Hi folks,

Thanks as always for all the helpful info and advice! I really do appreciate it

PhilFo: Thanks a lot for that, it's a really good point! Thanks for the input. I guess in my head I didn't really plan to switch things out while I'm out and about, mainly whilst I was at home, either before or after I went for a ride, but I guess this approach kinda defeats the purpose of having multiple options on the bike. I suppose I thought that if I had a double cog on the rear it would save having to switch freewheels everytime I fancied a change, but of course I would still need to adjust chain tension and brake alignment. I haven't totally decided to be honest but another thought is just to split the difference between a DOS 17T/19T freewheel and just go with a WI 18T freewheel instead, combined with 42T upfront, which I think will be my sweetspot...

As for the rear rotor, I've recently added a Surly Tuggnut on the rear drive side and thats made a big difference to speed I can switch the rear wheel out. I've got it down very quickly, and all it needs is just the occassional tiniest quick realignment of the caliper to get things perfect. It's maybe not perfect I know, but it's getting me there for the moment until I can save up for my dream frame down the line!

PS: PhilFo, my apologies as I should've said that being a newbie, this bike is really a test build for my mechanical skills before I try building my dream bike. I got a really good deal on my Flyer frame as it was used but effectively nearly new, so I thought I'd have fun and make all the rookie mistakes under the sun on this frame before tackling the real one. It was my plan to trial build a SS bike that I really love, that runs beautifully, one that I'lI use nearly everyday and that I can learn a ton and practice for a year or two. Hopefully trying out all the bits and pieces I'd love to use in the future too, but on something thats not too critical if it all went wrong (which thankfully hasn't happened...). The dropouts on the Flyer are far from ideal and sadly will always be the weakest area, as apart from that the frame is great for what I need right now. It would be lovely if there was a way to fix these or upgrade them, but I think the Tuggnut will have to do for now! I guess I can live with some of these compromises for the short term as it was never meant to be a "forever" bike.

When I'm ready (and my wallet is a little fatter!) I'd love to build around something like an All-City Super Professional frameset/fork combo, or maybe a Bombtrack Arise, where the dropouts and provision for SS are way better right out the box, with a chain tensioner built in, etc. I'll get there in time but for now I'm just having fun

Thanks as always folks for all the help and advice,
G