finished 1st single speed conversion and having problems. need suggestions.
 

Ok so I converted this '69~ Raleigh Grand Prix. Shimano bottom bracket 110 x 68 i believe. Iro crankset. The fork wouldnt take the 700 wheels so my lbs suggested just just shaving a bit off the crevice where it takes the bolts for the front wheel hub. Anyways, I bought these weinman wheelset off craigslist. No name hubs 60 f-ing dollars. And I went riding with a few buddys but I feel they are going faster than me even though I have the same/better cadence than some of the other riders. I probably answered my own question but I think I need a better wheel set. Does anyone else think differently or is my set up all wrong. I have a pretty straight chain line. Around 200 bucks is my budget. Suggestions Please!!!

What is your gearing ?

You can spin like a gerbil on crack but you have to spin the right gear.

iro is 46 and sunlite 16 tooth in the back. 46 x 16.

Gearing seems decent... at 90 rpm you should be doing 20 mph.

My 90 rpm on my road fixed gets me 22 mph since I run a slightly taller gearing.

Guessing your friends are pushing a slightly taller gear and don't have to spin like gerbils on crack to match your speed and if they have more miles behind them are in better shape and can sustain higher speeds for longer.

Or they are running geared bikes and then you don't have a chance to keep up.

That does make sense. But What got me was when we were going down a street slightly downhill and a guy was next to me. He would pedal couple times and get down faster than my constant pedaling. So my only deduction was that he has to have a better build of wheel. That would be the only thing, in my mind, that made sense. Besides this guy mentioned he did at least 5 to 9 miles a week before the ride and he was still up there. Of course gear rations is the obvious answer but I know have more stamina than that guy. =/ Maybe I should do an experiment and swap wheels with somebody and see how that feels.

There were only a couple out of maybe 15 that had geared bikes.

I run crap stock kilo wheelsets. I'ld say it's ur gear ratio. There's no reason to swap a perfectly working new set of wheels for another pair of wheels just coz you can't keep up speed even if u're spinning faster. Basically what Sixty Fiver said. Why dun u ask ur buddies what ratio they're running?

file this under the "are you sure it's plugged in" category but are your brakes rubbing? if they're not tight and straight, they're gonna rub after you brake, slowing you down. i had that problem a couple weeks ago and didn't even realize it since it's hard to tell while you riding.

Descending will be affected by many things with aerodynamics playing a significant role (always) and the size of the rider as bigger guys descend faster (if we were using the same bike to test things) and if someone was running a smoother wheel set and faster rolling tyres you might have to pedal your butt off just to stay on their wheel.

Or what about your wheel bearings... are they adjusted properly? I'm amazed at how many people come into the shop who built up a SS/FG and their bearings are so tight that you could barely spin the axle by hand.

-------UPDATE-------

BTW, check the adjustment of your BB if it's not cartridge.

I did check the Wheel bearings and they are okay. I took it to 3 different LBS and they all said its mostly my gear ratio. Also I swapped rear wheels with my buddy and noticed a good difference in the hubs I have. Mine are really ****ty. Riding my buddies was smooth and i dont even think his were name brand hubs. So that says a lot on what i have. I noticed when I ride mine on flat ground my rear wheel is either with me or trying to catch up to my pedaling. So I decided to put some money on decent wheels and change my cog to a 15. I think that will make a huge difference. Thanks for the info and I'll post up the results of the change. The next decision is whether to buy online or at the LBS.

How so? Do the balls have flat spots... are the races pitted... what makes them sh**ty?


Sorry but I don't quite understand what you mean... why do you have the impression that the rear wheel is 'trying to catch up' to your pedaling?



I hope that solves your problem. It's great when things work out in the end.

MMmm.... Its a bit hard to explain really. I guess you have to ride it. My buddy bought a SE draft, which i heard are crap, and it rides smoother than mine. I think that pretty much explains it all.

Trolled.