Claud Butler Pagan: Ideas!??

cletus

So, I have a 2006 Claud Butler Pagan, that has sadly been neglected for the last number of years.

I was thinking about cleaning it up (on a budget), but instead of just replacing cables, chain, tyres etc. and bringing it back to a rideable state, I'm looking for some inspiration.

What fun and interesting things could I do with it? Go to 1x drivetrain? Single speed? Drop bar mountain bike?

I'm not even sure what type of cycling I want to do with it yet, so I'm open to all and any suggestions, but bear in mind I want to do this as budget as possible.

Thanks in advance, folks

SomeFool

I have an old cannondale that I converted to 1x9 with a rigid fork. Its great fun to ride, and remarkably light without the suspension.

cletus

SomeFool wrote: »

I have an old cannondale that I converted to 1x9 with a rigid fork. Its great fun to ride, and remarkably light without the suspension.

Thank you. That's exactly the type of thing I'm looking for

Peter T

I think there's someone that used post in the "Photos take on your cycle" thread that had a single speed bike with rigid fork. Looked sweet

rizzodun

Peter T wrote: »

I think there's someone that used post in the "Photos take on your cycle" thread that had a single speed bike with rigid fork. Looked sweet

FirstInLastOut
Most of his pic were hosted on pix.ie from what my search shows, that website is gone so nothing more recent.

cletus

Right, some more questions, if I may. Bike current has a 3x7 average crank set. If I don't want to change the shifters (remember, budget) is it possible, or feasible, to "modify" this to a 1x7, or would I be leaving myself very short on gears

smacl

cletus wrote: »

Right, some more questions, if I may. Bike current has a 3x7 average crank set. If I don't want to change the shifters (remember, budget) is it possible, or feasible, to "modify" this to a 1x7, or would I be leaving myself very short on gears

Freewheel or free hub? You can get an 11-34 cassette for a Shimano free hub which will give a reasonable range couple with something like a 30T chain ring but it is still a bit of a compromise. You could try hacking a wider range cassette yourself, though all the lower end cassettes I've seen are in one or two pieces. With 1x up front a long cage rear mech could probably handle a wide enough range though no idea how well it would perform. Fun project!

cletus

Folks, thanks very much for the input so far. When I asked the original question, I wasn't really sure myself what I wanted to do.

The more I look at YouTube, the more I think I'm going to make a single speed out of it, although not a fixie.

I already have (what I consider) a nice bike, which allows me to cycle up and down hills, and across gravel and other general debris, so a stripped down bike to tool around on, or just cycle with the kids, really appeals.

So now let's see can I push the boundaries of all your helpfulness. What would be a good number of teeth for both front crank and rear gear?

saccades

32¦18

Just a quick question or two, does the frame have track ends or an ebb?

If it was me I'd get a narrow /wide front ring with some short chainring bolts, dump the front mech, shifter and extra rings.

Narrow /wide makes 1x nearly as robust as SS but much more usable, especially offroad.

cletus

saccades wrote: »

32¦18

Just a quick question or two, does the frame have track ends or an ebb?

If it was me I'd get a narrow /wide front ring with some short chainring bolts, dump the front mech, shifter and extra rings.

Narrow /wide makes 1x nearly as robust as SS but much more usable, especially offroad.

Only getting back to you now. I don't have track ends, so I presume that leaves me with an ebb (had to look that one up ), as I have semii-vertical? diagonal? dropouts.

Is it as simple, then, as replacing crank set with a narrow/wide ring (also looked that up) and leave the cassette at the back, and now I've a 1x? Can you get a narrow/wide front ring for 7 speed? The internet seems unsure

Also, if I do decide to go single speed, is it possible to just take the cassette apart, keep the single gear I want, and use the spacers to position the gear on the freehub? I don't mind this bike being jerry-rigged, as long as it's safe and rideablr

saccades

cletus wrote: »

Only getting back to you now. I don't have track ends, so I presume that leaves me with an ebb (had to look that one up ), as I have semii-vertical? diagonal? dropouts.

Is it as simple, then, as replacing crank set with a narrow/wide ring (also looked that up) and leave the cassette at the back, and now I've a 1x? Can you get a narrow/wide front ring for 7 speed? The internet seems unsure

Also, if I do decide to go single speed, is it possible to just take the cassette apart, keep the single gear I want, and use the spacers to position the gear on the freehub? I don't mind this bike being jerry-rigged, as long as it's safe and rideablr

EBB is an eccentric bottom bracket, it's found on bikes designed for singlespeed or internally geared hub bikes. You have regular dropouts so you will need a tensioner (might as well have a derailuer) if you want to SS.

Leave the crank on but remove the rings, replace the crank bolts with short ones (only need to go through 1 ring) to attach a narrow /wide. The N/W will match up to any number of gears at the back. Remove the excess shifter, don't worry about a clutch mech as it's the N/W does most of the work.

That's 1x and it's pretty great, with a 7 speed you are compromising on top end and climbing to an extent, but better than SS.

If you are mad keen on going SS get a kit, it includes spacers and a tensioner. Pay close attention to your hub to make sure you get the right kit.

cletus

7 speed it is.

Thanks for the input folks