Sunday, August 2, 2020

Stompy, version 4.0? Maybe.

I cannot believe I did this, but I think I built myself another singlespeed.

This may or may not have been the original plan -- I can't deny that I've missed having a singlespeed mountain bike -- but there was also the strong possibility that when this was finished I'd sell it. The bike was a donor frame with seriously crappy parts and no wheels; I stripped all the the parts except the handlebar, stem and canti brakes, cleaned the frame and found it to be straight, and decided to make it a singlespeed.

It turned out fine. The brakes are pretty lackluster and I may swap in some cheap V-brakes for better stopping power. But swinging a leg over it instantly brought back all the glorious reasons I loved singlespeed to begin with. So now I'm torn.

Do I sell it?
Or do I keep it as a knockabout bike, for the days I don't want to feel so encumbered?

UPDATE: After a few days of pondering, I realized I wouldn't be able to enjoy it the way I wanted to. My knees have gotten too creaky for singlespeed. So I sold it to a younger and stronger paiur of knees. Unless someone askls me to build one for them, I've probably set up my last singlespeed.





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