singlespeed?
10-06-02, 09:58 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 3,676
Bikes: Too many bikes, too little time to ride
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 425 Post(s)
Liked 454 Times
in
313 Posts
singlespeed?
why do people run SS's?
which rings/cogs?
what other parts needed?
any advantages/disadvantages?
what style of riding?
which rings/cogs?
what other parts needed?
any advantages/disadvantages?
what style of riding?
10-07-02, 12:14 AM
#2
Wood Licker
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Whistler,BC
Posts: 16,966
Bikes: Trek Fuel EX 8 27.5 +, 2002 Transition Dirtbag, Kona Roast 2002
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Fun!
Strenght. What better way to build up strength then only having one gear.
Retro.
Because they want to do something with that old bike you can't really find parts for and can't be bothered fixing up, so turn it into a single speed (I have an old mtb I will be doing that to)
Cause they want to!...
Strenght. What better way to build up strength then only having one gear.
Retro.
Because they want to do something with that old bike you can't really find parts for and can't be bothered fixing up, so turn it into a single speed (I have an old mtb I will be doing that to)
Cause they want to!...
10-07-02, 01:20 AM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 3,676
Bikes: Too many bikes, too little time to ride
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 425 Post(s)
Liked 454 Times
in
313 Posts
people suggest a 2:1 cog ratio... does that sound about right?
i am turning my 4130 frame into singlespeed, although the geometry of my frame is more XC than freeride.
i am turning my 4130 frame into singlespeed, although the geometry of my frame is more XC than freeride.
10-07-02, 05:07 AM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: England
Posts: 12,948
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times
in
7 Posts
Perfect for off-roading in Flatland, esp in muddy terrain.
Where I cone from the clay mud can add a couple of pounds to a bike, so ultra-light stuff is a waste of money. There are no real hills, so lots of gears ore unneccessary.
Other mud-modification include
fully sheathed brake cables
disk brakes
deeper section rims
ridgid forks (Pace carbon??) cause mud is soft.
Where I cone from the clay mud can add a couple of pounds to a bike, so ultra-light stuff is a waste of money. There are no real hills, so lots of gears ore unneccessary.
Other mud-modification include
fully sheathed brake cables
disk brakes
deeper section rims
ridgid forks (Pace carbon??) cause mud is soft.
10-07-02, 05:43 PM
#7
Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: texas
Posts: 41
Bikes: bianchi boron xl, kona explosif, kona unit, khs comp tandem
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
i got my bianchi c.u.s.s. to improve my trail riding. with only one gear you really focus on riding, picking lines, watching trail ahead. you have to use your momentum to make it up hills. it's a blast.
10-10-02, 11:29 AM
#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 3,676
Bikes: Too many bikes, too little time to ride
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 425 Post(s)
Liked 454 Times
in
313 Posts
what kind of setups do you guys run? i mean by the rear derailleur/dropout? should there be something there? like a singleator or what other setups have you guys rigged up?
10-13-02, 02:21 AM
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 3,676
Bikes: Too many bikes, too little time to ride
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 425 Post(s)
Liked 454 Times
in
313 Posts
turns out i am not going to get a singlelator or any other device... but the rear cog and the chain ring up front arent matched. is there some way to shift the rear cog outwards a little bit so that it matches the crank? oh yeah and the cog is from a 7speed body(probably before the era of cassettes, so i don't know what to call it).
10-13-02, 01:18 PM
#11
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 3,676
Bikes: Too many bikes, too little time to ride
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 425 Post(s)
Liked 454 Times
in
313 Posts
i don't know what spacers are... i guess my question is whether or not i can take apart the cog body and move the cog outward, right now it's as it it's a cassette but it has only one cog on it. dont know if i can take out the spaces individually or not. might bring it to the lbs but that defeats the purpose of rigging up a singlespeed, doesnt it
10-13-02, 01:51 PM
#12
Canadian eh?
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Toronto
Posts: 2,135
Bikes: 2020 Specialized Roubaix Expert
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 131 Post(s)
Liked 96 Times
in
54 Posts
wat would be involved to make my current road bike with 6 speed cassette in the rear a single speed. I would need horizontal drops wouldnt I?
10-15-02, 09:21 AM
#13
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Chicago
Posts: 337
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
ideally, yes. But you can just use a chain tensioner as discussed. Buy spacers to position the single cog on your freewheel, remove your rear derailleur, and you're in business 
10-15-02, 02:58 PM
#14
Footballus vita est
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 2,118
Bikes: Trek 4500, Kona Dawg
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
My roomate rides a single speed redline for fun (he named it Blake). He's just starting to learn trials, so he wanted a bike that was cheap, indestructible, and light. Plus, eliminating the derailers gives you wicked acceleration. It's fun to launch it at red lights just to have the thrill of out accellerating a car to 15.
__________________
"The internet is a place where absolutely nothing happens. You need to take advantage of that." ~ Strong Bad
"The internet is a place where absolutely nothing happens. You need to take advantage of that." ~ Strong Bad
10-26-02, 02:36 AM
#15
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 3,676
Bikes: Too many bikes, too little time to ride
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 425 Post(s)
Liked 454 Times
in
313 Posts
my singlespeed project should be good to go this weekend. it was a headache but also good learning experiences building it up. 36/18 ratio, no tensioner/derailleur because the frame has horizontal drops. its basically rigged using old school xt arms and first gen xtr cassette with only one cog. then i just lined it up as straight as i could. the only thing it needs now is a pedal on the right(cant remove from old crank arm, try tomorrow) and also a new stem. right now the stem is not allowing me to lean forward as much as i'd like to
. probably get a threadless converter then slap on a new stem. cant wait to ride it!
. probably get a threadless converter then slap on a new stem. cant wait to ride it!
10-26-02, 07:31 AM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Rochester, Minnesota
Posts: 136
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I turned an old trek 7000 into my first ss a few days ago. All I did was get some spacers and a six speed cassette, (this type screws together, so it easily comes apart). Use the spacers to align the rear cog and front chainring. If you dont have horizontal dropouts, either buy a tensioner, or use an old derailleur, just set the high limit screw on the derailleur so it is aligned with the sprocket. It works great, havent had it derail my chain yet. The extra gears from the six speed cassette can be used to re gear the bike for changing conditions, as it only takes about five minutes to change.
Oh yeah, they are fun! every one should try one!
Oh yeah, they are fun! every one should try one!
03-08-06, 07:59 AM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 409
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
If you want to try single speeding a MTN bike, particularly one with vertical dropouts, find a gear that works for everything and don't leave it. Once you know this is the one and are commited, use the range set screws to fix your front and rear derailleurs in place. Then go ahead and remove cables, shifters, housing, etc. You can leave the front derailleur on as an anti-jump device and you have just turned your rear derailleur into a singleator. Anything else you do from now on is for weight savings or aesthetics. GO HAVE FUN.
03-08-06, 08:02 AM
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 409
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
SS mountain bikes are great for the east coast where the the terrain is much more rugged than out west (think on this one...) and there is rarely a place flat and smooth enough to use the big rings. You are so often using an easy gear to climb out of holes that you might as well skip the other gears.
Ask Eric Roman of Mount Nittany Bicycles in State College PA. Also check his blog.
Ask Eric Roman of Mount Nittany Bicycles in State College PA. Also check his blog.
03-08-06, 08:09 AM
#19
aspiring dirtbag commuter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: philly
Posts: 2,123
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
one word of warning... im my experience ramped cogs out back are not to be trusted!
the chain will derail on you when you least want it too!
buy one of these! save you knees from slamming the bars when you pop out of gear on a steep climb.
and unlike what it says on the package, it will work on any shimano type hub.
oh, one more thing... the most singlspeed mtb advice i have found on the internet is over here:
https://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=46
not that these guys here aren't lovely, just most of them ride fixed gear bikes on the mean streets.
the chain will derail on you when you least want it too!
buy one of these! save you knees from slamming the bars when you pop out of gear on a steep climb.
and unlike what it says on the package, it will work on any shimano type hub.
oh, one more thing... the most singlspeed mtb advice i have found on the internet is over here:
https://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=46
not that these guys here aren't lovely, just most of them ride fixed gear bikes on the mean streets.
03-08-06, 09:06 AM
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Pinole, CA, USA
Posts: 17,392
Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 443 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 27 Times
in
25 Posts
I built this over the winter:
https://community.webshots.com/photo/...68014369ZmdEeX
It's the first ss I've built. The cog is a Surly and the ring is an old XT with no ramps or pins. I found the magic gear, so no chain tensioner. I can even use a qr rear hub because all it does is keep the wheel from falling out.
It's all I ride any more. My geared bikes are just gathering dust.
https://community.webshots.com/photo/...68014369ZmdEeX
It's the first ss I've built. The cog is a Surly and the ring is an old XT with no ramps or pins. I found the magic gear, so no chain tensioner. I can even use a qr rear hub because all it does is keep the wheel from falling out.
It's all I ride any more. My geared bikes are just gathering dust.
