A new project.

[volklgirl]

Like I didn't have enough going on right now

I have decided to test my bike mechanic and riding skills by converting a standard mountain bike to a single speed, all by myself .

I started out with an older Diamond Back, but the frame is REALLY too big for me, so hubby graciously donated his older hardtail for the project.

Click each pic for a larger view!
Pics of the Diamond Back partly through the conversion:

The 10 pounds of parts I stripped off it!

It started out at 36 lbs and ended up at 24 lbs 8 oz before hubby put it back together to loan it to a friend. Complete conversion would have taken another 1-2 lbs off it!

Here's the current conversion project:
Before conversion

The full drivetrain

Front view

Handlebars before conversion

Starting weight - 26 lbs even.

 

[volklgirl]

The process:

1. Remove barends and handlebar grips.
2. Remove shifters, cables and housings, and brake levers.
3. Remove front derailleur.
4. Adjust set screws on rear derailleur to keep chain on appropriate rear cog until the rear conversion kit arrives (this also allows me to manually move the chain around the rear cogs to find "the right" gear combination for my riding style - it looks like a 32 tooth front and 16 or 15 tooth rear may be it for me).
5. Remove the crankset from the drive side of the bike and eliminate the small and large chainrings.
6. Using shorter chainring bolts, reassemble the crank with the middle ring only.
7. Reinstall the crankset.
8. Remove old, heavy pedals and install lighter weight clipless pedals.
9. Reinstall brake levers.
10. Install full length handlebar grips (no shifters or barends to require short grips!).
11. Change out his awful, uncomfortable Specialized saddle for my lovely Terry Butterfly .
12. Check spoke tension and "true" on both wheels (these wheels were my first wheelbuilding project from spring....time to adjust, retension, and check just on GP).

So, here's what it looks like right now:
(Oh, ignore the skis in the background! It's NOT ski time yet!)

Current weight: 24 lbs 4oz (This one started out with a light frame and fairly light weight components, so the weight loss won't be quite as dramatic as the Diamond Back)

 

[abc]

10. Install full length handlebar grips (no shifters or barends to require short grips!).

No barends for a single speed? Are you really sure about that???

 

[volklgirl]

No barends for a single speed? Are you really sure about that???

Nope, not really.
This whole SS thing is a total new experiment for me....I've always said "I paid for 27 gears, so I'm gonna use every one of them!". That's why I said this would also test my riding skills.

Everyone I know who has a SS has either really wide flat/low rise bars or moustache/Mary bars. I've been trying to get away from barends because of all the really narrow twisty stuff we ride....I hate catching a barend on a tree - the instant stop is a killer

I may put on our uncut Titec Hellbent bars (super wide with 7deg sweep) and I do have a pair of mini barends I can add later if I find need them.

 

[RachelV]

So, here's what it looks like right now:
(Oh, ignore the skis in the background! It's NOT ski time yet!)

Oh, sorry, is there a bike in that picture? All I can see are skis. ;) :D

 

[volklgirl]

Oh, sorry, is there a bike in that picture? All I can see are skis. ;) :D

The scary thing is that you're looking at about 1/4 of our stable. Those are all mine, then there's another 5 of hubby's above that, up to the ceiling and another 8? pairs on the opposite wall

And that's not including the other 5 pairs that are hanging out temporarily awaiting our magic touch - we just haven't set up the tuning bench yet.

 

[abc]

Oh, I forgot. You're in Michigan.

A stubby barend makes it easier to grab onto when you stand.

You WILL be standing A LOT on a SS. (I'm not a SS rider, but I do ride with a lot of SS'er) Without gear, you can't spin up the hill. So it's stand or walk when the hill gets steep.

I know there aren't a lot of big hills in Michigan. But I'm sure there'll be small but steep stretch you'll have to deal with. If you don't want to walk, you must stand. Think about where you want your hands when you stand...

 

[Sheena]

Pretty neat! I have so much to learn about bike building/repair.
Unfortunately, my brain has turned to skiing for now, and I am just waiting for the snow.

 

[Native Vail Gal]

WOW! I understood about 20% of that post! Some of you Divas really amaze me!

My brain is overwhelmed!!

 

[altagirl]

I wouldn't want bar ends on my SS. I am standing probably 85% of the time on my SS. I just went with the widest low-rise riser bars I could find and it's very comfortable.

Honestly, of all the people I know who ride SS's - I can't think of anyone with bar ends (I'm sure they are out there, I'm just not thinking of any...). There are a handful around with some oddball thing like Mary bars / moustache bars, but the vast majority just have regular handlebars - though most go wider than normal.

So what are you doing for chain tension? I have a SS specific frame, so it has horizontal dropouts, and then I added these spacer things that prevent it from slipping forward in the dropouts. Since this is my one and only SS, I don't know that much about how you solve that problem with regular dropouts. Though I know there are a number of solutions out there.

 

[abc]

It must be a fashion thing then.

Out at CA, most of my SS friends have barends. I even have them on my geared bike!

I like my bars narrow'ish, for getting through tight single tracks guarded by tight trees. A stubby barend makes for a great leverage when standing despite the narrow bar. Not that I stand that much. But if I were riding SS, standing isn't a choice but a neccessity.

I'll be doing my "bike projects" throughout the winter. I need to get a new frame (need one size larger), move the crank to my cycle-cross and probably get a compact double for the new road bike instead...

After riding for nearly 10 years, I'm finally getting the hang of what geometry I like (slacky/relax front end but quickie backend).

 

[volklgirl]

abc -
I chatted with several other SSs here in MI on the barends/handlebar question. Everyone of them says to keep my setup as close to my "gearies" as possible since I've spent the last 5 years getting the fit on them "just right". Almost all of them admitted to adding only slight rise, length, or width to their cockpit when going gearless. Those that already had barends on their gearies kept them, those that didn't have them didn't add them.

Altagirl -
I currently still have the cassette on and am using the RD as the tensioner. However, unless I can get the gear combo that gives me perfect chain tension, I'll just add a tensioner. I know Nashbar has a kit that includes 3 different cogs, spacers, and tensioner for $29.99. I think hubby is ordering it for me along with a set of Titec Hellbent bars. We have Hellbents on all our bikes...ya just gotta love that 7deg sweep and added length.

 

[volklgirl]

Pretty neat! I have so much to learn about bike building/repair.

It's all really pretty simple with a basic understanding of how things work and a decent bike tool kit. I got a really great book with tons of pictures, but I don't think it's in print anymore. I'll get you the name when I can find it. For tools, we just got the $50ish kit in the molded case from Performance Bike.

WOW! I understood about 20% of that post!

Biking has it's own jargon just like skiing . Don't want you left out, so which part would you like translated? Or is it the whole thing? :D

As recently as last year, there were parts of my bike I wouldn't mess with (headset, bottom bracket, wheel bearings and wheel building), but with the right tools and a patient coach (hubby) I feel pretty confident in tearing down and reassembling an entire bike - except hydraulic brakes. I still don't get how they work .

Tools used in this project:

• 6, 5, 4mm allen wrenches
• phillips screw driver
• pedal wrench - just a thin 9/16" wrench
• crank puller - a specialty tool that allows you to remove the crank (arms that the pedals attach to)
• chain tool - a specialty tool that allows you to separate and reassemble the chain

That's it!

I also used a truing stand for my wheels, but that's not usually needed for this project if you have stock or professionally built wheels. I only trued the wheels because I built them this spring and hadn't checked them since.

 

[altagirl]

abc -
I chatted with several other SSs here in MI on the barends/handlebar question. Everyone of them says to keep my setup as close to my "gearies" as possible since I've spent the last 5 years getting the fit on them "just right". Almost all of them admitted to adding only slight rise, length, or width to their cockpit when going gearless. Those that already had barends on their gearies kept them, those that didn't have them didn't add them.

I totally agree with that. I have the widest bars I could get on every bike I own (it's also very common on DH oriented bikes as well as singlespeeds) so it would be very weird to me to have narrow bars.

I'm sure it's the same with bar ends. If you like them and use them on your other bikes, you'd want them on your SS. If not, I wouldn't add them unless you've ridden it a while and feel a need for a modification.

I know it's a fashion thing too these days, but honestly, years ago when I had bar ends on my bike I didn't use them that much (and did snag them on trees once or twice) and never missed them once they were gone. I know some people love them though. Do what works for you regardless of fashion.

 

[volklgirl]

Actually, I have barends on my hardtail and use them occasionally. They're there mostly because I use the hardtail for around-town and pavement/dirt road oriented touring. After about 25 miles, I'm definitely ready for an extra place to put my hands.

 

[volklgirl]

I'M HOOKED!!!!

Well, I took my first ride on the SSS (Semi Single Speed) tonight.

We did the medium loop at Cadillac Pathways, including the unmarked singletrack. I found myself riding harder and faster than on either my hardtail or full-susser. I powered up several hills that I normally granny-gear on, and only had to walk one (SnowHot's favorite hill coming up to marker 5 ). At the top of one of the longer climbs, I stood there gasping like I was gonna die - it felt GREAT!.

Our buddy's 14 year old son and I rode our favorite swoopy section so fast we were actually slingshotting around corners and getting big air off the whoop-dee-doos! We both got to the bottom of that section laughing and woo-hooing at the top of our lungs ! He was even ready to ride back up the hill to do it again .

There are some places we ride where I wouldn't want to ride a SS (places with stunts, jumps, and tight switchback hills), but otherwise I think this will end up being my off-road ride of choice. Who woulda thunk it????

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a pic of the current state of conversion (current weight 23lb 15oz). Now all I need is the conversion kit to change out the cassette to a single cog and ditch the rear derailleur - then it will be a RSS (Real Single Speed) .

 

[volklgirl]

Current pics

For comparison purposes....
"Before" side view -

"Current" side view (stripped of everything but the cassette and rear derailleur) -

Gotta love the goofy reflectors and rear blinky light hubby put on because I've been riding at dusk (and occasionally in the dark)

Look how clean the front view is now:
Before -

After -

 

[volklgirl]

Well,

The conversion kit arrived today. The spacers and cog are installed and the tensioner will be installed tomorrow. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to get in its maiden trip as a TSS (true single speed)!

Last weekend I did my first techinical ride on it....even on the stunts it was sweeeeet. Not once did I wish for smaller gearing or bar ends. On lap 2, however, I DID wish I hadn't fallen off this:

The head-on view (taken during lap #1):

I made the fatal mistake of second-guessing the bike and then looking down . I fell off at the highest point (of course), almost directly across from where the bike is sitting in the second pic. After an awesome first loop, I finished most of the second loop with a fat and bloody lip, a bruised chin, stiff neck, and totally frozen left shoulder. Ow. Hubby, of course, just laughed at me.

Oh, and the person we were going to loan the orange Diamond Back to got a new 29er for her birthday, so the DB is back to being a SS now, too (heaven forbid I should have something hubby doesn't have ). My gearing is 32/15 while his is 42/18 ! Judging by the dropouts on the DB, he shouldn't need a chain tensioner, but we'll know for sure tomorrow.

Additional tools used for the final conversion:

• Cassette lockring tool - a specialty tool that allows removal and assembly of the cassette retaining ring

 

[abc]

While tidying things up, I found a lone cassette removal tool (or cassette lockring thingy). And I immediately suspect I got two of the same... Sure enough, I did. Not that it's a big deal but now I have FOUR cassette lockring remover!!!

Why???

There used to be a brand call Suntour, which I had (nearly 15 years now). Of course I have to have the casette lockring remover for it. Add Shimano and Campy, there're 3 different kind of cassette lockring pattern that I have to keep in my toolbox!!!

So those of you who wants to start working on your bikes, don't say I didn't warn you.

 

[volklgirl]

And don't forget the Freewheel removal tool