cboyne

I have an old kind of beat up Raleigh that I am riding at the moment a as a commuter bike. The front derailer is always giving me problems. It is also a very heavy bike and I am trying to get the weight down a little. I have a decent crank set with a single chainring that I am thinking about installing. I figure I will save a little weight doing away with the two extra chainrings, the derailer, shifter, cables, etc. and I have left the bike on the middle chainring the whole time I have owned it anyway- partly because the derailer seemed untunable and also I have not needed the extra gearing where I am riding.

Will I still be able to shift through all the rear gears (seven) and ride properly if I do this conversion?



Thanks,



chris

awfulwaffle 

Yes, you'll be fine. Depending on your existing bottom bracket's spindle length, you may need to buy a new bottom bracket to get your chainline right. That is, if you care enough or it's bad enough.

dtrain

Don't expect much weight savings, but it might be worth it. Consider a chain-keeper device.