Converting to Singlespeed

[Swift01]

Hi,

No doubt been asked before and I was reading the thread on chains. So what does one need to convert to SS without out spending too much money.

 

1. I assume one can just carry on using their normal cranks and just put 1 chain ring on. or are their in expensive cranks out there?

 

2. The rear hub/free wheel. I assume one can just use their normal wheels, or are there any special freewheel bodies ones needs as I would imagine there is a lot of force being put into that back wheel on the hills (if your not already walking)

 

3. Rear Cassette (or lack of)

 

4. Chain tensioner?

 

At this stage I don't want to spend much money while testing the SS waters out. Also what is the normal gear ratio's

[divernick]

You could search that stuff on here and find all the answers, but cos it's a quiet day in the office, I'll summarize it for you.

 

Let's assume you want to spend as little money as possible.

• remove shifters,cables and derailleurs from the bike
  
• remove the cassette
  
• remove the large and small chainrings from your existing crankset
  
• if the chainring bolts are too long, find suitable washers and place them on the inside of the ring so that the bolts tighten up properly
  
• get an old throw-away cassette or 2 from your friendly LBS and dismantle them - remove the spacers
  
• pick a suitable cog to use - normally 15, 16, 17 or 18 tooth if you are using a 32-tooth chainring.
  
• shorten your chain and using the plastc spacers from the cassettes, get a good chainline by adjusting how many spacers are inboard and outboard of the cog on the freewheel
  
• to start with, try and use a cog which gives you the best chain tension without having to use a tensioner
  
• go ride your new SS, fall in love and then ask about how to spend you hard earned cash on doing it properly
  

[Stretched@Birth]

Ok, Nick beat me to it, but I've added some additional notes below...

 

You could search that stuff on here and find all the answers, but cos it's a quiet day in the office, I'll summarize it for you.

 

Let's assume you want to spend as little money as possible.

 

• remove shifters,cables and derailleurs from the bike
  
• remove the cassette
  
• remove the large and small chainrings from your existing crankset
  
• if the chainring bolts are too long, find suitable washers and place them on the inside of the ring so that the bolts tighten up properly - derailleur hanger bolts work too, negating the need for washers.
  
• get an old throw-away cassette or 2 from your friendly LBS and dismantle them - remove the spacers
  
• pick a suitable cog to use - normally 15, 16, 17 or 18 tooth if you are using a 32-tooth chainring. - Wheel size (26" or 29") does play a part. Also, I'm weary of using cogs from an old casette, the splines are quite narrow, so may cause damage to the freewheel body. SS specific cogs are advisable.
  
• shorten your chain and using the plastc spacers from the cassettes, get a good chainline by adjusting how many spacers are inboard and outboard of the cog on the freewheel - Very important point, get this right...
  
• to start with, try and use a cog which gives you the best chain tension without having to use a tensioner - Invaribly, you will need some way of getting tension right at some point, there are a few options for this, and no, a half link chain is not one of those options...
  
• go ride your new SS, fall in love and then ask about how to spend you hard earned cash on doing it properly
  

[El Dodgius Bastardo]

Just run your bike in 32 16 or whatever and don't change gears on your next ride. It costs nothing

[Flippa]

That's it! You've just taken the first step into oblivion. Soon, you will be feverishly consulting a gear calculator in order to obtain the same ratio with more chain wrap, you will have singlespeed cogs in all tooth counts, ready for any ride or race, you will be faced with the hardest question of all, "sliding dropouts or EBB?".

 

Welcome to the dark side.

 

The info above pretty much covers everything you need to start SS. Gear ratios to start with are 32x18 for 26 inch and 32x20 for 29 inch.

 

Oh, and start off slowly. Single speeding is a bit of a shock to the body and you will need time to adjust.

[Flippa]

Just run your bike in 32 16 or whatever and don't change gears on your next ride. It costs nothing

 

It's not the same thing. Not changing gears just means you're involved. Stripping off all the unnecessary derailleurs, shifters, cables, etc means you are committed.

[Giant]

Is it possible to convert a dual sus to SS?

[Swift01]

thanx. I already run the bike with larger chainrings (48, 36, 26) and a road bike cassette 11-25. The finaly gear ration means I effectively don't have a granny gear (previously I just had a normal 3x9 setup but took the granny gear off). As you can see I have been playing with gears for a while now (1.5yrs).

 

so I guess the next step is a few rides in 1 gear just to get a feel for the ratio's them commit by stripping the bike. The dark side is not far away :-)

 

Still going to keep the normal fork up front at the moment. I will leave the super dark ridgit fork side for later

[Tumbleweed]

Is it possible to convert a dual sus to SS?

 

Not common, but possible.

[Hairy]

It's not the same thing. Not changing gears just means you're involved. Stripping off all the unnecessary derailleurs, shifters, cables, etc means you are committed.

 

The power transfer through the drive train also feels different ... far more direct and silent.

[Gluteus Maximus]

Is it possible to convert a dual sus to SS?

 

In most soft tail bikes, you get some small reliance on the rear derailleur's play. That is more extreme on the single pivot designs. If that is what you have, then you can use a tension guide