Mountain Biking - single chainring anyone???

i have a saracn mantra and use it for transport nd very tame donwhill. my friend has just had his converted to a single chainring at the front. i travel about 4 miles a day and like to get where im going to fast(ish) so i was wondering if a single chinring would be a problem. what do you think to getting a single chainring setup or maybe even a singlespeed?

thanks very much

I ride singlespeed. It kicks a$$ and people look at you like you're crazy. Then you blast by them on the trails and they begin to worship you.
Best way i know of to start a cult.

Soon enough guy, you can take all your followers to Waco, TX and live in a big compound for months, while never going into town. Here's a tip though, if the ATF comes, a-knockin...just give up.

so you think its worth it then? well obviusly you do.
how many teeth do you think i should have because i wnt to use it for a bitof speed but also the "homeward run" after the trails. so i dont want it to be toooo hard to pedal.

i use 32 front, 16 rear and its plent fast for road and trails.

I was just kidding about the Waco, TX cult bit.

i guessed you was although i dont quite get what you mean because im from the uk.
when you have singlespeed does it look neat, can you buy tidy cranks, how much do you think it will cos to change. i need a new bottom bracke aswell

you can get anything in the world you want for singlespeeding, cranks or whatever.

check out www.webcyclery.com for their single speeding stuff.

Also, your local shop should be able to convert your bike to a single speed now, with only a few small spacer and the parts you already have for not too much money.

Singlespeeds look hella cool.


Also, about the Waco, Tx. thing, yeah, that happened about 10 years ago over here. You should read about it. Do a google search for David Koresh. Interesting stuff.

wow he sounds lie a real nice guy!! (NOT) why did he do all that stuff anyway? cant find why he did it.
thanks for the help on the singlepeed stuff. having great fun on that website but my wallet aint havin as much fun.lol

he was just a psycho i guess...but a real smooth talker.

i have 4 bikes, but i ride my singlespeed most of all because it just rocks. if you get some cash, check out www.surlybikes.com for frames. I have a surly 1x1 and its great. altough the frame you have sounds cool as he** and you should just convert it for now, if you want to see what singlespeeding is all about.

how old are you, by the way? 16?

yeah i am 16. if you wanna see the frame then check out www.saracen.co.uk its under hardtails and then click on hardcore and you should see it somewhere. it aint got that horbile yellow fork on it though. its o or just startin out i suppose.
i lie the look of the Truvativ Stylo Single Speed Crank. it looks nice and the price is about right. whatyou think?

i also love the look of the surly instigaor (shame about the colour). as you should see on my bike the steep downtube. almost like trials but not quite there. thats what i like about the instigator.

i apologise for my terrible typing. i dont know whats up with it

you can get a really good deal on that stylo crank at www.jensonusa.com
A friend of mine uses one, and is very happy with it. I used to have a surly instigator, but i actually sold it....big mistake. Your bike will make a sweet singlespeed.

your typings fine.

so you looked at my bik then? i had a lot of teethin problems when i first had it. gears werent shifting properly and stuff like that!
my bottom bracet is worn, i want new pedals and my outer chainring is bent anyway so i figured why not save money (and a little weight) and have a single speed. cant beleive you sold that instigator!! like you say it must have been a been abig mistake

Here's a pic of her. I may buy it back.

Yeah, your bike looks pretty cool, and should be a sweet singlespeeder.

and heres the frame to the new surly i recently built

very sweet bike indeed. are they 24" wheels on that? whatever size they are they look very nice on the bike. although thecolour isnt that nice it looks pretty cool when its all set up. how much did you sell it for and how much are you looking to buyit back?

I only sold the frame, and it was to a friend for $200 US.


I will probably buy it back for the same...here's what my hardcore hardtail is now, except maroon, and with the blue fork from the instigator. Only the rear was a 24 by the way.

nice frame. only thing im unsure about is the gap where the cassette should go. will it look ok with just one cog here?

that bike is awsome. th frame is a very similarshape to my bike. this may sound stupid but do you know any partership between kona and saracen?

Your local shop should have spacers in stock that will fill the gap. You may be able to take the spacers out of your cassette dependng on what it is, and use those. Otherwise you could just order a Singlespeed hub and get BMX freewheel. That would work best, but not cheapest.
Make sure to get a bashguard too.

doesnt matter about the gap. im gonna keep my cassette and derailleur.

Originally posted by shaun16
that bike is awsome. th frame is a very similarshape to my bike. this may sound stupid but do you know any partership between kona and saracen?

No, sorry. Kona is a company base in Washington USA, but their frames are made in Vietnam or something, so it would be possible for your frame to come from the same factory.....never know.

oh. i keep posting worng stuff!!! very sorry!! im mean im keepin the cassette back wheel. definitely changing to single chainring. thetruvativ stylo comes with an incorporated bashguard :)

i just wanna say thank you very much indeed for the great advicethat you have given. just gotta save money an get working lol.

here's my other bike, but it has a marzocchi Jr. T on it instead of the foes fork

Originally posted by shaun16
i just wanna say thank you very much indeed for the great advicethat you have given. just gotta save money an get working lol.


hey no problem man.

just pm me if ya wanna talk about anything else or need any advice.

holy ****. that bike is hot. very hot. infact i can feel it burning me. how much did that set youback including junior t??

too much, but i love it.

im 21 now, and biking is pretty much my life, so paying alot doesnt really bother me. When you get a bit older, and can afford more stuff, im sure youll get quite a collection.
The important thing is riding. If id started at 16, id be a badass rider by now.

lol with a bike like that you should be able to fly!!
i notice on your profile that you like guitars. (wrong forum but oh well) what sort ou play(i e acoustic lead bass) i play acoustic started2 years ago an im not doin too badl at all

i play bass, but dabble in everything really.

I dont take it at all seriously though. Wierd thing though, like 4 of my 5 favorite bands are from the UK. British rock is great.

Iron Maiden

Pink Floyd

Jethro Tull

All that great music from one little island........and ya got steve peat.

well you know the uk LOLOL.
anyway i got to go now and like i say thanks very much for the help

Yes I think a single chain ring would be great...A comprimise between the smallest chain ring and middle ring...would eliminate a front shifter cable and housing
make it simple:)

Originally posted by BurlySurly
Your local shop should have spacers in stock that will fill the gap. You may be able to take the spacers out of your cassette dependng on what it is, and use those. Otherwise you could just order a Singlespeed hub and get BMX freewheel. That would work best, but not cheapest.
Make sure to get a bashguard too.

It is a common geometry for filling a gap between freeride ht's and xc ht's. I have the exact same bike :)

When I get my dually I am proabbly going to convert it to ss although that might kill me on the xc trails here :)

maelstrom you have the exac same bike as me or as burlysurly?

Originally posted by shaun16
maelstrom you have the exac same bike as me or as burlysurly?

Burly...not EXACT same but close...:D