Singlespeed Chainset Advice
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Posts: 692
Got an old Marin hardtail frame that I'm thinking of using for a singlespeed build for winter riding (yes, I know I should have had this in place a few months ago!). I've got everything pretty much sorted out from a mix of parts on the bike, spares kicking around and some new odds and ends. The biggest gap is with the chainset. The old one is dead, so I need new cranks, BB and chain ring.
Ideally I want a 32t set up, with reliability more important than weight, and budget as far under £100 as possible! I will be doing a fair bit of climbing, so need somethign that is not going to bend under pressure (or at least not before I do)
Which leads me to my questions:
1. There don't seem to be many SS cranksets around that aren't for downhill and hence have wrong number of teeth, anyone able to make a recommendation? I was wondering about this one:
Bontrager Earl http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=59278
Not clear if this includes the BB or not - anyone know?
2. If it is difficult to get a decent off-the-shelf SS, do most people go for a set of crankarms and buy the ring separately? I've read good things about the Blackspire SS, but finding it difficult to track one down as a few places are out of stock
3. Do you think there's a need for a chainguide to stop chain jumping off the front, or will the tension be enough? I was going to use an old front mech, but if its not needed its one less thing to think about.
Ideally I want a 32t set up, with reliability more important than weight, and budget as far under £100 as possible! I will be doing a fair bit of climbing, so need somethign that is not going to bend under pressure (or at least not before I do)
Which leads me to my questions:
1. There don't seem to be many SS cranksets around that aren't for downhill and hence have wrong number of teeth, anyone able to make a recommendation? I was wondering about this one:
Bontrager Earl http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=59278
Not clear if this includes the BB or not - anyone know?
2. If it is difficult to get a decent off-the-shelf SS, do most people go for a set of crankarms and buy the ring separately? I've read good things about the Blackspire SS, but finding it difficult to track one down as a few places are out of stock
3. Do you think there's a need for a chainguide to stop chain jumping off the front, or will the tension be enough? I was going to use an old front mech, but if its not needed its one less thing to think about.
You don't need eyes to see, you need vision
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Comments
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I don't think many use a chainguide for ss, I certainly haven't needed one. As for chainrings, I've been using an old lx crankset with a middleburn ring- it isn't a singlespeed specific one, seems alright though. If you fancy buying an slx crankset I'll happily take the rings off your hands!Rock Lobster 853, Trek 1200 and a very old, tired and loved Apollo Javelin.0
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cheers bikeaswan, that's one question resolved!You don't need eyes to see, you need vision0
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I have Middleburn RS7s with a Salsa ring on my SS. Most rings are pretty much the same. Stainless steel ones will last longer (I've had Surly before), but might be better run with a bash guard as they don't like logs, stones, etc. Blackspire rings are good too, I had one as my first SS ring. I was going to buy another but couldn't find my size in stock so bought the Salsa instead.
If you want cranks with external BBs then the Hive/15G ones get good reviews, but the proprietary BB would make me think twice. I think Stif sell them. I can't honestly say a SS-specific chainset is necessary, but they look nice.0 -
Hey
I've just got a normal set of LX cranks on my SS, and i'm running a normal 32t deore chainring on it and i haven't had any probelms with this set up.
You won't need a chain guide either, your chain should be tight enough that the chain won't be able to jump off.
What We Achieve In Life, Echoes In Eternity0 -
Cheers, Torres! Got everything ordered, so just waiting for bits to arrive.You don't need eyes to see, you need vision0
