Mountain Biking - Converting MTB to singlespeed?

Advantages/disadvantages?
Difference between fixie/single speed?

Why should I do this?

How much will it cost [new gears/chain?]

Thanks!

Advantages/disadvantages?
Difference between fixie/single speed?

Why should I do this?

How much will it cost [new gears/chain?]

Thanks!

umm....alot?

just kidding, it really depends on what type of riding your doing, if it's just like dj or nothing with alot of climbs + descents you should be fine. The only reason you will need gears is if your going over a variety of terrains,and if ur going to be doing alot (on the mountain) ss is one of the worst things u can do to your bike. Uphill u will exhausted, downhill u may not be able to pedal cause your chain won't catch if your goin' to fast(hard to explain). So if it's nothing like that u'll be fine:)

As for costs..........i don't know and i couldn't care:o.

Advantages/disadvantages? lighter bike/less maintainence but no gear choices
Difference between fixie/single speed?fixed gear means no coasting, you are directly linked to the drivetrain

Why should I do this?for a primary mountain bike, i wouldnt, however riding a SS MTB is a hella good time. If you've got the balls, a fixed gear mountain bike can also be a good time, but requires a lot more concentration

How much will it cost [new gears/chain?]price out a new front chainring, chain, and either a spacer kit+cog, or a freewheel for the rear (depends on if you have a free-hub or a freewheel hub

Thanks!
Good Luck. SS can be a blast!

Why should I do this?

Now, don't take this personal, but as a rule of thumb, if you have to ask why you should be considering singlespeed riding, you shouldn't be considering singlespeed riding.

Anyway, if you build up an SS but don't really commit to it, that is, if you don't ride your SS a whole bunch, and subsequently don't develop the associated riding skills, your range and performance will be limited by the bike. If you go for it and keep it up, riding several times a week, you'll learn to climb and descend at speed with only one gear (id est, hammering uphill and spinning high-cadence downhill.) You'd especially notice the effect of your singlespeeding when riding other bikes; for geared mountain or road bikes, it's an amazing way to tune your form and spin.

My advice is don't jump right in if you're a beginner mountain biker. There was an interview I saw once with some Olympic XC rider, who they asked what his biggest mistake was in a race. He said that one day he deciced to ride singlespeed since he had tried it and liked it the day before. He performed horribly, and said something like, "Sometimes, gears are just better." Learn how to mountain bike with gears, and perfect your mountain biking later with a singlespeed, if it floats your boat.

Thanks. I'm going to try 3-4 [front-back] on a 24 speed MTB. Hopefully this will get me to know what single speed is :)

My ride is mostly city, with some skatepark, and a bit of dirt trails/small jumps.

Also, how would I install it?
And, can I get my LBS to order it?

And what happens when you stop pedaling on a fixie?

Thanks. I'm going to try 3-4 [front-back] on a 24 speed MTB. Hopefully this will get me to know what single speed is :)

My ride is mostly city, with some skatepark, and a bit of dirt trails/small jumps.

Also, how would I install it?
And, can I get my LBS to order it?

And what happens when you stop pedaling on a fixie?

you don't stop pedaling until the bike is stopped.

fixed = rear wheel moves=pedals move

As luck would have it, I took a fall today on concrete in the bowl of my local skatepark.

My shifter is broken, so I'm going to the LBS today to see whats cheaper. Are Shimano Alivo shifters good? I want one to match what I have on my handlebars.

Can someone give me a base price for SS conversion not including labor?

Thanks a lot.

My LBS sells this for about 50 bucks.

http://www.dmrbikes.com/?Section=products&pageType=item&category=3&CategoryName=Chain%20Devices&itemid=CDSSCK

I have 3 speeds at the front. Would I be able to remove 2 of the rings?

I converted my rockhopper to a single speed, and I was able to remove the outer ring. I put a bash guard in it's place. The little ring I'm not going to bother with right now, because I don't want to bother with all that crank removal stuff.

Now, don't take this personal, but as a rule of thumb, if you have to ask why you should be considering singlespeed riding, you shouldn't be considering singlespeed riding.

And how exactly is he supposed to find out about single speed riding if he isn't allowed to ask questions?

Easy, killer. What I said was that those questions seem indicative of somebody who's heard about singlespeed riding, and has done some riding before, but might be thinking only about SS hype, of which there is admittedly a lot. As I went on to answer in the rest of the post, there's a lot of good reasons to go singlespeed, but only if you commit to it, and only if you're sure that riding geared does not suit you any better.

short cage rear deraileur...