Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - help changing the grearing in my SS,

I just bought a Raleigh XXIX, 29er mtb with 32:20 gearing. This is fine for off road, but I will often be using the bike for commuting and ripping around town (very flat), so I want to be able to set up the bike for some faster riding.

I was thinking of putting on a 13t cog on the back, this would give me about 71 gear inches if I calculated it correctly. I think that would put me pretty close to a typical ss road bike. A 14t cog would put me at 66", maybe a little more appropriate for a mtb.

Anyhow I thought it would be nice to experiment with a few different ratios and was wondering I could just get a cheap road/mtn cassette and and take apart the cogs?

-can you even take them apart?
-will either a road or mtn bike cassete work with my hub?
-what tool would I need to take off the nut on the hub of my bike? (it is about 1 3/4" diameter with 8 notches in it) I thought this tool,http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/17299-325_SETFW7-2-Accessories-42-Tools/Sette-Torx-ST-6B-4-Prong-Freewheel-Remover.htm but the notches seem a little too wide in the picture.

I'd love to help you, but I don't remember if the XXIX has a freewheel or a freehub. If it's a freewheel, you'll need something like the tool you linked and you can throw a BMX freewheel on there. If it's a freehub, you'll need a different tool altogether and you can throw a Shimano splined cog on there.

You can take some cassettes apart. Some of them need to be drilled apart, but they'll go. Bear in mind, the cogs you get out of a cassette will be thinner than a standard SS cog that you'd buy separately. They'd be good for experimenting, but I wouldn't run them for too long. I've folded an 18t on my Klein and had to walk back to the car. Kind of an annoying way to end the day.

Don't bust apart a cassette, those cogs are ramped and make to easily derail the chain. Pick up some cheap cogs made for SS/BMX. Shimano has ones that will probably run you about $7. 13T is a really small cog, not sure if you can get an SS one that small. I'd go with something bigger in the rear and then bump up the front chainring as well. 70 gear inches is fine around town, for MTB something around 52" (same as a 2:1 on a 26" wheeled bike) will be a good starting point if you are riding trails with any real hills.

I would rather not have to switch the chain ring, just to save a few bucks. I will look into single speed cogs, and see what type of hub I have.

Your bike is spec-ed with a cassette hub according to the Raleigh site.

I'm not talking about saving a few bucks, I'm talking about setting up your equipment properly. A 13T cog has very few teeth engaged. Easier to drop the chain and wears our faster too. Couple that with the ramps made for shifting and you'll have a frustrating ride.

Swapping the chainring is an easy task and not real expensive. If you want to gear that thing for the road that's the way to go. Get one cog for the road and one for when you want to hit the dirt.

Either way I will buy cogs designed for singlespeed/bmx bikes.

So, this would probably work for me
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/15719-075_EVIGR6-3-Parts-52-Chainrings/Bashguards/E-13-Guide-Ring-E.Thirteen-'06.htm

A 42 would yield 61 gear inches, with the original cog. I suppose the best way is to get both a new cog and chainring.




Anyone know if that tool i posted from pricepoint is what i need to change cogs?

Negative on that tool. That's for BMX freewheels. You'll need a cassette cog lock ring remover (http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/14591-325_SETFW5-2-Accessories-42-Tools/Sette-Torx-ST-1262-Cassette-Remover-w_-Guide-Pin.htm) and a chain whip (assuming the bike is built as stated on their web site).

How about a picture of this new ride? We all like pictures of bikes ;)

I will have to get up some pictures later, I dont have my camera with me right now,



I think this might be the tool I am looking for http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/14616-325_SETTV5-2-Accessories-42-Tools/Sette-Torx-ST-28BB-Bottom-Bracket-Tool---TruVativ.htm

The descriptions dosent make it sound like tool used for removing the nut on a hub, but size and picture looks like the tool I need.

I dont understand where I would need the tool you posted.