I agree with what Patrick says, but I'd probably just send it out as a geared
bike. The only downside is if he knows nothing about changing gears, and leaves
it cross-chained all the time. In Berkeley, my feeling is that a single speed
is MORE desirable than a geared bike, and he can convert it
I would follow Patrick's advice for the easiest conversion possible. Bicycles
on campus have a habit of disappearing, so any money you spend is likely to go
into the pocket of a bicycle thief. Pick a midrange gear, take off the
derailleurs, and shorten the chain.
Have your son check with the c
Matt: if your son is strong, a single speed is a good way to go -- nothing,
almost, to go wrong. You can use the middle ring of your triple (get some
new, shorter ring bolts, or simply leave the other 2 rings in place), strip
off derailleurs, add a rear single cog of the right size (or, heck, just
My son ( a 2nd year college student) just informed me, on his actual return
trip today to the University, that he "may" need a bike to get to his
summer job. (Those of you with teenagers, or have who have raised
teenagers, can probably sympathize with me). Huh? And why didn't you tell
me this
