Convert to Single Speed with a Front Freewheel?
 

Hey everyone, I've got a question that I upon searching I didn't really find any sort of information on, so here I am.

I've got an old Panasonic 10 speed, that I'm interested into turning into a single speed. Thing is, it has the Shimano Front Freewheel System going on. How can this help/hinder my efforts? Would I be better off just replacing the bottom bracket entirely?

I've never done a single speed conversion before, but it would seem that it would make it easier to do, since I wouldn't have to worry about a rear freewheel, I could just have a fixed gear on the back wheel. Of course I could be entirely wrong.

So please, illuminate me!

you are correct in that a fixed rear cog and the front freewheel (however strange of an idea it was to make those...) will work like a regular freewheel and let you coast. However, IIRC the front freewheel system still had a rear freewheel and a regular threaded hub. That means you wont be able to put on a standard cog and lock ring (barring ghetto suicide hub). So from a reliability standpoint you would probably be better off using a single speed freewheel, since it wouldn't get spun off should the front freewheel snag or something of the like.

Either way will have the same end function, but unless you have a fixed hub, just use a freewheel in the back.

part of your question was sort of covered in this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=378330

As far as I remember, the Shimano FF system had a rear cassette that isn't truly fixed. So you can't just use the same cassette and wrap the chain around the existing cassette. The rear was a "friction freewheel," as it had a much higher friction threshold than the front, but would let loose if the front got caught up (with laces, pant legs, or a limb).

I'm not completely sure, but I seem to remember many of the hubs being proprietary to the FFS system, meaning that you could only use the specific FFS cassettes, and couldn't just thread on a cog. It may work, but I distinctly remember some hubs being proprietary for the Front Freewheel system.

Thanks for the replies so far.

So is the friction freewheel in the back the same thing as a freehub?

Would something like http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...rsion+Kit.aspx work to convert the back wheel?

nope, that definitely wont work.

Those are for freehubs which post-date the front freewheel system by at least a decade (maybe 2).

since no one seems to remember for sure, you will either have a standard threaded hub that will accept a regular thread on freewheel, or some other type of proprietary attachment for the specific freewheel designed for that system.

can you maybe post some pics or give us descriptions of all the drivetrain hardware on this bike?