Jethro

I purchased a vintage Trek 400 today for $40 made of "Mangaloy 2001", double-butted tubing. The bike could be put in rideable condition with a tune-up and new tires. However, I would like to convert the bike to a single-speed as a surprise for my girlfriend, who will visit again in three weeks. I am willing to put some money into the project but would like to keep the total cost to under $250 or a maximum of $300.

First, the bike has Sun Tour dropouts, "Maillard" hubs with quick releases made in France, Matrix Titan wheels (27" x 17 mm) with 36 spokes, Dia Comp 500 brakes, Sakae "Super Custom" cranks, St. Etienne "Custom" drop handle bars, and the worn out tires are 27" x 1.25". The platform peddles appear to be rusted into position. There is one small dent on the downtube, and the paint is in poor condition.

I would like to have the bike stripped or sanded and painted black, the drops converted to uprights, and a new seat. I suppose new drive-gear equipment is needed, but I do not know for sure.

1) Has anyone had their frame "dipped" to remove old paint?
2) Can the bike be switched to 700 sized tires and can a 700 x 32 or 35 work?
3) Is there a coaster hub that could be used in place of the brakes/hubs mentioned above? It is totally flat here and the bike will only be used in the city.
4) Have any of you converted a vintage Trek 400 or similar bike to a single-speed?

I have looked at the Vintage Trek and Sheldon Brown sites and remain a little unsure how much of this work I can tackle without more tools and expertise. Any insight that can be offered would be very much appreciated.

cosmo starr

https://fixedgeargallery.com/2006/dec/JohnCameron.htm

Diggidy_Dylan

If you want your brakes to work with 700c wheels, you'll have to try a bit. I've never done it, but i know that a 700c wheel with any size tire will fit in the bike and fork. I have never "dipped" the paint off of a frame with a solvent tank, but I know people that have. Take it to a auto shop and ask them to leave the frame and fork (and whatever else you need to be cleaned) in the solvent tank over night. It should all flake off. I converted a mid-seventies Motobecane frame to fixed and it was fairly easy. The hardest part was putting better cranks on after the cotter pin cranks exploded (shocking.) Good luck and have fun with the SS.

vinnydelnegro

i converted an 1983 Trek 400 to a single speed and then a fixed gear. in alot of ways, it was my favorite bike ever but the frame was too big. i switched to 700c wheels on mine and the brakes worked fine....but i stayed with narrow tires. not sure how wide you'll be able to go. when i went single speed, i just put a freewheel on some old 700c wheels, but the chainline was not straight. i considered redishing the wheel but i decided to try fixed for a several other reasons and loved it.

obviously, i can't tell you if that dent in the downtube is serious. i'd have a bike shop check it out. if i were going single speed with your budget, i might consider buying new wheels and skipping the paint job. but everyone has different priorities. good luck!