The other day I got this crazy idea to make a single speed bicycle. Why would I do that? I don't know. Why do men climb mountains? I suppose it is because they are there. Why a single speed? I don't know the answer to that question either. But, since I don't have one and other people are converting their bikes to single speeds, I thought, "why not?"
I looked it the back of the garage and there was the dusty old bike sitting there just waiting for me to start a project. In 1996 I bought this bike at a shop in Champaign Illinois. The purpose of the bike was to get back and forth to graduate school at the University of Illinois. It was a green Schwinn High Plains. Here is a link to the specs. 1996 Schwinn High Plains I don't remember exactly how much I paid for it, but it was in the $400 range.
It turned out to be a very good bike. I commuted on it for a year at grad school and then it served as my mountain bike for a few years until I purchased first real mountain bike. The kids used it for a while, but for the last few years it has been sitting in the back of the garage collecting dust. After watching a few videos on You Tube and reading other blogs about single speed conversion, I decided to give it a try.
One of the first decisions was to figure out what gear ratio. Thanks to Sheldon Brown's web site, I determined that I wanted a 16 tooth rear cog. This site also had some great tips on single speeds.
Here is a "Before" picture of the project bike:
The picture probably makes it look better than it actually is. Naturally, the tires are flat and need replaced, but there are a few dots of rust on it, the chain is shot, the cables need re-done, the grips and seat are ripped, and it needs a very thorough cleaning.
Step 1: Off to the bike shop
We are very fortunate to live in a town with a nice bike shop. I loaded the bike in the truck and headed to Biker's Edge. Zach has a great shop and his staff was extremely helpful. They brought the bike in, put it on the rack and we went through the bike item by item to make sure I had everything I needed. I was very impressed by both their knowledge and their service.
Editorial note: I probably could have ordered the parts on the internet, but I like having a bike shop near my house, and if I want it to say in business, then I need to shop there. Besides, you can't get the kind of help I got at Biker's Edge from a faceless web site.
First, I underestimated what this project was going to cost. The guys at the shop knew I was trying to do this on the cheap, and they helped me find the right level of parts for the job, but I still spent more than I thought I would have to.
Here is a list of the parts and the price:
- KMC Chain $9.99 (It is an 8 speed chain, that is what they recommended)
- Giant Platform Pedals $7.19 (The ones on the bike were broken)
- Kenda 26x1.5 tires $20.69 each (I wanted to take the tire from a knobby to commuter tire)
- Giant heavy duty thorn resistant tubes $10.79 each (who wants a flat?)
- Lizard Skin Hand grips $8.09 (The old ones were ripped)
- Surly Singleator $44.99 (keeps the chain tight since the bike has vertical drop outs)
- Short bolts for the front chain wheel $13.49
- New front crank and chain wheel $36.89 (I hadn't planned to change the old one out, but I had to since there was no way to take the current setup down to a single - rivets and bolts to small cog)
- Single speed cog and spacers $26.69 (16T)
- MTB seat $0.00 (I had this in my parts box from when I put a Brooks on my Surly LHT)
Total bill after discounts and tax was $227.15. This was more than I had planned mostly because there were a few parts I didn't know I needed. Over half the cost of the parts would not be needed if you were going to convert a bike that was in good working order (crank, tires, tubes, pedals, grips)
Here is a picture of the parts pile:
Step 2: Get rid of the old stuff.
This is the fun part. Taking things off the bike. Although it was a bit of an emotional struggle to cut the shifter cables, after that I had no trouble throwing those old grip shifters away. They weren't such a good idea in the first place. I'm a bit of a pack rat, so I did save the shifter and the de-railer but everything else went into the trash.
Here is a picture of the stripped down bike. The old tires will go in the trash also, I just didn't get it done before I took the picture. I'm going to use the same brakes. I may have to change out the pads, but I'll check that later.
Step 3: Clean the bike and wheels.
I was about to get going on this step of the project, but my kitchen pass ran out. It will have to wait until next weekend.
Until then . . .
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