What to Do With an Old Mountain Bike?--Single Speed Cruiser on the Cheap

I cut my mountain biking teeth, so to speak, on this great Giant mountain bike that I got new in 1994. I rode it hard, and replaced most components as I wore stuff out or upgraded. It has survived amazing crashes, trips to the desert, life in Idaho, Colorado, and New Mexico, and even a car wreck in Wyoming.

It served briefly as a commuter--I replaced the suspension fork with a rigid one, put on less knobby tires, and changed the front crankset (from a 44/32/22 ("mountain") triple to a 50/34 ("compact road") double) to give me some downhill speed and control. While it got me where I needed to go, it was just not as efficient as a road bike, especially since my commute is mostly on highway and has a pretty big hill (up on the way to work, down on the way home!). When I found a good deal for a road bike on Craigslist, my Giant Franken-muter was relieved of commuter duty.

For a variety of reasons--mostly sentimental--I didn't want to get rid of the Giant bike, and saw an opportunity to try out a single speed. Single speed bikes are quite the rage right now, and proponents tout greater efficiency of a simpler drivetrain as a primary impetus. Not sure I buy the "efficiency" argument, but I'm all for simplicity. I liked the clean look and low maintenance of a single gear drivetrain for a "ride around town" bike that I didn't have to worry about too much. Here are a few pics and descriptions of the finished product.

Here's my cruiser outside the garage, ready for a B-doubleE-doubleR-UN (beer run...).  

Because a geared bike has vertical drop-outs, there is no way to adjust chain tension. To take up the slack and keep the chain on the drivetrain, some sort of spring-loaded device is necessary. After talking with the folks at Community Cycle, I went with this no cost derailleur set-up. I cut off the cage (hangy-down bit), ran the chain through, and saved $40 (the cost of an actual chain tensioner). I can still make fine adjustments to the chain line since I ran a bit of cable through the guides.

To "power" the thing, I used an old crankset I bought cheap ($26) from the Sports Recycler in Boulder, CO. I just didn't see paying $75+ for a new one for an experiment. I took it apart and put on a like-new 44 tooth chainring I had lying around. Of course, I took off all the unnecessary parts like shifters, shift cables, and the front derailleur.

Call it "ghetto," call it "redneck," but I improvised a lot in the back end of the drivetrain. The rear cog is out of a disassembled cassette, which isn't all that unusual in the single speed world. I sort of guessed on the size, but it works for where I currently ride it, and could easily swap it out if my situation changes. The spacers that hold the cog in place and keep the chainline straight are pieces of 1 1/4" PVC pipe, which slide perfectly over the spindle. 

I added the rigid fork (Sun-Race, $60) and semi-slick tires (~$30 each) when this bike became a commuter. Someday, I'll probably put on fatter slicks for a cushier ride, but for now these Michelin Country Rock tires roll really nicely around the streets.

I ordered both the handlebars (Dimension, $20) and grips (Ritchey, $20) from Tree Fort Bikes (treefortbikes.com). I wanted the grips to match the cushy faux-leather saddle, so at least something on the bike matched!

The "luxury" item: I bought this cushy saddle ($35) from the Broken Spoke in Santa Fe. It's springy & soft. I've had to lower the seat a lot to make this work as it's a lot thicker than the racing saddle I took off, but yeah, it's super comfy.

All told, I spent about $150 on this project, but saved probably $200 by employing used or old parts. In its current incarnation, it works great for cruising around town, though a rack would be mighty handy for those "grocery" runs. Looking back through the pictures, though, I am amused by the fact that there are only 3 original parts left on the bike--the headset, the seatpost, and the seatpost clamp. I have replaced everything else!

Thanks for reading!