Originally Posted by
roadgator
Yes this is the case. Why would not having a derailer make a multi-speed cassette wheel any more or less likely to have a damaged hub/axle. QR's on slant dropouts are asking for trouble in general, but thats another thread.
I've made a lot of single speeds this way when people come into my shop and their shifting is FUBAR'd.
It's ugly, but if you pick gears that give you a decent chain line, its perfectly viable from a function standpoint.
But PLEASE leave the brakes on. Im seeing way to many morons come in with wrecked freewheel bikes that only have one brake.
eh, I'll leave the front one on. There are always unconventional methods for stopping if the front brake fails...like dragging my foot, or stopping the tire with my foot.
I also agree about there being no difference using a derailleur or not using one in reference to the cluster slipping. I think his bike would have failed either way.
It's surprisingly not that ugly of a conversion...the biggest cog has like 34 teeth, plus it's just a 6 speed, so it's not to bad. Would look way worse if it was a 9 speed cluster.