I recently bought a Raleigh XXIX and have been enjoying it very much. Right now I have a 13T cog on the back for fast commuting. However sometimes I like to switch back and forth between cogs. It really isn't that hard to switch cogs and chains, but I thought of an easier way.

Just leave 2 or 3 cogs on the hub (I know I have room for at least 2) and fashion an old derailleur as a chain tensioner, then adjust the detailer to switch between cogs. Now I have 2 or 3 gears, and can quickly switch between them without swapping chains.


I bet someone here has already done something similar to this?

Any thought on the idea?

Can I still call it a single speed?

there are standard cassettes, yes

good luck getting the derailleur to shift exactly to your makeshift spacing

what do you think

I wasn't planning on "shifting" with the derailleur , I would adjust the barrel adjuster until the chain is positioned over the desired gear.

just buy an internal 3 speed hub

I don't really see the point in this.. too much effort, why not just hook up a shifter to the derailleur and run a full cassette on the back, a 1x9 setup or something?

just buy a road bike

Use a friction shifter, either downtube or barend, to shift the rear derailleur. Cheap and will shift whatever you've got. Use a Surly Dingle cog.

No, it won't be a singlespeed anymore and your hipster cred will be shot to pieces.

However, your "Fred" card should be in the mail soon.

+1 on buying a road bike

you could probably fit 2 cogs on the back...

since your bike has an ebb you could probably adjust for a 2 tooth difference without resorting to a derailleur???

i don't think chainline would be too awful...

on a sidenote: 13t cog is soo small, i'd consider upsizing your chainring so you could at least get a 15t on the back... it will certainly wear much better.

finally: this is freewheel right? don't even try this if your running fixed.

Friction shifters rock.

+1 on you having a gay avatar.

I think it sounds like you want a three speed

Try one of these:

https://hubstripping.wordpress.com/torpedo-duomatic-fs/

I had one back in the late '60s. They were pretty reliable. No shifters, and a coaster brake to boot.

retro direct

Rather than what you are describing, I would run a a White Dos ENO, and a double crank. If you want to get REALLY versatile, run a flip flop hub with a Surly Dingle cog on the fixed side.

OR... do what I do, and ride a geared bike when you want more than one gear choice.

1x9 ftw:

that would be ugly if it weren't so cool.

if you want gears why not just buy a geared bike.
your idea totally defeats the purpose of a bike being single speed

?

Your idea is 72 years too late.

campagnolo cabio corsa ftw.

or you could just get a sturmey archer hub.

Ed Litton built a frame with Corsa dropouts?!?! Oh man, that's awesome!!

The only way to have a single speed(no shifters) and still get two speeds is go retro-direct.



The small freewheel is high gear you pedal normal
The large freewheel is low gear you pedal backward.
That's right--switching to pedling backward puts you in low gear!

thanks for all the ideas.

Right now I am liking retro-direct, or internal 3 speed. I think both would preserve my hipster image also,



What kind of hub setup do you need for retro-direct?

my mind is goo after looking at this

Wouldn't it be simpler to use a Sturmey-Archer three-speed hub? You my be able to get a fixed gear version - https://www.sheldonbrown.com/asc.html