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average cost of single speed conversion?

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average cost of single speed conversion?

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Old 11-15-15, 06:50 PM
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average cost of single speed conversion?

Picked up this vintage Fuji from my neighbor and plan on converting it to SS. What's the average cost for this?
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Old 11-15-15, 07:09 PM
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Eleven million dollars. Give or take a few.
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Old 11-15-15, 07:12 PM
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Assuming that crankset has removable chainrings then all it would take is a set of SS chainring bolts and a rear wheel/cog.
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Old 11-15-15, 07:24 PM
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Ok... I'm gonna run it by the local bike kitchen and see what my buddy can do.
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Old 11-15-15, 10:24 PM
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Just get a cassette remover for the rear wheel, remove the cassette
Buy a new freewheel/cog
remove some chainrings and shorten chain
maybe even less than $20
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Old 11-15-15, 11:10 PM
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Bike kitchen? They cooking up a new batch of bikes?
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Old 11-15-15, 11:41 PM
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Bike kitchen is a spot to go work on your bike and use their tools if you don't have them .. professional mech on hand to give advise and help out. $2/hr to use the kitchen
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Old 11-15-15, 11:55 PM
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TenSpeedV2 knows that. He's just yanking yer chain.
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Old 11-15-15, 11:56 PM
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Interesting. Where I live, it is free and called an LBS. Mechanic will give you advice, and you have all the tools you can get your hands on. One of a kind shop, and I absolutely love it.
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Old 11-15-15, 11:57 PM
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Originally Posted by TejanoTrackie
TenSpeedV2 knows that. He's just yanking yer chain.
To be honest, I didn't know what he was talking about. Never heard of a bike kitchen before, and that is the truth.
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Old 11-16-15, 12:00 AM
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The cost is whatever you want to put into it, down to zero. The zero option? Put the chain on a middle cog in back (either chainring). Remove links. That was my first single speed. Rode it like that for three years. I did remove the outside chainring. I should have spent the bucks to get proper single chainring bolts. The bolts i used were a touch too long and ovalized the holes and wrecked the crankset. (Those bolts might be $8.)

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Old 11-16-15, 12:28 AM
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It kind of is a single speed already. Find a gear that works for you, and just leave it.
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Old 11-16-15, 05:01 AM
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Have you thought about using an eccentric BB? More costly I know, but it would eliminate having to use a tensioner. Anyone have experience using these? It's hard to find reviews on these that speak to how they hold up long term.
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Old 11-16-15, 07:30 AM
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The OP's bike has horizontal dropouts, so it doesn't need a tensioner. It also has a threaded freewheel, so it's a very simple matter to replace it with a singlespeed freewheel and redish the rear wheel to get a good chainline. Total cost of the conversion would be the cost of a SS freewheel.
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Old 11-16-15, 08:50 AM
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Originally Posted by ceelint
Bike kitchen is a spot to go work on your bike and use their tools if you don't have them .. professional mech on hand to give advise and help out. $2/hr to use the kitchen
That's very cheap, we charge $7 an hour, but we're also generally the ones doing the work.
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Old 11-16-15, 02:42 PM
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Originally Posted by TejanoTrackie
The OP's bike has horizontal dropouts, so it doesn't need a tensioner. It also has a threaded freewheel, so it's a very simple matter to replace it with a singlespeed freewheel and redish the rear wheel to get a good chainline. Total cost of the conversion would be the cost of a SS freewheel.
Probably not necessary to redish the wheel either. But yeah, don't even bother with a tensioner,
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Old 11-16-15, 05:48 PM
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+1
no need to redish the wheel, just keep the chain tension perfect
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Old 11-16-15, 05:58 PM
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Thanks guys.. guess it's time to get started. Just finished removing the down tube Sports 10 decals. Much cleaner look now
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Old 11-17-15, 01:53 PM
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Doesn't hurt to make sure the chain line is right.
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Old 11-17-15, 04:04 PM
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Really, how much misalignment does it take to drastically accelerate wear on your drivetrain? Particularly for an eighth inch setup?
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Old 11-17-15, 08:18 PM
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Well misalignment can lead to the chain popping off and if you're running brakeless like me then you've got a serious predicament on your hands.
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Old 11-18-15, 12:12 AM
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Yep, that's right! Still wondering about the question I asked, though...
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Old 11-21-15, 12:18 AM
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Looks like the wheel needs to be redished.. even with a spacer and barely catching a couple threads the chainline will still be off.
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Old 11-21-15, 12:31 AM
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How far off?
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Old 11-21-15, 04:58 PM
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Here's a flip-flop rear wheel for around $42: Wheel Master Weinmann DM30 Rear Wheel - 20" x 1.75, 36H, Flip-Flop, Black
No re-dishing needed, and you'll have the option of going FG. The chain line on my Weinmann flip-flop is 42 mm. You can change it by adding/subtracting spacers or flipping a cog around.

If you google "flip-flop wheelset," you can usually find a matched set in the $99-$100 range.

Last edited by habilis; 11-21-15 at 05:02 PM.
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