OT:bicycle Q's..experiance with 29" MTB? Singlespeed fans?, anyone make thier own frame? (weld or braze) Options

[Mueller]

Noticed I am getting fat again..time to excersise and about the only thing I really like to do it ride bikes...not a fan of the typical road bike, I currently have a GT RTS 1 full suspension bike that is old and heavy, but it works.....

Upon looking at parts to do a tune-up to my neglected GT, I found out that 29" rims are a new (at least new to me) addition to moutain bikes and BMX style cruisers instead of the 26" rims and tires.

Anyone have real world experiance with the larger diameter rims and tires??

The bad influence that caught my eye was the minimalistic approach of converting my 21 speed(?) bike to a single speed (with freewheel, not gluton for too much punishment)...the bike trails and streets in and around my area are not too steep I think for something like that...famous last words as I'm walking my bike up the "little" hill, hahaha

Also, the (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif) in me got excited when I found these 2 websites:

A Brief Introduction to Brazing Steel Bicycle Frames

and

The Paterek Manual for Bicycle Framebuilders

[pffft]

Mike, I ride a single speed in the winter mostly, as it saves wear and tear on the bearings of my full suspension bike. I don't push a very big gear to save my old knees, but it is a nice change from my big bike. It is a steel frame from an english company called On One. Cheap but fun. Put skinny tires on it an it is an instant road bike.I do use a suspension fork on it, though. I put my 25 years in on rigid bikes. The problem with converting a bike with rear suspension is chain growth. Almost all of them have pivots somewhere other than the bottom bracket so the chain changes length as the swingarm moves. And, you need some way to tension the chain. Mine uses horizontal dropouts, loosen the axle and move the wheel fore/aft to adjust. There are kits that have sprung tensioners, or you could just use the derailleur that came on the bike for a quick and dirty tensioner.
You might run into problems with your 7 speed chain and chain wheels. Most of
the single speed KITS now days use 8 or 9 speed which are different widths. Not
a big deal if you just use what you alread have, though.

A pugsley would be an awful lot of fun, but pushing those big tires around the
neighborhood might suck.

patrick