a desperately worn old chainring

old biopace chainrings make good spacers

junk bin salvaged desperately worn old 36t chainring +
sawed off bolt mounts from said old biopace chainring =
one GHETTO single speed


evidence of an afternoon well spent

that's right folks. you heard it right. the ghetto single is up and running. and, for the record, it is awesome. i'd even go as far as to say...it rocks socks. after a nice loop with steve and scott on the cannondale i was still feeling pretty good. so i went out for lap number 2 with mauk, and elected to give this single business a try. verdict: single speeding is fun. platform pedals and converses left much to be desired on climbs, but other than a couple of times, i managed to stay pretty firmly planted on 'em. the 36x16 setup also leaves much to be desired on climbs. but was awesome for flats and downhills. seldom did i find myself spun out. but then, we weren't out to go super fast either. still, i'm currently in the market for another salvaged, less worn, 34 or 32t ring. the old derailleur as a chain tensioner slaps the chainstay, so yes, my single is going to have a chainstay protector as soon as i can russle up an old tube.



i'm going to today replace the taped cable with the end of some old derailleur cable, and so eliminate the need for the whole yes-i-tied-some-very-precariously-loose-knots-in-cable-and-taped-over-it concern. (the stop screws wouldn't go in far enough for nice chainline, so that's how i keep the derailluer lined up properly) speaking of chainline, i'm pretty happy with it. i only dropped the chain twice...and like i said...the chainring is painfully worn.


not too shabby

total cost: $23
....it's dreamy....
(a new paint job is probably in its near future. i'm thinking pink with blue lugs. yeah, that'll be hot. any suggestions, thoughts, comments?)