What you need: [at a minimum]
Think your old mountainbike, probably languishing in the garage, has no hope but the garbage dump or a yard sale? Think again! That old but true ride can be reborn -- as a single speed.
If you're like most people, yer first bike only had one gear, and it was enough. Obviously you wouldn't ride more than 50 miles on a bike with one gear, at least not thru hilly country -- most people probably wouldn't ride more than 25 miles on one. But for local rides, around town, or on yer favorite mellow trail, a single speed is good clean fun. Well, maybe not too clean, converting the bike will get yer hands greasy, but it's fer a good cause: two-wheeled fun!
Why would you want to ride such a machine? First, it's simple. In these times of ever increasing hastle, the simple things are overlooked. What could be more simple than throwing away yer gears. So it takes longer to get up that hill; you feel ten times stronger when you do, and it's probagbly good fer yer leg muscles, too, though I'm no doctor. In addition to being simple, these things are often cheap. Sure, Bianchi, KHS and a host of other major companies are building bikes meant for one-speed use now, that cost less than small-name indie companies, but they'll still set you back half a grand or so, give or take a hundred bucks. A single speed can be built for less than that, way less. I won't tell you how much but you'll probably be able to find as much in the cushions of yer car after you give that cheap friend of yer's a ride.
Unless, that is, yer so cool you ain't got a car!
Seriously, at most you'll have to buy a singlespeed rear wheel. At least, you'll have all the parts you need. Most bike enthusiasts already have a chain tool and a crank puller. If not, you can get them from the lbs [local bike shop]. You need the chain tool to shorten the links in yer chain since you won't be shifting to different size gear, and you need the crank puller to remove the cranks so you can take off the "granny gear" or innermost chainring, which is often too small to be taken off over the crank's bolt arms. A puller is also useful if you want to use a different set of cranks entirely, either for aesthetic reasons ["It looks cool, man!"] or mechanical ones ["When I lined up the bolts all the holes are gone!"] The first is up to your opinions about what looks cool. The second is a requirement sometimes when working with spare parts, as different chainrings and cranks do not always match, having different bolt patterns and sizes.
Pick your bike. It should be an old mountainbike, with aluminum [cotterless] cranks and removable chainrings. If the chainrings aren't removeable, get cransk that have such chainrings. Rivited or otherwise stuck chainrings suck and look like crap on a single.
The bike should probably be steel but anything will work, preferably no front shock.
First remove the shifters, then the shift cables. The derailieurs go next. Clean the frame under these components. Remove the chain by pushing out one pin w/ the chaintool. Then remove the cranks, and take off all the chainrings. You will need the crank puller. It should resemble a socket wrench, with a long handle and a head. The head, or socket, is two pieces, a threaded tube with a hexogonal lip, and the threaded end the the handle, which this fits around and screws on. You take off the cranks' dust caps, then remove the bolt or knut from the crank spindle beneath the dust cap. Then you screw the end of the crank puller into the threaded hole in the crank and turn the handle. Cranks should pop off slowly. Unscrew the tube of the crank puller and wipe the threads clean. Clean the cranks and bb [bottom bracket] area. Reattach the cranks with the chainring of your choice, but make sure the size isn't too big especially if you're going to be seeing dirt on this bike. Anywhere between a 32 and 38 tooth chainring is reasonable, and for a bike seeing urban, around town, or street use as its primary [or only] role, a 42t chainring is okay, maybe up to a 44 -- depends on your strength and how level the ground is, plus the frame clearance on yer bike of choice.
WARNING: Be careful if you are removing / installing pedals on the cranks! A note about pedals: The lefthand pedal unscrews clockwise, the right one [drive side] is counterclockwise. This is so the pedal on the "other" side of the bike won't become unscrewed as you ride. Because one of the pedals is reverse-threaded, be careful how you turn them, not to strip the threads. [According to legend, this reverse threading of the "other" pedal was pioneered by the Wright Brothers of airplane fame back when they were bicycle builders.]
Thread the chain around the chainring and the first or second outermost gear of the rear wheel. If, after riding a while, you find you like single speeds, you can invest in a single speed wheel, but this works for the beginning.
And, if you like singlespeeds, there's always the next step... a fixed gear.
--Lonerider.
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