convert to singlespeed by just removing all the derailleurs and extra chainrings, shifters etc, but keep the rear 6 spd cluster on the back? The chainline is perfect, and I got the tension perfect as well, but I know it doesn't look as "clean" as just having one cog on the back. Anyway, is this a lame conversion?

yes. and it'll blow up if you ride it.

That's how every kid in this town made their single speed. Don't forget to take off your rear brake and file off the braze-ons for no particular reason!

If you do take off the rear brake and the frame is nothing special, file off the braze ons so they don't cut your knee into muscle and an artery making it so you can't ride a bike for almost a month.

I didn't file the braze ons off my polo bike, and I can start LIGHTLY riding on Wednesday.


If the frame isn't some random mehhh frame, keep the gears on it.

I used to be against taking the braze ons off.

Once I am able to play polo again, they are coming off and then I'm taping over where they were,

i destroyed an axle that way, when i was courierering. when ever i try and accelerate hard or go up small inclinations the torque would force the wheel to shift causing the chain to slip UP the cassette and putting so much force on the chain it couldnt move anymore.

my problem may have been the ****ty quick release. stopping and fixing the chain several times a day eventually the axle bent then cracked and so did the qr skewer. quite a ****ty way to start your day at work.

I'm running 52x17, and I've tightened the rear QR really well. Chainline is tight w/ just a bit of slack. Wheel is pushed back all the way in the drop outs.

Oh well, if the axle bends and ****s up, just an excuse to by a new wheelset! But I'm not gonna take the braze ons off cause it's a higher end japanese shogun frame.

that's wicked,man. Just a normal braze on did that? Or the rear brake bosses(which I don't have on my bike)

dag

oh and it f -cked up the dropouts as well. left them both twisted . good luck and be careful.

I'll make sure I get the QR as tight as I can.

downtube cable guide. still not quite sure how i hit my knee on my downtube.

i blame it on the rain.

But how could converting to just one cog in the rear help? Is it just the sheer weight of the entire cluster that ****s it up?

You could always re-space the rear axle and re-dish the wheel to use a BMX freewheel.

man that was kinda a freak accident it sounds like. maybe I'll put some rubber tape over them.

What's the cheapest way to redish and respace? I probably don't have the right tools to do this, and I hate relying on bike shops.

yeah, i would definitely recommend at least taping them off with an old inner tube and a bunch of tape.

you know, like the way people tape up where their bars hit their top tube.

and yes, i call it a freak accident as well. but a week and a half not allowed to bend you knee sucks, regardless of how it happened.

and then you can walk, but still cant ride. ugh.

Well, hope you get better, man. At least it's not perma-f-cked. Me and my friend were playin soccer and he tripped and his knee went into a giant metal base that supports those stadium lights. His knee will never be the same. So ya know, there's always someone that's got it worse, but I feel for you, man.

It's only lame to do things that are unsafe or cost a lot with no return. Although I did see a pursuit bike the other day with RISERS; I'm not sure where it falls, but going single speed with a full cassette is ****ing badass compared to how stupid it is to ride a pursuit with risers. (Someone please correct me if for some reason this is actually a reasonable thing to do; it just looks like the combo of forward bend and awkward flat hand position would be death to about 5 joints and 80 muscles.)

They said I should heal up fine, but thanks.

Don't go cutting yourself on a braze on now.

Yes this is the case. Why would not having a derailer make a multi-speed cassette wheel any more or less likely to have a damaged hub/axle. QR's on slant dropouts are asking for trouble in general, but thats another thread.

I've made a lot of single speeds this way when people come into my shop and their shifting is FUBAR'd.

It's ugly, but if you pick gears that give you a decent chain line, its perfectly viable from a function standpoint.

But PLEASE leave the brakes on. Im seeing way to many morons come in with wrecked freewheel bikes that only have one brake.

not doing it at all is cheapest. Often times, flipping the chain ring to the inside of the spider and throwing a lock ring behind the freewheel can give you a decent chain line.

dish has a lot less to do with overall wheel strength than good components and proper tensioning.

Lame? Naw. I've seen plenty of people do this. However, you could save yourself some weight by dropping $20 on a single freewheel and $15 on an SS chain.

eh, I'll leave the front one on. There are always unconventional methods for stopping if the front brake fails...like dragging my foot, or stopping the tire with my foot.

I also agree about there being no difference using a derailleur or not using one in reference to the cluster slipping. I think his bike would have failed either way.

It's surprisingly not that ugly of a conversion...the biggest cog has like 34 teeth, plus it's just a 6 speed, so it's not to bad. Would look way worse if it was a 9 speed cluster.

Done it twice. Got rid of one wheelset for a track wheelset, and the other I had the cluster replaced for a BMX freewheel.

Dude, if you have the cable guides, keep the brake on there. The symmetry looks better, the hoods (if using aeros and drops) give you a great extra hand position, and the last thing we need is some jackass rookie crashing because they didn't have enough stopping power, or worse, because they tried to stop by putting their foot in a wheel.