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Hardisty steelframe - Build advice

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Hardisty steelframe - Build advice

Old 05-26-20, 10:48 AM
  #1  
muskatli
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Hardisty steelframe - Build advice

Hey guys, I am completely new at bike building but I managed to put my hands on this frame (which I think is pretty nice but nothing fancy really I guess) for cheap - Hardisty steelframe - Columbus SLX tubing.

I'd like to build a simple single speed commuter out of this and all I've got is a pair of wheels and this frameset.

My question would be, what would you put on this frame to build a nice singlespeed? - is it worth buying some better branded stuff (if yes, what do you recommend)?
I reckon the bottom bracket is standard English BSA threaded (68mm width) - correct me if I am wrong. What should be the spindle width? Any good medium priced cranksets that you could recommend? (Sorry I have tons of questions)

Thanks in advance guys!
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Old 05-26-20, 12:22 PM
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Originally Posted by muskatli
Hey guys, I am completely new at bike building but I managed to put my hands on this frame (which I think is pretty nice but nothing fancy really I guess) for cheap - Hardisty steelframe - Columbus SLX tubing.

I'd like to build a simple single speed commuter out of this and all I've got is a pair of wheels and this frameset.

My question would be, what would you put on this frame to build a nice singlespeed? - is it worth buying some better branded stuff (if yes, what do you recommend)?
I reckon the bottom bracket is standard English BSA threaded (68mm width) - correct me if I am wrong. What should be the spindle width? Any good medium priced cranksets that you could recommend? (Sorry I have tons of questions)

Thanks in advance guys!
For a commuter, I wouldn't go nuts with high end stuff - any low/middle-tier Shimano gear would be more than adequate and will likely last forever. Your BB spindle width will depend on the crankset you're using to give you the appropriate chain line, so just make sure to match the BB and crankset. I'm also building a S/S runabout - since I'm not planning on catching a bus for a while (assuming I could even get on a bus - they're restricting to 10 passengers/bus for the time being), I'm going to ride into work for the foreseeable, either on this or on my boat-anchor Nashbar commuter. I have an old De Bernardi frame and a bunch of middle-tier Campagnolo stuff from the parts box - I'm using a 39/16 gear - lowish, but my ride in is mainly uphill - I can always coast home. I have Campag cranks/BB, brakes, seatpost and headset, Shimano S/S freewheel, Nashbar MTB flat bar with Nashbar levers, the bar (cut down a couple of inches each side) installed into a TTT quill stem with a beer can shim, an old Selle Italia Max Flite saddle and a pair of Phil Wood wide-flange 32-spoke track hubs laced to Mavic Open Pro rims and shod with some cheap robust 28mm tires. I have a lightweight rear rack on order, and I'm working out how to mount it on a frame bereft of any mounting points. This is a fun build, but I suspect that it's a little too much bike to leave to the tender mercies of the work bike lot - I'll probably leave the regular commuting to the Nashbar boat-anchor, which cost very little and looks it, and save the De Bernardi for quick trips into work or coffee runs. The Nashbar's the kind of bike that I'm happy leaving all day secured with a cable lock. Don't get fancy with your commuter unless you have a really secure spot to stow it

Last edited by Litespud; 05-26-20 at 12:36 PM.
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Old 05-26-20, 02:36 PM
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Please do not grind off the derailleur hanger and associated shift-related fittings as is too often done, so that the frame can be built up as a multi-speed in the future.
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Old 05-26-20, 03:18 PM
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Sweet score! For street use really any crank will do, but if you want to fancy it up higher end 130bcd road cranks are fairly plentiful because they're often removed to fit 110bcd compact road cranks. Single speed rings in 130bcd are also pretty easy to source.

In general the place to get fancy on a SS/fg conversion is the frame and wheels anyways, everything else of mostly a matter of taste.
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Old 05-26-20, 04:39 PM
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Originally Posted by dsbrantjr
Please do not grind off the derailleur hanger and associated shift-related fittings as is too often done, so that the frame can be built up as a multi-speed in the future.
Guilty as charged - boy, do I regret doing it now
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Old 05-27-20, 03:08 AM
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thanks guys for all the valuable info, started hunting for stuff, so far i managed to get a crankset (Silver Andel 144BCD crankset without rings 165mm) and a 48T chainring (Campagnolo Record 144 BCD Chainring 48T) plus a freewheel (Origin8 Hornet 108 3/32" 17T) as I am planning to have the slimmer chain type instead of the 1/8" SS chains. I am just trying to figure out how to measure the chainline, as I don't have the BB yet and all of the above stuff is being delivered in a couple of days so I guess I have to wait until I receive everything.

What do you guys think, can I order a normal square taper BB in the meantime? I think the space between the rear dropouts is 135mm, so standard I guess? does this mean I can get away with a normal 118mm BB in front? (Shimano UN55 Square Taper Bottom Bracket 68 x 118mm)

I will do no harm to the frame though, the opposite really - i'd like to keep everything original on the frame and protect it as much as I can.
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Old 05-27-20, 11:24 AM
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Originally Posted by muskatli
thanks guys for all the valuable info, started hunting for stuff, so far i managed to get a crankset (Silver Andel 144BCD crankset without rings 165mm) and a 48T chainring (Campagnolo Record 144 BCD Chainring 48T) plus a freewheel (Origin8 Hornet 108 3/32" 17T) as I am planning to have the slimmer chain type instead of the 1/8" SS chains. I am just trying to figure out how to measure the chainline, as I don't have the BB yet and all of the above stuff is being delivered in a couple of days so I guess I have to wait until I receive everything.


What do you guys think, can I order a normal square taper BB in the meantime? I think the space between the rear dropouts is 135mm, so standard I guess? does this mean I can get away with a normal 118mm BB in front? (Shimano UN55 Square Taper Bottom Bracket 68 x 118mm)


I will do no harm to the frame though, the opposite really - i'd like to keep everything original on the frame and protect it as much as I can.
I used a mid-90's Campag Athena Crankset and BB, with a 42T chainring on the inside attached with single-stack chainring bolts. Multispeed chains are a good bet because the lateral flexibility necessary for multispeed drivetrains makes them more forgiving of an imperfect chainline, and you have some tweaking room - putting the ring on the inside or outside, tweaking the BB in our out etc. I think I used a 9sp SRAM chain, but I lucked out in that the chainline with a fixed sprocket on the rear was spot on without tweaking. The chainline in the bike's current iteration as a S/S is also pretty good. What wheels are you contemplating?
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Old 05-27-20, 12:03 PM
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I am not too familiar with Hardisty bikes, but every photo I found on the interwebs shows frames with vertical dropouts, which are not ideal for SS use - you need to figure out some other system for adjusting chain tension - either a chain tensioner or …?
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Old 05-27-20, 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Wilfred Laurier
I am not too familiar with Hardisty bikes, but every photo I found on the interwebs shows frames with vertical dropouts, which are not ideal for SS use - you need to figure out some other system for adjusting chain tension - either a chain tensioner or …?
I found at least one 1991 Hardisty SLX with horizontal dropouts, so they're out there
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Old 05-28-20, 04:22 AM
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mine is a horizontal dropout, written columbus into it. wanted to share images, but I am too new, need more posts, lol
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Old 05-28-20, 05:45 AM
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Originally Posted by muskatli
I think the space between the rear dropouts is 135mm, so standard I guess?
135 is typically found on mountain bikes and hybrids. I would expect yours to be more likely 130 (or even 126 if it's an older frame). Easy enough to measure rather than guess.
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Old 05-28-20, 06:14 AM
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Originally Posted by AeroGut
135 is typically found on mountain bikes and hybrids. I would expect yours to be more likely 130 (or even 126 if it's an older frame). Easy enough to measure rather than guess.
yeah measured it to be 130mm. just trying to figure out the chainline which is roughly 45-47mm.. a 68/113mm BB would be okay for that, i suppose?
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Old 05-29-20, 12:02 AM
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He is the OP's gallery so you can see photos of his frame.

https://www.bikeforums.net/g/album/17964973
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