Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Single speed help please !!!!

can anyone help me please.....
i have a six speed frewheel that i want to turn into a single speed. I've been told that i must simply remove my freewheel and screw on a bmx freewheel (probably 16t), however my chainline will be completely wrong. I've read sheldon's article and i dont want to go to the hassle of re-dishing my wheel. I also have horizontal dropouts, can anyone help please
also can anyone tell me where i can get a single speed crank, bearing in mind it the whole project should hopefully be fairly inexpensive,
cheers :)

If you are to keep that wheel redishing is the only way to get a correct chain line. If you are not comfortable doing this then take it your local bike shop. You can center the wheel yourself with spacers and have them do the wheel truing. Probable should be under $20 (although I could be wrong, it's been a few years since I had a shop work on my bike). As for cranks, does your existing one have removable chain rings? If so use that one. There are a number of cheap ones at Sheldon's site. For as low as $25 I think. I found a mixmatched pair at a shop for $15..try that. Good Luck

thanks for your reply, no i do not have removable chainrings, and do you think i could space the bmx freewheel with a piece of tubing? cheers

Is it a freewheel or a cassette?

Cassette: Take off all of the cogs except the one you want to use, line it up with the chainring, add spacers.

Freewheel: you might be able to get a shorter spindle bottom bracket, but i would redish the wheel, as this is a stronger setup anyway.

My guess would be that you have either an older or cheaper bike, given the horizontal dropouts and riveted cranks. in this case, you have to run with all three rings up front, despite not using them. I would recommend a new crankset, but money doesn't grow on trees. Good luck!

ok, yes its a cheap bike lol, its a freewheel, so what i have to do is,
remove derailleur,
remove freewheel,
screw on bmx freewheel,
get the wheel redished,
is this correct, and is there any other way to get a good chainline without re-dishing?
cheers

In a word, no. You have to get it re-dished. If it were a cassette on a free-hub you would not have to. Enjoy!

thanks for your help cheers
dan

redishing won't give you good chainline, respacing the axle will. It's probably just a matter of moving spacers from one side to the other until you get it right. The redishing will allow you to recenter the wheel in relation to the frame after you respace the axle.

where are you? i'll sell you a ss wheel for 20 bucks...

You can also get some aluminum shim/spacers from your local bike shop and use them to push the bmx freewheel out. I've used two x 1/8" shims to space my ss freewheel and it works well with the inner chainring.

"You can also get some aluminum shim/spacers from your local bike shop and use them to push the bmx freewheel out. I've used two x 1/8" shims to space my ss freewheel and it works well with the inner chainring."

cheers, (a good inexpensive option, thats what i like to see lol), do you rekon i could use spacers to push it out enough for the middle chainring?
does your setup un smoothly with the spacers?
thanks

I am gonna get beat up for this. I still use my 5-speed freewheel, but just have the chain taught against the one gear that gives me a good line. no redishing. ultra cheapo. Oh boy. I think sharing that with you all is going to make me puke, for fear that I will be excommunicated.

uhhh I've done that also, shame on us, shame on us...

also i have horizontal dropouts, so should i use a chain tensioner, the exact dropouts are on sheldons website, and they are known as horizontal dropout short, or would it be possible to shorten my chain?
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

You can also get some aluminum shim/spacers from your local bike shop and use them to push the bmx freewheel out. I've used two x 1/8" shims to space my ss freewheel and it works well with the inner chainring.

When I first built my singlespeed I had a freewheel hub with 6 speed freewheel. The freewheel was a Suntour. The outer two cogs were threaded and the inner 4 were splined with spacers. I used a chainwhip to remove the outers, then the inners, then reinstalled the outers. I then remounted my 42 to the outside of the crankset and presto...great chainline. Worked great but looked a bit hokey.

I have now replaced the reworked Suntour freewheel with a BMX one. I respaced the hub on the axle and redished the wheel. I had to move the 42 back to the inside of the crank. The rear wheel is much stronger now and I don't get any shimmy any more (I can now ride no hands if I want to).

People actually ride SS in Rocklin? ;) You should come downtown and ride with some of us.

People actually ride SS in Rocklin? ;) You should come downtown and ride with some of us.

I'm just getting into it but yes I do ride it around here. I'm still tweaking it so I can also do some of the rollers/hills in the area. I'm running 42-16 now and have a 17 also that I've yet to try for a bit more climbing ability. Eventually I'll set up a fixed/free flip/flop and use a 15 fixed. That should work pretty good on the flatter routes.

There are quite a few people up here that ride single speed mountain bikes. I don't know how many SS roadies there are yet. I know of at least one other one where I work.

Where do you usually ride?

I haven't hit the dirt in a while but thinking about it. My SS is not really dirt ready, running a 44/16. More of a urban assault bike (read: bar cruiser ;) ) I've done the Cool race and riden salmon falls but that's about it in the Sac area. I'd be down to give anywhere a try though.