Late 80's or early 90's (don't know) Bianchi Broadway on Ebay for $110 with shipping. Finish was in very good condition, tires almost new. Looks like the bike wasn't ridden much, but that will be changing! Replaced fasteners with stainless steel. Repainted handlebar, stem and brake lever brackets with Rustoleum Lacquer. Replaced brake cables and housings. Had to steelwool some corrosion off of the spokes (not stainless). Araya rims.

The crank... I used a 1/4" drill bit to drill out the spot welds that held the 28T and 48T rings in place, leaving the 38T middle ring. It and the Shimano crank arms got the lacquer treatment as well. New SRAM 850 chain. Total cost - $204.08.

I bought this bike as a single speed project, but made a couple of mistakes. #1, I wanted a chrome moly frame. This one is High-Ten, heavier than I wanted (about 28.5 lbs). #2, it was a 15 speed bike with the old style freewheel. That Surly cog I bought won't work, so the original cassette is still in place. I'm using the 14T cog right now, but I've set up the tensioner to allow me to use the 17T and 20T as well. Couple of minutes to adjust the tensioner wheel and off we go in a new gear.

Chainline? Well, I figure if it worked as a 15 speed, it will work now. Chain is pretty straight, but does have some deflection, more or less depending on which cog I'm running. If the tension wheel is adjusted properly, the chain runs quiet. With 38-14 gearing, I get a good workout on the hills and decent speed on the flat. I expect to see the benefit in my road bike riding. Spent two hours riding today, streets and paths. This single speed thing is everything you all said it was! I'll be doing my recreational riding with this bike.

Mark Elam
Heath, TX

mjelam51@juno.com