Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Bike Of The Week: Puch Singlespeed


This is another of my free bikes. I just have a knack for knowing how to spot them I guess. I saw this one sitting in front of a garage sale one Saturday and stopped to check it out. Now you must realize that it takes a certain way of looking at a bike that has the seat post hammered all the way down, bars rolled back, stem jacked up past the minimum insertion line, etc. to know that it can be salvaged and fit to your riding style. If you know how to spot them your odds of having multiple bikes are very good. This one had all of these maladies and a price tag of $5.00 on it. I would gladly have paid the lady for it, but she just looked around her glasses at me and said those magic words, "You can just have that if you want it, hon." So I took it home, ditched the shifters, threw on some Kenda 27s, and dropped the chain on the cog that gave me the straightest chainline. It's a big gear, but I'm more of a diesel than a redliner, so it works out in the end. I made a quill-to-threadless adapter out of an old stem and put on some cut down/flipped cruiser bars for a nice reach. The tires shown here were a failed attempt at making black walls out of gum walls. I cannot stand gumwalls or skinwalls, GROSS! But these are the problems I live with! Later!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

SaWheat....I pick Teri and I up a couple Puch's this past weekend also:) Although that one of yours look purdy small for a guy YOUR size, (stear tube looks to be a shorty) remember you have a little buddy that lives in West Des Moines:)

Peace & I will be tring the cooter drop bars:)

Travel Gravel said...

I won't forget you bro! If I see something nice I'll pick it up for you. I'll use this old line, "I don't think you can even get parts for these anymore." Or my favorite for a nicer bike, "How do you even fill the tires with air, I've never seen that kind of innertube before..." knocks the price down right away! Actually, this bike has such a long reach it works out for me. I have a Motobecane I might let you have for yourself or Mrs. Squirrel. Also an old Rolls that is a killer old bike, but I have to try some stuff on it before I give it up. Kill'em at cross bro!Later!

bontrag said...

Hey Greg, nice ride:) how'd you end up with those handlebars like that? Did you race that in Des Moines and wuup up?