turning a vintage mtb into a single speed (not fixed gear) bike

[@easyrider75]

Awesome build. Love the simplicity of a single speed and cantilever brakes. These old school frames are great for turning something that looks like it’s junk into something that’s a real gem. Even the long stem looks just right.

[@garysprojects]

Thanks man! Ya pretty stoked with how it turned out. Single speeds are simple and fun!!

[@johnnytheboy1384]

I'm a car detailer and when you want to remove decals warm them up with a heat gun or a hair dryer. You won't need to use a blade on them. They'll peel straight off. Also get yourself some automotive brake cleaner in an aerosol can and Prepsol or wax and grease remover for cleaning. Just a heads up from a dude that also has about 15 old school bmx's,Redline Mongoose Haro etc.. loved your vid. Cheers

[@garysprojects]

Thank you my dude appreciate the tip! I actually have automotive brake cleaner too, will try that for clean up next time 👍 cheers

[@zombiebr0t]

This level of detail and the narrated comment is pure gold for when someone wants to pickup the hobby (will do my first build soon) - thanks so much!

[@garysprojects]

No worries mate glad it was helpful ! Thanks for watching 😊

[@raceface_m2579]

I absolutely love how thorough this was. Every single detail on what you did. Excellent explanation.

[@garysprojects]

Thank you my dude I appreciate that! Glad you like it cheers!

[@jp93309]

Nice build. There’s a lot to be said about choosing the right gear ratio when going SS including what kind of terrain you plan to ride (hilly or flat), what size wheels you have on, etc. I run 48-18 with 26” wheels on very flat tarmac but if I had hills I’d consider a smaller big ring to dial it in. Changes to the rear ring have a much bigger impact as even a 1-2 teeth swap up or down is significant.

[@garysprojects]

Cheers man! that’s good to know! Running 42-18 at the moment and feels pretty good. Probably can go up to 44 if I wanna go faster but probably be more difficult on the hills. I think the ratio also comes with fitness too, so the more your ride it would probably go up as you own the bike

[@tlotzin]

I ride a SS with 48-18 too with tires 26x1.15 in city flat terrain , my another project is 36-14 in hilly terrain ...

[@arremmm]

Pedal service actually makes significant difference in rideability. Pedals stick to ya feet with fresh grease

[@garysprojects]

Hell ya definitely! Pedals are underrated I reckon !

[@andrewbell2749]

I just “sharpened” my smoothed out pedals

[@peteryouds5634]

Wheels, crankset, stem and bars . . . voila ! ( not to overlook your hard work as well) A sleeping Giant awakens with a new look and purpose, well done Gary, another cool build !

[@garysprojects]

Hahah you forgot the saddle and also the pedals!! Basically replaced almost everything on this bike😅😅😅. Rides great though. Cheers homie i appreciate that !!

[@garysprojects]

Actually pedals I just serviced haha

[@anielyantra1]

I did a similar thing to a rockhopper. I changed to v-brakes, hollow tech crank, 1.95 "front tire and a 2.125 rear tire. My ratio is a 38/22 for a hilly town. Single speed is the way to go for a go to bike.

[@garysprojects]

Ooooo nice , thinner tyre up front moto style

[@glennpettersson9002]

It looks super clean and I am guessing light, with 1.5" slicks on there it would fly 👍

[@garysprojects]

Cheers man! Yes I actually have 1.75 slicks too could try it out !

[@jeremydiols532]

It's been a few days now since this was uploaded, and until now I did not yet finished it because I was bussy. But damn I just can't get enough staring at it and watching its transformation and everysecond and detail is so relaxing. The retro spirit on me is on fire and wanted to have one.

[@garysprojects]

Thanks homie! Glad you enjoyed it - they are super fun !

[@grumpy_ken]

really cool build, I'm inspired to do the same to a '92 Schwinn Highplains with a Cro Moly frame that is just taking up space right now. also, the rust converter is a concentration of phosphoric acid in a gel solution. Coca cola is also a phosphoric acid solution (though not as strong) that works to remove rust.

[@garysprojects]

cheers my dude i appreciate that! thanks for the tips !

[@thorn6809]

There are these washers to adjust door hinges in height, they are also pretty handy to put them under chainrings and should fit right a way. I am not sure if they are also available in Australia, because I have no idea what type of door hinges are used there. I mean washers for two piece hinges.

[@garysprojects]

Ooo nice thank you. I will have a look in the hinge section in the hardware store! Cheers

[@reeceholmes8546]

great stuff, love the minimalist look, fun bike, thanks Gary

[@garysprojects]

Thank you Reece ! Glad you liked it, nothing like a clean simple bike in my opinion ! Cheers !

[@burundi8909]

gary just raised all the prices of the chromo giant bikes in gumtree australia.....The GPI Ratio went up 100% today , the Gary Price Index !

[@garysprojects]

hahahhahah cracking me up, i'll get you on some insider trading

[@martinpurliet7438]

Sheeeeesh, Gary! crazy transformation Nice street clips after too

[@garysprojects]

Thanks man! Turned this one around haha

[@shaunbrowne3963]

WD 40 is the savior of bicycle restoration! Well done, instructional, and lots of valuable demonstrations!

[@garysprojects]

Cheers Shaun ! I appreciate that , thank you 😊

[@derekmaynard9236]

Great job on this build! Simple and the result looks fantastic. I’d replace that ratty saddle though… or condition it if it’s leather.

[@garysprojects]

Thank you my dude I appreciate that ! Yes would love a better conditioned turbo !

[@cyclerevive]

Lovely conversion. Looking awesome 😎

[@garysprojects]

thanks man i appreciate that! :D

[@ryang3118]

Really enjoyed your video. The bike came out super sweet! Single speed idea has been on my mind lately. Cheers!

[@garysprojects]

Cheers man glad you liked it! Appreciate the kind words 🙏

[@ashpunting]

Another bike saved from the scrap yard well done and I was wondering why you put those handlebar grips on they reminded me of what I had on my crutcher handles when I broke my leg I'm glad you put the old ones back on, you always play good music at the end I always make lyrics up in my head 👍🏾💙💯 Respect Gary

[@garysprojects]

Thanks Rory! I appreciate that brother, do what I can to save it from the city dump haha! Hope you’re well brother ✌️😊

[@ashpunting]

@@garysprojects I'm good brother the weather is good so I might go for a bike ride then come back home and chill 😎 💯👍🏾

[@garysprojects]

@@ashpunting hell ya ! sounds good 👍

[@ashpunting]

@@garysprojects that's why I was telling when I hear music you play I new I liked it in the first 3 seconds and naturally I just Start singing along amd making up lyrics because I feel it 🎶

[@harveyjones5027]

Good to see this video. I am looking to do something similar as low budget as possible and mainly for a bike for running errands like you, but also to switch out to some ice spiker tyres I have so I can still ride on winter icy days. I am looking at hybrids second hand mostly because of the combination I need. needs to be 700c wheels for the ice tyres I have and needs good clearance as the tyres are 35mm, and I don't want disc brakes so it will be canti or v brakes. It was interesting to see you retaining the chainset and just keeping one ring, I will look into that, I do have a single speed chainset as an option too. The main difference I may find here is less availability of horizontal drop out frames, so I might end up with a vertical drop out and needing a tensioner. However horizontal like on yours is so much cleaner so I will keep shopping around for the right very cheap second hand bike....

[@garysprojects]

Hell ya dude that sounds sick! Yeah I would hold out for some horizontal drops , makes it easier ay

[@harveyjones5027]

@@garysprojects hi I have ended up with a vertical drop out. Cannondale Quick 5. It's a nice frame and light. The rear wheel is not that great and I will replace it, likely when I do that will replace the front wheel to. The seller had some brand new schwalbe tyres he threw in also, 37c Delta Cruiser and a 35c Land Cruiser. Leaving the V-Brakes on but otherwise have replaced with other bits I had spare that are better/lighter. Kept the existing wide BB and my spare Sugino single speed chainset with 44T chainring fitted, but any narrower BB would have been an issue. Other better bits I put on were stem, handlebars, seat post, seat. pedals (flat with spd inside). Now it will be a case of getting the wheels, add the convertor, tensioner, chain, tyres and good to go. The convertor I have only has a 13T cog so will be too tough a gear. Deciding on how the bike weight shakes out will decide that. The build looks like it will end up being 10.5kg down from what I bought which was 11.9kg. So I will probably get a Halo cog of 18, 19, or 20 teeth. I want a fairly easy gear but not too easy, I think if I end up spinning like crazy that would get old very quick!

[@garysprojects]

Nice that sounds good I was running around 18t rear 40t front which works out pretty well, but of course will be different for everyone. Good luck with the bike sounds great 👍

[@harveyjones5027]

@@garysprojects assuming your build would have been heavier weight overall than mine so maybe a lower gear better for that

[@jaimegomezgarcia7599]

Absolutely FANTASTIC I loved the transformation. With your permission, I'm going to make me a similar one 😉

[@garysprojects]

Of course! That’s why I made the video , to inspire people to make their own! Cheers mate!!

[@chuffa1130]

Get grips on and off sometimes I use electronic spray contact cleaner, as it evaporates real quickly in your grips will be solid after that but easy to get off and on

[@garysprojects]

Nice man! Good tip cheers

[@adamhorvath8978]

This bike is too good for me! Love, great project.

[@garysprojects]

Thank you my dude I appreciate that !

[@before1984soul]

Great conversation! I'm thinking about doing my 90's GT timberline into a single speed.

[@garysprojects]

cheers man! yesss do it up - that would make a sick single speed!!

[@GeekonaBike]

I like to replace the rear axel w/ some allthread to make the rear a bolt on cuz QRs can slip when you apply Ssp toque

[@garysprojects]

Makes sense cheers!

[@ver251209]

great work. Just a suggestion, at the end you should do a before and after shot. It would be a nice way to finish

[@garysprojects]

cheers mate i appreciate that

[@stewartmowatt2337]

Nice simple bike build looks retro cool man

[@garysprojects]

Thank you very much cheers mate !

[@frankmontez800]

Awesome video I definitely want to convert my mountain bike into a single speed I love the simplicity of it

[@garysprojects]

Hell ya do it up it’s pretty fun to have !

[@m.aquino8181]

The frame has forward facing drop outs. Any issues with the rear wheel sliding forward in the drop outs a wheel set up for QR rather than a bolt on rear wheel?

[@garysprojects]

Nah no issues at all, just do them up tight

[@Ravi10413]

​​@@garysprojectsHello, I don’t know if the translator will translate it correctly. The wheel will not move backwards from the left side over time ? I'm afraid the wheel will bend. I use qr. Thanks.

[@padude131]

Nice build! I love my single speed bike. I spend more time on it than my multi- speed touring bike.

[@garysprojects]

Yesss! There’s something special about single speeds just grab and go!

[@padude131]

And after watching your video, I did just that!

[@garysprojects]

@@padude131 hell ya!!

[@GCard-mo5vq]

This video is so helpful and so well made!

[@garysprojects]

Thank you very much I appreciate that !!

[@bbolin711]

like the tape measure trick. kinda like a flexible straight edge

[@garysprojects]

Hahah cheers man! Still a bit of a guess but still helps ! 😊

[@burundi8909]

gary great videos ...lots of effort into the camera work ......bike is fresh ....you can also change the rear axle to a bolt up for better security if you tend to ride hard as you probably know ...thanks for all your tips ! love your work

[@garysprojects]

thanks man i appreciate that ! haha yeah probably if its a dedicated street machine would be nice to change the axles and also the quick release seat post clamp as well - cheers my dude!

[@malatesta1968]

great work. so clean! sharp af🔥

[@garysprojects]

@@malatesta1968 cheers mate i appreciate that !

[@berjarak2535]

What size bottom bracket you using?

[@garysprojects]

I think 117

[@xXBocephusXx]

I love the bike man. Super clean build. I definitely need to try a single speed build sometime! Great work as always

[@garysprojects]

thank you my dude i appreciate that! yes try it out its super fun ay, good bike to have just to ride around on for the shops/errands 👍

[@As2ronaut]

I've rebuilt the pedals many times but can never tighten as much as the new ones, two nuts with a washer in the middle rotate together in any direction without the necessary tightening. 🤷

[@garysprojects]

Tighten down top nut to so it’s a little tight , Then loosen the nut closest to the bearings. This should push the two nuts together, thus tightening them , hope this helps !

[@As2ronaut]

@@garysprojects This is the only way to tighten the nuts, but even after five repetitions, they are not tight enough as I would like.

[@garysprojects]

@@As2ronaut ahh not sure - maybe try loctite?

[@frederickdiaz]

Very nice! I’m in the process of restoring a 96 Marin Hawk Hill myself, and watching your video has motivated me to hurry up and finish my build already so I can take her for a spin!

[@garysprojects]

Cheers man! Hell ya dude nice bike! Haha yeah should do it will be sick 👍

[@stephenpaoli1243]

Awesome build Gary 👍

[@garysprojects]

thank you Stephen I appreciate that!

[@baszuidwijk68]

Love this build!

[@garysprojects]

Cheers mate!!

[@GuiHShuffle]

Absolutely gorgeous! congrats man

[@garysprojects]

Thanks my dude I appreciate that 🙏

[@itstomsgarage]

Very cool! Would like to do a single speed mountain bike build at some point

[@garysprojects]

Cheers man! Ya they are super fun, should do it up!!

[@ohjajohh]

Great video! I want to do something similar with my Giant ATX 970. I'm just afraid I don't have the skills to do it

[@garysprojects]

Cheers man! Give it a shot - only way you will find out haha 😅😅

[@ThisIZ2Funny]

will the 57 be coming back in stock?

[@garysprojects]

mmm not sure what you are saying but this one has sold already

[@nadimacmud7528]

Is the cable cutter you are using a parktool?

[@garysprojects]

Nah it’s not not, just generic one

[@25inspector]

What a fun ride.

[@garysprojects]

Thanks man! It’s very fun 😊

[@tarmac1601]

Awesome build!

[@garysprojects]

Thx man I appreciate that !

[@oJAK3yy]

Top notch - as always. Cheers

[@garysprojects]

Cheers my dude!

[@-MacCat-]

Great restomod. Well done. I love watching other folk, and practice myself, salvaging bikes from ending up as landfill by spending very few dollars and applying a good dose of "elbow grease". Keep up the great vids. P.S. Single speed bikes sort the men from the boys quick smart 😉🤣

[@garysprojects]

Hahah cheers man! Ya that is great , definitely feels good to save a bike and get it going again :D

[@dendenocillos1566]

What do you called to the cogs on your spacer so that it can compatible to single speed, I'm planning to do this also to my bike gios mistral 700by28c

[@garysprojects]

It’s called a single speed cog, you can get single speed conversion kits where they have the cog and spacers all in one pack!

[@ЙозефКач.2]

47:26 и, собственно как добиться натяга цепи?я не совсем понял

[@garysprojects]

i squash a bottle between the frame and wheel to put the wheel out into the drop outs, then tighten it

[@DINAS.13]

i love this bike can u send it to bali? and how much?

[@garysprojects]

Sold already my dude

[@ЙозефКач.2]

45:38 Надеюсь кто нибудь знает русский язык Не могли бы сказать что это за штука собственно на которую в последствии накручивается звезда? Я тоже пытался "сделать" синглспид но я тупо именно тупо накрутил звезду на резьбу на самом колесе и, как не сложно догадаться был перекос цепи и получались прокруты... Как выше сказано было при помощи этой штуки можно подобрать правильное соотношение между передней звездой и задней чтобы не было перекоса? За видео огромное спасибо и с надеждой на то что кто нибудь знает русский язык Удачи

[@garysprojects]

hi i tried to read using google translate, but this is called a "single speed conversion kit" - it gives you different spacers so you can align the cog to your chainring. hope this helps cheers!

[@ЙозефКач.2]

@@garysprojects Thank you As I understand you translated my comment through Google translator? Well, I also translated your comment and, it seems, more or less understood what I needed, I even found such a set for a single-speed bicycle on Aliexpress, I am very grateful to you for the answer, I hope I will be able to remake my bike Good luck to you

[@garysprojects]

I’m glad! Thank you 😊🙏

[@alessiosgroi4735]

Molto bella semplice e pulita.adoro i pedali e il manubrio.il colore è fantastico.il video mi ha rilassato molto.adoro come lavori.grande Gary✌👍😊

[@garysprojects]

Thank you sir I appreciate that !! Glad you enjoyed it 🙏😃

[@klunker289]

Very nice gary!!👍👍 I want to build one!!✌😊

[@garysprojects]

cheers man, do it up ! very fun :D

[@sempi8159]

I have a boulder 500 in 22 inch. Love the bike. Heavy af. But im heavy too :)

[@garysprojects]

haha hell yeah heavy duty!

[@markkinna903]

do you flip your bikes locally or do you sell on something like Ebay?

[@garysprojects]

Ya I just sell them on fb marketplace to local Melbs folks, wouldn’t really call it a flip tho since a decent amount of energy is spent 😅😅

[@JACKOJACKO121]

Nice build dude! Just out of curiosity, You mentioned that you usually sell the bikes you re-build. Do you ever make a profit on them or are you just doing it to break even?

[@garysprojects]

Thanks homie, It’s a profit but I would say probably break even given the time put into it. The donations/merch/ yt helps too !

[@JACKOJACKO121]

@@garysprojects truly a labor of love, keep em coming man!

[@garysprojects]

@@JACKOJACKO121 cheers homie!

[@timothyjohncurtis]

Nice build and video! 👍

[@garysprojects]

Cheers my dude! I appreciate that :D

[@maxingham9139]

You do your chain line measuring like I do.

[@garysprojects]

Niceeeee 👍

[@kibuasmr4423]

Nice one bro !

[@garysprojects]

Cheers mate!

[@DIY-DaddyO]

Sweet ride.

[@garysprojects]

Thanks man

[@komoonkh]

Eey I wanna skate that bank spot at the end! Too bad I live like 16000km away haha. Bike turned out nice, simple bikes are the best

[@garysprojects]

Hahah yeah it’s a sick spot ay, there is a water channel in the middle that you gotta look out for. Cheers man glad you liked it!

[@dartology]

Are you being sponsored by Evaporust yet mate?!? Makes me want to try it out on some projects around the place. 😂

[@garysprojects]

Hahah not yet, def works well though!

[@TungReal1989]

Xe đẹp quá

[@xXstevieOo]

i want something similar to this but as a fixed gear bike

[@garysprojects]

Hell ya ! Do it up !

[@mariotrujillo4204]

Excellent 😎😎

[@garysprojects]

Thank you so much 😀

[@michaeldowell8188]

Looks great

[@garysprojects]

Cheers man!

[@indiopeltier9758]

Come visit Portland

[@garysprojects]

Would love to!

[@jesusescudero9721]

♥️love this one.

[@garysprojects]

Thanks Jesus!! It has orange which is close to yellow 😂😂😂

[@jesusescudero9721]

@@garysprojects one day the yellow one will come, I'm sure 😂

[@garysprojects]

@@jesusescudero9721 hahahah I’m sure one day it will happen too! 😂

[@viviennepatterson5950]

Nice build. I notice single speed builds are a bit of a trend at the moment - why?

[@garysprojects]

Cheers! Not sure, I like them because they are simple & fun !

[@emantejada3178]

Love thisssss bro

[@garysprojects]

Thanks homie! ✌️

[@Kohinootoko]

You could have sanded down the eyelet bolts too

[@garysprojects]

Yess that’s true !

[@ezatialfred7084]

The challenge is when the space on MTB frame to fix rear axle has no allowance to adjust the chain tension.

[@garysprojects]

That’s true , you might have to use a chain tensioner in that case or chain magic ratio (I did a vid on this )

[@cradleofphill]

Very nice

[@garysprojects]

Thank u !

[@spottyride2657]

Cool 😎 build

[@garysprojects]

Thanks homie! 😊

[@spottyride2657]

@@garysprojects 😺

[@jamesfreeman3981]

Nice classic

[@garysprojects]

Thx my dude

[@jamesfreeman3981]

@@garysprojects np bro and keep up the good work love the videos

[@garysprojects]

Cheers man will do my best!

[@tuongvidau]

This is real restoration, all other videos they replace everything

[@garysprojects]

Hahah cheers man ! I did end up replacing some stuff on this but some of my other vids I have used all the same stuff before !

[@zviadabesadze5709]

Nice one ! ❤️💛💚

[@garysprojects]

Thanks homie! 🙏😊

[@weird.voice.man.]

How do you like a video more than once! I want to give 5 thumbs for this awesome single speed!

[@garysprojects]

Haha cheers brother ! I appreciate that 😋😋😋

[@Donovangulya]

Dope

[@garysprojects]

Thx player

[@JuanjoMaglione]

Long live 26er

[@garysprojects]

hell ya!

[@edgarrangel9464]

Put a BMX stem on it

[@garysprojects]

Ok

[@hookerjl1]

Nice and solid rebuild and singlespeed conversion…enjoy riding it🙂

[@garysprojects]

Thank you hooker! Thanks for joining the premiere was fun! 😊

[@brianrankin5876]

Ahh shit here I go again making another single speed out of the frame I just got

[@garysprojects]

HAHAHHA nice !

[@GhostYT_lat]

Totally threw me off when you kept saying shifter. After some googling I learned that most English speaking countries refer to what I (American) call a Crescent wrench/adjustable wrench, a "Shifting tool/spanner" or "Shifter"

[@garysprojects]

Hahah yes!!! Easy mix up , we also say/spell aluminium & aluminum differently. English ay what a funny language

[@GhostYT_lat]

@@garysprojects I'm originally from Germany so grew up saying "aluminium"

[@garysprojects]

@@GhostYT_lat haha nice!!

[@МихайлоБогдан-б9ю]

Богдан, михайло, Михайлович,

[@FaintSignals]

Super big mistake, never grease the tapered part of crank spindles, in fact you should carefully degrease the taper and crankarm hole. Grease allows you to force the soft alloy crankarms too far up the spindle changing the chainline and damaging the crankarms. It's the one thing you don't grease. You should correct that in the video.

[@garysprojects]

Going to have to disagree on that one !!

[@typhoons3593]

😂😂😂 you typed that with so much confidence as well… always LIGHTLY grease em tapers boi…

[@garysprojects]

@@typhoons3593 😂😂😂

[@stuvademakaroner9607]

Single speed is never a good idea

[@garysprojects]

why’s that

[@garysprojects]

yesss that makes sense 👍

[@gomezgadgetyeharr9248]

Looks great dude... Nice job

[@garysprojects]

Thx my dude i appreciate that!