Yet another Dumb SS conversion question: and yes I have read the entire Sheldon Brown SS site and others as well as 100's of posts here and still I have several questions.

1) I have a 1984 Centurion Accordo that I have begun to convert to a SS. The rear dropouts have adjuster thingys that would seem to be possibly be useful for adjusting the chain without needing a tensioner?



2) I bought the Forte conversion kit and now am wondering if it will work on this wheel when the freewheel is removed. (I haven't done that yet I do not have the correct tool.)

3) Will I have to have the rear wheel re-dished? I still can't understand the need to do this if you are basically riding in the equivalent of one of the 6 rear cogs.

Please help and any other advice/suggestions to a novice bike piddler would be helpful

1. I don't understand what you're asking.

2. Send back the conversion kit. You probably only need a BMX freewheel.

3. Most likely.

P.S. - Upon further reflection I believe you're asking about those thingies in your dropouts. Take those out. That will allow you to tension your chain properly by utilizing the whole dropout.

1. Remove what you're calling adjuster thingys. They won't help you tension the chain as they're essentially just blocking the dropout where the are. I'm not sure if you could put them in front of the axle once you get the wheel in, but I'd expect it would do little above the actual axle nuts.

2. As per BBwimp, send back the kit. With dropouts as horizontal as you have, there's no need for a tensioner. Tensioners are for when you have inadequate dropout space (as in vertical drops) to adjust chain tension by moving the wheel back and forth. If you are using a cassette, you can get a sprocket and space kit or just the sprocket and use old spacers from a pooched cassette (which if you don't have you can get free or at a negligible cost from your local LBS).

3. Maybe.

Ok great so far... still on question #3 any experiences from people that did not redish rear wheel?

I had to redish my rear wheel on my SS due to chainline issues, and I'm glad I did. I've ridden a bike or two without redished rear wheels, and I find them... unpleasant, in some way. Redishing also looks a lot better, IMHO, if that means anything to you.

I built a fixed wheel for a mountain bike once with a suicide cog. Redished the wheel and got proper chain line. I would do it.

-Rob.

I just went through the same thing. The problem is that your bike has a freewheel. I believe the kits are for freehubs, the later technology. The best and probably cheapest solution is to buy a new wheel with the flip flop hub installed.

1) those are chain tensioners my frame has them, they allow you to keep the rear wheel even, but i would get rid of them if i were you.

All above advice is good. Redishing is usually necessary to get good chainline. Remember that with SS you don't have the RD keeping the bottom chain run aligned with the cog for you, so the chainline has to be pretty good. The great and powerful Retem claims that 90% of bikes will work without redishing if you use the inner chainring position on the front and throw a BB lock ring then a BMX freewheel on the back so that the lockring acts as a spacer moving the freewheel out, it's gnarly but it probably does work.

Thanks to all who have replied so far!

What I am getting is:

1) Take the adjusting things OFF. Will do.
2) Send back the Forte kit (thank goodness I havent opened it) it is for newer cassette technology
3) Due to reasons that will be clearer when the bike is reassembled the wheel will probably need/or be "better" re-dished

or

3a) maybe a better or cheaper?! solution would be to buy a new rear wheel ... some prices on the lower end for this please and suggestions of wheel and hub

It's not going to be cheaper to buy a new wheel. A BMX freewheel and a redish should be cheaper, especially if you can redish yourself.

Negative on the redishing myself ...

I did my SS conversion with a BMX freewheel and didn't have to re-dish, chainline is fine. you may not have to.

Just dropped frame at LBS they are going to overhaul the headset and BB and remove the Free wheel and install a BMX Freewheel. Should be ready Saturday.

Aargh! Got bike back the LBS also installed a ACS Claws Freewheel. SO I get home and the "eyeballed chainline is off by 1 1/2 inch or so. Pfft! move chainring to inner side of crank spider this helps. BUt then I screw up chain and then run out of light in work area. Will continue tomorrow... called bike shop about possibility of moving BMX freewheel out with spacers THey said not enough room on axle .... Any ideas anyone?

Well i know its a heavy option but when i first SS'd my Px-10, i just left the old freewheel on there and tensioned the chain, chain line was not really an issue.

Redish and respace. At a different LBS not run by idiots.

I just went through all of this. Save yourself some grief. Buy a new rear wheel with a flip-flop hub.

Grief is my destiny ... no more $$ for new wheel. Have already gone over expected budget (way over) Is it possible that this axle is too narrow to get Freewheel moved far enough out to get proper chainline?

that's really not necessary just to convert to a SS. converting to fixed, one should definitely consider getting a new wheel, but for SS only, use what you have!!

it's very handy to know how to respace and redish. it's really difficult to do until you actually get some cone wrenches, washers/spacers, a spoke wrench and try it.

then you realize you can do it, and you work on it until you get it right.

which should take all of three hours. maybe.

how to diy, cheaply:

respacing the axle. the idea is this: the axle already has spacers on it. just like balancing an algebra equation, move spacers from one side to the other until you get the hub where you want it in relation to chainline. because i'm not a genius, i usually go off of trial and error until i get it right.

for a SS, don't stress on getting it to the millimeter, just get it "straight."

redishing the wheel: this is the most tedious part, but $6 for a spoke wrench and an hour or two of your time, plus the knowledge of how your wheels work is worth it.

remember that spokes pull on the rim (and the hub, too, but we're focusing on the rim, because that's what you're trying to move).

the left spokes pull the rim left, the right ones pull the rim right. so, if you're trying to move the rim to the center in relation to the frame, then loosen the ones that are pulling it "too far" and tighten the ones that aren't pulling far enough.

what i do in redishing is loosen the all the lefthand spokes a half turn, then tighten all the righthand spokes a half turn, and i repeat until i get the rim in the general area of where i want it. then i start using quarter turns, for fine adjustment. then 1/8th turns. then i true the thing using the brake pads.

make sure you loosen before you tighten.

then i ride it.

OK I have a spoke wrench, need to get some cone wrenches, I thought to redish you had to buy different length spokes? I included some pictures of my rear axle:

Usually you can redish a decent amount without new spokes. Good luck!

okay, see that giant spacer between your freewheel and the dropout? take that thing off of there, measure it, and get some smaller spacers that equal that length. then, start adding spacers to the left side of the axle till you get it to the right spot, then take up the rest of the space on the right side.

them move on to redishing.

Update!! Not finished but ridable!! This is a huge achievement for me. Still need to work on chainline and redishing but put everything back on, re-taped the bars, new brake cables, new Planet Bike computer and down the road I went!!