THE CUSTOM BICYCLE & ACCESSORIES

One of the nicest things about building a custom bicycle is the opportunity to customize and in accordance with what you like, want or need.  Starting with a frame set, be it entry level, middle placed or high end chrome moly, with more butts than an ash tray, is where original can leave off.  The sky is the limit, restricted of course by such worldly concerns as budget and component availability.

To demonstrate how the same frame set can produce different looks and satisfy different purposes, a mid level Sekine SHC 270 was selected for conversion from "Ten Speed" to "Single Speed" design.  The bicycle, "as found" was in remarkable condition and available for a ten dollar bill.  The SHC was absolutely original and could probably have been left that way but the simple lines and elegant color all but demanded a little something out of the ordinary.  So a "Single Speed" it was to be and budget restraints would not be a major consideration for the build.

There are different ways to customize a vintage road bicycle.  Upgrading components is one of the most common, with discarding components following a close second.  Any bicycle, can be made to perform better with component upgrades.

Better brakes stop the bicycle better and with less effort on the part of the rider.  Better gearing allows for greater speed or better climbing ability.  Comfort becomes a performance issue that lends itself well to the customized theme.  Bigger tires, smaller tires.  Old School technology to retain vintage appear or state of the art "user friendly" choices to make the final ride just a touch better.  In other words, a bicycle can be customized to look different, feel different or to be used differently.  Of course, all three choices can be incorporated into a single build, if the builder so chooses.

Converting an old "Ten Speed" lightweight road bicycle to "Single Speed" design is not really a very difficult thing to do.  With very little training, a few bicycle tools and just about anywhere to work, the average person can complete most of the "Single Speed" modifications will little professional help.  About the only technically demanding task is the re-dishing of the rear wheel which is necessary to accommodate the much narrower single cog set that replaced the five cog freewheel.

Most bikes built or converted at MY "TEN SPEEDS" are completed with budget restraints in mind.  In other words, spend as little as possible and still come up with a safe to ride and dependable bicycle.  The cheapest and easiest of these to build is the Poor Boy "Single Speed".  This is an old "Ten Speed" stripped of unnecessary components and, using the original freewheel, converted to a one gear design.  Not one extra cent or ounce of effort is invested making the bicycle perform or look better.

When building the Poor Boy, mostly original components are used and little, if anything, if substituted.  In the case of this old Canadian made Peugeot, everything is original except the fenders, bars/stem and brake handles.  The saddle is also a non-original item, substituted for the sake of comfort and nothing else.  All that said, the Poor Boy is the simplest and least creative build when it comes to customizing a bicycle.  With that in mind, the Poor Boy is hardly a good example to use to demonstrate the incredible range of opportunities that present themselves when considering converting an old bicycle to meet your own personal likes and needs.

NEXT - THE ORIGINAL "SINGLE SPEED"