HELP WITH MY SINGLESPEED PROJECT

Hi everyone

I have just been giving a old Raleigh 16 inch mountain bike, the frame is of reynolds steel, the gears and brakes are knackered, But the frame and wheels are sound, so my plan was to turn it in to a single speed bike, with v-brakes, wider handlebars and slick tires and maybe a rack, my question is what single speed kit should i go for and could i use the existing crankset, and would would i need a tensioner for it

Thank-you

Im guessing the dropouts arent straight but angled downwards slightly? If so, you wont need a tensioner. Some cheap SS kits n CRC.

cyfa2809":3ev8z2b8 said:

Im guessing the dropouts arent straight but angled downwards slightly? If so, you wont need a tensioner. Some cheap SS kits n CRC.

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excellent what i was wondering what ratios are the best on the front and rear

road or off road?

off road, a 32x16 set up is uaully a good place to start

on road - I have a 42x16 on mine with 1.5 slicks. good on the flat, makes you work on hills and into the consistently strong sea breeze

My Single-speed commuter runs 36/16 with 1.5" Schwalbe semi-slicks.

You can get a "complete" Single-speed kit with everything you need included from Charlie the Bike Monger:

http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/

I have one of their kits, and it has all the parts required, including shorter chain ring bolts to allow you to re-use your current cranks.

Your existing Crankset should be OK, but you might be best replacing the chain.

As to the tensioner, you might be lucky and hit a "magic" gear that fits your bike with the correct chain tension; if not, you'll need a tensioner.

One tip - measure the chain length and remove excess links on the bike, without fitting the tensioner and get it as tight as you can - then fit your tensioner (i.e. don't fit the tensioner first).

Single speed kit

I've got a xt2 chain set
Slx xt bb new used for 6 miles
Chain
32t ring
Chain tensioner
Chain
And a couple of.spacers if you are interested