Zero-Cost singlespeed - a joy

debeli
debeli Posts: 583
edited July 2014 in Road general
A neighbour offered me a free bicycle the other day. I never turn these things down and was soon the owner of a slightly gaspipe but nonetheless hardly-used Ammaco Oasis 18-speed hybrid. I've never heard of the brand, but it is clearly from the Halfords or Aldi end of things.

From the spec (6-speed cassette, canti brakes and traditional quill stem) I'd say it's from somewhere in the early-to-mid Nineties. Nonetheless it is is (very) good condition and as I have a horde of cycling children it was a welcome addition.

Middle child (who will leave the nest soon) liked it and as the righthand gear lever was sticking he decided to reduce it to a zero-cost singlespeed. Off came the gearchange malarkey, the mudguards and other bobbins and the chain was shortened to sit round the middle chainring and the middle-ish sprocket.

As it has horizontal drop-outs, chain tension is no issue. It is not pretty, but middle child refuses my offer of a singlespeed rear wheel with a flip-flop hub. He likes the 'grunge' look with all the redundant sprockets and chainrings.

I have to say it is a lovely ride.... and at zero cost. Happy, happy, happy.

Comments

  • MountainMonster
    MountainMonster Posts: 7,423
    Free stuff is always awesome!
    My London Road
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,052
    very nice but if you've now got an exposed front chainring either take it off and use some spacers around the bolts to compensate or buy a cheap chainring guard.

    if he crashes with an exposed chainring it could end very badly
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
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    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
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  • ElectronShepherd
    ElectronShepherd Posts: 227
    Surely the chainring is no more exposed than if the front derailleur was left in place, and the chain was on the middle or inner rings? Every bike with a double or triple crank has an exposed front chainring at some point.
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    itboffin wrote:
    very nice but if you've now got an exposed front chainring either take it off and use some spacers around the bolts to compensate or buy a cheap chainring guard.

    if he crashes with an exposed chainring it could end very badly

    No more than crashing on the middle ring.
    You can file down some teeth or fit the guard.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    I suspect the exposed teeth would be an issue if the bike was being run as fixed but in this case it is just SS. I can imagine crashing fixed with exposed chainring teeth might be a bit messy.....
    Faster than a tent.......
  • MountainMonster
    MountainMonster Posts: 7,423
    I've never had problems with extra rings hanging around, even in a crash.

    I think if you are crashing that is the problem, not the rings.
    My London Road
  • debeli
    debeli Posts: 583
    As it happens, the machine in question has a great big plastic guard over the chainring....

    But I've never heard of the absence of same being an issue.

    No other bicycle my son has ridden since he was about five has had a chainguard or any sort of protection on the chainring.

    He's ridden fixed, singlespeed, MTB triples, standard road bikes.... Is the worry of injury from a chainring really a thing or is it the product of a frightened mind?

    For the record, he rode the old nail 32 miles today on hilly roads and declared it a pleasure but a very slow one.

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