Building a Single Speed
12-29-06 | 11:37 PM
#27
ThreadKiller
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 229
Likes: 3
From: Disneyland, Ca
Originally Posted by Blopslee
I'm mostly a road cyclist and have been riding a converted road ss for about ten years for commuting, errands, etc. First, I'm glad to see others doing this - although I just got a fixie too, It seems like no one rides road ss bikes around here
I'd say stick your 39 on the front and buy a range of BMX cogs (15, 16, 17 or something like that - this would probably necessitate a shimano freehub body, but it might be worth converting if you have campy because cogs from a cassette make loosing your chain very easy even with good tension) - they are cheap - and a spacer kit or conversion kit form some place like Rennen Design (they have a really nice two piece spacer that telescopes to allow an exact chainline adjustment) to convert your freehub body - and try your best guess first and just change sprockets as you get a better idea - did this about ten years ago and it worked itself out pretty fast. (seems like lots of people end up around 70 inches in a wide range of terrain, which would put you at about 39 x 15). Some will say that BMX cogs damage your freehub body, but I have been beating the hell out of mine for years with no problems.
I'd say stick your 39 on the front and buy a range of BMX cogs (15, 16, 17 or something like that - this would probably necessitate a shimano freehub body, but it might be worth converting if you have campy because cogs from a cassette make loosing your chain very easy even with good tension) - they are cheap - and a spacer kit or conversion kit form some place like Rennen Design (they have a really nice two piece spacer that telescopes to allow an exact chainline adjustment) to convert your freehub body - and try your best guess first and just change sprockets as you get a better idea - did this about ten years ago and it worked itself out pretty fast. (seems like lots of people end up around 70 inches in a wide range of terrain, which would put you at about 39 x 15). Some will say that BMX cogs damage your freehub body, but I have been beating the hell out of mine for years with no problems.
+1...I had been riding 42/18 on 700c's for awhile and tend to run out of gear too easily on the flats. Just switched today back to a 16t and it felt like too much gear at first but once up to cruising speed it was good. Hills were'nt too tough as well. Just buy some cogs as mentioned, they're cheap
03-20-07 | 12:55 PM
#28
Acquiring new target....
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,276
Likes: 0
From: St. Louis, MO
Bikes: Trek XO-1, Gary Fisher Rig
Since my question is very similar to the OP's I'll just add to the thread instead of starting a new one;
My mother is a huge estate sale fanatic, and one saturday came home with a late '80s (I'm guessing here) Motobecane Mirage. Other than the obvious lack of maintenance the bike is in perfect condition and I'd like to turn it into a SS commuter. I'll start grad school in August and the campus is less than 3 miles from my house so I'm going to try commuting to and from school and I'd rather not ride my race bike.
My goal here is to build a bike that is simple, rock-solid reliable, tough, and easy to work on (i.e. say I wanted to change the rear cog, it'd have to be something a "shade-tree" bike mechanic could do) that I can commute with, run errands on, and ride some local Rails-to-Trails trails (I'm near the Katy Trail).
Now onto my questions:
1. Can I just simply pop off whatever chain-ring I don't want on the crank? Is there anything else that I'll need to do? Also, I've never ridden this bike and I have no idea what condition the BB is in. Is replacing the BB generally something you do when converting an old roadie to a single-speed?
2. What needs to be done to the cassette to complete the conversion? I'm assuming that I can't simply pop off the cogs I don't want and just leave the gear I do want. Am I going to be looking at purchasing a new hub?
3. While this bike will primarily see road action, I'd like to be able to comfortably ride on the crushed-limestone trails in my area (Katy Trail) with my girlfriend, so I'm thinking I'd need something bigger than the 700x23 tires on my Lemond. Suggestions?
4. And finally the quintessential question: While I am mechanically inclined, I lack the tools and experience working on bikes to feel comfortable riding on a conversion I do in my own garage with the help of my friends (who say they do know what they are doing, but aren't exactly bike mechanics). Should I trust this job to my LBS?
I'd like to stay within a budget of $150, but don't have a problem spending money where it needs to be spent to ensure the longevity of the finished product.
I'm anxiously awaiting replies because I can't wait to get this conversion completed so I can sport my SS with pride!!
My mother is a huge estate sale fanatic, and one saturday came home with a late '80s (I'm guessing here) Motobecane Mirage. Other than the obvious lack of maintenance the bike is in perfect condition and I'd like to turn it into a SS commuter. I'll start grad school in August and the campus is less than 3 miles from my house so I'm going to try commuting to and from school and I'd rather not ride my race bike.
My goal here is to build a bike that is simple, rock-solid reliable, tough, and easy to work on (i.e. say I wanted to change the rear cog, it'd have to be something a "shade-tree" bike mechanic could do) that I can commute with, run errands on, and ride some local Rails-to-Trails trails (I'm near the Katy Trail).
Now onto my questions:
1. Can I just simply pop off whatever chain-ring I don't want on the crank? Is there anything else that I'll need to do? Also, I've never ridden this bike and I have no idea what condition the BB is in. Is replacing the BB generally something you do when converting an old roadie to a single-speed?
2. What needs to be done to the cassette to complete the conversion? I'm assuming that I can't simply pop off the cogs I don't want and just leave the gear I do want. Am I going to be looking at purchasing a new hub?
3. While this bike will primarily see road action, I'd like to be able to comfortably ride on the crushed-limestone trails in my area (Katy Trail) with my girlfriend, so I'm thinking I'd need something bigger than the 700x23 tires on my Lemond. Suggestions?
4. And finally the quintessential question: While I am mechanically inclined, I lack the tools and experience working on bikes to feel comfortable riding on a conversion I do in my own garage with the help of my friends (who say they do know what they are doing, but aren't exactly bike mechanics). Should I trust this job to my LBS?
I'd like to stay within a budget of $150, but don't have a problem spending money where it needs to be spent to ensure the longevity of the finished product.
I'm anxiously awaiting replies because I can't wait to get this conversion completed so I can sport my SS with pride!!
03-20-07 | 01:09 PM
#29
Banned
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 5,317
Likes: 0
From: GA
1. you'll need shorter bolts probably
2. It's probably a freewheel not a cassette hub
-take off the freewheel
-put on appropriate ss freewheel
-respace the the axle to get correct chainline
-redish the wheel
3. not really you don't want cx tread for riding around town but you probably want 32s at least for the trail
4. You can probably do it all yourself especially if you just buy a new ss wheelset($130) If you do take it to a shop ask around and find out what shops do conversions frequently.
2. It's probably a freewheel not a cassette hub
-take off the freewheel
-put on appropriate ss freewheel
-respace the the axle to get correct chainline
-redish the wheel
3. not really you don't want cx tread for riding around town but you probably want 32s at least for the trail
4. You can probably do it all yourself especially if you just buy a new ss wheelset($130) If you do take it to a shop ask around and find out what shops do conversions frequently.
03-20-07 | 01:56 PM
#30
Acquiring new target....
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,276
Likes: 0
From: St. Louis, MO
Bikes: Trek XO-1, Gary Fisher Rig
Originally Posted by dutret
4. You can probably do it all yourself especially if you just buy a new ss wheelset($130) If you do take it to a shop ask around and find out what shops do conversions frequently.
