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

Well, it really all depends on what you want to achieve! Restoration? Or upgrade? Single speed? Internal gears? Derailleur? Personally for me a kingpin would of work better for a fixed conversion! But I've seen some good upgrade 14 speed twenties! The picture will come tonight as I'm at work at the moment!

Tbh, i'm just wanting to build up a funky single speed for my missus, she won't ride fixed, but this would make a great daily rider to work for her. Pretty much like the pic you first posted, if it's a bit scrappy, i'll give it some paint, gotta mate with some unused skyways he's happy to sell on, and loadsa bits from my other builds and bikes over the years.

Yeah that's cool then! Tbh I ran a suicide hub on the mags! Until I had a fixed hub! But yeah mine came along as a £10 pound bike and had bits and pieces! But then it all changed and I have spent a few quids on it now! Wheels re build/ new tyres/ seatpost/ headset and stuff! But it's really fun to ride! My better half got a twenty too! But her is original with the 3 spd internal gear! The only changed is that I took the twist grip shifter for a better one and fixed the ratio of te gears! Even tho I'm building her a step through single speed with 700c he still loves her twenty and all her friends want her bike!

I like the idea of a slightly, subtly pimped Mini Moulton, flat bar, few nice bits, SS and with some Kojaks ... Hmmmmm.

I may know of a Dawes Kingpin going cheep cheep too.

How cheap? :-)

My twenty is up for sale people!

I have a spare set of Tektro long reach, hopefully these might work. I may just try with one wheel first. Pimp that shopper!

Are they Tektro R556? They're fine at the front, but juuuuuuust too short at the rear. I'm pimping a Twenty for my missus, and I've had to fabricate a drop for the rear:

I'm upgrading pretty much everything on the bike apart from the BB, cranks, chain ring and hubs since they're all in pretty good nick. The rest of the bike was a bit shabby, so I'm going to town on it. This is it originally:

Now:

I've had the frame powdercoated and I've fitted new brakes, levers, stem, bars, seat post, Brooks saddle, pedals, cables, shifter and other stuff. Just waiting on the wheels being built with alu rims and it'll be done. I've probably gone a bit overboard on it, but I had fun and it looks like new.

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Great job, radar.
Did you save the mudguards too?

Sure did, the mudguards and the chainguard were powdercoated too. The mudguards aren't going to be used, at least on this build of the bike, as the rear one clashes with the new brake calliper. Not a big deal though, my wife is probably one of natures fair-weather cyclists.

Forgot to mention, I got rid of the strange nylon collar thing that Raleigh used instead of a proper headset and had a new threadless headset installed. Much better!

It's cost quite a bit to have it powdercoated and to buy all the new parts, but when it's finished I think it's going to be nicer than any equivalent bike I could buy new for the same money.

Looking good Radar, the replacing of the collar with a threadless headset sounds like a good idea, but how do you lock it up? Do you have a clamp mech above the headset? Sorry if this is obvious, but i'm a little confused.

You should be confused! Sorry, it was late last night and I was babbling a bit. It's not a threadless headset, but that was the original plan - some people have done it by securing a threadless one with a couple of lockrings. The guy at the shop had a suitable threaded one knocking about though, so it has that instead. Sorry for the confusion.

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if this ever sells you can all plan on sending your shoppers over to the states
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Raleigh-TWENTY-Folding-Bicycle-Bike-Original-/170685503954?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bda619d2

ridiculous price no?

Oh come on! Decimal point in the wrong place, maybe?

Woah. I might make him an offer of $55 and see what he says...

I really want a done-up folding Twenty now - singlespeed, gunmetal frame, polished components, whitewall tyres. I might actually have a use for it, too, since I get the train a lot.

Just going back to the info about replacing the bottom bracket on a Raleigh Twenty, I was reading on Sheldon about the velo-orange BB, surely this would be a good solution to replacing the cottered cranks if you wanted something more modern. Also, seems like a decent price too for an upgrade.

http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/components/bottom-brackets/grand-cru-threadless-bottom-brackets.html

Also, Radar, do you hav e a close up shot of that headset you fitted?

Still working on the raleigh twenty, but was out Saturday and got the missus this, was only £20 from a chrity shop, is already a single speen, in excellent condition and coaster brake. Even the dynamo lighting works, Just got some new tyres and tubes on the way, and have some lightly used Oury grips to put on it.

I recently got this. O'Brien Compac, going to bung a turbo on it and use for non sweaty missions!
Already has BMX size 20s and old school butterfly tyres.
:)

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Soz about the massive pic!
Love the green bargain above!

at last a place for my folding thing!

Me and Idealstandard found this beaut by some bins, its now a festival postbike. Plus barspinz

My current ride, with matching luggage:

So much fun, weights more than a Mini.

a Mini roll? as they is well light

A mini roll the size of a Mini Metro, and twice as dense.