Dumb question for SS DIY newbie

[seadragonpisces]

Hi All,

I have a Minivelo I am going to convert to SS and I want to do it myself, so I please need your help.

I want to avoid having to buy loads of new stuff, so I hope I dont embarass myself with the stupid questions.

My bike is currently 2x10 running on a SRAM 53/39 chainset. I assume I can take off the 39 ring but I was wondering if I can use the 53 and link it to a free wheel and if so how many teeth would I need, or what would be the advised number? I know its a lame question but just want to see if I have totally wrong but I dont want to get rid of the SRAM gear if I can help it. I have rim brakes already so dont plan to get a coaster brake set up..

I am getting some Skyway Tuff 20'' wheels to replace my Kinetix Pro's, so just want to know what my options are.

Any tips/advice much appreciated, thanks

 

[Old Plodder]

No idea what a minivelo is, but to find your gear ratio, multiply your wheel size (in Inches) by your chainwheel (number of teeth) & then divide by your rear cog (teeth).
Therefore, if you have 20" wheel, 20x52/16=65 inch gear.

 

[seadragonpisces]

Great thanks. I like the way you can work out out the ratio, very helpful, but what I was really looking for was what rear cog would people recommend based on the fact I have 20'' wheel and 53 front chainring.

My bike is basically is the same build as a folding bike but with a rigid frame and would only be used on-road for commuting and some occasional weekend trips in the area around my village. I realise the lower the rear cog the harder the workout but just wanted more of a survey on how many teeth people would use if they chose to in the rear.

Thanks again

 

[Old Plodder]

16 tooth, good all around gear, (66").

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

This is a very useful gear calculator which allows you to play around and see what effect changing different things will have.

 

[dave2041]

Here's another gear clac that gives lots of good stats. http://www.machars.net/bikecalc.htm

 

[seadragonpisces]

Great thanks all, very much appreciated

 

[TheDoctor]

Why change the wheels at all?
Take the existing cassette off, fit a singlespeed kit, take the inner chainring off and fit the other with single ring bolts, lose the mechs and gear levers, shorten the chain and you're done

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

One thing that has occurred to me, is that you should check the size of your hub: the width of the section the freewheel screws onto. You should be ok as Skyways are a BMX wheel (I think) and will have standard sized hubs but some "little wheels" have micro-drive hubs. Equally, smaller freewheels (14t and below) can be micro-drive.

If, like me, you are new to this then you might also be concerned about mixing 3/32" (narrower, road standard) and 1/8" (wider, BMX/track standard) chainrings, freewheels and chains. You can run a 1/8" chain with either 1/8" or 3/32" chainrings and freewheels or a mix of the two; however if either the chainring or freewheel are 1/8", then you must use a 1/8" chain.

As your chainring will be 3/32", it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a 3/32" freewheel then you will have a choice of chains. Please also note, that although I have seen cogs and freewheels advertised as "suitable for 9 speed chains", generally speaking you should stick to 8 speed or lower 3/32" chains.

Is there a particular reason you are getting a new wheelset? It's not necessary to use a screw-on hub to convert to SS: a cog and spacers makes for a very straightforward and cheap conversion.

A few links for you:
Charlie the Bikemonger - great service and happy to offer advice
Velo Solo - great service again and lovely kit at the more "blingy" (ie expensive") end of the scale
LFGSS - I suggest you get a feel for the forum before getting involved: if you start posting the same old questions you will likely be told to "UTFS" ("use the forum [f***ing] search"): the acerbic nature of the conversation can come as a shock to some, but you'll go a long way before you find a greater wealth of knowledge and it's likely your project will garner plenty of interest.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Why change the wheels at all?
Take the existing cassette off, fit a singlespeed kit, take the inner chainring off and fit the other with single ring bolts, lose the mechs and gear levers, shorten the chain and you're done

My post crossed with yours (slow typer) and I would ask the same question.

However as I noted above, would a 10 speed chain be suitable?

 

[TheDoctor]

66" gear for me too - that's 39/16 * 27.
So your bigger chainring exactly cancels out the little wheels!!

 

[TheDoctor]

My post crossed with yours (slow typer) and I would ask the same question.

However as I noted above, would a 10 speed chain be suitable?

Erm...not sure. Try it and see, and if not, then any 5/6/7 speed chain will work.
Asda do one for £4.99 that works perfectly well on my SS

 

[Old Plodder]

9 & 10 speed chains are thinner, as are the sprockets, than 5/6/7 speed chains, stick with one for 5/6/7 speed if using 3/32nd chain.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

My SS has an almost totally worn out 52t on the front and 17t on the back, and without wishing to be accused of being a willy waver I'd say that's quite hardcore, and not a lot of fun on tough days.

To 'convert' my SS I took off the rear cassette and replaced the cogs I didn't want with tons of freehub spacers, so it's a bit ugly but it works! This also means I have tons of flexibility when it comes to ratios.

Has anyone mentioned dropouts? My conversion was done using a cheapo modern frame so I fitted a very cheap derailleur to act as a chain tensioner. My bike will never turn the heads of any trendy folk but it's functional and I kinda love it!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

fit the other with single ring bolts

So... just to break this down for a simpleton like me - if I buy a standard front crank and chain ring I could take it apart, discard the smaller ring, discard the ring bolts and fix it back together using the ring bolts you linked to above?