Nice build I really like seeing older rigid mtb back on the road

@adambowie

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers. It's nice to keep an old bike still going!

Well done and well documented. Bravo!

Great way to bring new life to an old frame! Thinking of doing the same with a 1992 Schwinn

Nice build man! Like that frame 👍 I have an old 90s MTB which I am in the process of converting to single speed! Also a regular fixie that I put some bull horns on!

it is nice that you demo thw bike so well. I, too was thinking if I build my mb to a single speed, thanks for the info!

Beautiful! Great job!

Hey that was really good!! thank you for posting it!

@adambowie

Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

I've just finished a similar project with a Bianchi Ibex of the mid 90s, a fully rigid MTB with and heavy and sturdy cromoly frame. Even if it's rough in comparison of your "piece of art", I'm quite glad of the result. I had some problems with the chain tension even using a tensioner similar to the one you show in the video and even finding a good chain line, so I'm going to switch to a Shimano SC500 CT - S tensioner, that's more similar to a "real" rear derailleur: Well'see.

@adambowie

Жыл бұрын

Congratulations on your Bianchi build! I have noticed that you do have to maintain the chain tensioner to make sure that it keeps the chain taught. In due course, I may well replace mine. I have an own-brand Brick Lane Bikes tensioner to try, but that Shimano one looks good too.

Some Shimano square taper bb's actually have a stop on the drive side that prevents overtightening. That crank could use one.

Thank you

Nice looking bike I want to do a single speed build soon.

@adambowie

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jake. I'm really enjoying riding this! Good luck with your build.

Quality!

@adambowie

Жыл бұрын

Cheers Jake!

cant wait to make myself a fixie mtb im still looking for a frame though.

@adambowie

2 жыл бұрын

Good luck finding that frame!

@Sh3roCars

2 жыл бұрын

@@adambowie thank you so much also i really love your build it looks way too clean

Mi tío también tenía una bici de 20 años y le hice una restauración

Hey! Great conversion! I'm using your video to help me converting my 90s Giant Boulder 26"! But I'm stuck with the freewheel & cog 'cause my hub has threads, so the converter kit doesn't fit :( Do you have any advice? Do I have to change my hub or is there a converter kit for hubs with threads? Thx a lot!

@adambowie

Жыл бұрын

Hi Ilaria. Yes - you'll need a different type of converter for your hub. You obviously could change your hub, but that would involve either replacing your rear wheel or completely rebuilding it. The good news is that there are "threaded" or "thread-on" singlespeed freewheels available. I haven't used this company, but check out the options right near the bottom of this page from Shimano and Dicta. It looks like they're made for the BMX market: velosolo.co.uk/shopsingle.html The only challenge you may face is getting the chainline right as it looks like you have less adjustability. You will also need some kind of wrench to get the freewheel onto your hub. Good luck!

Hello, really nice video ! Can i ask you what is the model of the stem adaptator (the thing to pass from diving to aheadset stem) ? Thanks in advance.

@adambowie

2 жыл бұрын

I used a Brand X quill adapter. This one: www.wiggle.co.uk/brand-x-quill-adaptor-alloy?sku=100277811

@Thomas-bu1vk

2 жыл бұрын

@@adambowie Ok thanks a lot !

I have an old giant boulder that i want to do this to, the specs i have for it may or may not be accurate though, since the spec sheet i was able to dig up covers everything from 99 to like, 2003 i might just have to take some calipers to it to figure out what isdd compatible to it, it does have the horizontal rear droputs to make installing a flip flop rear hub a bit easier, the specs on mine are saying its a 122.5mm square taper spindle and a bb shell width is 68mm english, would you say thats about what yours was or are the two models too different?

@adambowie

2 жыл бұрын

My bottom bracket was 68mm wide. I've written in a bit more detail on my blog (www.adambowie.com/blog/2021/09/90s-mtb-to-singlespeed-conversion/) about what I had to do to make things work. The 122.5mm square taper BB I initially bought (Shimano UN-BB300) would have been fine, but when I put my crank on, the shape of my frame meant the chainring touched the dropout. So I bought the widest BB I could find which was a 131mm one - not a Shimano one. Even then, it *just* touched my chainstays. So I added a 2mm spacer which gave it just enough room. It should be straightforward to work out what kind of BB you need. It sounds like it'll be a BSA (i.e. "English") threaded one. And you can use callipers - or probably just a ruler - to check that 68mm is right. If it's not 68mm then it'll be 73mm - big enough a difference to be easily measurable. Getting clearance for the chainring will depend on your frame, how the chainstays are angled and what size chainring you go for. You might just have to get your cranks/chainring ready and then work out how wide your BB needs to be for your set-up. I used a 46 tooth front chainring and 16 tooth rear cog which might be a bit hard going for some. But a smaller front chainring and larger cog would get a similar ratio and leave you less likely to have the issues I had with chainstay clearance. Good luck and let me know how you get on!

So I have been given a Scott timber 90s mtb . Could I do something to that ? I am bit of novice but am quick learner and hands on . What quill and handball combo is this I love the style . I have also found some tyres I like the of with old school skin look. I am not to bothered about making it into a single speed

@adambowie

10 ай бұрын

You could certainly do something like mine fairly easily. The reason I replaced my stem was that it was a one-piece that came with the original bike. I used a 1 1/8" Brand-X Quill Adaptor (www.wiggle.com/p/brand-x-quill-adaptor-alloy). But anything similar would work. Then I used a 100mm Brand-X Road Stem - again a super-cheap one (www.wiggle.com/p/brand-x-road-stem). The length you will want will vary, but that's the benefit of this option - I could make it longer for a longer reach, or shorter for a slightly more upright position. Finally, my end result used short bars from Brick Lane Bikes (www.bricklanebikes.co.uk/blb-oversized-mini-me-bar-2). These are 530mm wide, and fit the 31.8mm standard bar width that the stem uses. All of these are UK brands, but if you can't order from here, I'm sure you can find similar specification products locally to you. If you're not changing gears/brakes etc, then this should be a pretty simple job, just needing some hex keys to remove your old stem and replace with a new stem and bars combo. Also maybe some grease for your quill stem adaptor, and a torque wrench for the right tightness of everything. Do check your headset and bearings though as they may need servicing or replacing. Transferring your existing MTB shifters to the new bars should be straightforward too. Good luck!

@gothicgorey

10 ай бұрын

@@adambowie This is a great help cheers . So it’s not a once piece so I should be able clean up the stem . How do you go about finding handle bar that fits such a old bike ? Do I need a measuring device or is it pretty standard .

@adambowie

10 ай бұрын

@@gothicgorey I did a quick Google Images of Scott Timbers and it looks like some have one-piece quill stems (as my bike did before I removed it) whilst other models seem to threadless stem set-ups. If your bike already has a separate threadless stem, then you can either clean that up, or replace it with another that suits you better. I mentioned before that they come in variety of lengths, but they also come in different angles, so you can really change your position on the bike the quite a lot by varying the length and angle. A good video showing the conversion (and perhaps explaining things better than I can here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qISg0o-YlNKYnbA.html) As for handlebar size - the commonest size today is 31.8mm (1 1/4"), and you'll probably find that the vast majority of new bars come in that size. But 25.4mm and 26mm also existed in the past. The best way is just to measure. A set of digital callipers is worth getting hold of, and they're cheaply available online and are worth having. But you should be able pretty clear see with a ruler if your existing bars are 31.8mm. If they're not, then replacing the bars and stem might be worth doing just because you'll have more choice of bars with a 31.8mm standard.

@gothicgorey

10 ай бұрын

@@adambowie Thank you for the help dude . do you think the timber could be made into something nice . I don’t absolutely love the blue colour so I may even jump in the deep end and repaint it , I am even coming to the idea of single speed 😂 I love the idea of less clutter on the bike Maybe the blue colour could be nice once things get stripped off and added parts

@adambowie

10 ай бұрын

@@gothicgorey Repainting is beyond my skill level 😃. To do it properly, you have to remove everything, then strip back the existing paint and lacquer before applying new stuff. A lot of elbow grease and sandpaper! But assuming the frame is fine, your bike isn't much different to mine and there is plenty you can do. You don't have to do it all at once either. Changing the stem and bars before doing anything else is straightforward enough. Good luck with your project!

Hi believe in God de Dios que bien es

Mantap pak...SEPEDAH...nya👍👍👍

Hey what is your gear ratio?

@adambowie

2 жыл бұрын

It's 46:16. Not super easy, but I can get up my local hills on it.

Brake Levers are crossed

@adambowie

Жыл бұрын

Not in the UK 😉

I would have upgraded the bottom bracket to Hollow-tech II

Funny thing...in the 90s, a single speed bike was only used by downtown couriers to make a living. Now, courier is no longer a thing. But dooshbag hipsters came up with their own slang term (..at least it's not another acronym!!) and ride 'fixies' as a rebellious status symbol.

Please stopp this trend, of ruining retro mountain bikes to single speed. I have seen many retro bikes that are extremly rear beeing converted like this, You can get bikes that were purposly made for what you are converting this in to.

@adambowie

Жыл бұрын

This "retro" mountain bike has been in my ownership since new, more than 25 years ago. And this Giant isn't a rare one! From its start as a mountain bike it became a touring bike because that's what I needed at the time. And throughout it's life it has become like the Ship of Theseus (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus) - only the frame and fork are original, with every other component replaced through usage even prior to this conversion. And now I've repurposed it to something else I wanted - a singlespeed. The bike was never going to return to being an MTB. Certainly, you can go and get a purpose-built singlespeed bike if you're starting from scratch. But why buy another bike when I have a frame doing nothing?

@jacobdominguez5637

Жыл бұрын

No ones going to ride them as mountain bikes. Minus well make them into something fun

@funsimulator7246

Жыл бұрын

Who cares as long as it's being ridden... it's better than it being scraped

@possibly8180

Жыл бұрын

If these things were sentient they'd probably be down for anything. Just like mountain biking when it was a relatively new phenomenon.

💣👍👍👍