The Single Speed Shopper of Death™ and other shopping bike tales

leeww [quote]the-smiling-buddha

Come on then, I'll race ya

Any time big boy.[/quote]

you are most definately on sunshine

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Nearly there, I have just got to work a way out to lock my fixed 16t cog on to the suicide hub.

creamsicle (creamcycle?) of death. yum.

Nice one Lee!

mmm. jealous. well done ol chap. an inspiration to us all!

The thing that occurred to me while I was doing this bike up was that you simply cannot get your hands on 18" wheels, tyres or tubes, I tried everywhere, no luck :(

So she is doomed once the tyres or tubes fall apart. The white sidewalls on the rear tyre was very badly cracked, so I pumped it up to the recommended pressure and filled in the cracks with that silicon sealant you use for sealing around the edges of baths and sinks (the stuff that sets like white rubber), it worked pretty well.

I might get the Dura Ace 16t cog wielded on to the suicide hub, anyone have some wielding equipment in their back yard !?

For my next project I will start with a 20" shopper (ideally a Raleigh 20) - so I can use BMX wheels, tyres and tubes.

don't worry about 'locking' the cog on there, you won't unscrew it (trust me).

Just ride it HARD for the first day, you'll be alright.

Welding = Overkill.

lpg don't worry about 'locking' the cog on there, you won't unscrew it (trust me).

Just ride it HARD for the first day, you'll be alright.

Welding = Overkill.

Are you sure ?

What would stop the cog unscrewing ?

Well, if you've ever experienced trying to take off a tightly screwed on cog, you'll see. The maximum force you can apply would be locking the wheel, and even that wouldn't be enough.

Also, you have smaller wheels but a regular-setup chainwheel/cog (compare to buddha's dahon). So, you'll be spin spin spinning everywhere, you won't be able to reach a high enough speed to do it, anyway. I think you'll be fine if you take it up a hill on its first outing. Then again, i've just seen you haven't got any brakes, so your only method of slowing down would be pedal resistance.

If you're worried, get to a bike shop and ask for a bottom bracket lockring. That fits on the same thread as the 16t sprocket, so it should hold it in place.

By the way, if you need to emergency stop (and you plan to keep those pedals), lean forwards as your left pedal is around 6 o clock, then put your right foot on the underside of the right pedal, and you'll skid.

Cheers lpg for the info, appreciated.

I can't get a BB lockring on to the rear hub as there is no room (I have tried).

That's alright - you can't get it on? Well, take it for a ride uphill, you'll probably screw the sprocket on a little harder, and then you mayb be able to get a bb lockring on there.

leeww The thing that occurred to me while I was doing this bike up was that you simply cannot get your hands on 18" wheels, tyres or tubes, I tried everywhere, no luck :(

Not so my friend... your standard Riese & Muller Birdy runs on 18" rims which I believe are available in 24h, 32h and 36h. Add some slicks - 28 x 355 Schwalbe Stelvios, and you're rocking - try Bikefix / Condor / Bicycle Workshop / Velorution.

d_c [quote]Not so my friend... your standard Riese & Muller Birdy runs on 18" rims which I believe are available in 24h, 32h and 36h. Add some slicks - 28 x 355 Schwalbe Stelvios, and you're rocking - try Bikefix / Condor / Bicycle Workshop / Velorution.

Excellent !!!

Cheers, looks like bikefix can sort me out !! :)

its looking good.

That looks amazing. It's a shame you can't do anything with the wheels/tyres when they're gone.

also kids bikes come in 18" wheeled varietys (and alot of kids ride bmxs).....

leeww
For my next project I will start with a 20" shopper (ideally a Raleigh 20) - so I can use BMX wheels, tyres and tubes.

I recently picked up a rusty shopper for free via Freecycle and brought it back to life. Raleigh shoppers use the other 20" size, 451 (20" x 1 3/8 aka 37-451), whereas BMX is 406, so brakes might be an issue, and pedal clearance will be slightly reduced, I imagine.

pics please.

indeed pics please

what is the stem? is it a quill with some weird a-head convertor?

d/p !!

kin' nuts bike. Nicely executed though...just needs some bashing with some mallets and it ll be perfect

tallsam pics please.

Here you go:

I picked it up for my lady friend, who wanted a bike for weekend rides and shopping runs. (Well, it is a shopper!) It had been sitting in someone's garden for a few years and had completely perished tyres when I got it.

The wheels were in a bad way, so I applied some Kurust, cleaned and regreased the hub bearings, and stuck new tubes and tyres on. I ran a wire brush over all the chrome, which brought it up pretty well. I also rubbed down and Kurust-ed the caliper brakes and replaced the brake cables, and gave it a new BMX chain. The saddle looks knackered but is actually very comfortable, and the bicycle is really nice to ride.

Although I entertained grand plans for rebuilding it, it has to live outside (there's no more space*, and it's too damn heavy to carry up the stairs anyway), so the stealth appearance is a definite advantage. I might do something better with it in the future.

• Leeww's fancy designer kitchen looks bigger than my entire flat!