that and is more suited to an upright riding position but certainly doesn't mean you can't make it work as a roadie or as an upright fixie with straight bars if that's what you want.

Edward1066

Chances are, the frame you got has vertical dropouts. There will be no easy way to tension your chain once you install the rear wheel into the frame. Chances are the rear end of the frame is spaced 135mm at the dropouts, most track/single speed wheels are space 120mm(like most track frames. Go to BikesDirect.com and get yourself a cheap single speed. It'll be a lot less hassle, and you'll be riding sooner... Or not.

Macaronnie

Update: I went to a bike shop today and after having someone check out the frame, he confirmed what many of you said and also we found that the rear doesn't quite fit a 700c wheel with enough clearance and on top of the smaller than average seat tube sizing, I did some rethinking after and decided to resell/scrap the frame and just get a new one.
So thank you to everyone for your advice! I checked out Bike Direct and found they had a 43cm Motobecane frame on sale for $99, so I went ahead and bought that after checking out some reviews.
I can't wait to get back into the fixie life real soon!