my FIXIE 650B winter project

[Armond]

1992 SLINGSHOT.

[jdt10768]

i always liked the slingshot bikes. They still make them right? Interesting idea. So you're turning this into a SS? shouldn't be very hard to do. I still see gearing/cassette now! - go for belt drive SS

[Armond]

Slingshot closed it's doors in 1996 and reopened in 2003. The frames were handmade in Michigan and cost over 1K. I will take the bike apart and have the frame powder coated. Also looking to do a disc brake conversion. Goal is to make this bike as light as possible. Possibly around 17-19LBS. I will definitely look into the belt drive.

[lilmo]

Cool bike. Plan to ride it or sell it with the mods?

[Armond]

Cool bike. Plan to ride it or sell it with the mods?

not sure yet. Likely keeping it for a while unless it ends up hanging upside down in the garage collecting dust. I rode MTB's quite a bit before taking a 2 year hiatus. I'm starting to feel hitting the trails again..below is my new used cross country/all mountain bike which replaced my stolen santa cruz bike.

[jdt10768]

i found this Peugeot behind a friend's house. had been sitting out there for ~20 years. turned it into a single speed for fun. should have painted it, but just left it faded red.

[Guest]

Getting it down to sub 20lbs isn't easy. I've got a lot of bikes...more $ in them than a lot of people have in their '02s. My rigid SS Soma juice 29er(steel frame) is 24.2lbs. If I had built it to be light I could have brought it down to ~20lbs using different parts/frame but I think that may be the too light point. You start getting kicked around by anything you run into on the trail. 29er's are awesome I'm almost as fast on this bike as I am on my IH MK3 6"f/5"r full suspension AM bike. I wish more suspension frames, tires, rims, and forks were available in 650b. That's probably the perfect compromise between "rollability" and technical handling.

For reference, this bike is 17.2lbs with the cages/seat bag/pump/pedals and I can't imagine riding something of it's weight on the trails. It's a 2001 litespeed classic(3.6lb single butted 3AL-2.5V Titanium) easton ec90 fork/bars, thomson masterpiece seatpost & road stem, King hubs/headset, DT1.1 rims, sram rival 1st gen(dura ace some day...). I was very careful with the weight when building it...down to almost going with Ti/Al bolts and even then I couldn't get it down much below where it sits.

[/img]

I love mtbing and do not get out enough. Belt drives are awesome, I would have gone with that on my Soma but originally it was geared. By the time I made it SS I wasn't working at a bike shop anymore and couldn't justify the cost. It makes your bike SILENT.

[Armond]

considering the slingshot has no downtube,yeah maybe 19lbs would be more doable unless I go nuts and buy carbon cranks and very light wheel set..etc..etc. My Titus is at 23 pounds which is preety light for a F/S bike.Almost went for a S.C Tallboy carbon 29'er but decided to wait a few years until they tweak the suspension allow the price to come down a bit more. 650B is a great option to consider. It's a cheap conversion and distinct from everyone else. I know a few people running 650B's on Blur LT's and boy is it fun to ride.

[conkitchen]

Back in the day circa 1996

I was whitness to a racer on the Cactus Cup series in Ohio then race competively against Ned Overend on a Slingshot bike.

Perhaps a Mnt Tam ride is in order.

[Armond]

Perhaps a Mnt Tam ride is in order.

Ned is a living legend. I'm up for a ride. we can do China Camp front or back side or MT. Tam. Up railroad grade, down Eldridge. lmk..Udon after is on me

[Jeff]

Cycling is my other thing, Here's my 29er Superfly

[roadhog0]

Here's my '77 Schwinn Le Tour II I ride all over the place. That bike probably weighs in close to 30 pounds. All steel frame so it's pretty heavy... Love riding it around though! I did my 50 miler for Boy Scouts on that bike!

[jdt10768]

Cycling is my other thing, Here's my 29er Superfly

wow, what does that weigh? what lind of wheels are those?

[jgerock]

I used to ride bikes all the time. I think my parents said I went thru at least 10 "Big Wheels" then a mess of street and BMX bikes. I would break the cranks, goosenecks and handlebars from jumping.

There are (2) bike hanging in the garage. Mine is a Schwinn Sierra MTB that I bought from my sister's ex-boyfriend around 1987. I bought my wife a nice Diamond Back MTB about 1994. We used to ride them but work (and the cars) has left them where they hang. I take them down, pump up the tires and ride a little bit when I feel nostalgic.

Riding skateboards was another fun thing to do.

[Jeff]

Cycling is my other thing, Here's my 29er Superfly

wow, what does that weigh? what lind of wheels are those?

The bike weighs in about 23 lbs has it sits in geared form, it's a XL frame so it hard to get the weight really low!

The wheel set is Industry 9, made by a small company out of Asheville NC

http://www.industrynine.net/Mountain_Wheels