geoduck

Hello all,

I've got an early 90s Trek frame that I'd like to get back into action as my 'round towner. The frame itself is solid, but the components are shot, including the rear-end drivetrain (cogs, der, and chain) and the rear wheel itself (two broken spokes). Also, the rear der hanger is tweaked.

Since I'd be replacing the rear end anyway, I wonder if I can cheap out and just go to single speed. The issues/requirements as I see them:

- Replace rear wheel/cluster with rear wheel/freewheel. What about the spacing to match the width of the rear triangle, is this a problem?

- How to achieve good chainline with the front? This has a deore triple on it now; can I just put a new ring on the middle slot? Also, should I figure this out before I purchase the rear wheel? I'm thinking there may be a way to tweak the location of the freewheel along the hub to accomodate the location of the chainring, but maybe I'm wrong.

- What is a workable range of gear combos for singlespeed?

- Of course, this bike does not have horizontal dropouts. Is this a big problem?

Before starting on this project, I need to know how much $ I can get this done for. This is definately my 'B' bike, so I want to go as cheap as possible. The big-ticket item that I see is the rear wheel/freewheel.

I'd like to go LBS on this one, but would buy online if I could figure out exactly what I need.

Any input or guidance from the forum denizens is much appreciated!

_'duck