# 6KU Parts on a Leader Frame



## salmansqadeer (Nov 21, 2012)

Hey Guys,

I am about to get my first FG bike (I already own a crabon Specialized Roubaix, and an old 1960's aluminum Motobecane). Both of my bikes are stored in the house and given a lot of love. 

I am looking for a bike that can be my beater city bike - it will be locked outside of my apartment (the wife will kill me if I bring another bike into the house), will be my general commuter, and something I don't want to break my heart too bad if it gets stolen.

Not wanting to spend too much money on this bike (for obvious reasons) - I am looking at the 6KU as its super cheap ($200 for the full bike delivered). I know it will be kinda shitty but thats ok. 

The question I am hoping you guys can answer is that - eventually I feel I might put the $'s together to get a better frame on this bike - specifically I am looking at the Leader 725 frames. My question to you all is - can I pull the parts out of the 6ku bike (wheels, seat tube, bottom bracket, etc) and install them onto the Leader frame to put together a fully functional bike? I know some of the components will still be **** and heavy but I am hoping to upgrade the frame first and then any of the components if I want to. 

Basically do you think that the 6KU a good bike to scrounge for parts? Cause at $200 it could make a pretty good parts set. 

Thanks!

S.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

No opinion on that bike or its parts, but for me, a city beater FG that's left outside is built from something you get at a garage sale or thrift store for 25 bucks (or something you rescue from a dumpster). My favorite FG is built on a frame I got for 5 bucks. So I'd start scrounging, if I were looking for that sort of thing.


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## salmansqadeer (Nov 21, 2012)

JCavilia said:


> No opinion on that bike or its parts, but for me, a city beater FG that's left outside is built from something you get at a garage sale or thrift store for 25 bucks (or something you rescue from a dumpster). My favorite FG is built on a frame I got for 5 bucks. So I'd start scrounging, if I were looking for that sort of thing.


Under normal circumstances I would totally agree with you - unfortunately my current living situation has me in a small one bedroom apartment that doesn't really have any work space - the woes of living in the middle of a large city (and the wife would kill me if I took over the living room to build a bike from parts). This is the reason I was looking at a cheap but fully assembled bike because I simply do not have the space to build up a bike of my own at this time.


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## Gregory Taylor (Mar 29, 2002)

As for the original question, in my opinion the 6KU probably won't yield too many parts that you would want to swap over to a new Leader 725. 

- Both take 1 1/8 inch forks, so you are good there. In theory, at least. Granted, it would look weird on the Leader, and the fork is crap. (OH, AND YOU CAN'T DEPEND ON THE FACT THAT THE STEERER TUBE WON'T BE CUT TOO SHORT TO FIT ON THE LEADER)

- The Leader has a 27.2 seatpost, the 6KU doesn't. No joy there.

- Looking at the parts that are hung on the 6KU, there is a terrifying lack of brand names on the spec sheet. My guess is that, for $200, you are going to get absolute crap in the parts department. You already know that it will be absolute crap in the frame department. Could you swap over wheels, cranks, bottom brackets, brakes, etc.? Yes. Would you want to? Probably not. 

I have to agree with Mr. Cavilla on this one. You are far better off shopping Craigslist or hitting the Bike Co-op for a used ride. You can get a GREAT used bike that needs just lube and a polish for $200. I wouldn't be so fixed on building up a fixed, given your current situation. Frankly, the cheap $200 bikes just ain't worth it. The one good thing that you can say about bikes in this price range is that they are essentially disposable when it is either vandalized or stolen. 

CAVEAT - I have never seen a 6KU bike in the flesh. This rant is based strictly on (1) stuff that I looked up on the internet, and (2) personal prejudices based on experience with other stupidly cheap bikes.


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

I have to admit, I'm a bit confused by your process here. The difference between a cheap frame on a $200 bike and a cheap frame alone isn't terribly noticeable. The contact points and drivetrain are typically where you'll notice the biggest difference in an upgrade. A heavy frame is a heavy frame. It adds some weight and makes you work a little harder. A rotten bottom bracket, pedals, headset, or hubs can make an otherwise tolerable bike a living hell.

If it were my money I'd live with the hi-ten frame and upgrade everything with bearings first. Actually, maybe second. I'd upgrade the brakes first. The common wisdom for upgrading complete builds is to get the best frame you can afford and slowly upgrade everything else. Once your components outshine your frame, _then_ upgrade your frame.

There's no law that says you have to do it that way, but that's the more common approach.


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