i would really like to make my bike into a single speed with an ~38T chainring but i cant find one. If i just buy the chain ring i can get one as low as 42T but its a 5-bolt 144mm BCD which I cant find anywhere.

does that exist?
should i be looking for somethign specific for my drivetrain?

if you are going 144 42t is the minimum tooth count because of the size of the spider
42t rings are available from many manufacturers I highly recommend the sugino zen messenger as it is stiff light and quite round
origin 8 and 1/8 inch both have a 42t 144 ring as well as all city they tend to sit at around $60usd

can you buy SS/track parts with fewer teeth...like 38T? I really dont care what my BCD is.
I ride this bike in the winter so i like the option of really low gearing

It'd probably be easier to go with a larger cog. And cheaper.

What sized sprocket did you want to run on the rear? I think the largest rear gear you can get for the rear is 21 tooth. Do not know if that would give you enough gearing if you go with a 42t front chainring. Otherwise, you are going to have to find a crank with at least a 130 bcd to use a 38t chainring.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/chainrings.html

Tom

Its easy, just get a 110BCD or 230BCD crank, and put a 38t chainring on it. I don't know why anyone but a dedicated track racer would ever waste money on a 144BCD crank, but maby thats me.

to be honest i cant find any 1/8" chainrings in anything smaller than 144mm, and thus any smaller than 42T.
I dont care its a "Track" component but i figured single speed people liked 1/8" for some reason so i was looking for that
i have heard 1/8" would pop off less.

Yeah 21T is the largest i can get, this is going on my Sturmey 3sp and thats as big as they come without hacking stuff together.
As for the gearing I was hoping for 38/21 in the winter then I would switch to an 16T or 18T once winter is over. 38 isnt an absolute number its just my ideal.

I might just end up buying this becuase it is the lowest sized front i can find, but its looks cheesy, its only 44T.

Funny, 15 seconds of google->products got results, try it.

I did the only ones down at 38T are not 1/8" or are over 200$

$50 for a 39T x 1/8 >>> https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...&category=2629

https://store.icyclesusa.com/rpm-10-s...rce=googlebase

not sure if it is 1/8, but this is the cheapest I could find in under 1 min.

Nope, it doesn't matter if you use 3/32" or 1/8". Or put 1/8" chain on your 3/32" chainring. If you can get a 3/32" crank/ring cheaper go that route.

I have an SS MTB with the lousy stock triple crank, cassette cog in the back, and very loose chain tension due to huge tension differences in the not-round chainring. I've never dropped my chain yet. As long as you have a straight chainline you'll be fine.