Cheap Bike Build 2025: Making this Vintage Kalkhoff Cool!
Feb 21, 2025
What can you build with just $150? That’s the challenge we took on in the Cheap Bike Build Off 2025, a budget-friendly competition started by The Mullet Mechanic on Instagram. The goal? To take an old bike and turn it into something awesome—all while staying under budget and finishing before the February 23rd deadline.
For our entry, we chose a vintage Kalkhoff city bike, transforming it into a stylish and functional cafe style cruiser. This blog post follows our journey from teardown to final build. Check out each episode below and see how we did!
Part 1: The Bike & The Challenge Begins
In the first episode, we introduce the challenge, take a look at the vintage Kalkhoff we’re starting with, and begin the teardown. This old bike has some serious potential, but will we be able to bring it back to life on a tight budget?
Part 2: Assembling the Bike
With the frame stripped down, it's time to start rebuilding! In this episode, we tackle the wheel build, bottom bracket and crank install, handlebars, and pedals. Every step is crucial to staying within our budget and getting the bike road-ready before the deadline.
Part 3: The Final Build & Cost Breakdown
We made it to the final episode! In Part 3, we show off the completed vintage Kalkhoff cruiser, break down the total cost, and share what we learned along the way. Did we stay under $150? Did the build turn out as planned? Check out the final reveal and let us know what you think!
📺 Part 3 Coming Soon:
<Part 3 Coming Soon>
Full Cost Breakdown
Here's the complete cost breakdown of the parts used on this bike. Most of these parts were donated to us, or acquired as part of our $25 bike trade in program. But, we did our best to assign a value to each part based on what our local Bike Co-Op would charge for the parts. As per the rules of the contest, labor costs were not included in the build cost.
|
Parts List |
Cost |
Note |
|
Bike/Frame |
$25.00 |
Estimated Value |
|
Fork |
$0.00 |
Included with frame |
|
Headset |
$0.00 |
Included with frame |
|
Fenders |
$0.00 |
Included with frame |
|
Crankset/chainring |
$0.00 |
Included with frame |
|
Bottom Bracket |
$0.00 |
Included with frame |
|
Rear Hub |
$10.00 |
3 Speed Drum Brake with shifter |
|
Rear Rim/Spokes |
$10.00 |
Recycled Wheel |
|
Front Hub |
$5.00 |
Recycled Schwinn Hub |
|
Front Rim |
$5.00 |
Recycled Wheel |
|
Front Spokes |
$10.00 |
Parts Bin |
|
Tires |
$10.00 |
Recycled |
|
Tubes |
$4.00 |
Recycled |
|
Grips |
$5.00 |
Recycled |
|
Brake Cable |
$16.99 |
Purchased New |
|
Brake Lever |
$2.00 |
Recycled from Schwinn |
|
Pedals |
$10.00 |
Parts Bin |
|
Handlebars |
$10.00 |
Parts Bin |
|
Stem |
$2.00 |
Recycled |
|
Saddle |
$5.00 |
Recycled |
|
Chain |
$10.00 |
Used |
|
Cables/Housing |
$8.00 |
Recycled |
|
TOTAL |
$147.99 |
|
This build was a fun challenge, and we’d love to hear your thoughts! Would you ride this bike? What would you have done differently? Drop a comment below or on the videos and let us know.
What Do You Think?
If you enjoyed following this build, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel Ottawa Bike and Trail for more vintage bike restorations, budget builds, and cycling content. 🚲🔥
CheapBikeBuildOff2025 #BikeBuildChallenge #BudgetBikeBuild #VintageBikeRestoration #DIYBikeProject #BicycleRestoration #OttawaBikeAndTrail
Full Photo Album
