The Mongrel SS

Today I finished the Ross single speed that I have been working on this week.  I had intended to sell it, seeing as the frame has just been sitting around gathering rust for about 6 months in my shed... but when I got it all together and took it for a spin I kind of fell in love. It's truly a mongrel of a bike- completely Frankensteined together from the mangled limbs of other projects.  There is something about the geometry of the frame that I really dig. It's not the best handling, lightest, or smoothest ride ever (although I would like to take credit for a particularly fine hub overhaul,) but it moves like some dark beast bred of forbidden bike love. 80's Ross Steel lugged frame, SR stem, short chopped Diamondback bars, Oury grips, Pyramid Cranks (44t chainring), SR racing pedals, blue KMC 1/8" chain, 16t Dicta freewheel, DiaComp Bulldog BMX front brake with modified calipers, wheels randomly selected from the pile in the shed. My buddy Rog is selling me a white seat to top it all off. I can't lie.  It's a beautiful creation.

MOTOBECANE CONVERSION

Today I finally finished my latest single speed project, a late 70s Motobecane Mirage. I bought the frame on Craigslist about a month ago, and I've been slowly building it up using mostly spare parts. I'm happy with the way that it turned out, although there were some frustrating moments, such as the hour I spent trying to remove the cluster on the rear wheel only to find out after some extensive research that Maillard Helico Matic hubs have a weird spiral and lockring system that makes them impossible to convert to single speed. Also, don't ever use the bar plugs that come with Prologo tape. EVER. Rarely have I encountered anything so badly designed. They will shred your tape and the 3 part system is rediculous. I should have just bought different plugs for 50 cents, but I got mad and decided that this was a battle I was not going to lose. Turns out, nobody wins when plastic hex bolts are involved... in the end it was more like an uneasy truce. This is the first time I have used Prologo tape, and even though it's a fairly comfy cork feel, I think next time I'll spend the extra couple of bucks on Fizik. Anyway, I love the bike; it rides smooth and is quite light. Perks include vintage SR drops, cool integrated Pyramid SS crankset, and a pretty cool old Schwinn brake lever.  Total cost: $67.  Pics:

UPDATE 6/7- SOLD FOR $200 TO A NICE DUDE NAMED MARK!

SIMPLE GREEN **UPDATED!!**

It has been a pretty busy Christmas season in the bike-converting business. This one started life as a Raleigh mountain touring bike circa the early nineties. It was a budget build for my buddy's sister, but I managed to keep the cost at about $100. The back tire needs to be replaced as its side wall exploded during the first ride.  I think I'll add some black Continentals. I will probably also switch out the SR pedals for black mountain-style ones in better condition (see updated pic below!). I'm pretty proud of this paint job, seeing as how I shot it on a rainy day at 48 degrees in the wind.  This is the last of the frames I got from Vic a while back.  Pics:

UPDATED PHOTO!

Before:

CAP'N SHAF'S BLACK DIAMOND

My buddy Cap'n Shaf has been riding an early nineties Diamond Back mountain bike for a long time.  Too long, if you ask me.  So he let me have my way with it, and I rebuilt it as a single speed commuter.  I shot a new paint job, and threw on some sick Geex 26" road tires, terry drops with Cinelli tape, and a new chain.  I overhauled the ailing rear hub, spaced out the freewheel and left only the 15 tooth cog, creating a 38:15 gear ratio.  When i finished I only had one ball bearing left over: not too shabby.  Behold the Black Diamond!

Spaced out 15t SS Freewheel

Before:

MIDAS TOUCH TAKARA

Not too long ago my good friend Moog asked if I would build her a Single Speed with some attitude.  So I took this old Takara that I got on Craigslist and turned it into a Golden Goddess. 25 lbs and a 40:16 ratio for the slopes of Flagstaff where she's headed.   Total Cost: $125.  The second pic is what she looked like before.

AFTER: TOTAL COST $ 100

FINISHED TREK 800

Well, here it finally is.  The old Trek 800 from the dumpster now lives a second life as a 28:17 (soon to be 28:14) single speed with a new custom paint job.  I rode it to work today, and no hill even came close to making me stand up in the saddle. I really like the way this bike came out, but unfortunately it must be sold to finance the next project (halloween fixie?). The total cost came out to $50.00- not too bad. I had a great time building this bike; please enjoy the pics!

Before:

After:

Bars chopped to 15.5"

Custom 28:17

Another Single-Speed

About two years ago I got hit by a car while riding my old mountain bike. I walked away with a few bruises and a black eye, but my bike was totaled. The driver tossed $30.00 at me and fled the scene. So I bought this old Western Flyer at the Salvation Army. Last week I decided to turn it into a single-speed. It's great for cruising to and from the bars. Check out the pics!

BEFORE:

AFTER:  Total Cost $50.00

Single Speed Conversion

Here are some pics of the first single-speed bike that I built. I just put the finishing touches on it a couple of days ago. It's a sweet ride, geared perfectly for riding the hills in SLO.

BEFORE: Huffy "Savanna" *** $30.00 on Craigslist

AFTER: Total Cost $130.00

I stripped off all the components and started over with just the frame. Originally I was going to paint it Propane Tank White, but after a couple of days I got attached to the Metallic Blue. I used a freewheel BMX cog and the chain ring off of my old Schwinn from when I was a kid. The ratio is 40:16. I flopped and chopped some old road bars to make custom Pursuit Bars. Other components include: vintage NOS saddle; vintage Redline BMX platform pedals; SR stem; bitchin' Huffy brake lever; old school Schwinn calipers; Araya 27 x 1 1/4 wheels; Duro red-wall tires.