Singlespeed question

jamLCFC

Hopefully this is the right area for this type of questioning...

I am doing roadwork for training to improve my fitness so my off road riding is more fun.

As i have one bike i am currently experiencing the usual wear and tear (and cost) of an offroad bike doing basic roadwork. The logic is that by having a bike for training it will pay for itself over a period of time as parts arent wearing and being replaced.

This is where the idea of a single speed comes in.

The road riding i do is quite hilly and this helps greatly with fitness. The concern i have is that with a single speed i may spend more time walking than riding. Is it possible to set the rear as single but keep the tripple ring front? I know it seems silly but i cannot think of an alternative....is there an alternative solution?

Many Thanks

******************************************************************************************************

wgwarburton

jamLCFC wrote:

.... Is it possible to set the rear as single but keep the tripple ring front?

No, not really- you need a chain tensioner of some sort anyway. The best way to go this route is to fit an older seven or eight speed transmission, so you can use a cheaper and more durable chain. It's not a huge gain, though.

I know it seems silly but i cannot think of an alternative....is there an alternative solution?

Actually, yes- a hub gear! Might sound inappropriate but you get variable ratios, a straight, tough chain and the gubbins are out of the weather. If you're thinking of a single-speed (or three speed with your chainring idea) then you're not going to be worried by big steps between gears, which is actually the most significant disadvantage of hubs over derailleurs.
The weight difference is less than you might think, since you don't need the mechs, cassette, triple or half the shifters.

Cheers,
W.

supersonic

Or a cheap 7 or 8 speed system. Steel rings can last for ages, 8 speed cassettes can be had for a bout a tenner. Full length gear cables.

The Rookie

Get yourself on ebay and get a reasonable steel framed old MTB and put it on more appropriate road tyres, ideal for training.

I got a Townsend for £5.50, I've done about 50 miles on it when my other bikes are having work done and the daughters BF borrows it to join us on family rides and has done about 100 miles, once the tyres wear out I'll replace them, total cost to date £5.50, no other work done AT ALL! If the DBF uses it much more I may start chucking some slightly better bits on it from my spares box.

Simon

chrishd883

Buy another cheap MTB on Ebay? +1

But what extra costs do you experience on the road? Other than the extra mileage it should be cheaper to ride on the road than off-road. It's the wet and grit that will wear out your components. Winter worse than summer, off-road worse than on road.

Most MTB equipment is stronger and less "fussy" than road kit - maybe you could fit a pair of 1.5 inch MTB slicks for road riding? Makes a big difference.

Single speed and hilly terrain? Not a good combination, unless your Chris Hoy!

jamLCFC

chrishd883 wrote:

But what extra costs do you experience on the road? Other than the extra mileage !

Thats the thing by doing the road mileage that i do its just wearing chains and sprockets. This will be my second c+s this year so thats £60 done. The other thing of course is with the wear i get i buy cheaper c+s (kmc + HG 50) .So it comes at a compromise really and its mainly the small rear cog thats knackered and it all seems like spending money i dont need to.

The more i read on the topic of single speed the more it starts to appeal. With regard to the hills etc i am thinking on just changing the rear sprocket as i get stronger and fitter and use that as a measure for improvement.

I have a set of road wheels and tyres (with discs) and i swap them over for offroad so i am sorted on that side of things. I have some suntour forks that would be fine for this and other bits and bobs lying around

Maybe its time to pick up an Inbred in the classifieds....

---

Bacteria Man

With regard to the hills etc i am thinking on just changing the rear sprocket as i get stronger and fitter and use that as a measure for improvement.

I prefer to do this-makes me feel like I'm really making progress with the fitness. Recommended.

lae

You can use a triple up front so long as you have a chain tensioner. You can make a chain tensioner out of an old derailler. But you still have a derailler, a cable and a shifter, which all require maintenance. You can just change gear using heel kick-down and picking up the chain to move up. With practice you can do this whilst moving. You get grubby shoes and hands though!

You could also build a wheel with a double sided hub, which will allow you to install a freewheel up to about 2 teeth different (depending on the length of your dropouts). If it's a double-sided hub you need to remove the wheel and flip it round to change ratios which is a bit annoying. You can get double freewheels for screw-on hubs (ENO make them) but they're expensive (70 quid ish).

If you have a freehub you can just put two sprockets on it and use spacers on the rest. Then you won't need to remove the wheel, just loosen it and move the chain over. If you have a big difference in sprockets you can use a chain tensioner. If it's just one or two teeth you can slide the wheel backwards/forwards in the dropout to get tension.

What I did was have a double chainring up front and a double sided hub. The chainring was 42/46. I ran an 18t fixed sprocket on one side, giving me 46/18 fixed, or about 67". The other side had a 22t freewheel - running 42/22 this gave 50" fixed for going up and down hills. Because the number of teeth added up to the same, this meant the rear wheel didn't move backwards or forwards in the dropout and I didn't need a chain tensioner.

+1 for hub gears. Hub gears are probably the most suitable thing for a winter bike. If you're worried about ratios you can change the front and rear sprockets, e.g. one of my bikes had a 42t front and 22t rear, giving me a high of 70" (for cruising on the flat), middle of 55" (hill) and low of 40 (steep hill). Old Sturmey Archer hubs are ten a penny on ebay and they're essentially indestructible. 99% of the problems are because of the shifters - I just used downtube friction shifters with mine and it was perfect.

TiBoy

I am a recent convert to the singlespeed work and have been very suprised at the hills I can get up. I run a 46 tooth up front and a 16 at the back which is a good balance for me. I did go out on a geared bike beforehand and set it in one gear to see what it was like, I based my gear selection on what I felt was the biggest gear I could use for most hills. Spend more time on the single now than any other bike, it is a great training tool.

fossyant

Go fixed - you'll get up hills better than a single speed, and going down, you'll learn to pedal really fast............ Benefits geared riding massively........

jamLCFC

thanks all..

Inbred frame has been ordered from Ebay and some bits and bobs to make up the single speed from CRC and Merlin.

Just waiting on the frame arriving and i can then do my first bike build as well....fun fun fun


=========================================================================

Stuey01

jamLCFC wrote:

thanks all..

Inbred frame has been ordered from Ebay and some bits and bobs to make up the single speed from CRC and Merlin.

Just waiting on the frame arriving and i can then do my first bike build as well....fun fun fun


=========================================================================

So how many years worth of chains and sprockets do you think this bike is going to cost you to put together?
What about the wear on this one? or will it magically not wear out?

If you want another bike then by all means, but I really think this approach of buy another bike to prevent wear on your other one is a totally false economy. Perhaps if you are running Super Record or Dura-Ace or in MTB land XTR then maybe... but you still have to ride around on a worse bike for a large portion of your mileage, unless you spend enough to make it decent, and then it makes no economic sense.

neiltb

i think the justification will be n+1

Stuey01

neiltb wrote:

i think the justification will be n+1

Don't have a problem with that! If so the OP should fill his boots, but why lie to yourself....

jamLCFC

Stuey01 wrote:

neiltb wrote:

i think the justification will be n+1

Don't have a problem with that! If so the OP should fill his boots, but why lie to yourself....

The cost of building the single speed will be less than £150. I have over time managed to get several bits and pieces that i can use to keep the cost down.

The bits that i buy for my offroad stuff have always been a compromise in order get good life out of stuff that i know will wear out becuase i do a lot of roadwork and this coupled with me being big boned and a bit of a stomper :shock: sees me wearing stuff out quicker than i would really like.

Take an example

I am in need of a new rear wheel for my off road stuff and will be looking to get a hope/stans set up at the end of the year. That requires a better quality cassette and thats where the compromise needs to come into play.If i find the cost of HG50 and KMS chains is a lot whatabout when i fit the upgraded XT cassette and chain. Surely that means more cost :?

With the single speed the rear sprocket is £5ish and a chain a £10 so surely thats gotta be a saving over a period of time..

Do i want a new bike...hey why not.
Do i think it will save me some money ....yes i think it will do.
Can it help me get fitter.....i hope so but time will tell

...and to top it all i get the experience of building a bike Gotta be a win win surely


==========================================================================

manofsteel

Good luck with the singlespeeding - after a couple of rides you'll be suprised at what you can climb without changing gear. You'll be pushing a lot less than you imagine and your fitness will increase ten - fold

Stuey01

fair enough mate, if you can get it together for that then why not. I myself put together a cheap single speed mountain bike for commuting duties from an old frame I had, it's great.
I put an avid cable disc on the front for braking duties, better than a rim brake in the wet, worth considering.