Advice required on a 'project'

puncturemagnet

Evening all, I picked up a mountain bike off my local freegle for bugger-all last night and I'm looking for advice on what I should do with it.

The bike in question is a Norseman Crusader, of indeterminate age but in reasonable condition. The bottom bracket/crank has a bit of movement and it looks like it's sat in a garage for a while but the frame and everything else seems pretty straight, to be honest I'm quite pleased with it.



As it has no suspension and the bottom bracket/crank will need fixing I'd like to turn it into a single speeder.

My only problem is I have no idea how to go about doing it.

Obviously I don't want to give it to someone else to do, I want to learn something new so if anyone has any advice on this I'd be very grateful.

Many thanks

Craig[/img]

nicklouse

have a read

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12534960


but first you need to see if you have a cassette or a freewheel (see Sheldons pages on this).

EKE_38BPM

That bike looks ripe for SS or FG conversion.

Have a look at the triple chainring and count the teeth. If the teeth look OK (not too worn) and the rings aren't bent then remove the two rings you don't need (more about this later).
If the BB is shagged, you may need a new one or if it is cup and cone, new bearings.
Remove the cassette, re-dish the rear wheel (basically, loosen spokes, centre the hub and re-true the wheel) then screw on a freewheel (SS) or track sprocket (FG).
Work out what gearing you want and choose the chainring and freewheel or sprocket that give you that gearing.
Remove the derailleurs, shifters and gear cables.
Sort out some foot retention, especially if going FG.

To help you choose the right gearing, ride your geared bike in only one gear for a few days. If that feels too hard, choose a lower gear, if too spinny, choose a higher gear. When you get it about right, use this site to work out what GI you've chosen and select a combination of chainring and freewheel (or sprocket) that gives you the same or similar.
You'll probably have to get a SS chain (1/8") as the freewheel or sprocket will probably have thicker teeth that a 'standard' chain won't fit.

You may have to mess around with spacers to get your chain line right. If its off you'll have a noisy drive-train that wears out quicker than it should.

Sheldon Brown will have more info that may come in handy.

As an aside, it looks like the front tyre has directional tread which is facing the wrong way, so turn the wheel/tyre around to maximise grip (off-road) or fit slicks all round if its for on-road use.

Have fun.

EKE_38BPM

Oh yeah, if anyone attempts to sell you a Single Speed conversion kit, tell them that your bike has horizontal dropouts so don't need one. If they don't understand what a horizontal dropout is, leave the shop.

Horizontal dropouts allow you to move the rear wheel backwards or forwards to acheive the correct chain tension. The Single Speed conversion kits include a tensioner that is necessary on a bike with vertical dropouts (because you can't move the wheel to tension the chain), but you don't need one.

nicklouse

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Oh yeah, if anyone attempts to sell you a Single Speed conversion kit, tell them that your bike has horizontal dropouts so don't need one. If they don't understand what a horizontal dropout is, leave the shop.

Horizontal dropouts allow you to move the rear wheel backwards or forwards to acheive the correct chain tension. The Single Speed conversion kits include a tensioner that is necessary on a bike with vertical dropouts (because you can't move the wheel to tension the chain), but you don't need one.

err if it has a cassette not a Freewheel then yes he will need a SS kit but NOT a tensioner.

and from the Photo and look of the bike I am expecting a freewheel rather than a cassette but.

and I would be surprised if the cranks have replaceable rings.

EKE_38BPM

nicklouse wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Oh yeah, if anyone attempts to sell you a Single Speed conversion kit, tell them that your bike has horizontal dropouts so don't need one. If they don't understand what a horizontal dropout is, leave the shop.

Horizontal dropouts allow you to move the rear wheel backwards or forwards to acheive the correct chain tension. The Single Speed conversion kits include a tensioner that is necessary on a bike with vertical dropouts (because you can't move the wheel to tension the chain), but you don't need one.

err if it has a cassette not a Freewheel then yes he will need a SS kit but NOT a tensioner.

and from the Photo and look of the bike I am expecting a freewheel rather than a cassette but.

and I would be surprised if the cranks have replaceable rings.

From what we can see the chainrings may or may not be replaceable. If they are then remove the two superfluous rings. If not, either leave it as is and only use the ring necessary to get the right gearing.

If the rear wheel has a freehub, then Velosolo do a kit with the spacers and sprocket that the OP would need (I guess this is the type of SS conversion kit you mean).
I've seen many bikes that just have the chain on the sprocket of the rider's choice, but no derailleur.
Otherwise, remove the cassette and screw in a freewheel.

For a quick and dirty conversion, all the OP needs to do is remove the derailleurs, cables and shifters and shorten the chain. Thats the zero cost version, but will be a bit heavier and won't look as good.

puncturemagnet

Thanks for the advice guys, some more pics if it helps with your assesaments...

snooks

EKE_38BPM wrote:

For a quick and dirty conversion, all the OP needs to do is remove the derailleurs, cables and shifters and shorten the chain. Thats the zero cost version, but will be a bit heavier and won't look as good.

With due respect to the OP, she ain't never going to be good looking

iPete

What you do I guess depends on what you want to use it for?

Personally I'd sell it & buy a nicer/older frame to convert that's going to give a better finished product, I'm not sure that frame etc is worth building on?!

EKE_38BPM

Note of caution: I notice that the crank is made my Ofmega.

I bought an Ofmega Vantage crankset off ebay and only when I offered it up to the standard square taper spindle did I find out that that Ofmega uses the Campagnolo square taper and a standard square taper won't fit properly.
If the OP needs a new BB, bear in mind that it may use a Campag square taper spindle.

EKE_38BPM

iPete wrote:

What you do I guess depends on what you want to use it for?

Personally I'd sell it & buy a nicer/older frame to convert that's going to give a better finished product, I'm not sure that frame etc is worth building on?!

Do the quick and dirty and it won't really matter.
My Banana conversion was really just to practice my wrenching on and to see if I'd like riding fixed. The frame is in worse condition than the OP's, but has taught me a lot.
Mainly that its not really worth spending too much (money, time or effort) on a rubbish frame, but with the right components and fettling, it can still ride well.

Gussio

If anything that you strip off the frame is in reasonable condition, slap it onto eBay to help offset against costs.

puncturemagnet

Hi guys, thanks for the advice regarding my SS project.

I had a couple of hours this afternoon to have a proper look at the bike and make a start at a cheep and nasty SS conversion just to get me going.

Here are some pics of the progress so far today:-


Stripped of everything apart from the brake callipers. I've got a couple of old levers from my BMXing days (25 years ago) knocking about the shed which I think should work OK.


Had to lose a couple of links from the chain which I'll stick in the bike's repair tin, should keep me going if I have a break on the road. The path looks pretty straight, maybe a slight pull to the right from front to rear but otherwise OK. Only problem is the ratios which I'll come to later.


By God they're wide! Not sure what to do with them, either trim about 3 inches off the width or put on a set of drops which might help with the ratios.


Thank you lovely wife for the loan of the hairdryer, made sticker removal so much easier. Now that I've got into this a bit I'm liking the idea of an all white bike to match all the white, and fast cars on the road (though I'm not fast...at all!).


The bits that came off it and won't be going back on, more stuff to horde

So far so good TBH, couple of problems are:-

The BB/crank has about 1mm of side-to-side play in it. The arms and chainwheels are solid but if I shake the whole assembly from side to side there's movement in it so I'm guessing it's the BB that needs replacing. Can anyone tell me, by looking at the pics what sort of type (not brand) BB it is and what I'll need to replace it with so I can start swatting up on Youtube and find out how to do it myself.

The gear ratios are my biggest concern at the moment. I've been commuting 5 days a week for the past couple of weeks and really enjoying it, getting plenty of sleep and eating well and my fitness is on the up. For the past 4 days I've kept my hybrid in the same gears for my commute, which is 42T on front and 15T at the back. The SS project as it is at the moment is 46T 14T so I'm thinking it's gonna be a bit of a barsteward :shock:

I've got a shorter stem in the shed from a road bike I had about 20 years ago so I'm thinking about whacking that on with a cheap pair of drops and that, along with a set of clip ins might help on the hills or nightmare headwinds.

Will also need a set of tyres, Schwalbe M+ or possibly Durano+ if I can get 'em.

Anyway, let me know what you think folks, any suggestions or advice appreciated.

Craig

The Rookie

Your BMX levers will likely be the wrong pull ratio for the V-s and you'll need V-brake levers.

The BB may just need stripping, regreasing and rebuilding (or just tweaking the preload), it's 99% certain to be square taper, but could be JIS (Shimano) or possibly Campag.

Simon

EKE_38BPM

Good work. De-stickering is fun!
Gear ratios: Assuming 26" wheels on both bikes, 42:15 works out as 72.8" and 46:14 = 85.4" BIG JUMP! That will need sorting. Have you experimented with using the middle chainring and a bigger sprocket?
Bottom bracket: Sounds like you need a new one (or at least new bearings). It looks like a cup and cone but I would replace with a more modern one. If it is cup and cone, when you take it apart it will probably either say what size it is or have a code e.g. "3S" cast onto the spindle. The SJS site has a list of what dimensions the various codes are. Use the dimensions to either buy a new cup and cone of the right size or a more modern one with the same dimensions. I tried cup and cone on my fixie but ended up buying a new one as they are much less hassle, but impossible to maintain. When they die you have to buy a new one rather than regrease and/or replace bearings like you can with cup and cone.
Brakes: Would BMX levers pull enough cable for those calipers?
Handlebars: I don't normally say this, but I would stick with flat bars (maybe cut those ones down a bit). If you put drops on that frame, you really will have a Frankenbike, especially if you use BMX brake levers.
Pedals: Clipless definitely helps on hills. I didn't realise how much I pull up until I had to use flats for a day. Some hills I normally ride up without any problem ended up being nearly impossible.

Keep up the good work.

puncturemagnet

Ratios are now 38T at front and 18T at back which gives me a straight chain so I should be able to cope with that no problem. I'd have preferred the 38T 14T but the chain would have been seriously bent.

I'll take the crank out in the next couple of days and see if there's any coding on it. Will get back to you on that one.

I've been using clip-ins for a week or so now and really seeing a difference with them, especially on the few hills I have to contend with.

Bars will be cut down, don't like the idea of frankenbike, should be able to pick up some v levers for a couple of quid.

Cheers again for the help.

Craig