I had an old hardtail collecting dust in my garage, so I picked up some used spacers, and 18tooth cog and a tension for $15 to do a SS conversion. I figured if I didn't get into SSing, I'd only be out $15, so it was worth a shot.
I got the geared parts off and the SS stuff on. I got a few tips about how to make the setup more reliable, one of which was to have teh tensioner push teh chain up, not pull it down. So before I left the house, I deicded to flip the tensioner around. In the process I managed to break the tensioner. So I took out a few links and set the bike up without a tensioner. Chainline seemed good, tension seemed ok, so I thought I'd give it shot.
I got to the trail head and pedaled around in the parking lot a bit to get a feel for things. It took about 20 seconds before I started to see the appeal to SSing. Then I hit the trails.
I fully expected to drop the chain at least a few times, and for the lack of gears to kick my butt. I rode most everything I do on my geared bike and didn't shy away from the climbs much. I really enjoyed how fast and nimble the bike was. The spinning/griding up hills didn't bother me as much as I thought it would - what really hurt was never having a chance to recover. The trails I rode are ALL up and down, so there's never a chance to just sit back and spin to catch your breath.
Oh, and I didn't drop the chain at all.
All in all it was a good ride. I can definitely see the appeal to SSing, and I'll be doing it again soon (perhaps tomorrow morning). I'm not ready to sell my Yeti, but I do see a SS being a permanent part of my stable.
I got the geared parts off and the SS stuff on. I got a few tips about how to make the setup more reliable, one of which was to have teh tensioner push teh chain up, not pull it down. So before I left the house, I deicded to flip the tensioner around. In the process I managed to break the tensioner. So I took out a few links and set the bike up without a tensioner. Chainline seemed good, tension seemed ok, so I thought I'd give it shot.
I got to the trail head and pedaled around in the parking lot a bit to get a feel for things. It took about 20 seconds before I started to see the appeal to SSing. Then I hit the trails.
I fully expected to drop the chain at least a few times, and for the lack of gears to kick my butt. I rode most everything I do on my geared bike and didn't shy away from the climbs much. I really enjoyed how fast and nimble the bike was. The spinning/griding up hills didn't bother me as much as I thought it would - what really hurt was never having a chance to recover. The trails I rode are ALL up and down, so there's never a chance to just sit back and spin to catch your breath.
Oh, and I didn't drop the chain at all.
All in all it was a good ride. I can definitely see the appeal to SSing, and I'll be doing it again soon (perhaps tomorrow morning). I'm not ready to sell my Yeti, but I do see a SS being a permanent part of my stable.
