Lenton58 

I see lots of members displaying machines that are single speed conversions. I am not totally ignorant on the subject. And, I have been over to the SS forum to take stock of their rides and stuff. Still, I am pondering and scheming — undecided and perplexed.

OK ... to set this up. I DO have an SS bike that I converted. I took a quality 531 frame with 120 spacing. I had it cold-set to 126 by a frame-maker. Then I got a pair of modern Shimano wheels and paid a mechanic to make a chainline. The idea being: he does ... I learn.

The wheel-set is a Shimano production in 130 mm. So ... remove spacers, cut the axle (exactly) ... re-dish the wheel, use a spacer-kit to align a chain on the second chain ring. Delete the big ring using shorter stack bolts. Use a BMX cog of a T-count to make the desired ratio. Mount a track type chain, and adjust the chain tension on the horizontal drop outs.

Well ... so well and good. But this next one will be different.

I have a frame in the mail — Gazelle AB frame to replace a Trek 560 that does not fit me so well. I am sure that it will be 126 mm in the stays. I treasure the feeling of the SS freewheel, and I ride on the flat most of the time. I have a lovely vintage, tubular wheel-set with 126 mm Campy Record hubs. I want to ride these wheels as they are.

So what did you do? And how did you do it?

I sort of know the options — but I am just interested as to how YOU did it.

And in closing ... and waiting any answers. I predict that this ride could be like riding a cloud. That DIRECT feeling of SS will make it all the more so. If the feeling of the early 80's? Gazelle AB is the equal to, or better than my '78-'82 Simplon SS, I'll adore it! The Gazelle is in a slightly higher grade frame set — Reynolds 531C: forks, stays, steerer tube!

Benadas and thanks in advance — Lenton/ Lorne

Puget Pounder

Im not sure what the problem is. Seems like it will work just fine. All you have to do is get the bb spindle length to get a good chain line.

rhm

Well, I'm not going to answer your question, sorry! But just out of curiosity, have you tried fixed gear?

I recently switched the wheel on my Lambert, which I was already set up as a "clubman" bike with an AW hub, to the S3X hub. Similar to what it had been, but different. I have not ridden it very much yet; two rides, totaling 215 miles; but so far I would say I like it a lot.

So now I'm scheming to rebuild my Falcon, which now has a five speed hub, as a single speed bike using a flip flop hub. I don't yet know how I'm going to address the chainline issues on that.

Lenton58 

Just in case anyone is wondering — no, I do not mutilate vintage bicycles. My Simplon can be converted back to 'six speed' in as many minute as it takes to mount the appropriate components and wires.

miamijim

1. Cold set frame to 120mm
2. Remove outer chainring and move to inner chainring to outer postion if needed to achieve desired chainline. Use short BMX chainring bolts.
3. Attach BMX freewheel to rear wheel.
4. Remove 6 mm of spacer from rear axle. Remove from eitehr side to achieve proper chainline but the total removed needs to be 6mm
5. Re-dish rear wheel
6. Cut chain to length

Parts list:
BMX freewheel: $15
BMC chainring bolts: $8

I usually go back and forth with the spacing. Initialy I'll take all 6mm from the gear side of the rear wheel and see how the chainline matches up. You know the rear is 120 so that's 60mm from centerline perside. Measure the distance from the inside of the right dropout to the center of the freehweel teeth (15mm as an example) and that's you 'centerline'.

60-15 = 45

Now go to the front and measure from the center of the downtube or seat tube to the center of the front ring. This number should match rear number or 45 (for this example). Sometimes it's tricky to eye up the center of the tube so measure its diamter and divide by 2....30/2= 15. Now measure from the side of tube to the center of the chainring and add the number together.

miamijim

I've never needed to change a spindle....

Puget Pounder

Then you are better than me at it

I don't like to dish a wheel more than it has to be so I just change the bb area to match where the cog lies. It works fine and gives me a lower q factor. If everything is spaced to 126, why bother switching spacers and dishing?

WickedThump

When I changed my JTS from SS to triple ring, a longer spindle was needed.

Lenton58 

rhm: I have to admit that I have spent only a few minutes on a FIXED gear bike. Well, I admire the concept, but I doubt it is really my thing. My introduction t fixed scared the hell out of me, because I was immediately in downtown traffic. A mechanic friend had just completed his own ride and gave it to me to test ride it even before he himself had put a leg over it.

Later I ahd time to reflect. I recalled the stress of the years I played rugby, a broken kneecap from motorcycling, crashes on race tracks, one leg that seems to be longer than the other ... and being no longer the young dude I once was.

As it is, I am carefull not to mash when I am riding SS freewheel. Slow acceleration from standing starts and so on.

The AW hub is appealing — gotta say. I've not come across a thread dedicated to discussing the weight differential between a hub drive and a bike stripped of DR's and shifters. And I've not ridden on a multi-speed hub for 46 years! So I have some questions.

I will be researching the S3X hub that you said was similar but different to the AW. I am a bit confused on the last bit of your message. So you are riding fixie now?

rhm

Aha, sorry, the S3X is the new ASC: a fixed three speed hub! The best of both worlds, or the worst of both worlds, depending how you look at it. The gearing is a little wider than the old ASC but narrower than the AW. So a pretty nice gear range.

I am not recommending fixed riding. It has intrigued me for years and I decided to give it a go since I'm out on Long Island for the summer where it is pretty flat and I know how to avoid traffic pretty well out there. And I'm liking it.

Anyway, by going with a flip flop hub (probably with a 16T fixed cog and a 17T freewheel) (because I already have them) I'll have both fixed and freewheel options.

miamijim

I understand you reasoning and it's why I re-space to 120mm. If the rear stays at 126mm you have to go to shorter spindle otherwise your chainline will be off...way off. From my perspective it's less expensive and easier to re-space down to 120. Re-dishing the wheel is easy and your actually taking dish away which is good.

Now, if one has a cassette hub all you have to is remove all the rear except 1 and load the hub up with spacers in place of the cogs.

miamijim

Of course it was....but I think this thread is about going from a double up front to a SS not going from a SS to triple.

WickedThump

I mentioned that because the spindle might be off a bit but still workable.

Lenton58 

miamijim:

I know that you know what you say — no doubting that. I am just trying to undertand:

If you cold-set back to 120, you are re-moving the spacers because:

* If it is a 126 mm hub, then it is really (maybe/usually) a 120 hub made to be spaced out as 126? (I could get out the calipers and diddle this up, but not until tomorrow ... or when I next have time.) Of course this would only affect the hub/wheel centering. The chain-line is another element in the conversion — right?

Please overlook my slowness. The humidity here is high 90's percentile, and I grew up in Vancouver! SIGH!

Thanks

Puget Pounder

Ah you are correct. I wasn't thinking about taking away the dish. I'm use to people taking away from 130 cassette hubs from the nds to fit a 126 and having a drastic difference in tension. Quite the exact opposite! I'll have to try this next time, though I'm not too good at respacing frames and aligning dropouts. Thanks for explaining.

dbakl

I started with a Sears Ted Williams 531 frame. I bought a cheap, single speed cartridge bottom bracket in English, a single-speed freewheel and a cheap pair of BMX hubs on ebay. I respaced the hubs to fit the frame and built the wheels, each centered, no dish. The fork slots in the dropout needed to be filed slightly to fit the front hub. Picked up a set of single-ring bolts for the crank and used the inner ring on the outside. Everything else came from my stash of junk. I kept it cheap incase it gets stolen I won't cry too much, though I love the bike. Really pretty simple...

Lenton58 

Yeah, that one is easy! And it would have been easier on my Simplon except that I was shy to cold-set from 120 to 130 — 5mm per side. Hence we cut the axle and removed a spacer — and re-dished in the less desirable direction.

Some members may not blink an eye over this. I remain shy to bend metal tubing as much as 5 mm per stay — especially if it is older with "memory". Maybe not an issue. Cold-setting back back 3mm a side seems not so disturbing.

I realize this may derail the thread and start one of the old saws — but if you have done it, I'll accept it as workable and OK.

Lenton58 

dbaki: The nordic cyclo-gods will come for me in my sleep if I take a file to a Gazelle!

LesterOfPuppets

I've played stack 'em up with spacers on both freewheels and freehubs.

I did just bend another axle today, though. 5-speed Suntour freewheel in SS mode.

Lenton58 

LesterOffPuppets: Please tell me about this. Did you dismantle a SunTour freewheel and fiddle with spacers. I have a SunTour 5 speed FW, but I have no idea if will allow me to get dismantle for a spacing.

As for stacking freewheels — if you have info, pics and suggestions, I'd love to see/read them. I did archive a thread about this on another site, but it was inconclusive and not so confidence inspiring.

puchfinnland

Dont forget to grind off the cable holders, shift bosses and deraileur hangers!
All the C & V members will know how special a person you really are!



I cant wait untill this SS/fixed fad is over,
maybe a few more years.

due ruote 

My best results have generally started with the chainring. If it's an asymmetrical spindle I'll flip that around, or replace with a cartridge BB that puts the chainring as far inboard as possible while remaining on the outside position on the crank spider. Then I put a straight edge on the chainring, and measure from the straight edge to the inside of the dropout. I space the outside edge of the cog that same distance from the locknut, and re-dish the wheel.

fwiw I rode a fixed gear for years that was done the same way, on a road hub with a BB lockring, and never spun the cog off. But I did ride with both brakes, and I'm neither very large nor very strong.

Puget Pounder

One of these posts is always going to come up. Haters gon' hate.

mparker326

When did the OP say anything about this?

@OP, my experiences with SS a C&V bike, involve trial and error as far as spacing goes. On the front I usually just run the single ring on the inner because that way I don't have to fool with my bottom bracket. I measure the spacing and adjust spacers on the rear until the spacing is close. I don't sweat a mm or two. I then redish the rear and call it a day. I swap back and forth between geared and SS quite frequently so I won't make any permanent changes such as cold setting.

As always Sheldon has a good article on fixed gear on the cheap where he explains most of the steps.

ColonelJLloyd 

+1 It's not a fad. Fixed predates freewheel and has a long history for all types of applications/riding styles.