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gears to ss

margam_man

Chimp
Jun 28, 2008
25
0
how and what do i need to change my mtb into a ss. do i need to by a new hub or can i just put a single gear on the back?
 

frznnomad

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
2,226
0
a-town biatches
if you use your original hub you have to get a spacer kit for it so your chain line isnt all out of whack, and so that the gear does not move around on the freehub. now if you have the option of horizontal dropouts for your frame then that is all you have to do is put it in he horizontal dropouts. if not then you have to get a tensionor so that everything stays nice and tight, but that is about it man, unless you want to change to a ss crank, but that is not necessary. cause all you got to do is pull the other two rings off your stock crank. hope that helps man.
 

JRogers

talks too much
Mar 19, 2002
3,785
1
Claremont, CA
No- those are threaded cogs and won't work with splined (normal) multi-speed hubs. This is what you want (or something like it): http://webcyclery.com/product.php?productid=17326&cat=402&page=1

Those are nice cogs, but anything similar will work. I even used a regular cassette and just left it on my chosen gear for a while. As long as the chainline is decent, it'll work. I'd recommend a single, wide base cog like the Surly. There are cheaper ones out there, but some have a narrow spline area and if you have an aluminum freehub body they'll cut it up. Plus, they're just nicer than stamped steel ones.

That tensioner should work, though. A Singleator would be cheaper and probably work as well or better.
 

FR4life.

Monkey
Nov 2, 2004
606
0
The Bay
If you wanna be super neat and run micro gearing, dans has you covered with odyssey cogs that fit mtb hubs: http://www.danscomp.com/461059.php?cat=PARTS they are for 1/8" chains and are thick enough that they won't dig into your freehub. oh yeah they also come black, not silver like in the pic, i run the 12t.
 
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margam_man

Chimp
Jun 28, 2008
25
0
i need something for the road and for offroad. that why i was looking at those ones. i got on my mates bmx yesterday to try ss out but its just way to slow on the road. is there any way i could get a larger cog for the road and a smaller for mtb which will fit om my normal hub.
 

frznnomad

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
2,226
0
a-town biatches
the best way i can think to accomplish that is to take a normal cassett and just pull it apart and have the two gears that you want in the back. just make sure to keep them close enough so that your chainline doesnt get out of whack when your switching between them.
 

ManxMonkey

Chimp
Nov 21, 2006
11
1
i need something for the road and for offroad. that why i was looking at those ones. i got on my mates bmx yesterday to try ss out but its just way to slow on the road. is there any way i could get a larger cog for the road and a smaller for mtb which will fit om my normal hub.
In my opinion, once you start to have two ratios available for road/off road then it's no longer single speed. The beauty of SS is the ultimate simplicity and that you have to do it all with one gear wherever you are - uphill downhill, fast and flowing or slow and technical. I run 32:19, and sure, it is really spinny on flat road sections but I never ride more than a mile or two on asphalt anyway (it doesn't do it for me - and it is an mtb after all).

In reality of course you have these gears available - sit and spin, stand up and grind, coast and get off and push (or carry).....:biggrin:

If you start to faff around with having two ratios available then why not just stick to gears - even just a 1x8 setup?
 

Pebble

Monkey
Dec 6, 2006
137
0
Nannup
Yeah if you need more than one gear then just run it as 1x9 speed. With that you can stick with the normal mtb cassette 11-32 or 11-34 or you coud try one of the road cassettes like 12-28 or something (like DH riders tend to use).

I recently tried SS (purchased a DMR SS Spacer kit and a KMC Kool Chain), but the 32/16 ratio was too hard on the hills and I wasn't willing to go any lower.

To go SS all you need is the DMR SS kit, comes with cog & spacers, you may also need a tensioner (DMR makes one too - Check out CRC). Of course you also need a cassette removal tool & chain whip if you plan to do it yourself.
 

margam_man

Chimp
Jun 28, 2008
25
0
i ride 12 miles on the road before i get to my local mtb route. but do most of the riding off road. best stick to gears then.lol
 

ManxMonkey

Chimp
Nov 21, 2006
11
1
i ride 12 miles on the road before i get to my local mtb route. but do most of the riding off road. best stick to gears then.lol
Then maybe a singlespeed running 32:16 (or lower) wouldn't be ideal. It all depends on whether you're content to spin along on the road at 14mph (and at a cadence of about 120rpm !) or not.
I rode one of my SS's to work and back the other day and that was about 8 miles each way. I wasn't in a hurry (it was only work, after all :monkey:) , it was a nice day and I rather enjoyed it. Not something I'd do every day though...

If I had to ride 12 miles to and from my local trails I'd be throwing the bike on the back of the car - it makes me realise how lucky I am to have a good trail network starting less than five minutes from my front door. I can ride from home and be out all day if I feel like it without using the same sections of trail twice and with no more than 2 or 3 miles of roadwork in total.

Hardly a day passes when I don't remind myself how fortunate I am - other people travel for hours to get what I have on my doorstep...

Anyway , whatever you choose (gears or SS) - good trails mate :cheers: