single chainring?

rockmonkeysc

I have been considering changing my transmission to a single chainring set up.
I have a similar set up on my mountain bike and like the lack of front mech and cable to service. I also think it's faster not having the option of spinning up climbs in a low gear.
On a road bike I assume I would just ditch the 34t ring, mech and cable. Will the standard Tiagra 50t chain ring do the job or will I need a single specific chaon ring? I use a narrow/wide ring on my mountain bike to help chain retention but I guess thats less of a problem on the road.
I'm also thinking of changing the cassette from 11-26 for a 11-32 will the Sora mech be ok with that range? I can cope with 26t - 50t but I'm just thinking I'm going to have bad days where I need that lower gear.

simon_masterson

You can usually bodge it with shorter bolts (the existing ones are obviously long enough for 2 chainrings), but clearly the best solution is a single chainset and bottom bracket. Many time triallists do this - Tony Martin in particular has done much as you are thinking of with an 11-32, albeit with a typically massive ring.

Grill

Martin has nothing on Bowdler...

964cup

I'm just building a mutant commuter with a single chainring and Ultegra di2. 46T SRAM CX1 narrow-wide front, on the dedicated CX1 (Force) chainset, Ui2 GS RD with an 11-32 cassette. Lowest gear will be the equivalent of 34/23. I'll post it in Your Road Bikes when it's done.

rockmonkeysc

My bike is only used for commuting so I'm spending the absolute minimum on it. Im fairly sure I have got some short chain ring bolts.
Are narrow wide rings available for road bikes and are they necessary? I'm not sure if chain retention will be an issue on a road bike.

lanccyclist

You can always use a derailleur with the limit screws locked in to guide the chain