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Local Info: The fine folks down at Kennewick Schwinn helped me turn my old Jamis into a SingleSpeed bomb. Tony Tran performed his usual mechanical wizardry. THANKX GUYS! Go see the KS boyz and they'll help you get your very own SingleSpeed going. Frames: Vertical Dropouts: Few different ways to handle this. One is to purchase a chain tensioner like the Paul Melvin, Surly Singleator or Soulcraft Convert. If your local bike shop doesn't carry the Surly Singletor, don't worry. Its a pretty good bet that they do order products from QBP (Quality Bicycle Products) and QBP is the distributor for the Surly Singleator. Another way to achieve chain tension is to just use a regular derailleur. Take off the cable and adjust the position of the pulleys, using the hi/low setscrews, until you get a straight chainline. If setscrews aren't long enough just go down to the hardware store and purchase some longer ones. You'll want to use some Locktite on the screws so they don't back out on the trail. Another way to do it is to take an old set of brake cables (they're thicker than gear cables) and cut off about three inches of the end that has the little metal bit molded onto the end of the cable. Stick the cable backwards through the adjusting barrel on the derailleur, with metal molded bit resting against the outside of the barrel adjuster, and tighten down the cable lock screw. You can then use the barrel adjuster to get the chainline that you need. DIY Tensioners - you can take the cage plates off an old derailleur and modify them to make your own custom chain tensioner. You can also make your own tensioner that will push up on your chain. See the Instructions & Photos page for full details on both designs. If you have a CrMo frame, you can also have horizontal dropouts welded onto your frame to turn it into a SS specific ragin' machine. If you decide to go with welding on new horizontal dropouts, be sure to check out the super schweet Paul singlespeed dropouts (they're located in the singlespeed stuff). Gearing: A 2:1 gear ratio is a good starting place for a singlespeed. Just use the existing middle chainring that you have and change the rear cog to achieve the gear ratio you want. It's best if the chainring and the rear cog are not ramped so the chain won't try to climb off. If you have a set of threaded rear hubs you can purchase a Shimano or ACS Claw BMX gear assembly. You just thread it onto your hub and go! If you have a cassette hub, you'll need to space your rear cog out on the hub body so its in a straight line with the chainring. This can be achieved with plastic spacers you can get from your local bike shop. I've also heard of people using thick walled PVC pipe to get the rear cog spaced right.
There are a couple ways to get a rear cog that will fit on a cassette. Take your old cassette and carefully grind off the bolt heads (or rivets) holding the cassette body together. The other way is to have your local bike shop get a Shimano BMX gear, Part Number CS-MX66. The gear comes in 14, 15, 16 & 18 tooth and it is splined so it'll fit on your cassette body. The advantage to using the BMX gear is that it isn't ramped. You can also get a Novatech or King cassette cog. The Novatech is pretty inexpensive. The advantage of using the King cogs is the fact that they have a wider splined base so they won't dig grooves into your hub body. The King's are pretty expensive though (~$25).  HOT TIP FOR ACS FREEWHEELS - [this comes courtesy of Brent who works at Phil Wood] Freewheels are great but if you ride in gunk very much, they're going to stop working after while. It is possible to take the freewheel apart and regrease it if you're very very careful. However, it's easy to lose the guts out of the freewheel. Brent suggested a different solution. On the back of the ACS claws freewheels there are 4 holes. These holes are actually guides for the pawls I believe, BUT if you use a grease gun with a needle adapter you can shoot that baby full and it pushes the old crap out the front. Be sure to thin the grease with some oil otherwise it'll slow down the pawl engagment to much and you're screwed. Cranks: Bottom line ... use what you've got. I personally find that the longer 180mm cranks help me to climb better than I could with the 175's. However, one of my SS riding buddies just uses his 175's and he can roast me on the climbs. Find what works best for you and don't worry about what other people say. Chain: I've used a regular Sachs mtb chain and didn't have any problems with it breaking. 1/8" chains will be "stronger" but they won't work with your mtb chainring. I've used a KMC Z610HX chain (described below) with good results and am currently running a Sachs PC-58. KMC has produced quite a beefy chain for one-speeders. This chain is NOT for shifting. Thick plates make it strong and rubber seals make it smooth. The strength translates into a more efficient transfer of energy between the rings. The chain was reviewed in issue #79 of Dirt Rag and the person who did the review said that he's been using it for just under 250 miles and it hasn't stretched or given him any problems. He also said that he's been enjoying the durability of the chain, at the cost of an average 30% weight gain link to link. The chain he's talking about is the Z610HX (3/32") StretchProof (premium) chain which retails for $15-$20. Handlebar: A wider bar will allow you to better use your upper body strength when manhandling the bike up those steeper grades. I purchased a Bontrager Crowbar Race riser bar and have been very happy with it. Its wider than my flat bar with bar ends and the riser helps to dampen the trail vibrations some. There are some wider flat bars out there so its not necessary to run a riser. Again, use what works the best for you. If you're doing the SS conversion on the cheap, the bar you have will work just fine. Forks: Looking for the perfect addition to you SS bike? A rigid fork may be the answer. Suspension forks have some obvious advantages, but nothing is as light, responsive or tracks as well as a rigid fork. Not only that but when you pass someone while riding a fully rigid singlespeed, its just that much of a sweeter feeling. Check out the Rigid Fork Listings for the weapon of your choice. |
