Raleigh Airlite 100 possibly single speed project

**Ok, so I bought this Raleigh Airlite from a bloke at work for £50, it works fine, I've took it around the block a few times. I'm not using it a lot because I've built up my Giant MTB as a single speed cruiser to get here and there when I don't feel like driving. I've been thinking about giving it a complete overhaul, that's where you guys come in, maybe you lot could point me in the right direction by giving up your information and knowledge you have on bikes. I was thinking I wanted to single speed it and get rid of the drop bars and maybe some small risers or flat bars.
What sort of gearing would I be looking to use for single speed?
What bars offer the best value for money?
What brake levers would be best for the straight bars?
I want to get the bike up and running for the few hours of summer we actually have in England.

**

This will be an easy singlespeed project if the rear wheel takes a cassette (not a freewheel).

Check that first, it is the case, you just need a singlespeed kit for the freehub (about £15) and 5x single chainring bolts to remove one of the front chainrings.

Once this is done, you can look at risers and other bits.

Gearing wise, I find 65 to 75 Gear Inches to be good around town - use this calculator to see what the GI will be before buy your singlespeed kit:
http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/

Good buy for £50: they're quite rated as entry level road bikes.

I've got a single speed kit with different cogs, for a freehub going spare: give me a shout when you figure out your gearing.

It will also need a chain tensioner. Right?

This will be an easy singlespeed project if the rear wheel takes a cassette (not a freewheel).

Check that first, it is the case, you just need a singlespeed kit for the freehub (about £15) and 5x single chainring bolts to remove one of the front chainrings.

Once this is done, you can look at risers and other bits.

Gearing wise, I find 65 to 75 Gear Inches to be good around town - use this calculator to see what the GI will be before buy your singlespeed kit:
http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/

Yeah, as far as I'm aware its a cassette, thanks for sharing that link I will look into it

Good buy for £50: they're quite rated as entry level road bikes.

I've got a single speed kit with different cogs, for a freehub going spare: give me a shout when you figure out your gearing.

I will keep that in mind, thanks.

It will also need a chain tensioner. Right?

I'm hoping to be able to pull it off without any chain tensioner.

Magic gear?

Vertical dropouts, no?

It will need a tensioner for an easy conversion and to save faffing with chain lengths and magic gear - well worth the tenner itll set you back i reckon.

I think I'm going to have to find the magic gear, I don't like the look of chain tensioners on road bikes. They look alright on MTB, I have a gusset tensioner on my giant and it does the job perfectly, I just want this to look smooth.

It's a cheap Raleigh BSO road bike and you want to make it look smooth.

Check the rest of the component before you put any money in it, ensure that the rims have plenty of life left and it's not too worn out for example, otherwise you'll end up spending about £100 for a new wheelset.

Just because its a cheap bike doesn't mean I can't try and make it look as smooth as I can, the rims are fine, but if I have to buy a new wheelset, its not a big deal

Just saying it's not worth pouring all your money on it, is all.

Are you sure it's a cassette hubs? they're usually screw-on freewheel on those kind of bicycle.

Paul Melvin chain tensioner looks better, more like a derailleur. does cost a few bob though.

Are you sure it's a cassette hubs? they're usually screw-on freewheel on those kind of bicycle.

I'll have to double check that to be honest

It's not really a BSO - thought that was more for £100 Argos jobbies?

It's an entry level road bike. My GF has one and it's fine.

The whole point of the bike is to be used for commuting, its not going to be smothered in expensive parts, it's just a beater to get to work on.

It's not really a BSO - thought that was more for £100 Argos jobbies?

It is when you compare it to the B-twin triban which set the benchmark in the cheapest fully equipped road bike.

The whole point of the bike is to be used for commuting, its not going to be smothered in expensive parts, it's just a beater to get to work on.
Good! The first thing to decide, is what the bike is to be used for. Right bike too: decent enough, but if it's wrecked or stolen, you haven't lost too much.

How far is your commute? What do you need to carry? Will you be wearing cycling clothes and getting changed or cycling in your work clothes? Might you use the bike for evening/weekend jaunts?

Straight/riser bars give you a good view in urban traffic; however, if your commute is any distance, you might miss the drops for the variety of hand positions. Re-using the bars and levers you've already got would save a few quid too.

If you remove the gear shifters on the down tube (dts), you can use the adjuster screws on the derailleurs to select a gear. The rear derailleur also acts as a chain tensioner; the front derailleur as a chain keeper.

Try something around 67-69 gear inches (gi) for commuting; if you do take it out for longer, leisure rides then 71-74gi might be better. Count the teeth on the chainrings and rear sprockets (it might be stamped on them) and stick the numbers in here.

The shallow teeth, ramps and pins on the chainrings and cassette make shifting gears easier, but with a single speed set-up you want the chain to stay where it is and in as straight a line as possible. Use the large chainring with the smaller rear sprockets and the small ring with the larger ones.

When you've got that far and found a gearing you're happy with, you can consider what needs doing to convert it to a "proper" single speed and tidy it up a bit.

Good! The first thing to decide, is what the bike is to be used for. Right bike too: decent enough, but if it's wrecked or stolen, you haven't lost too much.

How far is your commute? What do you need to carry? Will you be wearing cycling clothes and getting changed or cycling in your work clothes? Might you use the bike for evening/weekend jaunts?

Straight/riser bars give you a good view in urban traffic; however, if your commute is any distance, you might miss the drops for the variety of hand positions. Re-using the bars and levers you've already got would save a few quid too.

If you remove the gear shifters on the down tube (dts), you can use the adjuster screws on the derailleurs to select a gear. The rear derailleur also acts as a chain tensioner; the front derailleur as a chain keeper.

Try something around 67-69 gear inches (gi) for commuting; if you do take it out for longer, leisure rides then 71-74gi might be better. Count the teeth on the chainrings and rear sprockets (it might be stamped on them) and stick the numbers in here.

The shallow teeth, ramps and pins on the chainrings and cassette make shifting gears easier, but with a single speed set-up you want the chain to stay where it is and in as straight a line as possible. Use the large chainring with the smaller rear sprockets and the small ring with the larger ones.

When you've got that far and found a gearing you're happy with, you can consider what needs doing to convert it to a "proper" single speed and tidy it up a bit.

Thanks for your input, the ride is only about 4 miles, I'll most likely be riding in normal shorts and a hoody, I'll be carrying my work clothes and my sandwiches :D The weekends I would be most likely using my MTB. I really don't think I'd ever use the drops at all. I don't have any bars or levers lying around so I would have to buy them.