Originally Posted by
ReubenH216
I have a chance to buy two used men's 26" single speed cruisers one being a Trek Classic ($180) and the other a Elektra Ratrod ($220). Both have normal wear and tear but the Ratrod has rust everywhere where the Trek has no rust.
Both bikes ride about the same with the Ratrod edging out the Trek for comfort but not by much.
The problem for me is I really want a 3 speed for when the family and I decide to venture further outside our comfort zone and leave the flat top surface and start riding in more areas with hills and the like.
So being on a budget and not wanting to spend my hard earned money on big box store bikes I was wondering a few things. 1) the cost involved in converting one of these bikes into a 3 speed, 2) what will be needed in parts to do a conversion.
Any information and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks for your time.
Reuben
You'll need a 3-speed hub with a coaster brake if your bike has a coaster brake now. You'll need a shifter and cable plus the appropriate cable housing guides.
The hub will need to be laced to your rim and that can be done with your existing spokes IF the hub flange diameters are the same. If you do the wheel build yourself there's not much expnse other than the hub. When I change hubs but use the same spokes I colour code the inbound and outbound sokes of each side. If you aren't going to rebuild the wheel yourself then it might be cheaper to just buy a new 3-speed coaster brake wheel, shifter and cable.
Cheers