Hi there. First post here. I wouldn't consider myself a cyclist, but I love browsing this site and ogling everyone’s machines. So I decided to build my own single speed – partly because I like the no-nonsense simplicity and partly because I liked the idea of a project. I bought a mid-80’s Le Jeune racer off Gumtree for R700, in a fair condition. Large frame – 59 or 60cm. Frame was still good, brakes were usable (Shimano 105) and the wheels were also salvageable after some spoke replacement and a hub service. I took a grinder to the frame to remove unwanted appendages, and then had it powder coated at a place in Paarden Island (orange – I figured if you’re going retro, you might as well go the whole hog). I ordered all the parts I needed from three online stores on ebay.co.uk. My wife had to go to London and could bring the parts back. These included Humpert Toulouse swept back bars, Charge Spoon saddle, Sturmey Archer crankset & chainring, Shimano rear cog, hub spacer set, bottom bracket, headset, old-school brake levers, brake cables, chain, Raleigh pedals and handlebar tape. I ordered a set of cheapish 28mm road tyres through my local bike shop (I wanted something just a little chunkier than normal road tyres) and I’m quite pleased with them. I'm running a 44/18 ratio, and it's pretty good for flat road commutes. Anyway, so here she is.
