The Chainlink

converting a ten speed to a single speed

hey ya'll- i'm sure many of you have converted geared bikes to single speeds.  I'm considering doing that myself also.  I'm finding lots of info about what to do with the rear of the drive train- spacers, a chain tensioner, and all that jazz. I'm not finding too much concise info about the front.  I know I need to get a ss specific chain ring, but i'd rather get a shiny new crankset than put on a new chain ring/bash guard.  

my question is, is there a means of measuring the bb shell to be certain a new crankset will fit, or are most of them universal? i assume that you can buy most cranksets with a new bb included.   

 

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Permalink Reply by Matt Tennessen on August 13, 2012 at 6:31am
I'm with Dug on this too. It's none of my business what you end up doing with your bicycle choices but I'd get a second opinion. The age of that bike should make it a fairly simple switch. A few hundred bucks maybe if you take it in and the shop does everything; $60 on those cranks you spec'd, ~$30 for a new BB, maybe $100+ for a new rear wheel, and another $30 for a new chain and a freewheel plus labor. But if you wait on some upgrades, find rear wheel on Craigslist, get a chain tool to shorten your original chain you could probably do this for well under a hundred dollars.
Not suggesting that bike shops are rip offs in any way, but if you're budget-conscious then you can save by using their skilled labor selectively. Most professionals respect your wallet and will make suggestions to work around financial hurdles if possible. To Rapid Transit's credit, I've never been up-sold on anything I've ever gone in for even if they didn't have what I needed right then.


notoriousDUG said:

Please explain to me why you would want a freewheel hub instead of a cassette hub in order to do a conversion?  It is cheaper and easier to do it on a cassette hub because you do not have to replace the wheel.

Eric may be a stand up guy but it should not cost that much to convert a bike to a single speed; even if it needs a tensioner.

Logan said:

I agree with Dug and with Eric at smartbikes he is a stand up guy.

Move on to another project with an easier ss conversion (horizontal dropouts, three piece crank, and alum freewheel rear wheel-not freehub body rear wheel)

And for all that is holy, stay away from the Walmart fixie/ss it is called the Thruster only $99.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Thruster-700c-Men-s-Fixie-Bike/17206771

(Btw, It looked like Working Bikes has one on display on their floor, maybe they are selling it or mocking it, I could not tell.)

Regarding your Takara:

Cassette rear wheel is not likely oem.

Are the wheels steel or aluminum?

From the pics it looks like they could be vaguely alum, are they 700c or 27?


Why are the cranks labeled Raleigh?

As opposed to what I would have expected Sugino or any other general alum three piece cranks.

Just my 2 cents.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on August 13, 2012 at 9:33am

FYI, Rapid North has a sale on track wheels right now, 35% off!

Permalink Reply by Michael Young on August 13, 2012 at 11:26am

West Town Bikes runs Open Shop on Tuesday for 7PM-10 and Saturday from 12-6.  If you ever wondering about bike projects we can help with honest and knowledgeable advice and the tools and assistance to perform the work.

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