My Restoration Project: Downtube VIII FS
 

EDIT: The photo attachment link will not work. An "!" appears after each of my pictures when I click "upload". They are simple JPGs at 1024x768 and size is 150kb each.

Picked this one up for $60 today. Rust on the stem and some bolts, dirty seatpost and rims, somewhat worn tires, and somewhat chipped paint, though no rust on the frame (maybe it's aluminum?).

It has V-brakes, and 8-speed gripshifted cassette with an Acera X derailer, 20 inch wheels, and the typical folding system of drop seat-flip bars-fold frame. A big plus is quickrelease everything, meaning there's no need for anything but a multi-tool. It does, however, need a headlight, and a new front tube to be properly rideable.

As usual I have a few questions:

One- I want to make it a singlespeed, single-brake (front) bike. Part of this is recouping the money I spent (cash is tight right now) so I would need to be able to sell the rear cassette, derailer, shifter etc.

First off, is a 50t chainring, 12t sprocket with 20 inch wheels a good gearing? For reference, my 29er has a 44t/20t.

Second, what would a bike shop charge just to remove the cassette? And if it is just a cassette, how can I get a single-speed on there? Do they even sell singlespeed cogs in a small size (12t or so)?

Third, what's your preferred tire? I ride on mostly good pavement but run across the occasional bumpy road and dirt path, and some hills.

Fourth, is there a backpack that could carry the bike plus a change of clothes, a couple of books and a small bag of miscellanious items?How much would it cost?

Thanks all.

The 8 F/S will need some sort of chain tensioner if you are going to run single speed due to the chain getting tighter as the suspension is loaded. Here's a Singulator on mine.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1159/...c97eab613f.jpg

I can't imagine you'd want to backpack a 20" folder for any distance - let alone carry a change of clothes, books, etc. in the backpack also. If you want something backpackable, try a CarryMe or maybe a Strida.

^^Thanks for the tensioner tip, hadn't thought of that. Where did you get the large chainring? I might be able to use a BMX wheel if I had a 50+ tooth chainring up front.

^I've done worse. Military-style rucksack with four litres of water, two days (6 meals worth) of food, three portable hard drives, two knives, assorted gear (matches, batteries, radio, music player), a change of clothes, and two blankets. Total weight about 35kg. Not fun at first but possible. Still, what about a sling? So I could wear a smaller (regular) backpack, and carry the folder with a sling of some sort? Although, I would still need some kind of bag for it for air travel.

It's a Vuelta . they have flat chainrings up to 60t ... usually around $20+

I hope you enjoy the bike, I thought the IX FS I had was one of the nicest rides. Alloy frame, I believe.

If you want to pull the cassette off and fiddle with the drive train it's almost certainly worth while scoring a cassette removal socket and a crank extractor from Ebay as your first expense, if you can't borrow them. You'll save the price of having a dealer do it.

The final gearing you end up with has to cope with uphills, downhills, headwinds and possibly, mud. Ride the bike for a week to find out what you can manage, and whether you really want to limit the bike to one gear, espeically if you travel with it. Not everywhere is flat, and one day you might want to carry luggage. Sometimes, the dreams are better than the reality.

I don't know whether the cassette is Shimano compat. but someone here will . If the bike has been neglected and you have a crank extractor, it's worth a check of the bottom bracket lube if it's not a sealed unit. Wheel bearings too, the IX FS had Quando hubs and nice rims, which are worth preserving. I don't know what's on the VIII.

The IX Zoom forks were also disk brake compat. I don't if the VIII's are. It's not a cheap opiton.

If you're going SS another weight saver is to replace the rear sus with a solid link.

If you pull the rear V brake off, keep the bits; the rear brake aids shorter braking distances, which aids performance. If you go off-road in the future the rear is useful for tight skiddy turns and going UP muddy hills. It is also a stability aid.

The Acera is Shimmy's budget dérailleur and would have replaced what was perhaps a Ju-JU original. A used cassette and cog-swapper might not fetch a lot, but could pay for the crank extractor. I have just fitted an Acera der. on my MTB, and it works well.

If you pull off the dérailleur and go SS you might need a chain tool to shorten the er, chain.

There's a monster Downtube thread on here and a lot of help in it.

Enjoy!

I counsel against single-speeding it. The derailleur etc is low end, and frankly, you're unlikely to sell it for more than you'll pay for a chain tensioner. Clean it up, and ride it as it is.

Grrr- need some help. My handlebar post is stuck. I removed the stem and handlebars, but the "handlebar post/handlebar post box [folding part]), which is what Citizen Folding Bikes calls it, is stuck in the steering tube. It's a threaded headset so I assumed it was the wedge, but the wedge is loose. I have already fully removed the allen bolt securing the handlebar post to the wedge, so it seems that the post itself is stuck in the headset. How can I remove it?

Try taping it with a rubber mallet to vibrate/loosen it up.

Finally got it loose, thanks for the tip. Rubber mallet and WD-40 did the job.

Today it was fully rebuilt with respect to mechanical parts; the rusty parts were derusted (thankfully there's lots of chrome and zinc coating, so no need for repainting on the steel parts) and bearings regreased. Put on new grips, and the only cable is for the front brakes. Very simple-looking and light, with no unnecessary components. Also ordered a headlight in the mail today.

It still needs:

Tube for rear tire
Cassette converted to singlespeed with tool and kit ($12.99 on ebay for a freehub kit with spacers and a 14t sprocket)
Headlight (ordered)
Chain and rear wheel put on and adjusted

Then it's done :D

Finally popped off the lockring on the cassette today; met with a nice guy to trade some bike parts and he happened to have the right tool. I am going to buy the singlespeed spacer/sprocket kit soon... but:

I also picked up a set of "mag" (BMX, plastic) wheels today. They are three-"spoke" mongoose ones and seem pretty sturdy and are very lightweight. I am thinking of putting the quickrelease axles on the or at the very least respacing the axles so they fit the frame, and using the rear cog from the mag as the rear sprocket. However the cog is a bit too big; I need a 14 or at most 16t and it's an 18t. Can you replace the cogs on these and/or order different sprockets for them?