Single speed?
rockmonkeysc
Posts: 14,774
I have a Boardman road bike I use for commuting, to be honest it's the only road cycling I do. I enjoy mountain biking to take out my road bike any time other than the commute.
I'm starting to get bored of the 14 miles of road twice a day, I vary the route but there's a limit to that. So I'm thinking of binning the gears to add a bit of suffering and pain.
I'm already running 1x9 gearing with a 50t chain ring and 11-26t cassette and rarely get in the lowest two gears.
Any advice on converting a road bike to single speed? I'm guessing I will need a tensioner of some sort. What sort of ratio do most people use?
I'm starting to get bored of the 14 miles of road twice a day, I vary the route but there's a limit to that. So I'm thinking of binning the gears to add a bit of suffering and pain.
I'm already running 1x9 gearing with a 50t chain ring and 11-26t cassette and rarely get in the lowest two gears.
Any advice on converting a road bike to single speed? I'm guessing I will need a tensioner of some sort. What sort of ratio do most people use?
Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
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A) Why is a single speed going to give you more 'suffering and pain'? If that's what you want, ride with bigger gears.
It won't be a very good single speed
C) Fixed wheel is better0 -
I have big enough gears. I'm thinking single speed will ad a new challenge.
Also my road bike gets neglected and absolute minimum maintenance so less to maintain is good.
Why won't it make a good single speed? Isn't fixed just for hipsters and bad for your knees?Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=130702350 -
Any advice on converting a road bike to single speed? I'm guessing I will need a tensioner of some sort.
As far as I'm aware (I've never owned one, as I like my easy gears) single speed bikes have a unique frame design with an extra long dropout for the rear wheel. So that you can move the rear wheel backwards or forwards to take up the slack in the chain. It might be easier just buying another bike that was made to be single speed rather than converting your current bike, theres some nice looking fixies out there if you like that thing.
"The Prince of Wales is now the King of France" - Calton Kirby0 -
Single speed is just annoying, Fixed is so much more satisfying. Don't know if you could run Fixed on your bike.0
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Isn't fixed just for hipsters and bad for your knees?
I'll let the resident fixed wheel enthusiasts give you a proper answer to that, but if fixed is harmful to your knees, single speed will be as well. You just don't get the benefits and the challenge of riding fixed; you may as well just not change gear, and the 11-12t sprocket I'm guessing you have gives you a much harder gear than you will want on a single gear.0 -
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I'm not much of a fixed wheel guy, I much prefer being able to freewheel on single speed. On most frames you can buy a chain tensioner that mounts to the derailleur hole.
I usually run 53-16 for a good ratio, but I'm in a non-hilly area so I don't worry about being to ride hills, I just destroy my knees. Most people would run a 18 or 20 in the hilly areas.0 -
I recently started riding a fixie for a bit of fun, no idea how anyone can ride one in a city and/or brakeless, I take my hat off to them. I find it fun on flat and rolling bits but mostly terrifying going down hills. I also find it very odd hopping back on my road bike again, almost a phobia of freewheeling, and I don't ever really freewheel anyway, soft pedal at best, so was weird. It's nice in that it's quiet and I suppose you don't really think about gearing. But who does anyway? Unless you've only just taken off your stabilisers then gear changing is second nature.
My plan was to use it as a bit of light summer fun / winter hack but to be honest I'm considering selling it. My 50p. Maybe if I lived somewhere flatter.0 -
No probs changing a road bike to single speed. If you want to try it out without a spending a lot just buy a conversion kit eg. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dmr-sts-chain-tensioner-with-spacer-kit/
Single speed vs. fixed is personal preference. Some love fixed... I tried it for 6 months but eventually found it to be a PITA overall (as well as commuting I was mostly using it for winter training around hills) so went back to single speed. I wouldn't say there's anything intrinsically more difficult about it compared to gears. I try to keep my power fairly constant when riding - with gears you shift up and down to achieve that, with fixed/SS you use cadence. It's no great mystery... if you want to know what single speed feels like just ride around without changing gears for a week. I enjoy both equally, just slightly different head spaces - mostly to do with knowing you will spin out at higher speeds and work harder on hills. Have to admit, there is a certain zen-like pleasure in the simplicity of riding a proper fixed/SS frame, but if I'm honest that's probably more about the kit than the riding experience.0 -
I love my fixie, but I find it best for rides below 20 miles, for getting to work I often use my single speed (its 35 miles each way). Tomorrow I'm doing the Shropshire hills sportive on it, never done 100 miles & such climbing on it, but feck it, how hard can it be?0
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..as for gear ratios, generally a chainring / sprocket ratio between 2.7:1 and 3:1 is the norm, so if you're using a 50 chainring, a 17 or 18 sprocket is a good start. I ride 46:17 fixed as I generally do longer rides in more hilly areas - I can still maintain a 20mph average, grind my way up 20-percenters and have to spin the legs at 180rpm to make the most of the downhills.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
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Build yourself a fixed bike. Mine saved me from commuting boredom and best to keep the geared bike running.0
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I ride single speed both on and off-road. I would do what rnath advised and just leave it in one gear for a week or so and see how you get on. Although lots of people say it's not the same, at least it will give you some idea if it's likely to appeal before converting your bike and also you will be able to gauge what sort of gearing might be appropriate for your journey depending on the local terrain.
Another thing people generally advise is that single speeding can put a lot of strain on your knees. I have always found that the biggest strain on my knees when single speeding is not straining up hill but spinning too fast on the flat or downhill. If your cadence is too fast you can get shocks in the knee joint as it straightens which will be much more serious than just grinding up a hill at a low cadence.
Also, I generally find that I am climbing out of the saddle up the steepest hills which benefits my leg power over the longer term. From that point of view it depends on your riding style i.e. sitting or standing on hills (with gears) whether or not single speeding might be for you.0 -
Fixed is definitely out. I want to spend the absolute minimum on this bike. Most of the transmission should have gone in the bin a long time ago. I was hoping some sort of ghetto single speed set up may be possible using a tensioner or half link chain.
My road bike is purely for commuting so it gets neglected and I hate spending on it.Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=130702350 -
Get a single free gear conversion kit - it replaces the block with two spacers and a cog. Only issue is keeping the wheel from pulling forwards as I suspect your bike doesn't have horizontal dropouts so you need a quick release skewer that has an Allen key nut on the end instead of the usual Q/R so that it can be clamped tight enough.
I love single free - I started with 42/17 and have worked up to 50/18 which is a great gear for me as it gives a good cadence on the flat but makes me work on the hills. It is a great psychological boost riding a £400 Langster S/G on a fast training ride where some are on Dogmas etc, with DS wheels.0 -
I converted a bike I got for nothing by simply taking off one cog at the front and spacing the bolts out with some washers then stripping down an existing cassette (two minute job to take out the v. small allen bolts that hold it all together and selecting which sized sprocket you want Also means that you have options to play with).
Then make up a spacer to fill in the gap made by taking the cassette out (the spacers from the cassette plus some others from wherever you get them work perfectly) then just chop the chain down to the size you want. Centre up the chain run as you go along.
Strip off all bits you don't want/need (derailleurs, cables, little things that cables run through on the frame), smash them all with a hammer and chuck them in next door's garden.
Le voila.
Costs pennies, works fine and if you don't like it then just reassemble in a couple of minutes. May take longer to retrieve bits from next door's garden though, so if you're not 100-% sure don't do this bit.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
I converted a bike I got for nothing by simply taking off one cog at the front and spacing the bolts out with some washers then stripping down an existing cassette (two minute job to take out the v. small allen bolts that hold it all together and selecting which sized sprocket you want Also means that you have options to play with).
Then make up a spacer to fill in the gap made by taking the cassette out (the spacers from the cassette plus some others from wherever you get them work perfectly) then just chop the chain down to the size you want. Centre up the chain run as you go along.
Strip off all bits you don't want/need (derailleurs, cables, little things that cables run through on the frame), smash them all with a hammer and chuck them in next door's garden.
Le voila.
Costs pennies, works fine and if you don't like it then just reassemble in a couple of minutes. May take longer to retrieve bits from next door's garden though, so if you're not 100-% sure don't do this bit.
I wouldn't recommend anyone to use cassette cogs for single speeding. The teeth are not full height and they have ramps on them designed to help the chain shift more easily. If the chainline is even slightly out of line and not perfectly tensioned then the chain will throw, usually under the highest load when you are out of the saddle with the result your crown jewels will be in severe danger from the crossbar.
You may have been lucky so far Matthew but for how cheap a pukka single speed conversion kit costs, why risk it?0 -
I love my fixie, but I find it best for rides below 20 miles, for getting to work I often use my single speed (its 35 miles each way). Tomorrow I'm doing the Shropshire hills sportive on it, never done 100 miles & such climbing on it, but feck it, how hard can it be?
It was hard, but I loved it
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I have a Boardman road bike I use for commuting, to be honest it's the only road cycling I do. I enjoy mountain biking to take out my road bike any time other than the commute.
I'm starting to get bored of the 14 miles of road twice a day, I vary the route but there's a limit to that. So I'm thinking of binning the gears to add a bit of suffering and pain.
I'm already running 1x9 gearing with a 50t chain ring and 11-26t cassette and rarely get in the lowest two gears.
Any advice on converting a road bike to single speed? I'm guessing I will need a tensioner of some sort. What sort of ratio do most people use?
If it amuses you, go ahead. I was a late convert to fixed-gear (maybe 10 years ago) but I do like it.
However... you may not be starting from the best place or doing it for the right reason.
1. Your Boardman has vertical dropouts. That just makes the conversion a pain. Look for a steel frame from the early 90s or earlier. It will probably have horizontal dropouts. The 'extra weight' of the steel will make no appreciable difference to the ride.
2. Going fixed will not deal with boredom. In fact, it will give you less to do and less to think about doing. No gear changes; no coasting; no looking down to see which gear you're in. Just pedal. Although it is fun, it is not 'interesting'. Quite the reverse.
3. Fixed gear will not necessarily make a ride harder. It is just another sort of riding. Riding harder will (in my experience) make a ride harder. You can achieve this by pushing harder on the downstroke of the pedalling action. Do so with care, as this is likely to increase your speed and may result in unforeseen or unplanned contact with other road users.
4. As to ratio, I've usually been somewhere between 66" and 69". To each their own, but that suits me - fixed or S/S. Riding with a single gear is not all about grinding the big gears. It's about..... actually I have no idea what it's about, but it's fun.
5. If you bimble about on a fixed-gear bike for a few months, you will almost certainly start to pedal more smoothly; you will get comfortable with higher cadences for longer periods; you will find yourself anticipating a little more; you will learn to fart while pedalling.
Have fun.0 -
The point on farting may be utterly incomprehensible to non fixed riders, but, trust me, it is really quite difficult and takes a long time to learn.
I should update my CV now as I reckon I have mastered the art now.0 -
Hah, the first thing I said to my friend on my maiden fixed voyage was "I need to fart but I can't..." I was afraid of trying to force it out. Speed bumps are also a bit terrifying. I enjoy it on a flat terrain, and even hills are interesting but downhill is straight up horror for me. I can spin well but when you have no choice it becomes hairy, finding myself having to brake a lot.
It's definitely worth a try, even just so you can find out whether or not it's for you.0 -
I love my fixie, but I find it best for rides below 20 miles, for getting to work I often use my single speed (its 35 miles each way). Tomorrow I'm doing the Shropshire hills sportive on it, never done 100 miles & such climbing on it, but feck it, how hard can it be?
was that you on the Tricross/singlecross?
how hard was it then?0 -
Thanks, I have ordered a DMR single speed kit. Did the ride to work today using 50t:18t without too much swearing.
Hopefully it should add some interest to my commute :-)Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=130702350 -
I love my fixie, but I find it best for rides below 20 miles, for getting to work I often use my single speed (its 35 miles each way). Tomorrow I'm doing the Shropshire hills sportive on it, never done 100 miles & such climbing on it, but feck it, how hard can it be?
was that you on the Tricross/singlecross?
how hard was it then?
Yes
It was harder than I expected,harder than the Dartmoor classic - but I really enjoyed it0 -
I love my fixie, but I find it best for rides below 20 miles, for getting to work I often use my single speed (its 35 miles each way). Tomorrow I'm doing the Shropshire hills sportive on it, never done 100 miles & such climbing on it, but feck it, how hard can it be?
was that you on the Tricross/singlecross?
how hard was it then?
Yes
It was harder than I expected,harder than the Dartmoor classic - but I really enjoyed it
Good event though, was amazed to see a single speed at the first feed stop, never thought it was in for the long one. See you next year?0 -
I love my fixie, but I find it best for rides below 20 miles, for getting to work I often use my single speed (its 35 miles each way). Tomorrow I'm doing the Shropshire hills sportive on it, never done 100 miles & such climbing on it, but feck it, how hard can it be?
was that you on the Tricross/singlecross?
how hard was it then?
Yes
It was harder than I expected,harder than the Dartmoor classic - but I really enjoyed it
Good event though, was amazed to see a single speed at the first feed stop, never thought it was in for the long one. See you next year?
More than likely!0 -
I love my fixie, but I find it best for rides below 20 miles, for getting to work I often use my single speed (its 35 miles each way). Tomorrow I'm doing the Shropshire hills sportive on it, never done 100 miles & such climbing on it, but feck it, how hard can it be?
was that you on the Tricross/singlecross?
how hard was it then?
Yes
It was harder than I expected,harder than the Dartmoor classic - but I really enjoyed it
Good event though, was amazed to see a single speed at the first feed stop, never thought it was in for the long one. See you next year?
More than likely!
all we will need then is to get Pina down and have a good scrap with his Dad. Years since I did that, happy to pass it on to the younger generation.0 -
I love my fixie, but I find it best for rides below 20 miles, for getting to work I often use my single speed (its 35 miles each way). Tomorrow I'm doing the Shropshire hills sportive on it, never done 100 miles & such climbing on it, but feck it, how hard can it be?
was that you on the Tricross/singlecross?
how hard was it then?
Yes
It was harder than I expected,harder than the Dartmoor classic - but I really enjoyed it
Good event though, was amazed to see a single speed at the first feed stop, never thought it was in for the long one. See you next year?
More than likely!
all we will need then is to get Pina down and have a good scrap with his Dad. Years since I did that, happy to pass it on to the younger generation.
What bike were you on then?0 -
I love my fixie, but I find it best for rides below 20 miles, for getting to work I often use my single speed (its 35 miles each way). Tomorrow I'm doing the Shropshire hills sportive on it, never done 100 miles & such climbing on it, but feck it, how hard can it be?
was that you on the Tricross/singlecross?
how hard was it then?
Yes
It was harder than I expected,harder than the Dartmoor classic - but I really enjoyed it
Good event though, was amazed to see a single speed at the first feed stop, never thought it was in for the long one. See you next year?
More than likely!
all we will need then is to get Pina down and have a good scrap with his Dad. Years since I did that, happy to pass it on to the younger generation.
What bike were you on then?
Blue and white Madone, with a compact suited for Mamils in the hills. I also have a Langster, would never have dreamt of using it for this event.0
