droptop

i am a roadie at heart, but am trying to get more into mountain biking to change up my routine. i "borrowed" my little brother's mountain bike, but just can't get into riding it. its an 04 giant bolder, and weighs twice what my road bike weighs, and is a little too big for me (i should be on a 19 or a 20, his is a 21). even in top gear, it just feels lethargic. the schwinn rigid mtb i just sold was far more enjoyable to me, and was about 5 lbs less. im not obsessing over weight, but i really seem to notice it.

now, there is an old caad2 headshok f500 frame (in my size) i can acquire for next to nothing. i think it would be a fun project to turn it into a single speed bike. i have access to most of the parts for free, even though they will be on the older side of things. realistically, what am i looking at as far as problems in the buildup? also, are there any old style freehub hubs with disc brake compatibly? id love to think so, but i am doubting it. its not a big deal if they aren't offered, i will just stick with rim brakes.

im kind of envisioning this project as a big version of the bmx bike i never got as a kid. loads of fun, light, fairly durable and fun as hell. am i crazy?

kramnnim

Sounds like a good frame to build up...as long as the fork internals are in good condition... No clue how hard it would be to find replacement parts... Other than that, I can't think of any big problems you could run in to...

I'm not sure what you mean about old style freehubs with disc mounts...most disc hubs are still pretty much interchangeable with non disc (other than the thru axle ones, etc)

Does the frame even have disc mounts, though?

And no...not crazy at all.

I just threw together an old (early 90's) Cannondale M800 as a single speed...just with old parts I had lying around. Came up to just under 20 pounds, without using anything especially light.

droptop

sounds about like what i want. i will definitely post pictures as i can. any problems keeping up with geared riders on a SS on the trail, considering most of the trails around here are pretty flat, and i ride a lot more than most of the people i will be riding with (assuming i get my gearing correct?)

i will snag the frame today, and i will see if there are disc mounts. i forgot to look- and if there aren't there it will limit how much i can spend on this project... a good thing for me.