Originally Posted by
John E
Assuming the 36/20 combination gives you a fairly straight chainline, why not simply shorten the chain (assuming horizontal dropout slots) and remove the shifting apparatus? That way you can trivially restore full functionality when you either decide to sell the bike or rediscover the magic of multiple gear ratio options at your command.
It’s on my Trek 728 and I’m not changing anything. I just thought it would be fun to build a nice super light single speed on the mornings when the wind is calm. In most days I need the extra gears. Why do we do 90% of the stuff we do with bikes? Because we can and it’s fun.