Has anyone had their LBS do a singlespeed conversion (from milti-speed)? Was it costly?

I have not had a LBS do this, but I found it costly enough just doing it myself. If you use quality parts and don't totally ghetto-rig the bike, you can easily spend $200-$500 on the conversion. Add at least $300 to that if you factor in your LBS doing the work. At that point, you should probably just buy a new single speed bike unless you have strong sentimental attachment to your current one.

I have converted several bikes, none of which I'd considered "ghetto-rigged" and the cost in each case was either zero or close to it. I fail to see the problem unless you choose a poor candidate to begin with.

The biggest expense has been a quality SS freewheel.

Paint and chrome are unbelievable for mid 70s.

If you actually did it for zero cost, it's probably because you have a big parts drawer, and aren't counting any cost for those.

Some ghetto-rigged examples I've seen:

• Leaving a multi-speed cassette on the rear.
• Using ramped and pinned chainrings when the chain line isn't perfectly straight.
• For older bikes with screw-on multi-speed freewheels, replacing the multi-speed freewheel with a SS rather than doing the proper thing and getting a new wheel.
• For vertical dropout frames, trying to get the chain length just perfect and omitting any means of adding tension.
• Using an old derailleur for a tensioner.

If you happen to have an older road bike with horizontal dropouts and a freehub, you can do a reasonable conversion with a cog and spacer kit. If you trust any 'ol off brand for those things, you might find them for $20-$30. Something better is more like $70-$80. If you have vertical dropouts, you'll need a tensioner, so add $50 for a good one.

If you have vertical dropouts and you want to ride mountain or fixed, you really should avoid a tensioner and use an eccentric rear hub. So that'll run around $300 for the wheel on its own.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, trying to use vertical dropouts with a fixed gear is just plain dumb.

like I said, the candidate matters. Choose wisely.

Anyone attempting their own conversion should learn how to properly re-dish a rear wheel. There is absolutely no reason to change wheels if you have that basic skill.

I agree, candidate matters. But I believe OP is talking about a specific bike they already have.

As far as re-dishing, there is absolutely reason to get a new wheel. If you're re-dishing, then you're likely working with an older wheel that takes a screw-on freewheel (since there's no reason to re-dish a modern freehub wheel for SS conversion). And if you're working with an older wheel, complications can crop up from rusted nipples to broken spokes, to worn-out parts in general. It's much easier and simpler to just buy a new wheel.

There are all manner of short-cuts one can take to save a buck. But generally they end up costing in other things such as time and frustration. If you've got the free time and don't mind spending it that way, by all means. But it's not typically what I'll give as a plan A recommendation.

I converted many bicycles to single-speed ones.

I would not get a bike shop to do it because labour would be a lot.

I had parts on hand and thus the cost to me was either zero or very low.

Here's an example of one I did by using a single-speed freewheel and an existing double crankset with one chainring removed and the mounting bolts shortened.




It can be a fun and extremely satisfying project. I tell people to check their local bicycle co-op for donor parts if they don't have them on hand.

Good luck and cheers

I haven’t. I’ve always done it, and it was cheap and easy, but I have parts, tools and experience.

If you have a LBS do it, the cost will obviously depend on the cost of needed parts and the amount of time it takes.

Do you have a current bike in mind for conversion?

Otto

Also, sometimes the spokes on the non-drive side are longer, and the nipples bottom out on the spoke threads when they are further tightened to re-dish the wheel. If the spokes are galvanized rather than stainless steel, then the nipples are often hopelessly seized.

another DIY type, I paid for the freewheel the rest came out of being left by the dumpster or from my parts bin...

Actually, come to think of it, I did get a bit of help from a LBS on the original SS conversion on my ‘88 RockHopper.

The bike had a semi-horizontal dropout on the non-drive side but a sort of faux dropout on the drive side, where the dropout was partly filled in to help easily position the rear axle.

I wanted a bit more room to adjust the rear axle for SS, but I was feeling lazy, so I paid the owner of a LBS $20 to extend the dropout. A fair bit of not fun work with a hacksaw. It does help, though I can’t get too carried away on moving back before I exceed the reach of the U-brake. Luckily, 42/16 locates nicely and is just about right.





Otto

Doesn't look like your LBS did a very good job of cutting it straight. Is the wheel still aligned vertically with the frame ? When I've done something like this, I used a grinder. It takes a long time, but the results are quite good.

Wheel is still aligned. It ended up not mattering much. The 42/16 spot isn’t really in the part that was modified and in the few mm I have to work with it is actually pretty good. I could at most go to the next position, such as a 42/15. Turns out the rearward part is irrelevant because the U-brake would not function.

Otto

I wish I could diy it.

We had a kid who was trying to get their Huffy Motorcycle converted to single speed because I think they can't shift the freewheel or don't know how or their derailleur is broken because I don't know maybe the Huffy wasn't designed as a foo fightin' lawnmower and is barely functional as a normal bicycle.

If I was doing a conversion to single speed I would want to make it look really nice and perform well as a shop. I wouldn't want to do some home-brew stuff as I normally would consider for something like this. If I am looking to go cheap I would do it at home, if I want it to be super awesome I would give the shop a reasonable budget and let them build something cool.

Why would it be the price of a new bike ($300?!) just to have the rear wheel set properly lmao wtf?

This is an absolute lie. Even if you had the most vertical dropout without any means of tensioner and had to buy new tools, theres no way it would amount to (a minimum) $200. A chain tensioner is ~$30 (if you're converting a road bike with vertical dropouts) and freewheel (minimum ~$15). If you dont have the tool and need to buy them, a freewheel and/or cog tool should be less than $20, and a freewheel removal tool (assuming that's what you need) is literally $10-20. Redishing the wheel might cost a pretty penny, but if you're running single speed it's a negligible difference running a crooked chainline.

EDIT: just saw that you're looking to convert a multispeed freehub to single. You basically use one of the gears and add spacers to it. The tool for that is ~$20 and the spacers are literally pocket change.

Finally!

Tell us what you're starting with. We don't know how much is involved. This could be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be. If you're removing drop bar shifters, you can sell your old shifty bits and recoup some costs.
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what does "costly" means to you? that's subjective.

if you're starting with a modern road bike, ideally you will need:

• a single-specific chainring of your preferred size
• short chainring bolts to install the new chainring
• singlespeed cog (can't go wrong with Surly cogs)
• spacers for the cog to line it up on the freehub
• chain tensioner
• brake levers that are just brake levers, not shifters

if you're buying name-brand but basic parts, that's easily $150+ worth of parts. you LBS is not going to buy ebay specials for you, so you'll need to buy the parts yourself and bring them in (any decent bike shop that's not stuck in the 1970s will accommodate this) if you want to save money on parts.
it would be totally possible to use the old shifter/brake controls on your bike and just remove the shift cables, but the cost will be a wash if you sell your shifters, assuming they are in good shape.
places to save money:

• if you have a 2x "standard" crankset with a 39t chainring, you can use that smaller ring and just bolt it on with shorter bolts. I've been doing this for years with a 16t cog in the rear. if you have any sort of hills where you live, 39/16 makes a good starting gear. the ideal gear combo for you is a personal decision based on how and where you ride and your preferences. don't let anyone tell you specifically what gear to use. I mention mine because it's easy to start with and you'll know after a few rides if it's too low.
• you can source spacers from old, worn out cassettes or buy a cheap, generic spacer set. for some reason, spacers can be expensive, but they are really, really basic.
• use your rear derailer as a chain tensioner. plenty of guides to this online. you might have to install some longer limit screws, which will cost you less than a buck at your local hardware store.

not recommended:

• rear cogs and front chainrings that were designed to shift. these will inevitably drop your chain.
• replacing a multi-speed freewheel with a singlespeed freewheel. this can work, but unless you take the time to adjust the spacing on the hub (if that's possible) and reset the dish of the wheel, the front chainring and rear cog will not be on the same plane. the chain will have to reach laterally quite a bit in a way that will suck under pressure.

this is something anyone can do at home. it's not rocket surgery. you'll need to buy a few tools which, as a cyclist, you'll end up using a lot and save yourself hundreds of dollars in labor costs over the years.

assuming your dropouts are viable, just get a new set of wheels that are specifically for SS/FG riding. They aren't that expensive - $300 tops maybe. Just get the set that matches your rear spacing. buy a $20 freewheel, screw it on. ride.
start there. from there you can fuss with a new crank and/or bottom bracket spindle length if you want to make it real nice - otherwise most likely 1 of your chainrings on your multi-speed crank will line up with the back pretty well.

what bike are you starting with?! throw us a friggin bone here. some bikes are going to be easier to convert than others, and therefore less "costly."

Absolutely. You gave a good list of what would be needed to convert a modern road bike to SS.

OTOH, an 80s road bike with a semi-horizontal dropout and plain chainrings would need different treatment. No need for tensioner and probably the flat inner chainring will work. Plus you can add a SS freewheel and re-dish if your wheel is in good shape. I did this type of conversion a few weeks back and it cost $25: $10 freewheel, $10 chain and $5 chainring bolts. Plus about an hour to re-space and re-dish.

Otto