Single Speed competition...

[Matno]

I just ran across this article from Keith Bontrager, and I'm having a hard time getting "single speed" out of my head. This could very well be my next project.

http://www.bontrager.com/keith/rants.asp?id=8

I was thinking it might be fun to have a "competition" here to see who can build up the coolest single speed. However, since "coolness" is so subjective, I thought that maybe we could go for "cheapest" instead! (I'm not going to set a limit, but personally, I'm going for under $200, maybe even $150. It's amazing what you can get if you don't have to have the latest and greatest).  I'd love to have a beater bike that is cheap enough to lock up occasionally here in the Bronx, yet functional enough to actually enjoy riding. Hmmm....

I know that a few of you already have one, so feel free to share ideas.

This could certainly take a while, so I suggest that we not have a deadline - sort of an ongoing thing.

8)What do you think? Any takers?

[RoentgenRanger]

Guess I've got a bit of a head start...I've read the article and converted my old Bonty about a year ago.  Check my gallery for a pic.  When I figured out that I wasn't really riding my hardtail any more(love that Evo/Razorback), I decided to give the SS conversion a shot.  Conversion was easy for me, since the Bonty was old enough to still have horizontal drops.  I put a nutted solid axle in the rear hub to keep the wheel from slipping and used a bunch of cassette spacers to get the chainline right.  The only thing I actually had to buy was the bash guard for the old school 180mm XT's, and that was mainly for looks.  Oh, and $60 for the custom midnight metallic powdercoat.  I have to say that I don't have the legs for that 32/16 stuff [smiley=bleh.gif] so I run either 32/18 or 32/19.  It's not something I'd want to ride every single day, but it's a great change of pace and makes you a better bike handler(gotta choose lines carefully and carry your speed ).

[StoereVent]

I'll never become a singlespeedguy, but I could be tempted to do the same they did in the early days of the Tour de France: one chainring at each side of the rear wheel, so in case you needed a different gear, you had to take out your wheel, turn it around and put it back in again. It could be a nice tribute to the old days and be some sort of single speed at the same time.

Jeroen.

[Carbon_Angus]

naw..you do need a cool factor!  



my ss was not the cheapest, it has spacers for the 16tooth rear, a singulator..



and she is not a beater bike!

[Phillip]

Here's a current discussion about easy and inexpensive  conversion to singlespeed.


http://tinyurl.com/s79y

[zulu]

How does the 857 handle as a SS?
I am toying with the idea of converting my 856 to a SS.
I think it sound like a fun project.
[smiley=beer.gif]

[Carbon_Angus]

How does the 857 handle as a SS?
I am toying with the idea of converting my 856 to a SS.
I think it sound like a fun project.
[smiley=beer.gif]

i ride her on the street..to coffee...to the office and some dirt rollers and trails with no sustained long steep climbs..it's perfect for that SSS simple single speed. handles fantastic. she has a mix of high parts left laying around and some low end parts like the 4# seat post and 2# bent handle bars  [smiley=laughing.gif]  if the 856 is  spare..do it!

[smiley=beer.gif]

[Matno]

I wish I had a spare bike to convert to SS. I just hit a snag when I brought up the idea with my wife. She thinks it's just a little bit ridiculous that I want yet ANOTHER bike.  

I even promised not to keep it in our apartment. I tried the "I need a beater I can ride to the store" story (which is actually true) and she didn't understand why a $25 junker wouldn't work. Maybe she never will...

At any rate, I got a sweet deal on a pair of Bontrager cranks. Brand new for $11 on eBay. It's a good start...

[Phillip]

Matno,
Maybe $25 is all you need. I found a Trek 800 in mint condition at a city sale for $10! I could easily convert it for $10 wich would bring my total to$20! I ride it on the beach and just cruising around the neighborhood. I'm not so sure about taking it the SS route though.  

[Matno]

All right, I'll start looking for city sales! I'm not even sure where to start looking for bikes here in NYC. I'm sure there are tons of places to get them, but where? It often seems that in a place like this that has everything, it's much harder to find things than it would be in a smaller city. Go figure.

[Phillip]

Matno,

Look at this single speed freehub converter. Only $9.95. It's the  [smiley=bomb.gif]!

http://tinyurl.com/sqbs

Now I'm considering converting my Trek 800 to SS. Let the contest begin. I'm in at a total cost of $20. Any other players? Ha Ha!