It’s done. I’ve finally gotten it exactly how I want it. If you ever looked at my gear page prior to this, you’ll see that my bike is the “infamous” Thruster Fixie from Wal Mart. Well folks, this ain’t no Wal Mart bike no more! I have upgraded nearly everything but the frame.

This bike was just the right price to get me started riding Bikes. Plus, everything on it is standard sizes, making it an excellent candidate for modifications. As I have had a little extra money here and there, I have been able to slowly upgrade this somewhat childish looking bike to a very respectable, very smooth riding grown up bike. Here is the list of modifications and their costs:

Wellgo alloy Pedals – $7.00
Retrospec Track Style Drop Handlebars – $14.00
Shimano UN55 Sealed Cartridge Bottom Bracket – $20.00
Vuelta ZeroLite Track Comp Wheels – $80.00
Nashbar Comfort City Tires – $18.00
Nashbar Presta Valve Tubes – $6.00
XLC Aero Brake Levers – $22.00
ACS Single Speed Freewheel – $17.00
SRAM Red Bar Tape – $11.00
Someone might add all of this up and say, “You could have just bought a $300.00 bike”. I don’t usually have $300.00 to spare. This bike originally cost $99.00, and I bought it with Christmas money from my dad. It got me riding, I learned about working on bikes, and was able to get it where I wanted over time. Now, I have a bike that rides like a dream, and looks friggin cool!