[Squeaver]

Hey all,

I searched for some answers but came up short. I have an old GT frame and I am thinking about converting it. I read lots of different things about the conversion, but nothing saying everything that needed to be done. Could someone dumb it down for me? Or just point me to a thread that would explain it better. I found one from last year, but it was a little over my head.

Thanks

Parker

 

[BikeGeek]

Take off the shifters. Take off the derailleurs. Take off small and large chainrings. Take off the cassette and replace it with spacers and a single cog of your choosing. Get a tensioner. Shorten your chain. Tada! Singlespeed.

 

[Squeaver]

Ok, so it is that simple? Any special parts other than the single cog? Special chain? Or will any chain work? Sorry to be askin, but this sounds awesome to me.

Parker

 

[Squeaver]

While I am at it, what does a tensioner do? Other than the obvious it, provides tension.

 

[Biscuit]

The most technical aspect is chain alignment. Otherwise you'll keep dropping your chain.

When you convert your rear hub, you'll have a bunch of little spacers to move the cog side to side. Play around and get it as close to perfectly straight as possible. A dedicated single-speed (or dh) front chainring is also nice (without ramps and pins) as it significantly reduces the odds of dropping a chain.. and with how hard you have to pedal on a ss.. dropping a chain sucks.

Any chain will work. If your buying one, buy an 8spd. They are thicker, stiffer, stronger, etc. SRAM actually makes a ss specific chain (I think it just has fewer links). And carry extra links with you. If you break a chain, you can't just take a link out like when you have gears.

I recommend you try it before spending too much money on it. It isn't for everyone, but some find it addicting. It's a rediculous upper body workout, but the downhills can be frustrating.

If you do get into it. Wide bars will really help with the climbing.

 

[scottjustscott]

Take off the shifters. Take off the derailleurs. Take off small and large chainrings. Take off the cassette and replace it with spacers and a single cog of your choosing. Get a tensioner. Shorten your chain. Tada! Singlespeed.

It's even simpler to just not shift. And it's free!

 

[BikeGeek]

SRAM actually makes a ss specific chain (I think it just has fewer links).

If you're talking about the PC-1, it's actually a different size link than chains intended for shifting. Bikes with derailleurs typically run chains with 3/32"x1/2" links. SS bikes, such as BMX, typically run 1/8"x1/2" links. It a small difference, but it's enough to screw up your shifting.

It's even simpler to just not shift. And it's free!

This comes up in almost every conversion thread. It's just not the same. Why ride with all the extra hardware if you don't need it? It's just dead weight. My first conversion was free too. Old plastic cassette spacers from the LBS trash and an old derailleur as a tensioner. Not pretty, but functional.

 

[Squeaver]

Can anyone point me in the direction of any singlespeed references that way I can read up some more on this whole thing and maybe learn a little about the different riding style.


Parker

 

[Biscuit]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/ = the man.

 

[Squeaver]

Sweet, thanks, I printed off a couple of his articles. I am sure most of my questions, if not all of them, will be answered by reading these. Thanks

Parker

 

[Xterradork]

Also, try this one.

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

 

[Biscuit]

From trianglemtb.com who credits Glowboy on MTBR.com :

Concentration. You don't have to think about what gear you're in. You don't have to plan your downshift ahead of time when you come to a stop in traffic. It's not like shifting is THAT much of a mental burden, but you'd be surprised how many brainwave cycles singlespeeding frees up for other things. Like paying more attention to traffic. Like paying more attention to your body english, line and speed when you attack that rock garden. See my writeup below under the "Inaugural SS ride at Cutthroat PaSS" for a better description of what I mean. Singlespeeding makes you a better technical rider.

Momentum. 1. On a geared bike, when you start losing speed on a climb, you downshift, and you let off the power to do it ... which slows you down even more. On a singlespeed, you stand up and hammer. You get more momentum going up the hill (although it can be exhausing at times!). 2. Because you know climbing can get tough if you bog down too much, you pay a lot more attention to preserving your momentum, and you're less likely to sap away precious momentum with your brakes when you don't need to. 3. Because you carry more momentum going uphill into difficult technical sections, you have an easier time getting through them in the uphill direction. Why is technical terrain harder going uphill than downhill? Speed.

Pride. Let's be honest here. It feels pretty good doing that bad beeotch of a climb in a gear twice as tall as you would have on a geared bike. And people that aren't ordinarily impressed by others' riding are sometimes impressed that you can ride a particular trail AT ALL on a singlespeed.

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Those three items pretty much sum why I'm stoked on ss. It's a very deep personal challenge to stay on the bike.

And it really builds general riding skills. Gears help cover up mistakes like bad line choices or too much brake into a turn. Without gears, it's harder to recover and the penalty is much steeper. Forces you to focus and get the trail wired.

It's also a killer upper body workout.

 

[DiRt DeViL]

Come on, give it a try with your current gearie setup to choose a gear. When you find the one you like keep on riding without shifting.

If you like it then convert.

BTW, the mtbr faq is a wonderfull source of info.

 

[Squeaver]

Awesome guys. I appreciate the help. I have printed of over 100 pages of articles to read. By the time I get back to the states (a little over 3 weeks, YEAH!!) I will be well versed in the world of singlespeed riding.

Parker