who,s riding one ?? bumped into a fella with a v10 set-up as a single 20t in the rear with a 36t up front i,m considering it i,m not one for changing gears much with the stuff i ride
full suspension single speed dh/freeride bikes
- Thread starter demonprec
- Start date
I've run SS on the last 3 DH bikes I've had. I don't race, and the trails that I bring out the DH bike for are all pretty steep. Works pretty flawless once set up right and opens up some budget that is normally reserved for derailleurs.
The YESS ETR-D tensioner is what I've used, but I have a Shimano something sitting in the garage that I'll probably run on the next bike.
The YESS ETR-D tensioner is what I've used, but I have a Shimano something sitting in the garage that I'll probably run on the next bike.
care to elaborate on the shimano something? saint derailleur?
Shimano Alfine tensioner, perhaps. I've heard of them being used successfully.
The Alfine, that's it. The name escaped me.
Was running 16-18t rear and 36-38t front. And yes, verify chain growth w/o shock.
If you plan on running it for a while, get a couple backup torsion springs for the YESS tensioner. Had a couple go out on me in the 2 or 3 years I ran that setup.
Was running 16-18t rear and 36-38t front. And yes, verify chain growth w/o shock.
If you plan on running it for a while, get a couple backup torsion springs for the YESS tensioner. Had a couple go out on me in the 2 or 3 years I ran that setup.
http://www.jensonusa.com/Dimension-Splined-Cog-For-Singlespeed
http://www.jensonusa.com/Singlespeed-BMX-and-Track-Cogs/DMR-Revolver-Single-Speed-Spacer-Kit
http://www.jensonusa.com/Shimano-Alfine-CT-S500-Chain-Tensioner
this is a parts list i put together i,m going to build a new frame and plan to go single speed for what i ride i never change gears and i,m tired of it bouncing from gear to gear on some sections as i,m trying to pedal thru
http://www.jensonusa.com/Singlespeed-BMX-and-Track-Cogs/DMR-Revolver-Single-Speed-Spacer-Kit
http://www.jensonusa.com/Shimano-Alfine-CT-S500-Chain-Tensioner
this is a parts list i put together i,m going to build a new frame and plan to go single speed for what i ride i never change gears and i,m tired of it bouncing from gear to gear on some sections as i,m trying to pedal thru
ive had good luck using a rohloff thing for single speed.
http://www.rohloff.de/en/products/speedhub/dh_chain_tensioner/index.html
http://www.rohloff.de/en/products/speedhub/dh_chain_tensioner/index.html
Or you can do it right and ride a gearbox bike
I'm also running a singlespeed setup on my dh bike and i'm using the rohloff tensioner. you can set the chainline, but only in a very narrow window, by placing washers under the derailleur bolt.
i ride a single privot, so my choice of front chainring sizes is limited. if you go the singlespeed route, you may have to look for dedicated singlespeed sprockets with a wider base (surly, chrisking, etc.), if your freehub body is made of alluminum.
Saw a guy with a patriot (think it was on here) set up with boxxers and singlespeed.
He was using an e.13 guide with the cage from a rear mech mounted where the guides lower roller would be, mounted upwards so that it gave canfield/K9/Broklyn style elevated chainline. Eliminating chain growth and removing anything flapping around near the rear hub.
He was using an e.13 guide with the cage from a rear mech mounted where the guides lower roller would be, mounted upwards so that it gave canfield/K9/Broklyn style elevated chainline. Eliminating chain growth and removing anything flapping around near the rear hub.
My buddy rode his Demo 8 singlespeed at Whistler for a week and loved it. The only reason he went back to gears was to not spin out when racing. He used the Yess tensioner.
I've been running my Voltage FR for park, xc, and shuttle DH in multiple travel settings. I went from 34-16 to 38-18 the other day to keep the upper rung of the chain off the swingarm. The chain slap was bugging me before. The gearing has been working well for non-racing fun riding.
Problems I've experienced:
-the Alfine tensioner necessitates a cog somewhat centered on the freehub body, with fine tuning possible with up to 3 thin washers. I couldn't use one on my Voltage due to the limited lateral adjustability.
-If using a derailleur, you might need to source longer H/L limit screws to keep the derailleur centered on the cog.
-The Shimano Zee derailleur is not up to the task without getting twisted. Mine got twisted on its first ride and yeah, I had more than enough links in the chain to prevent breakage upon bottom out, which never occurred.
That setup that trib is talking about above looked like genius. I don't think it would take a hit very well, though.
I've been running my Voltage FR for park, xc, and shuttle DH in multiple travel settings. I went from 34-16 to 38-18 the other day to keep the upper rung of the chain off the swingarm. The chain slap was bugging me before. The gearing has been working well for non-racing fun riding.
Problems I've experienced:
-the Alfine tensioner necessitates a cog somewhat centered on the freehub body, with fine tuning possible with up to 3 thin washers. I couldn't use one on my Voltage due to the limited lateral adjustability.
-If using a derailleur, you might need to source longer H/L limit screws to keep the derailleur centered on the cog.
-The Shimano Zee derailleur is not up to the task without getting twisted. Mine got twisted on its first ride and yeah, I had more than enough links in the chain to prevent breakage upon bottom out, which never occurred.
That setup that trib is talking about above looked like genius. I don't think it would take a hit very well, though.
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Been running my Transition TR250 singlespeed on and off since I got it a couple years ago. I prefer singlespeed to geared since I don't race nor do i pedal the bike up anything. My setup is as follows:
36/15 Gearing
e.13 LG1 Guide
Alfine Tensioner w/ a couple extra washers for space
Not one problem yet and scary silent, also cleans up your bars a bit.
36/15 Gearing
e.13 LG1 Guide
Alfine Tensioner w/ a couple extra washers for space
Not one problem yet and scary silent, also cleans up your bars a bit.
If anyone was confused/intrigued by my earlier post about a franken rear mech/front guide heres the post I was referencing.
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f85/single-speed-dh-212849/
Also this popped up a short while ago and looks super fast, despite its lack of gears.
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f19/stainless-steel-dh-frame-250950/
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f85/single-speed-dh-212849/
Also this popped up a short while ago and looks super fast, despite its lack of gears.
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f19/stainless-steel-dh-frame-250950/
are you getting a gearbox bike now?
Anyone still into singlespeeding their DH bikes? I am not into the idea for day-to-day riding, but i am visiting Whistler a bunch more this summer and think it'd moatly be fine there as I ended up running chainless for a few days on my last trip this summer sue to a smashed derailleur.
Recommendationa on gearing for the bike park?
Recommendationa on gearing for the bike park?
Yep, I have a SS DHR. 36Tx17T. Works on the downs but if any pedaling is involved, it is a heavy biatch. I am in the East tho, and I've never been to Whistler.
I smashed the Alfine tensioner's hanger interface on a jump so now I ride with this hack that works great.
I smashed the Alfine tensioner's hanger interface on a jump so now I ride with this hack that works great.
Thanks! Is that a DW DHR by chance?
I am looking at setting up a Sunday like this. Luckily I used to ride SS xc a few years ago so I have lots of cogs 15t-22t laying around to play around with. Might even grab a 14t when I grab my alfine tensioner (still good for people? They're only $26 at universal cycles, which is my local lbs for thr next two weeks being 12blocks away).
I am just tired of replacing derailleurs. Not to mention I have been a real bum this summer and don't have a lot of extra money at the moment.
I am looking at setting up a Sunday like this. Luckily I used to ride SS xc a few years ago so I have lots of cogs 15t-22t laying around to play around with. Might even grab a 14t when I grab my alfine tensioner (still good for people? They're only $26 at universal cycles, which is my local lbs for thr next two weeks being 12blocks away).
I am just tired of replacing derailleurs. Not to mention I have been a real bum this summer and don't have a lot of extra money at the moment.
Yep, a 2013 DHR. Here it is in rack with wifey's Sunday. 
For me the Alfine works fine, even in its semi-broken condition.
For me the Alfine works fine, even in its semi-broken condition.
What chain is that?
I have an Alfine sitting in the garage that I haven't used yet. Does that thing have enough swing for the chain growth that's on a '13 Devinci Wilson? Higher pivot and all.
Are these Alfines any good for DH use or are they cheap crap?
I have an Alfine sitting in the garage that I haven't used yet. Does that thing have enough swing for the chain growth that's on a '13 Devinci Wilson? Higher pivot and all.
Are these Alfines any good for DH use or are they cheap crap?
The DHR has plenty of chain growth and the Alfine handles it just fine.
Chain is Gusset Badger 3/32".
Chain is Gusset Badger 3/32".
My buddy with the demo 8/Yess setup swapped out for an Alfine tensioner with the b-tension tab broken off. He just fastened the "cage" to the dropout with a velcro strap and it's been flawless.
just need to get a Alfine tensioner and a new BB for my single speed DH bike project , nothing fancy just a old 06 Norco Shore
Is anyone still running singlespeed on their DH rigs, or just me? Feel like I saw a bunch of SS rigs in Whistler the past two years.
Anyone tried running an enduro style chain guide (i.e. no bottom roller) with an alfine tensioner, narrow wide chain ring and ss cog (mine is sandwiched between two larger cogs)? My old bashguard is broken and I have an enduro type guide/bash thing laying around as well as a spare narrowwide ring.
Anyone tried running an enduro style chain guide (i.e. no bottom roller) with an alfine tensioner, narrow wide chain ring and ss cog (mine is sandwiched between two larger cogs)? My old bashguard is broken and I have an enduro type guide/bash thing laying around as well as a spare narrowwide ring.
Yes.
Take a look at my SS Sunday in the Sunday thread. should be about 3 or 4 pages back from the last posts.
9 speed chain.
NW ring
8 speed singlespeed sprocket (no need for sandwich plates).
no guide at all (Just a cut down quarter Gamut bash).
Cheap generic sprung chain tensioner with a minor modification.
Quiet, massively mud friendly and doesn't ever lose the chain.
<edit> I did consider the Alfine tensioner but when I actually saw one in the flesh it didn't seem anywhere near as good as my solution. infact. I thought a modded r/mech would work better.
I'm in the process of building another DH bike just now and currently swithering over whether it's going to be SS or 3 speed. (It def won't be getting a full cassette that's for sure).
I'm thinking 12, 14, 16T cassette possibly with only a top guide and NW ring. Short chain and pefect chainline should mean I may not even need to use a clutch mech. We'll see.
Take a look at my SS Sunday in the Sunday thread. should be about 3 or 4 pages back from the last posts.
9 speed chain.
NW ring
8 speed singlespeed sprocket (no need for sandwich plates).
no guide at all (Just a cut down quarter Gamut bash).
Cheap generic sprung chain tensioner with a minor modification.
Quiet, massively mud friendly and doesn't ever lose the chain.
<edit> I did consider the Alfine tensioner but when I actually saw one in the flesh it didn't seem anywhere near as good as my solution. infact. I thought a modded r/mech would work better.
I'm in the process of building another DH bike just now and currently swithering over whether it's going to be SS or 3 speed. (It def won't be getting a full cassette that's for sure).
I'm thinking 12, 14, 16T cassette possibly with only a top guide and NW ring. Short chain and pefect chainline should mean I may not even need to use a clutch mech. We'll see.
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I've run an 11-25 5 speed on my last few DH bikes. Works great. It's nice having a few gear options (and I like having the 25 for being last lazy pedaling back to the lift line).
Yeah. I ran 11-25 and 11-23 6 speed cassettes on my DH bikes for years. (I'd have run 5 speed but the limit screws didn't limit that far) The large sprockets were only ever used for pedalling back to the uplift.
There's no pedal involved at my local uplift anymore and I don't need any lower than 36/16 on a DH run anywhere.
I'm only even considering gears for stupid places like Ft William motorway.
and by running a 12T smallest sprocket I'm hoping I'll be able to space them dead centre on the freehub and limit the mech at both ends.
I tried that when I was first experimenting with it. I found that chain retention suffered a little using a center spaced cassette like that, I think because the parallelogram pulled the guide pulley away from the cassette more, with the small gears near the center of the freehub, so I gave up on that. Going down to 5 speed (using a Saint 10 speed derailleur) did require getting a longer limit screw, but it's a standard size metric bolt. M3 IIRC.
Hmm... Ah Yeah. on most Shimano mechs I can see that being a problem.
I'm planning on using an XO short cage 9 speed mech. Those things have a ridiculous amount of B-tension (no doubt SRAM use another term for this screw) adjustment. so much so that I'm pretty sure you could have the top jockey touching a 12 or 14T sprocket spaced in the centre of the freehub. Also. I'll only need 2 more links than SS worth of chain to cover the range I want versus the 5 or 6 links you must have had flapping around (12-16 sprockets versus 11 -25T).
it's a trial and error deal anyway using parts I have lying around. Will revisit this thread at some point once this bike's built and been ridden.
I'm planning on using an XO short cage 9 speed mech. Those things have a ridiculous amount of B-tension (no doubt SRAM use another term for this screw) adjustment. so much so that I'm pretty sure you could have the top jockey touching a 12 or 14T sprocket spaced in the centre of the freehub. Also. I'll only need 2 more links than SS worth of chain to cover the range I want versus the 5 or 6 links you must have had flapping around (12-16 sprockets versus 11 -25T).
it's a trial and error deal anyway using parts I have lying around. Will revisit this thread at some point once this bike's built and been ridden.
Bit of a derail here, but that's a Ti spring, right? Can I ask what's the brand, poundage, weight, cost?
Wouldn't a tensioner like Pinion does sitting just behind the front chainring be great for full suspension SS bikes?
It would serve as a lower guide in the same time, probably be less exposed and move some weight to the sprung part of the bike. Then it would look cleaner assuming that the pulleys can be almost horizontal like that (but that depends on how much chain growth your frame had...):
It seems that the Pinion tensioner fits their gearbox and I am not sure if it will work on ISCG 05 mounts... probably not!
It would serve as a lower guide in the same time, probably be less exposed and move some weight to the sprung part of the bike. Then it would look cleaner assuming that the pulleys can be almost horizontal like that (but that depends on how much chain growth your frame had...):
It seems that the Pinion tensioner fits their gearbox and I am not sure if it will work on ISCG 05 mounts... probably not!
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it is.
It's all in the Sunday thread if you're really interested. @Udi also asked about it.
It's a Progressive Suspension (Not a progressively wound spring. remember 5th element shocks? it's from those guys)
Poundage is 375lb x 2.5" stroke (Yes, that's 0.5 shorter than the shock stroke on the Sunday but it works just fine due to the open winding of the coils). This is also what makes it so light.
it's one of the lightest ti coils ever avaialable but sadly these have not been produced for over a decade now. I forget the original cost when new but they weren't actually all that silly expensive compared to some Ti springs around at the time. If you ever see one for sale second hand buy it!
Yes. and No.
I like the idea and it does indeed solve the lower guide issue. but it also doesn't guide the chain onto the lower rear sprocket so you may need some sort of guide (plates?) at that end to help with that. or a Narrow wide sprocket. is that a thing yet?
If you look at old '90s Sunn Chipie DH bikes some of those used a guide with a similar tensioner that worked really well. (along with a derailleur and cassette though)
as did IIRC Ancillotti.
US brand AC components made one (which looked really nice at the time but didn't actually work brilliantly. these came OEM on Giant and GT DH bikes.
Roox also made a guide with a sprung lower roller assembly.
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It says it has "boner" so you know it is money well spent.You can get one of the neat chain tensioner from "SB One" - clutched (199eur) and non clutched versions (95eur) are available. Bit pricey tho...
