(Now with concept art!)

I've been building bikes for years and work in a bike shop (albeit in sales, not as a wrench)- sadly, I have never built a single speed. This also means I know little about single speeds, although I'm well-versed on road.

Original bike: Schwinn Super Sport (1982) - 22 lbs, 14 speeds

idea:
Bullhorns / chopped drop bars
Cane Creek aero TT brake (left)
Cane Creek front brake
Xero XSR-3 wheelset w/ spacers (scored the wheels on eBay today for $55 "accidentally", got me thinking about this)
42x16 gearing

Here are my concept designs, created in the studio.

Give me some good/humorous suggestions on how to maximize the coolness/usefulness/badassness for this first-time single speed build. Feel free to modify my concept art to suit your vision.

Before:


AFTER**********???

I see what you did there

I like the spoke card

I would ditch the wheels and get some better ones and since it already has those comfy cane creek lever I would just keep them rather then a flop and chop. If you're going freeweeled you need two brakes anyway

bad conecttion/dupe

are those spokes made of anti-gravity?

seriously are you having a rear ten spoke? do you weigh 70lbs?

You're probably gonna want more spokes if you want that spokecard to stay put. Whatever wheels you use, you definitely want to get rid of the QR.

Thanks so far. The spokes are paired - rear will have 20, not 10. I weigh 140, so I figure it should not be too much of a problem. I dig the look, and they were easy on the wallet, anyway - I suppose if they should give out I should be able to gather up the money for a different wheelset by then.

Am I missing anything else?

top tube protector in zebra print, you don't want to hit those brake cable housing bosses with your junk.

I definitely like the bike as-is, but if you're going to convert it, keep the drops. The same reason they're useful on every other road bike is the reason why you'll want them on a single speed. Bullhorns just emulate the position that you already have with the tops of the hoods, with one fewer hand position.

+1 to all of this.

Also, 2 brakes with SS [non-fixed] is generally considered the best. It's been argued over, but common sense (assuming it exists) cautions that having only one way to stop is not wise. Redundancy is our friend...plus, a rear brake is useful if you hit icy/sandy terrain.

Another arguable point is the QR. I've always thought that QR rears are a bit scary (on a SS), but Sheldon recently corrected me, saying that they're safe. Since I've invoked his name, he might pull his genie trick and give us some more info. Be sure that you crank it down tight.

I'd personally never ride a micro wheelset like that..but I'm 180lbs and I usually carry 10-15lbs of books and other gear. Don't hit any potholes. Keep an eye out for strain on the wheels.

EDIT-- forgot to mention that I like the mockup. Very clever. The 'graffiti' is pretty funny.

You got that wheelset for $55?? :O

Btw, that bike looks great as is, personally I'd rather leave conversions for the middle-end road bikes. You can get an inexpensive track frame from IRO and then have two complete bikes!

btw is this one of those Panasonic-made Schwinns? It looks a bit like one.

agreed. It's a nice road bike, leave it as such.

<sheldon brown signal activated>

start the timer... NOW.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions.

This is actually the third of my three road bikes. I have a Bianchi San Lorenzo built up with Campagnolo Veloce, a Bianchi Volpe built up with 105/Ultegra, and this (yep, Panasonic-made Schwinn with a mix of the original Suntour drivetrain and modern parts). I agree - It's a very demure, nice looking bike! But part of me wants to try something new.

As for the bullhorns - I'm never in the drops on this bike, ever - so it should be okay. You guys are right on the brakes, though - I'll probably start out with a front/rear.

Well, we'll see how it turns out, I guess. Thanks for the comments.

I did a similar worldsport; a 91 ish. I love it.

Dont just start out with a front and rear break. Keep both forever, unless you decide to gofixed.

Thanks again. One thing I've been worrying about, though - will it be hard to get the chainline perfect if I'm going to be cramming a 130 mm rear wheel into the 126 mm spaced dropouts? I'm running a 130 mm rear right now but haven't cold spaced my frame; at the moment it's simply spread apart. But somehow it seems like a 130 mm in a 126 mm frame + quick release, no matter how tight, is just a recipe for headache.

And even then, still keep em.

Of course, I use brakes, everyone my age uses brakes. It's the coolest.

If using brakes is cool, consider me Miles Davis.

ahh....the before and after pics were beautiful.

that rattlecan job on the wall will last longer if you put a couple of coats of clearcoat over it.