Converting a road bike - have chain-to-chainring questions
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Converting a road bike - have chain-to-chainring questions
I seem to have a habit. Every time I buy a new bike, the previous newest bike gets rebuilt as a 1x or single speed. I'm doing that again.
This bike needs some love. The shifters are shot (internals), it's due for a cassette and chain. The bar tape is showing its age. You see where this is going. It's a perfect candidate for a single speed build! I'll play with cogs to get the chain length right since there's no way to adjust the wheelbase - and I don't want to run a tensioner.
I going to be using a SRAM 1x road crank with the narrow/wide chainring (because I have one not being used). The plan is to ditch the cassette and use a single splined 15t or 16t cog (with all the needed spacers).
So the question:
Most of these cogs are 3/32" wide. There was a change in chains after 8-speed. But as I understand it, the internal with of an 8-speed chain and 11-speed chain is the same or virtually the same - 3/32" vs 11/128". This makes me thing an 8-speed chain will work on that SRAM narrow/wide chainring that was meant to be used with an 11-speed chain.
EDIT: Had a chance to mock this up - and answer my own question. An 8-speed chain on an 11-speed narrow/wide SRAM chainring will work.
The patient:
This bike needs some love. The shifters are shot (internals), it's due for a cassette and chain. The bar tape is showing its age. You see where this is going. It's a perfect candidate for a single speed build! I'll play with cogs to get the chain length right since there's no way to adjust the wheelbase - and I don't want to run a tensioner.
I going to be using a SRAM 1x road crank with the narrow/wide chainring (because I have one not being used). The plan is to ditch the cassette and use a single splined 15t or 16t cog (with all the needed spacers).
So the question:
Most of these cogs are 3/32" wide. There was a change in chains after 8-speed. But as I understand it, the internal with of an 8-speed chain and 11-speed chain is the same or virtually the same - 3/32" vs 11/128". This makes me thing an 8-speed chain will work on that SRAM narrow/wide chainring that was meant to be used with an 11-speed chain.
EDIT: Had a chance to mock this up - and answer my own question. An 8-speed chain on an 11-speed narrow/wide SRAM chainring will work.
The patient:

Last edited by Zaskar; 04-06-23 at 06:15 AM.
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Converting bikes is a sickness I once suffered from. I began to search Craigslist, looking for my next patient to convert to 1X, so I feel your pain. I eventually got over it, not due to a change in desire so much as a lack of space!
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