Project Bike
 

Since getting into riding again, I've been trying to learn as much as I can about wrenching. A couple of weeks ago one of my neighbors had a ten speed out front with a sign that said FREE, so I picked it up as a project bike to learn on. It's a Panasonic Villager w/ Shimano Positron II Rear Der. w/ 5 spd. cassette and dual chain rings. Now I'm trying to figure out what to do with it.

I finally got around to dismantling it today. The rear stays are 126mm. So I guess my option is to go to 7 spd. or spread them apart to 130mm and go for 9. I also am considering turning it into a fixed speed but the dropouts are vertical and I read (I think on Sheldons site) that horizontal is necesarry for chain tensioning. Any other ideas for a decent first bike building project with this frame?

Fixed gear or singlespeed? Two different things... I would be surprised if it didn't have semi horizontal dropouts since 99% of bikes of that era would have, which will work fine for SS and fixed purposes.

Another option, if you'd like to go single speed, is to use a chain tensioner. For another, though less ideal, solution search sheldon brown's site for how he setup a bianchi osprey with a flip-flop fixed/single speed hub.

I'll check the drop outs again. I admit I did look at them quickly while the frame was hanging on my shop wall. I typed fixed speed but was thinking fixed gear. I guess I could do a single speed and re use the existing rear hub.

A chain tensioner would work, but if I can avoid that it would be best. I'll bring the fram out and check it again.

The dropouts are most likely angled back and up at about a 45 degree angle. If so, it will work great as a SS/fixie. You could definitely use the existing hub to go SS though you will probably need to redish it to get a good chainline.

although you posted this last summer, i wanted to find out how it turned out for you since i am about to convert a panasonic villager 2 myself. I wanna make it fixed gear, and plan on doing it this weekend. I'm disassembling it right now and it looks like the dropouts are mostly horizontal, which is a good thing for my goals. Please let me know what you did/learned in your conversion process. It would be of great help.
Thanks.