building a bike with my kid.. advice please.

[areaye]

hi everyone

i'm a new member here and so glad i found this site...more importantly this section! (-- yes mods posted similar in another section but its much more applicable here please)

so i used to build bmx bikes back when i was a kid in the 80s (like we all probably did) then sell them and repeat the process. i havent done so in years tho

i'm now a father who needs a bike to ride along with my 5 year old kid. i recently acquired a malvern star racer which is in ok condition so figured i'd use it to build a fixie with my son, as i'd be a great project we could do together.

problem tho. i havent built a bike in over 25 years so may need some assistance! excuse my incorrect bike terminology in advance. heres a few questions for starters which i hope you guys can help with

1) i need new wheels (fixed gear flipflp) on the bike and was looking at these two options. which is better? cheaper the better for me! im only going to be riding casually with my son and to & from the train station also.
http://www.cyclingdeal.com.au/buy/fixie ... te/ZJS185W
http://www.cyclingdeal.com.au/buy/stars ... et/ZJS100E

2) the hubs have sizes assiciated to them (eg. M10x 130 x 140mm) what is this? what would i need to measure on my frame to ensure these wheel sizes are ok?

3) would any fixie crankset be compatible with the above? i see available 170mm 46T or 165mm 46T.. which do i need?

4) what ratio would be best for all round use? from the above it'd be 46/16.. is this ok for me to cruise around (even a few hills) or do i need to be a super rider?

5) is there anything else i should be weary of?

thanks in advance.. again, just trying to build a bike with my little fella the cheapest (& safest) way possible. sorry for the longwinded questions.

cheers

[silentbutdeadly]

1) go the first set of wheels. The Star wheels use bladed spokes that are fragile in my experience and a hassle to true as well
2) M10 is the axle diameter, 2nd measure is the hub width and final measure is the axle length
3) Yes. The crank length you pick depends on your leg length/height. Typical 6 footer uses 175mm crank so unless you are unusually short - 170mm
4) 46/16 will be fine for most situations
5) Being too cheap...and not having fun.

[areaye]

1) go the first set of wheels. The Star wheels use bladed spokes that are fragile in my experience and a hassle to true as well

awesome, thanks for all your advice mate, i really do appreciate it.. this choice of wheels tho was my main point of contention as i wasn't sure which i should choose. i'll definitely take your advice and get these then but just quickly tho, the description for these rims mention "Rims: Aluminium 6061, WITHOUT CNC machined Side Walls for Brakes, Brakes still could be fitted although it is not perfect"

--- how difficult would it be for me to install brakes?

[silentbutdeadly]

Brakes will install just fine. What they are saying is that the braking surface on the rim hasn't been machined to be a proper stopping surface. Give them a light sand with 240 grit wet & dry sandpaper before you use them.

[ghostpoet]

Avoid the white ones, they really show the dirt and look, how you say..."tres mediocre...." Silver to go, and if you attach some of the sandpaper recommended above to your brake pads and then ride around for a bit with the brakes on lightly it gives a neater finish in about half the time. Just remember to take it off.....

[HLC]

Does your old racer take 27" or 700c wheels?? If it takes 27" wheels, then putting 700c wheels on it will lower the BB height increasing the chance of pedal strike, so I would go 165mm cranks if you are buying new.

Don't go the cheap stars wheels, the are rubbish. The dearer ones aren't much better but at east they will be strong. You could probably find some even better wheels on eBay for a similar price with better hubs/lighter but depends on how thrifty you want to be!

One other thing, if you put 700c wheels on a 27" frame make sure you have long reach brake calipers

[rileyp]

Dont lop your finger off!
http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

[gururug]

One other thing, if you put 700c wheels on a 27" frame make sure you have long reach brake calipers

Not always necessary, borrow some off another bike or friend to check is possible before purchase.

Short cranks was good advice.

[HLC]

One other thing, if you put 700c wheels on a 27" frame make sure you have long reach brake calipers

Not always necessary, borrow some off another bike or friend to check is possible before purchase.

Short cranks was good advice.

You are right, not always necessary. In my experience with conversions, most have needed long reach, but you might get lucky!

[areaye]

thanks heaps guys!

yup pretty sure the wheels are 700.. will triple check tonite.

and from initial glance, that conversion site looks sooo helpful.. thankyou!!!