Big Boy BMX

[irideiam]

Cannondale Killer V 500-Conversion to single speed 26” BMX

Besides being a beach cruiser and vintage bike enthusiast, my childhood roots are BMX, so my other passion is MTB & BMX bikes. I am a massive Made in USA Cannondale frame fan. I have always wanted to take the Killer V frame from Cannondale and covert it into a 26" BMX Cruiser. It took me 2 years to find the right frame in a XL in the right color.

I am too "ADD" to take the time to document the crazy amount of thought, research & detail I get into on my builds. So, I won't give you the boring play by play, but I will share the final result. My biggest challenge was researching and finding a fork that didn't jack up the geometry of this exceptionally cool and one of a kind frame............

Super fun project & Awesome ride.....

Parts List:
1996 Killer V Frame (factory paint) Size XL 22” & P-Bone Fork (original rigid fork replaced with SE fork) w/ Nuke Proof Headset
- Wheels – Sun Rhino Lite XL 36 hole 26” Black
- Tires Kenda K-Rad 26 x 2.35
- Skewers- Halo Racing Downhill Bolt-Ons
- SE Racing Landing Gear CroMo 700c Fork (413 mm crown to axle, stock P-Bone was 400mm)
- Stem: S&M Race XLT 57mm- Salsa Blue Anodized Stem Cap
- Bars: S&M 5.75 Cruiser Slam Race Bar
- Grips – Oury Traditional Orange
- Chain Wheel – Profile Racing Imperial 33T Blue Anodized
- Cranks – Redline Monster 175mm
- Bottom Bracket – Redline Euro 19mm
- Pedals- Speedplay Drillium
- Chain Tensioner: Origin8
- Chain: 1/8” KMC Z510NP Nickle Plated
- Single Speed conversion kit: Surly 17T
- Seat Clamp – Salsa Blue Anodized
- Seatpost- Blue Anodized Origin8 Zoom
- Saddle – WTB Speed V
- Brake – Paul Comp Motolite BMX V-Brake
w/ KoolStop Pads – Blue Anodized
Paul Comp Love Lever V-Brake – Blue Anodized
Brake Cable Housing Blue: Clark
Brake Cable End Crimp Color: Blue Anodized: Clark
-Tube Stem Caps- Schrader Anodized Blue

Original catalog picture....

After shots:

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Nice and clean! The chain tensioner is cool.

 

[old_skool]

Super nice job - great conversion!

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Really nice bike, great conversion!
Some very high quality parts there, make sure you get a couple of good locks!

Luke.

 

[irideiam]

Thanks guys.....It is super strong and an awesome ride on the street and especially offroad....@ 44 it brings back my childhood BMX days 8)

 

[Zumo]

Turned out great. I have an old 26" beach cruiser I am thing about doing that to.

 

[irideiam]

Turned out great. I have an old 26" beach cruiser I am thing about doing that to.

Ya, I am considering the same thing , building an old skool klunker with a cantilever frame.........

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Ya, I am considering the same thing , building an old skool klunker with a cantilever frame.........

If you do, I will be watching!

Luke.

 

[wheelbender6]

The Killer V is one of those bikes that I am always looking for. It's difficult to get a bargain on one.

 

[irideiam]

The Killer V is one of those bikes that I am always looking for. It's difficult to get a bargain on one.

Yes, they are hard to find a deal on especially in a XL(22") in Orange or Yellow, like I was looking for.

I ended up buying a frame/fork from a guy in Seattle on the Vintage Cannondale Site after posting a "Wanted" ad there. I later resold the original P-Bone aluminum fork for a premium, which made it a pretty good deal.

It took me over two years to find the one I wanted at the right price.

 

[irideiam]

Guys, I am considering selling this bike to fund other bike projects. I will sell it as a complete or frame/fork only, the only thing that has changed is I put a WTB Pure V Saddle on it that says Redline on the nose, as it came off a Monocog. I also removed the Landing Gear decals off the fork, looks better now. If I sell the frame/fork only, I will keep all the sweet parts for another build. The bike rides like a dream on the street and does well on the trails......

Before I post it up for sale, figured I would see if anyone here was interested.

 

[jlr551CFD]

I loved my old Killer V... But I "gave" it to my mom... And she lets me know it every time I see it in her garage!