singlespeed conversion virgin, noob questions !

[b3oty]

The DMR STS tensioner doesn't look as nice as the Superstar one, so I didn't really want to swap mine either. But the DMR works and the Superstar didn't (for me anyway)

 

[b3oty]

I have the same [ish] tensioner and it will go tighter than that.

Ill have a look for one of my pics of my SS built






OOOO them knee's

The Superstar version will not go as tight as yours unfortunately

 

[dyna-ti]

I have the same [ish] tensioner and it will go tighter than that.

Ill have a look for one of my pics of my SS built






OOOO them knee's

The Superstar version will not go as tight as yours unfortunately

force it


you will ******* bend to my will pesky tensioner :evil:

 

[MikeD]

Even one extra tooth will make a difference -- 6 teeth up to 7 is quite a lot in percentage terms

I've always found push-up tensioners to be more effective, you can get the chain round more than half the sprocket:

 

[Barneyballbags]

Whack your normal chain on and run it through an old mech. Tensions the chain and costs nothing.

+1. I can't believe that nobody mentioned this sooner in the thread.

Converting a singlespeed bike doesn't need to be complicated or expensive, and doesn't need to involve measuring chainstay lengths and/or chain lengths. I prefer things to be kept simple. Why shell out for a specific chain tensioner when the mech probably does the job better?!

In my opinion, the mech looks better as well, because it looks like it's supposed to be there. Some chain tensioners just look fecking ugly.

I've run a few bikes as singlespeeds using a single cog on the back and my rear mech as the tensioner (after all, that's pretty much all they are anyway).

Just thread the barrel end of an old bit of brake cable through the mech, move the mech so that it sits under the sprocket, and clamp the other end up nice and tight. The barrel end of the cable then sits in the mech adjuster, and the mech can be fine tuned.

Pop the chain on and pull it together so that the mech is in tension. Remove the relevant number of links and rejoin the chain.

You now have a singlespeed.

As I said, I've run a few bikes this way and have never, ever had a chain come off, nor have I ever had to re-adjust the mech to take up the slack in the chain, as is sometimes the case with chain tensioners as they can slip.

 

[MikeD]

If you want to be posh, an old shiny roadie short-cage one looks a bit tidier Although I used to use a "woody" SRAM 9.0SL, which worked way better as a tensioner than it ever did as a derailleur

 

[robadub]

Even one extra tooth will make a difference -- 6 teeth up to 7 is quite a lot in percentage terms

I've always found push-up tensioners to be more effective, you can get the chain round more than half the sprocket:

that looks tidy ! is that a DMR one ? mind me asking where you got it and how much you paid for it ?

 

[MikeD]

It's a DMR Tension Seeker. All the usual online shops sell them. They appear to be £40 now, though -- I think I'd use an old mech

 

[robadub]

any similar to the dmr tension seeker but cheaper ?

 

[Woz]

An old spoon, an old jockey wheel and a new zip tie. It's been done.