Would a 8-10 speed to single speed conversion kit work with a 7 speed bike?

I haven't found a kit for a 7 speed. I found this https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=18359

This particular bike has a extra low gear that appears to be farther back and higher than the next gear would normally be. I thought perhaps it is the same width cassette as a 8 speed would be. It is a Specialized Expedition with vertical dropouts.

Thanks

Vertical dropouts aren't ideal for a ss/fg conversion since you can't really dial in the proper chain tension to have a smooth drivetrain

Thanks.

This is my GF's bike that she rides around the neighborhood. It never leaves high gear. We just added the type of handlebars she wanted which makes it ride more upright. The twist shifter isn't working on the bar. I was going to mount it on an issimo nob on the stem but she would rather not have it at all. Is there any way I could adjust the derailleur to not move and remove the cable and shifter?

In high gear, a spring is keeping it there even if the cable is completely slack. The exact position is determined by one of the adjustment screws. In lower gears, you can move the derailleur over by adjusting the same screws. You could remove the shifter and cable, put it in the gear that you want, and try it for a few weeks before throwing anything away.

A very close look at the derailleur and the little screws will probably make it more intuitive what to do.

Edit: If she likes the single speed conversion, there are ways to do a more aesthetic conversion on a bike with vertical dropouts, for instance the bike shown in this post:

2017 Post Your Fixed Gear / Singlespeed Megathread

Thanks. That does look nicer.

I think I will try running it without the cable and see how it works out. It needs to go to the shop for a rusting bearing in the steering so if there is an issue they can put it back or convert it.

To answer your original question, no, 8-10 speed won't work with 7 speed. You likely gave a freewheel, not cassette, so it'd be easier. Just buy a single speed freewheel and replace the 7 speed. You could remove the derailleur and either shorten or replace the chain.

Thanks.

The shifter and cable are now gone. So far its working fine and shes happy with it.

I want to do a conversion to make it look nicer. When it goes in for the rusty bearing I'll probably have it done.

That was my SS in Unkle Rico's link; thanks for posting it UC




The part that he is referring to is the chain tensioner. You don't need a overly complicated one that is too expensive. I chose to use the Gusset Bachelor model because of it's lower cost, simplicity, robust nature and it's aesthetic appeal.



Converting your GF's bike is a fairly simple affair, but you need to know what you have and understand the the gear ratio she prefer's. i.e. the tooth count on her front chain ring and the tooth count on her rear cog. In addition to knowing if her bike uses horizontal or vertical drop outs, you'll also need to know if the bike uses a cassette or free wheel on the rear hub. If it is a freewheel you can generally replace it with a single speed freewheel as Viich pointed out; however, single speed freewheels have limited cog choices. That goes back to knowing the gear ratio.

Gear ratio is calculated by dividing the front chainring tooth count by the rear cog tooth count and will give a x:1 ratio.

Example: 40T/16T = 2.5 : 1 gear ratio


Once you know the GR, it is a much simpler process to select the front and rear chain wheel and cog combination to achieve her desired ratio.


If it is a cassette you should be able to use the cog she likes on the cassette she already has and add spacers to the hub. Your LBS is going to want to know exactly what you want and they may or may not be willing to do what you ask. Usually it is because they need to sell new bicycles and don't carry the parts required for a proper conversion. Learn all you can about her bikes components so you both can make informed decisions regarding the conversion.

Before you go much further I suggest you visit Sheldon Browns web page on single speed conversions. He will help you identify what you have and what you need to execute a successful SS conversion. Link:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

Hope this helps. Good luck

Best regards

Rod

Thanks for all the information.

She is ok with it stuck in 7th but would like it slightly lower. The gearing on my Windsor Essex is perfect. I need to count the teeth and figure out what it is.

The expedition has the shimano 7 speed with mega range. I thought it was a cassette but don't know now. I thought they were all cassettes. I didn't know about freewheels.

We want to make her Peugeot mixte into a single speed as well.

MegaRange was a weird freewheel dealy with a really big, "top" cog, for hills(?), that for some reason Shimano brought back after they had already pushed the industry into cassettes

Good luck...

the mega range is useless for us here. We have no hills. I think the new version has dual chain rings on the crank so they have even more gears now.

You might be able to adjust the limit screw and push it up into 6th gear. Getting it to where she likes it, on the current bike, will reduce the amount of trial and error in buying new parts.

I thought about that. I may play with it. She never wanted it lower when she could shift herself, she kept it in 7. I think its more the fact the option is gone has her thinking about it. I think a week or two like this and I'll see if anything needs to be done.

She doesn't care about the conversion either. I do, mainly for looks. It may stay just as it is. I know she would rather me have her other bike worked on more than this one.

Thanks for all of your help

A couple of things............

If the bike has a freehub, yes, it's crazy easy. If it has verticals, you will need a tensioner. If that's the case, unfortunately you will have to buy the kit (or kind of.....see below for spacer ideas).
If the bike has a freehub and has horizontals, you can get away with almost no money for the conversion. You won't need a tensioner with horizontals, instead of putting cash into spacers, you can use a scrap piece of 1 1/4" PVC* to space your rear splined cog fore and aft for the proper chainline and use a lockring from an old spent freehub cassette.
If there was a 7 speed on your rear wheel initially, there's a chance it could be either a freehub or a freewheel cassette. If it has a freewheel cassette, you cannot just pull it and spin on a SS freewheel. Your chainline will be off considerably.** You will have to respace and redish the wheel for sures. In any case, we'll accomplish anything we put our melons to. As the great Philosopher Bob the Builder always says.............."Yes we can!"




*i paint mine black
**painfully so***
***quite literal i assure you

^^ I've done it without respacing/dishing just by running the chainring on the inside of the spider. If you want to use large rings or are worried about it looking SO UGLY, then you might have to mess with your wheel.

My friend, you are much luckier than I then. I've done well over 100 conversions and done numerous things to pull the chainline in at the chainset* but never have been that fortunate. My measurements still showed my chainline off a bit and I'm a stickler for having the chainline nuts on. I'm glad it worked out for you.





*ring on the inside/flipping the spindle on a looseball BB/shorter spindle cartridge BB/even putting spacers on the inside ring (my first conversion!)**
**shame on me

On a recent conversion to ss I had gotten a chain line that was correct, only to decide later that I didn't like the bash guard and wanted to run a bigger ring up front. Since I'd re-dished the wheel already I really couldn't do any more fiddling to the wheel itself. I ended up putting a bb lock ring inboard of the freewheel, works perfectly now.