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So my girlfriend and I picked up a 1976 Raleigh Grand Prix for her to ride this summer. She wants me to convert it to singlespeed because she's "never going to change gears anyway."

I've never done this crap before because I ride track bikes and road bikes, so I go into performance and everything is friendly until I say "I want to convert her bike to singlespeed." Then everything turns smug and rude.

It's AWESOME when bike store employees assume you know nothing about bike mechanics and treat you like a ******. AWESOME.

If it wasn't for their SUPER LOW OUT THE DOOR PRICES I'd never go back.

mattface 

All ya need is a BMX freewheel. 3/32" so you don't need a new chain. remove the big ring, and you're golden.

We have no big chain bike stores around here, so i have no sympathy. I'd gladly suffer condecension from a minimum wage earning high school student for SUPER LOW OUT THE DOOR PRICES

No_Minkah

Did you say "I want to convert this bike to singlespeed, I've never done this crap before" or "I want to convert this bike to singlespeed, I'm experienced in fixing bikes, I just need some guidance on the parts I need"?

Seems to me like they'd have to assume you didn't know what you were doing. Most people who walk into Performance don't. It's not Yojimbo's, man.

raygunner

I'm confused, are you going to return for their freakin' crazy sales or turning your back on the superstore?

Terror_in_pink

who cares how much the performance mechanics think you know about wrenching? Plus if "you've never done this crap before" then maybe they just didnt know where to start.

raygunner

Tell your girl to stay away from the SS fad. Sure it's kinda cool but so was Urge Overkill at one time.

Gears = go faster = more time to sleep in.

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Thankfully I had another old 27" wheel laying around that has a cassette hub. The Raleigh wheel had an old french freewheel hub that was going to be a pain in the ass.

So, I have the spacers and a BB locking. We're using a cog from the old cassette. So now all I need to do is remove the big ring and add some spacers to the chainring bolts, right? Then break the chain and get the right length, make sure the chainline is straight and I'm done.

Does all this sound right?

$0.00/Gal

I said "I want to convert her bike to singlespeed. I need some spacers" and then they got SERIOUSLY rude. The guy helping us wouldn't look either of us in the eye or talk to us beyond getting the spacers.

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I'm going back tonight to buy a cheap road wheel. I can't stay away from the bargains. $10 for neoprene gloves?! $100 for a fairly lightweight rear wheel?! I mean..COME ON.

Landgolier

Performance up on halstead, I'm assuming. There is a pretty wide range of attitudes in there. The store manager is cool, and there are some others, but some of the employees are definitely better than you because they work in a bike shop and you don't. It's not a great place for parts and stuff, though because they have a lot of employees and they all have store discounts they actually do know a crapload about accessories; ask one of the people who has been there a while about lights, and they actually know the pros and cons about all 47 models they sell.

There's no excuse for being rude to customers, but look at it from their point of view. They're the lincoln park bike shop (f*** village cycles, while we're on the subject) and the cheap, mass market option for most of the city. 98% of the people the see don't know their a$$ from their elbow, and it's probably closer to 100% when the topic is fixed and single; most people who know what's up and want that kind of stuff in that neck of the woods go to Yojimbos.

Sadly, they're in my top 5 for shops in Chicago. They've never really done wrong by me, which is more than I can say for pretty much every place besides Yojimbos, Uptown, Boulevard, and Rapid.

powers2b

Maybe it's time to get a new girlfriend.

Enjoy

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I've been on the other side of the counter before and I understand the frusteration. I have friends at shops who express their distaste for all the people jumping on the conversion train. I'd still never treat a customer like that though.

Perhaps I'll go to Yojimbo's from here on out for my conversion needs. I think I get a team discount anyway.

Landgolier

Oh, and as for how to actually do the job, if you have a standard cassette freehub you just need the lockring (cassette lockring, BB lockring is for suicide FG hubs), a cog, and a crapton of spacers. You might also want the old smallest cog off of the cassette to use as the last spacer if you don't have some kind of metal spacer, as cassette lockrings are serrated and don't mate well with plastic. Mess with spacers until you get a good chainline, and there you go.

No_Minkah

Alright, then, yeah, they should have just given you your fuggin spacers.

Tangsooyuk

I refused to go back after I applied for a job there. My brother worked at another LBS at the time, was told by some other buddies they were hiring, and told me to go over and tell them who I was and put in my app. I go and fill it out in the store and turn it in. I dont even think there were any other applications and when I turned it in to the manager at the time he looked at me, then my app, then asked "are you looking for full or part time?" I replied "full time if possible but considering I have no job part time would work also." He then looks down and says "umm... yeah, we arent looking for full time positions right now. we only want someone to work 35 hours a week." I immediately say that thats perfectly fine but he, while still looking down, puts my app to the side away from eveything else and says he would let me know when they needed someone full time. I called back 2 days later and they said they never got the app. ****ing sweet!

[/rant]

Aeroplane

Don't know what you need the BB lockring for, but it sounds like you've got it nailed down. Getting a new cog that isn't designed to shift (i.e. drop your chain) might be a good idea too.

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I know that a BB lockring would be bad if it was going to be fixed, but what about SS? Is it still a bad idea?

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Wanna know what's fun? Posting like a n00b

teadoggg

You do. And if you're in the CBF, you get an additional discount (on everything but labor and consignment purchases).

Landgolier

If this is for a freehub, you won't find anywhere to put a BB lock ring, unless it's an old uniglide with threads on the hub body. I have no clue what that threading is, it might be the same as english BB but I kinda doubt it. If it's a hub made to take a freewheel, you don't need a lockring, just a single speed freewheel -- no room for a lock ring even if you wanted one.

eddiebrannan

don't need a bb lockring. i can't be botherd to read all the replies so sorry if it's been said. you simply take the cassette apart, replace the unneeded cogs with spacers and that's it

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SWEET! Is 39x17 good gearing for someone who is just going to work/around town on her bike?

papalok

for my 78 raleigh ghetto conversion, spun off the 1st 2 cogs (threaded) on the freewheel, the other 3 were splined and slid off. Spun the smaller threaded cog back on and presto, perfect chainline w/ the inner chainring. This was an old sun tour freewheel. This is if the old freewheel is threaded/splined. As for a lockring, I don't think it is even necessary; she'll only be pedaling in 1 direction with any significant force.

No_Minkah

I have an extra Surly 17t cog (3/32 I think) ifn you want it.

Landgolier

39x17 is 62 gear inches on a 27" wheel, that's a pretty good, mellow gear. And yeah, disassembling old freewheels (or not even bothering with that and just cutting the chain to fit the gear that gives you good chainline) is another ghetto but effective option.