I am building up a commuter bike, I have been riding my road bike, but want to keep some of the wear down on it. My question is about using a single crank instead of double or triple. I rarely ever get out of my large ring on my 14 miles commute, so it seems reasonable that this would be fine.

What do you think?

Why not? I've seen plenty of 1 x 9 riders around here.

I really want a 1X6. I could easily get by with just one ring up front with tooth count somewhere between my middle and big rings. Give it a shot! What's the worst that could happen, you don't like it and pop another ring on there.

I've had a 1x9 and even a 1x7. Great way to go... and you don't have to remember where your front derailleur is positioned. I recently went a step further and bought a Swobo Baxter with a Shimano 8 speed internally geared hub. It's slower than my cyclocross commuter for sure, but it's such a blast to ride I don't care. All the more workout, I figure. And sometimes simpler is just better.

DanO

My Felt came with a 42 crank and an 11-30 cassette, and I'm very happy.

A mountain bike rear cassette should be able to provide a wider range than a typical road cassette, from what I've read on here anyway. That might make it easier for you to run a single chainring.

I think I'd just go with a 46 or 48 tooth ring, and a 6-7 speed freewheel. I just built up a 1X5 with a 48 tooth crank for my cousin, and she likes it a lot.

If you don't need a wide range of gears, then having a single chainring simplifies your drivetrain, which is a nice thing to have in a commuter. Of course, even with a double or triple, you could always leave it in the same chainring up front for the same effect.

What about the chainline though...If one was going to switch to single ring up front, should the large ring be placed where the middle ring was to make a better chainline? Or is there some other way to do it I'm not thinking of?

Or perhaps get a different bottom bracket?

I am going with a narrower bottom bracket, and either track cranks or a double set I have, I will post how it works out. I can't wait for parts to arrive.

For all practical purposes my bike is used as a 1x9. Every few weeks, I get a good tail wind. Then it becomes a 2x9. I never use the granny ring. But who knows, maybe I'll take it out of town some day?

But I could easily do my commute with a 3 speed and even SS is possible. Sacramento is FLAT.

I really like this square-taper crankset for single use, can add an inner chainring if you want to go for a double after all:

https://www.benscycle.net/index.php?m...6&currency=USD

Food for thought...I took a look at my chainline tonight, and have decided to mount the large chainring in the middle's position. I just have to order some SS bolts. It seems like this will work.

Of course, for 5 times the cost of the bolts ($10 w/ shipping), I could order this: https://www.amazon.com/Courier-170mm-.../dp/B001GSOFP6 and just go with a track crank for $56 w/ shipping...

So now the only question is, will my FSA bottom bracket be compatible w/ the trutvativ power spline....The FSA looks just like an ISIS BB...Anyone know if they're compatible?

My commuter is a 1x9 and I love it. Perfect set-up. I do, however, have 2 cranks one on the left and one on the right. But only one chainring.

One thing that I have noticed is there is pretty substantial chainring wear with a 1x9 because if you do use all the gears, which I do, there's some pretty sharp angles on the chain at times. When I overhaul my drive train and replace my cassette and chain I check the chainring and replace as necessary.

Hehe...Whoops...Couple a beers will do that...I did mean chainring...

I've got a single crank up front, an 8-speed Alfine internal gear out back. Works for me.

Yes, you want the chainline to be in the middle of the cassette. OP is talking about a new build, so it is a matter of getting the right length BB for the frame, crankset, etc.

I thought I had dialed mine in right when I built my new commuter after researching all those dinky little specs, but I wound up gooning things up (perhaps). By mounting the chainring on the other side of the spider, everything was perfect. There's some info on Sheldon's site and then you have to do a lot of hunting and guessing elsewhere.

Seems to be the way to go. I just need some SS chainring bolts, but the LBS is next to bleeping USELESS...So I guess I'll have to order some...

I think riding a 1x? would do just fine. My old road bike hasn't got its front derailleur attached, basically making it a 1x6. It's pretty doable to ride it to work (16 mile one way). I currently ride a more modern road bike to work, which has 3x9, but mostly I just use the middle chainring, making it (sort of) a 1x9 as well.

My hybrid's got a triple chainring up front. Most of the time, as some others have said, though, it's just on the middle chainring, so for all intents and purposes, I commute on a 1x7. I get about 30-60 seconds of use out of the big chainring coming down off one of the overpasses on the MUP, but besides that...

When I stray from my commute route to do a little hill climbing I do use the granny gear and the big chainring more (depending on which side of the hill I'm on), but I really have to go out of my way for that. I hope to do a couple overnight/long weekend tours this summer on the same bike, and I'm sure the other chainrings will help then, too.

If my bike were a dedicated commuter only, I'd be fine w/ just one chainring. That being said, I don't think I'd purposefully change my cranks/chainrings just to get down to one ring...

Hopefully all my parts will start arriving to finish the build this weekend.

I just finished mine last night. The LBS didn't know what SS chainring nuts were, so I hacked mine down with a vice and hacksaw. Works like a charm! I now have a 1x9 setup. Works great!

BTW, although we all know what we're really talking about here, isn't a single crank what a one-legged rider would pedal?

https://www.videobomb.com/posts/show/491

yes.