[bicycleman]

I have a old bike that was my moms. Ya shut up . the shifter for the rear broke and i was thinking that i would just make it a single speed instead of buying a new shifter.It is a mid 90's Trek 800 Antelope rigid. (no shocks). It is an 18 speed. It has Canti brakes. Would this make a good candidate for a SS. If so what things would i need to buy.As im not very good at fabricating things. And how much would it cost.

 

[Angus]

The Trek's steel frame would do well as a single speed, There are several methods to conversion, here is a Great Resource

http://www.mtbr.com/faq/ssfaq.shtml

this has tons of good info....


My favorite way to conversion is buying a Eno hub from white ind. and having a rear wheel made, The Eno Hub has an eccentric axle which helps in chain tension. and if for some reason you don't like SS'ing you can sell the wheel on ebay easily...

 

[BikeGeek]

Also, search this forum. There are several threads on conversion.

 

[Angus]

Also, search this forum. There are several threads on conversion.

True, but nowhere near the detail as on MTBR, SSing here is still an oddity there its been dialed in, discussed, re-discussed, filed, catalouged and regergitated.

 

[BikeGeek]

True, but nowhere near the detail as on MTBR

No doubt, that place has a bajillion members, give or take.

 

[Angus]

yep. I lurk over there when I need info on parts, or builders, but I hang over here for the Lunacy.....

 

[bicycleman]

so could i do it with out buying a whole new wheel. (cause im broke).
Would it work to just take the big and small chainring off the front and buyy one of those spacerkits off one of those sites
umm here it is
http://www.blueskycycling.com/product1510_33_-Gusset-1-ER-Single-Speed-Conversion.htm
but it wouldnt work because mine is a six speed.
do you know where i can get one for a six speed

 

[BikeGeek]

Try a Fibonacci Spacer Kit from Endless. It includes spacers in 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and 21 mm sizes. Another option is to scrounge up some old cassette spacers. Ask your LBS if they have any throw-away cassettes you can harvest the spacers from.

When you drop your big and small rings, you'll need to get shorter bolts. The big and middle rings share the same bolts. Or you could get a bashguard to take the place of the big ring.

If the frame has vertical dropouts, you'll need to use a tensioner or play around with cog size and/or chain half-links to get proper chain tension. Too slack and you'll drop the chain, too taut and you can damage the chain, cog, and ring.

 

[bicycleman]

im looking at this, how do i know if it is HG splined
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=1764&category=2621

 

[Meat Foot]

Try a Fibonacci Spacer Kit from Endless.

Those are bad azz. If you are on a stricter budget, try 1-1/2" PVC pipe (or is it 1-1/4"??). Any way, you can make custom lengths to suit the spacing and for like 3 bucks you can get a 10-foot stick. Really impresses the gals.

As for tensioners I hear good things about the Rennen one. It should work fine with those DOs on the Trek. Other bikes that have the bulky Breezer DOs will not work with the Rennen. I asked. My geared bike was wanting an up-grade (down grade?) to SS-hood but will not take to the Rennen. Though I like Surly products, I have heard of reliabilty issues with the springs. If you have the dosh for a new rear whell, the ENO hub from White Industries will suffuce.

 

[BikeGeek]

im looking at this, how do i know if it is HG splined
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=1764&category=2621

Look at the hub with the cassette taken off. If the splines all seem to be the same size, it's probably Uniglide. If you see one spline is noticibly wider than the rest, it's Hyperglide. Newer bikes stick to the HG standard for cassettes, but since you said it was a mid 90's 6-speed frame, it really could be either.

The only problem you could run into with the Gusset 1er is that it may be too big for your 6-speed freehub. It's most likely designed to convert an 8/9-speed freehub. Just a guess, I really don't know.

 

[bicycleman]

so can someone specify wether its 1-1/2" or 1-1/4".
also how is this going to be held on, and wont it be spinning around and stuff

 

[GumbaFish]

You can buy aluminum spacers from your lbs for like 2 bucks each, just get as many as you need. Easiest, and cheapest way.

 

[bicycleman]

damn, so what way is the best, i dont mind spending some money(less than 50 bucks). so what tools do i need to do this.

 

[Meat Foot]

so can someone specify wether its 1-1/2" or 1-1/4".
also how is this going to be held on, and wont it be spinning around and stuff

It is indeed 1-1/4". I used a thin (1/8" or so) PVC spacer on the outboard and a standard lockring from an old cassette. I did not overtighten, as I was afraid the brittle nature of plastic would just split. Hope this helps.