1991 GT Tequesta

[SuperTrooper169]

New member here. I discovered this site while seaching online to determine what year my recently purchased GT Tequesta was. Thanks for the information to determine it's actually a 1991, not a 1992 model.

I picked the bike up about a month ago from a classified ad with plans to make it a street cruiser. I already have a full suspension Jamis that I use for trail riding, so this is intended for fun street/greenway/light trail riding. The paint had chips and pits all over, so I tore it down and repainted it. Some of the stock parts were destroyed, so I had to use left over parts (crank, bb, bars, seat, grips) from other builds to make it functional. I know it's probably unpopular here to put more modern parts on a retro bike, but due to budget and available parts it's the way I had to do it for now.

A few weeks in I decided to attempt to make it a single speed. Unfortunately the Suntour hubs left me stumped on how to convert the rear to a single cog. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to get the rear cassette off.

I love this bike so much already! It's a blast to ride real steel!

Enough talking, here's some photos...

 

[merckx]

ar, i was going to say how much iliked that original blue paintjob and graphics...nevermind. is the cluster possibly a screw on cluster? if so, it generally requires a specific die type tool that fits into the cluster, and then simply wind off with a mighty big spanner..

 

[coomber]

I really liked the original paint? Was it worse then it looked because it looked ace!

 

[SuperTrooper169]

The photos I took didn't show the majority of scrapes and pits on the bike. There was also a large dent on the top tube that I had to fill in with JB Weld. I didn't really like the "fiesta" paint job anyway. It's a love it or hate it style.

 

[SuperTrooper169]

the cluster possibly a screw on cluster? if so, it generally requires a specific die type tool that fits into the cluster, and then simply wind off with a mighty big spanner..

I read that the Suntour cassettes had a locking small cog but I couldn't get it to move at all. I don't know if it's because I was doing it wrong or if it was jus seized up from it's age. I might take it to a local bike shop to see if they can get it off for me.

 

[feetabix]

Welcome to rb old chap.......a bike shop will sort the cassette and a ss conversion is pretty simple.......of all the potentially skin loosingly annoying jobs on a bike applying force to a cassette is the worst.....

 

[merckx]

the cluster possibly a screw on cluster? if so, it generally requires a specific die type tool that fits into the cluster, and then simply wind off with a mighty big spanner..

I read that the Suntour cassettes had a locking small cog but I couldn't get it to move at all. I don't know if it's because I was doing it wrong or if it was jus seized up from it's age. I might take it to a local bike shop to see if they can get it off for me.

that rings a bell. i had a suntour bike many many many moons ago. i think its then a double chain whip job, and a lot of force. yeah a bike shop trip is probably the go as others have mentioned.

 

[Iwasgoodonce]

My Suntour cassette came off with remover that looks about the same size as a Shimano one but only had two pegs. I would keep it geared though.

 

[SuperTrooper169]

Thanks for all the responses.

I still have the original Shimano Exige rear derailleur and the Suntour front derailleur, so if the single speed doesn't work I might just put the gearing back on.

And the doulbe chainwhip techinique sounds like it might work. I'll have to try that!

 

[mattbrown]

I thought that was a 1991 Tequesta