You could probably get away with doing this build for less than $900 if you buy enough used parts. Find an old Schwinn frame, gonna be cheaper than $300 for a felt and stronger than a Walmart frame. You can drop the 212 down enough to be able to remove the valve cover if needed.
The added benefit of the old Schwinn is that even though it's got a 1"
Headset, you can easily convert it to a 1.125". For a fork I been looking at suntour xcr. Coil spring with oil damping and can be found as low as $90 on eBay. Stay away from air forks I think. Put a front disc brake something like a cheap Hayes 2-piston hydraulic to start they can be found for around $40. Your wheels and brakes are gonna be the most expensive part that can't be bought used. Front wheel maybe. If ya find a sealed bearing disc hub wheel like I did on CL for $40. It's a 32spoke and I've never had to true it in 5000mi, but about two weeks ago I hit a huge bump in the road that nearly knocked me off the bike and now it looks like it's a quarter inch out... first time it's ever gone out of true.
I bet you could register it in ca and ride it in Oregon. I'm building a trailer and wondering if I could ride across state lines.
Unfortunately you can't really build it with cheap parts if you actually plan on riding it a lot. Stuff falls apart on normal builds but with the 212 it just happens all the time unless everything is built right. Why build two bikes just start building one right. You can always upgrade it later.
The added benefit of the old Schwinn is that even though it's got a 1"
Headset, you can easily convert it to a 1.125". For a fork I been looking at suntour xcr. Coil spring with oil damping and can be found as low as $90 on eBay. Stay away from air forks I think. Put a front disc brake something like a cheap Hayes 2-piston hydraulic to start they can be found for around $40. Your wheels and brakes are gonna be the most expensive part that can't be bought used. Front wheel maybe. If ya find a sealed bearing disc hub wheel like I did on CL for $40. It's a 32spoke and I've never had to true it in 5000mi, but about two weeks ago I hit a huge bump in the road that nearly knocked me off the bike and now it looks like it's a quarter inch out... first time it's ever gone out of true.
I bet you could register it in ca and ride it in Oregon. I'm building a trailer and wondering if I could ride across state lines.
Unfortunately you can't really build it with cheap parts if you actually plan on riding it a lot. Stuff falls apart on normal builds but with the 212 it just happens all the time unless everything is built right. Why build two bikes just start building one right. You can always upgrade it later.
Last edited:
