Here’s a new single-speed build I completed recently. I started with an old lugged steel 58cm road frame that I stripped, primered, and re-painted. I also removed the braze-on wire guides for a cleaner look. I added a 1960’s-era Ashtabula chrome track fork and a new Tange headset, which gives this build a unique and distinctive look. The bottom bracket was replaced with a 103mm Shimano cartridge and Bulletproof cranks.
The stem is a 120mm Specialized quill with silver chopped risers and black rubber grips, a chrome BMX brake lever and new Tektro front caliper brake. A pair of 700c wheels and a black saddle finished off the build nicely. The gearing is 42×16 which is my preferred “cruising” setup for commuting around NYC. The whole build took me about 8-10 hours of work; I’m pretty experienced at this point so the only tricky part was making the fork work. I had to cut the steerer tube down, re-chase the threads, and neck down the quill slightly as the steerer tube was a non-standard diameter, slightly narrower than the usual 22.2cm.
I sold it this evening for $250, so I’m glad I got pictures this morning. Check out more pictures after the jump…
Of course, it’d be nothing without that sweet bell! Nice bike and only 8-10 hours? Impressive!
Added your site to my “Favorites List.
You sold the Red vintage SS for $250. Are you outta your freakin’ gourd? Or did you mean to put a 1 in front of the 2?
Let me know when you have another bike to give away. No way did you cover your costs let alone all the work.
Lew
bulletproof cranks arent worth the metal theyre made out of. i watched my friend crack the crank arm out of the chain ring. that fork is pretty sweet though