From Cheap Crappy 10-Speed To Expensive Crappy Fixed Gear
I love junk bikes and I love dumping time and money into junk bikes, but I always try to keep the monetary commitment relative to the quality level of project bike/frame. Apparently this bike’s owner does not apply to my philosophy. On his flickr page, he claims he found this Murray in his parents’ barn – I believe it. This Murray 10-speed is nothing special, but it’s nothing to throw away either. I would recommend fixing it up, but I would limit the investment to about $50. This bike can easily be torn down, bearings repacked, shifting tuned and the tubes and tires replaced if needed for very little out-of-pocket expense. He could make this a nice, reliable (albeit dorky) bike, but instead, he decides this bike must be converted into the bicycle equivalent of a $150 car with a $10000 wheels.
I took some time and figured up what he may have spent on this $25 Murray.
- $139 Sugino Messenger Crank
- $63 Red Selle Italia ProLink Saddle
- $26 American / European Bottom Bracket Conversion
- $27 Sugino Bottom Bracket
- $14 Christophe Red Leather Toe Straps
- $125 Used Sun M13II Wheels
- $394 Total Invested (not including shipping, chain, tires, toe clips or bar wrap)
A perfect example of the whole being less than the sum of it’s parts. What do you think?
Why, after all this money and time, did he just flop and chop his drops? Go ahead and spring for some cheap bull horns.
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Tags: 1984, Drops, FNC, Murray, Pie Plate, PreFix-Op, SMR, SMS, White
as funny as this post is
and not to be a douche
your criticism will cave in on itself:
“SUM” of its parts
Thanks for pointing that out. No Excuse.
I estimate that I spent around $500!! The point for me wasn’t really about how much money the bike deserved but what I could get out of the experience. Having never worked on a bike before (or even known much about bikes) I wanted a project that would teach me something…and I learned a lot. Hell, I didn’t even know what horizontal drop were or that I needed them but I got lucky that this bike had them.
Anyway…thanks for the post. I hope this helps somebody else out.
Issac,
Thanks for being a sport. I’m all for paying for the experience, but this site is all about getting a much as you can for as little as possible and your Murray is in clear violation.
The important thing is that the bike gets ridden.
Is that now a single speed with a pedal brake? I owned a suzuki X-90, so I dig this bike.
This is not a single speed with pedal brake, it is a fixed gear with no brakes.
I am an owner of one of these “crappy” Murray bikes. I’ll be posting it here soon. I’ve had it since I wheeled it off the departmet store floor in 1971. A few years ago I restored it…funny thing was, other than paint, calbes, tires/tubes, cassete and chain, I reused everything else. Now, it was in nice condition to start with, and now I wished I had preserved the decals, but for $79 in 1971, and the fact that this bike fits me perfectly, and has about 3000 miles on it….unless Lance Armstrong GAVE me one of his bikes, I’ll ride this Murray until I drop dead. Roll on my friend, nice job!
The builder had a good time and the bike now has sex appeal. Three hours with a shrink costs as much as he spent and he can ride like hell now. Great therapy and nice ride. One less crappy 10 speed and one cool fixie. Hopefully the steed is light weight steel but he can always wrench it on to another frame. Fly across country and it will cost you 500 dollars and no bike: only a ticket stub. Good work and good ten speed gallery. Enjoy. Ed with a fixie project going but also one 10 speed to keep original and saving all removed stuff for sure.
I found one of these old murray citations on the corner of my street. I figured, its a perfect opportunity to make a fixie. I’m doing my best to re-use the entire bike of its original parts. Ive dismantled the bike more than half way, and im trying to re-use the same gear, I need to find a way to take apart the cassette and remove the freewheel. Can anyone help me with this?
I totally have an old Murray frame that I’ve converted into a sexy fixie.
1) Quite honestly, the frame feels better than all of the others in the shop. I picked it based on feel, and it has been a pleasure to ride ever since I built it up. (Of course, my cyclist-geek friends were in total dismay at my brand choice… but they’re not the ones riding it. I can paint over the Murray name and keep on riding. F-them.)
2) Yes, I put expensive components on it. However, I can just as easily remove those components if the Murray frame was to ever live up to its crappy reputation. e.g. A great wheel set is a great wheel set. It’s great to ride on. And if the frame dies, then I’ll put the wheels on another bike. No big loss. The investment is still worth it.
I’m right with you Dawn. My old Murray fits me better AND rides better than 99% of the “boutique” bikes that everyone goes ga-ga over. My Murray has now given me 39 years of riding service, with about 98% of its ORIGINAL components. Yes, I’ve replaced all the bearings, all the cables, tires, tubes, saddle, brake levers, brake pads and the freewheel……and THATS IT. And I will NEVER replace this bike. It fits, and it always works.
Old bikes are great.
You can find them in the trash can, and more oft than not, a bent rim or a flat tire is the cause of the abandonment. Fix the fixable, or bash one with parts from other wrecks. Sell em for 20-30 bucks at the flea market. Use the cash to get parts you cant find in the street.
Bikes are great machines, beats walking.