Fahrenheit531 

I've been wanting to check out a single-speed build for a while now, but never had a bike that inspired me to do it. The Volare did.

The Dura-Ace crankset and brake calipers, as well as the SR stem, bars, and Campy-clone seatpost are original. New to the bike is some '80s aero (Supercorsa saddle and Suntour Blaze brake levers) and the SS wheelset from Velomine. Brooks microfiber bar tape, 32mm Paselas, and MKS Lamba pedals and...

3speedslow

I love me those SS rides. Something tells me that Volare is gonna give you a great ride any way it's built up.

Looks like a nice ride!

bikemig 

Sweet looking bike; I'm a big fan of those MKS lambda pedals.

The Golden Boy 

Exactly!

Fahrenheit531 

I think this is dead-on correct. In "as found" condition, with ancient(ish) Serfas Seca tires and crunchy foam sleeves on the bars I could still tell it was something special. The frame itself will measure up to any 70s Paramount I've come across, and as the bike sits right now it's superfun to ride. The 45x16 gearing gives me decent top end on the flats while getting me up our rolling hills without major issue; so I think I got that part right. Acceleration from a stop is less than ideal, but our lights are generally a half-mile to a mile apart so that's not a dealbreaker.

@bikemig I was somewhat skeptical of the pedals when I first tried them but yeah, I'm now a huge fan as well.

sloar 

It took me a few minutes to appreciate it, I'm not a fan of singlespeed bikes. But the more I look at it the more I like it.

Fahrenheit531 

The plan was for this to be a temporary build while I acquire and/or overhaul the components for the "real" build. Problem is I like riding this setup waaaay more than I expected. But when (...if?) it gets swapped back to a geared setup it'll be based around the RD shown below, barcons, and a 13-32 FW. I suspect appreciation of that one will come more easily.

...Oh, and it'll see the return of the original wheelset, which is pretty dang sweet.

3speedslow

I ran that geared set up on my Le Tour II. Sweet riding set up!

These SS are fun and really let you enjoy the riding experience. I use a 46-17 or 18 to move off the line fast and hold a reasonable speed.

Quite often I will start a frame build with a SS set to get a taste of the frame characteristics. Then I will gear it up.

Fahrenheit531 

This is why I bought the dedicated SS wheelset instead of using the originals with a redish on the rear. Ride the frame while stuff gets sorted out for a "final" build, then pull 'em when the time is right... until the next one. Plus I can beat the heck out of 'em worry-free.

Seems we're on the same page with some regularity.

djkashuba 

Hot.

-D

Senrab62 

Looks great! Any idea on weight? How does the frame ride?

Fahrenheit531 

10.29kg/22.7lbs with pedals, 9.87kg/21.8lbs without. Heavier than I would have expected, but I didn't make any of my build choices with weight in mind. Which just sounds odd now that I say it out loud.

And the frame rides awesome, though I'm never sure how exactly to describe these things. It's agile, but always feels under control... not twitchy or anything. It's stiff, but not nearly as stiff as the SL/SP Peloton; nice and lively and ready to go. Something. Whatever it is -- maybe New Bike Syndrome? -- this is my favorite bike. And the other two don't suck.

(Just bang on those keys, me, and maybe something that makes sense will hit the screen. Remember the infinite monkeys!)

DiegoFrogs

I had a similar idea when I got my Carlton: I'll move as many components from my junky fixed-gear over to it as possible, spend as little money as I can, and get an idea how it rides before I pay to get it refinished.

That was about 5.5 years ago...

Senrab62 

Sounds like a great ride. I've been debating a SS setup but ride a lot of fixed gear in general. For the age of the frame that weight sounds about right.

Great looking useable ride man!

Super stiff is not always the best overall ride. I have SL/SP rides too and 2 of my favorites are tange hi-ten and butted 4130. Fit and geometry are what make the ride imo!

The Golden Boy 

I didn't want to be "that guy" (that I usually am) to say "yeah, I'd get that old DA stuff off of there and build it with Cyclone/Superbe and it'll be the awesomest!!!"

.

Fahrenheit531 

Ride Report, 21 January.
Sunny, 53 degrees, winds NW 7-12mph. Distance approx 15 miles. Surface asphault/hard pack.

WHEEEEEEEEE!

Man this thing is fun. Dunno if it's just that there's nothing to really worry about except your legs or what, but I find I'm a lot looser (both physically and mentally) on this than any of the geared bikes I've ridden. Probably geeking out here over something most of you already know.

Headed out today to check out the final segment of The Loop, which is our 131-mile MUP encircling the city; it often follows our "rivers," which of course are dry 95% of the time, and is not always paved on both sides. Anyway, the final segment was completed a couple of weeks ago and is near home so I thought I'd check it out. When I came to a low gate with a No Motorized Vehicles sign and dirt road beyond I looked at the beautifully paved other side of the river and quietly cursed my luck.

Needless to say, this is a spot where I'd normally turn around and head back to a bridge so I could continue on the other side, happy in my asphault world. But I paused for a minute, looking back, looking ahead... and then I was over the gate and back on the bike. I ended up having a grand time out on the hard pack, bogging down only a couple of times where the sand got too deep. Eventually I found my way across the "river" (bike on shoulder, up the concrete bank and over the rail), back to the path, a tailwind, and home.

This really gets it back to basics, doesn't it? I was probably 12 the last time I hammered some crappy bmx through the improvised trails and tracks of my youth. This felt sort of like that. Sort of a lot like that, actually. And I had a freaking blast.

(I'd cross-post the pics in the Winter Riding thread, but that'd be just plain cruel.)

EchoBravo

Excellent work. I'm eagarto finish my build and get it out--which should be about when the weather in Cheeseland cooperates.

Fahrenheit531 

After today's ride this post makes so much sense.

Fahrenheit531 

As the bike continues to thrive in SS mode one major change had to be made: a return to the original wheelset, featuring DA "sheriff star" hubs. Eventually they'll get a rebuild with H+Son TB-14s. In the meantime the improvements in performance and style are huge. And we'll go ahead and file that under 'D' for duh.

Also swapped out the G. Pederson Lambdas for some 70s SR track platforms (thanks for calling me out on that one @SquidPuppet), then finished things off with a white Regal. Life is good.

niliraga 

with the redished wheelset that's really, really sweet. and looks like you're now 42/16?

3speedslow

Yup, any way you do it, nice riding. Regal is a great choice, I move my white one around all the time.

Fahrenheit531 

@niliraga Good eye there. A moderate headwind and a few hills taught me that I'd started off a bit too ambitious... took it down a notch and this feels just about ideal for all-around.

@3speedslow Yeah, white Regals are far and away my fave saddles. The one on my Paramount has copper rails and rivets which perfectly complement the leather brake hoods and dark brown skinwall tires. Seems like a bike is never really mine until it's got one.

Lovenutz

If you plan on keeping it single speed you should saw off the derailleur hanger for a cleaner look...













Great looking Schwinn btw

RiddleOfSteel

I am enjoying the evolution, and your bucking the trend of running it SS instead of its original geared self (but running SS in a proper manner--key!) Lovely bike in a lovely color. I ran a 46-16 (or 54-19 = same, just a bigger main ring) on my SS for a little bit. Off the line is a bit hard, but the top end/cruising speed, which is what I was most concerned about, was ideal. Hills in Seattle were no good for it, though...

Your description of the handling may be very close to my terming the same feeling "alert." Always stable, never flighty, never wandery/curious, but ready to go or turn whenever you are. Mid-late '70s Schwinn had their frame materials and geometry dialed at the high end. I went from bigger, heavier, slower 27" wheels and 27x1.25" white wall tires to much lighter 700C wheels and fairly light 700x28mm folding tires on my '74 Paramount. What a revealing of the frame's "true nature" that was! Brakes were upgraded to match the bike's new-found ease of speed.

Fahrenheit531 

Things that will never happen? That. Thanks for injecting a little dose of insanity though.

The absence of that top-end speed keeps the idea of a 1st-gen Cyclone setup lurking in the back of my mind. I've got all the pieces, so if or when the time comes I can be fully geared in no time at all. But at the moment I'm definitely digging this minimalism for daily commutes and random hops around town.

The Volare and Paramount are quite similar in ride characteristics, and your description of "alert" is pretty spot-on for both. At this point I think I've narrowed my ideal bikes to '70s-era 531. With chrome lugs, because details matter!