O.k., here's the deal. I have been wanting to convert a bike to singlespeed and have been reading a lot of older threads on the subject. Time to get busy over the winter and do it.

I recently aquired a beautiful 1974 or '75 (not sure) Schwinn LeTour in the opaque blue color. Paint and chrome are excellent.

I bought it from the original owner and he had a Brooks B15 put on the bike as an original option at the LBS. I bought the bike originally for the saddle but have been very impressed with the bike as I've been cleaning it and replacing bar tape, cables, etc.

I know it was made by Panasonic for Schwinn and it is not the lightest candidate, but am considering converting it. I am not a weight weenie, but realize that to a degree that lighter is better.

I'm open to suggestions/opinions on this conversion. It also has the original Araya steel wheels which have zero rust and they are gorgeous. I know that they are heavy and that the stopping power is compromised by the steel rims, but I invested in a nice set of Serfas tri-colored brake pads which have improved the stopping immensely.

I have several other geared bikes that I ride regularly and this one is the best candidate I think because the only other one I would consider converting is a Raleigh Technium 460 but it has downtube shifters and that would make the conversion more difficult. I saw a thread where a guy converted a Technium and ground off the shifter bosses, but I'm not up for that right now.

Any help is appreciated!