Orange 5 -> 3x10 to 1x12....How easy?

[boy"O"boy]

Hi all.

So my ride today became abruptly terminated by my rear mech disintegrating!
I'm going to have to buy a new rear mech...but it's got me thinking... how easy would it be to bring my 26" more up to date with a 1x12 set up?

I understand I'm going to need a new rear .ech, cassette, chain and shifter.. but is there anything else I'm overlooking here?

- Does one of those dinner plate rear cassettes work with a 26" wheel or are they better suited to a bigger wheel?
- Am I OK to use a 10spd freehub (hope pro 2) or am I going to need a new hub / wheel rebuild?
- Can I use my existing cranks (Shimano SLX) with single ring set up? - do I have to buy a specific single chainring for the front?
- does it need a chain guide on the front to run this set up?

I've had my Orange 5 for 10+ years now....it was one of the 1st Tapered headtube types, and love the way it handles so I don't really want to replace it anytime soon.. just feel it needs updating a little as it feels like it has too many gears compared to a newer set up. Here's an opportunity to change that.... Is it worth it?.....or should I sell some retro and get myself up to date with a modern Orange 5?




All thoughs appreciated.

Cheers.
boy"O"boy

 

[rwm1962]

My conversion on my (now sold) 2013 5 was just 11 speed but it worked well. You should be able to keep cranks if you can achieve suitable chainline. Can't see why you couldn't. Best to go with a narrow wide chainring - maybe even try an oval!

 

[boy"O"boy]

Cheers Ross.

Good to see that it can work if I go down that route. I'm really in 2 minds here....
1 - My Five is a great bike. For a reasonable outlay, I could change the drive train....as it looks like you have done successfully. Did you have any problems with the front chainring throwing the chain off? It's almost retro in terms of my modern bike....I've owned it from new and I'm loathed to move it on if I can upgrade quite easily but....

2- it's my modern ride. Is it worth the outlay? Would I be better moving it on and (along with the sale of a couple of retro that are currently FS) invest in a new(er) five that would possibly be an easier option? My riding is not major hammering and 4-5 times a year I ride Cannock.

Decisions.....

boy"O"boy

 

[ishaw]

I've only done 1x10 and 1x11 but the logic is the same, mostly.

You've highlighted what things would need updating.

Cranks you can simply bolt on a narrow wide ring in whatever bcd it needs. Or buy new cranks.

Shifter, mech and chain will need replacing of course.

Cassette might fit on your hubs, I'm not up with 12sp so can't say if one will simply bolt on. You might need a different freehub, XD driver or micro spline, or what you have might work.

If you use a clutch mech and narrow wide ring, you shouldn't need a chain guide.

 

[rwm1962]

I'd be tempted to stick with it for that level of riding. Doesn't need to be a huge outlay IF you can find the components at moment. I had no issues with chain coming off - like @ishaw mentioned clutch mech & narrow wide ring is the way to go.

 

[nstarmore]

You'll need a new freehub for 12 speed, as mentioned above: xd driver for SRAM, Microspline for Shimano.

Not sure how fancy you want to go with the group but the latest Deore stuff is super flexible so might be ideal for what you want.



Main difficulty is getting hold of anything at the moment.

 

[jimo746]

Should be relatively easy to swap to 1x11 or 1x12.
I changed my Five to 1x10 a few years ago, cheap enough to do.
You can get 12-speed cassettes from ZTTO, Z-Race, Sunshine etc which fit on a regular Shimano freehub body, so no need for a new wheel/hub. And 12 speed shifters/mechs from the likes of Sensah are inexpensive and work well in my experience. So it needn't cost a fortune.

No chain guide on my Five, a clutch rear mech and the narrow wide chainring keep it all in place, not dropped the chain yet. If I was racing it I'd fit one as insurance, but that's all.

 

[ishaw]

I came across the sensah gear and for the price it looks decent. You can get shifter and mech for £50 up if you hunt around, though you will have to wait a while for shipping by the looks of it.

If you go that route you should be able to do it for under £100 I reckon

 

[brocklanders023]

Agree with all the above mate, it doesn't have to cost a fortune and is easy enough to do although 1x11 may be cheaper and offers virtually the same.

As for changing the bike, fork and shock tech has come on massively since yours was new so if you are still on the original fork (along with the shock I can see) then it's worth considering. I had a 2006 5, 2010 5, a 5 29 of similar age to yours, then a 2016 Segment and now a 2020 Stage 5. Each change has been well worth it, especially since the 5 29 although if you like the geometry of your 5 the modern stuff will be a fair bit different!

 

[d8mok]

I’d rather have a Shimano /sram 11 speed than a other brands cheap 12 speed.

I guess the question is … what are you hoping to achieve?