Singlespeed - what do I need to do?
- Thread starter Pickle
- Start date
"A tight chain wears stuff faster but is better in my book than a slack one cos I'm quite fond of the family jewels "
i broke 3 fingers when my correctly ( bmx for 14 years ) adjusted chain in "magic gear" :roll: decided to pull the wheel forward and throw the chain , going past a crowd of slow people UPHILL
i threw the bike quite far after that , walked back to it , put the chain back on and rode the 5 more miles to the car
tensioners are there for a reason
that bike now resides on the turbo
i broke 3 fingers when my correctly ( bmx for 14 years ) adjusted chain in "magic gear" :roll: decided to pull the wheel forward and throw the chain , going past a crowd of slow people UPHILL
i threw the bike quite far after that , walked back to it , put the chain back on and rode the 5 more miles to the car
tensioners are there for a reason
that bike now resides on the turbo
bit confused perry.
my definition of a magic gear is used when the bike has vertical dropouts, ie the rider is lucky (similar to "magic") in that the combo of chainwheel and sprockets is able to get the correct tension cos the frame has no adjustment.
Where dropouts are horizontal, forward or rearward facing then this isnt "magic". The frame can accommodate the tension.
did you misuse the term ",magic", or are you saying the wheel pulled out of vertical dropouts?
my definition of a magic gear is used when the bike has vertical dropouts, ie the rider is lucky (similar to "magic") in that the combo of chainwheel and sprockets is able to get the correct tension cos the frame has no adjustment.
Where dropouts are horizontal, forward or rearward facing then this isnt "magic". The frame can accommodate the tension.
did you misuse the term ",magic", or are you saying the wheel pulled out of vertical dropouts?
vertical
i lucked out with the gearing giving me perfect tension
i also worked out that the chainring was being pulled out of concetricity because my leading right foot was pushing harder than my left leaving the chain slightly slack when coasting , so when i would start pedaling hard again ( always with the right foot ) the extra slck would let the chain drop , not something you want when you pedal hard towards a climb
so basically tighten your chainring so the tight spot is where your leading foot is
i lucked out with the gearing giving me perfect tension
i also worked out that the chainring was being pulled out of concetricity because my leading right foot was pushing harder than my left leaving the chain slightly slack when coasting , so when i would start pedaling hard again ( always with the right foot ) the extra slck would let the chain drop , not something you want when you pedal hard towards a climb
so basically tighten your chainring so the tight spot is where your leading foot is
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right - I have a spare DiamondBack cromo frame with slidey drop outs, a bolt on back wheel and some spare stuff.
I'm gonna have a go too...
I'm gonna have a go too...
MJN
Senior Retro Guru
perry":2vz9qlf1 said:vertical
i lucked out with the gearing giving me perfect tension
i also worked out that the chainring was being pulled out of concetricity because my leading right foot was pushing harder than my left leaving the chain slightly slack when coasting , so when i would start pedaling hard again ( always with the right foot ) the extra slck would let the chain drop , not something you want when you pedal hard towards a climb
so basically tighten your chainring so the tight spot is where your leading foot is
You still need to do you QR up
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Haven't read the whole thread but here is my (opinionated) 2p's worth:
- start with 2:1 ratio and vary from there
- try a few times before deciding if it is for you or not
- get chainline as good as you can (with a cassette hub and spacers this is no problem)
- unramped rings are good but not essential, particularly if you're only giving it a go
- do not go for a so called magic ratio. Use the gear that suits the terrain/you not one that is imposed (plus not sure how it works as the chain wears?)
- for aesthetics (and this is totally about the look) use dropouts where you can tension the chain or an eccentric b/b or hub
- less is more. Remember, there is a cog
- singlespeeders are more attractive to the opposite sex. Fact
- don't disappear up your own arse (although it can be tempting)
Riding on with sore knees
Ed
- start with 2:1 ratio and vary from there
- try a few times before deciding if it is for you or not
- get chainline as good as you can (with a cassette hub and spacers this is no problem)
- unramped rings are good but not essential, particularly if you're only giving it a go
- do not go for a so called magic ratio. Use the gear that suits the terrain/you not one that is imposed (plus not sure how it works as the chain wears?)
- for aesthetics (and this is totally about the look) use dropouts where you can tension the chain or an eccentric b/b or hub
- less is more. Remember, there is a cog
- singlespeeders are more attractive to the opposite sex. Fact
- don't disappear up your own arse (although it can be tempting)
Riding on with sore knees
Ed
reanimation
Retrobike Rider
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I've been learning a bunch of the info in this thread gradually and from all around over the last 6 months or summat.
I started out with My Identiti Dr Jekyll, I was retrialing the 24" wheels I've never been totally sure about and 12-25 gears were pointless really on those wheels.
DMR kit and sliding dropouts made this easy, now on 26" wheels again I might even like it when I get to the hills again feels good on road and mucking about, running summat like a 16 40 (or38?)
I 'upgraded' the gears on my 8x1 Revolution Courier Race to the 12-25 and Tiagra mech, then one day chain jumped off and slipped on leaves!
It as flat as a supermodel here so I used one gear only on my commute to get the right one, after some testing and calculating...
Bought an On-one doofer (its al right for the money i suppose, and Max at londonfixieshop sold me a spacer kit and 16t Shimano DX cog
I'm sure the old crap chain ring was ramped :roll: and quite worn, new Thorn item was ace compared
Bit more testing and a proper SRAM PC1 chain, and my wishes came true...
Bit tight but rides fine! so far so good, exactly right gear for my short commute 16 46
Was gonna do my Raleigh next but discovered this old gem has sliders like old racer frames, so making this into a SS/Fixie is next plan. what ya reckon?
I started out with My Identiti Dr Jekyll, I was retrialing the 24" wheels I've never been totally sure about and 12-25 gears were pointless really on those wheels.
DMR kit and sliding dropouts made this easy, now on 26" wheels again I might even like it when I get to the hills again feels good on road and mucking about, running summat like a 16 40 (or38?)
I 'upgraded' the gears on my 8x1 Revolution Courier Race to the 12-25 and Tiagra mech, then one day chain jumped off and slipped on leaves!
It as flat as a supermodel here so I used one gear only on my commute to get the right one, after some testing and calculating...
Bought an On-one doofer (its al right for the money i suppose, and Max at londonfixieshop sold me a spacer kit and 16t Shimano DX cog
I'm sure the old crap chain ring was ramped :roll: and quite worn, new Thorn item was ace compared
Bit more testing and a proper SRAM PC1 chain, and my wishes came true...
Bit tight but rides fine!
so far so good, exactly right gear for my short commute 16 46 Was gonna do my Raleigh next but discovered this old gem has sliders like old racer frames, so making this into a SS/Fixie is next plan. what ya reckon?
