I admit, I have a gear addiction. I have a few toys lying around and now I have a fourth bike. I would feel guilty if they did not all get used, but in just the last 7 day’s I have ridden all four of them.  I am a typical gear junkie, who is constantly fixing things, making upgrades and enhancements. Over the years I have collected random parts and components and realized I had the makings for a new bike. I had a front fork, seat post, stem, saddle, brakes and a buddy offered me his old Schwinn Homegrown frame.

The beauty of a single speed is that you do not need many components. I stripped what components and cables remained on the Schwinn and and kept the crankset. I mapped out a color scheme and bought a few can’s of spray paint to get started. I stripped all the stickers, goo and dirt from the frame and fork, sanded and primed them and spayed them with multiple thin coats, followed by a gloss finish.

Instead of trying to salvage the old, bent and worn wheels, I found some reasonable white rimmed wheels on Nashbar. I peeled off the red racing stripes and now they look great. I also wanted to add my own feminine flair, so I got a purple handlebars and found a matching chainring and wire clamps for the brake cables.

For a single speed you do not need shifters, de-railer or any moving parts. All you need is a singleator, a rear cog, spacers to fit the wheel hub, a chain and chain ring for the crank.

After month’s of tinkering with the bike, finding parts and getting it dialed it took only two sittings to get it all put together. It helps to have a mechanic as a friend, because as we put it together we would throw parts around the garage, swap out pieces and realize we need something else.

Here are a few shots of the completed bike.