i too am a noob to this single speed / fixed gear addiction. i have a 97 rocky mtn hammer race frame and i've upgraded the shifter / lever combo to shimano XT. i'm thinking of using one sprocket and keeping the front triple crank to have a bit of flexibility. is this done at all? can sheldon brown help me out?

as well, i'm thinking of stripping down the whole bike and getting the frame sandblasted and i'm going to repaint it. is this the long way to go? should i just throw a coat of primer on it and paint overtop?

thanks for replying