Singlespeed - what do I need to do?

Well took it for a quick spin and until I get to grips with it I think it will be fine for now ..... Took it up a long old climb about a mile and wouldnt want it any harder for now

Its weird kept going for gears!!

cchris2lou":3m6x9s5a said:

off road , 2 /1 is a good ratio , on the road , 3 /1 .

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As a recent convert to the singlespeed religion I found 2/1 perfect right from the start, climbed everything from long drags to short steep stuff without too much trouble. It's all about getting your head around the idea of commiting yourself before the climb, either pace yourself on a long one or blast up a short steep one. I'm deffo not the fittest SS rider here but once bitten by the SS bug it is very addictive.

You're not dragging around 5lbs of gears, chain and shifters & the drivetrain is much more efficient. Pickle if you have a choice a steel or Alu frame go for the steel one and ride it rigid, you know it makes sense.

REKIBorter":264u8hsd said:

cchris2lou":264u8hsd said:

off road , 2 /1 is a good ratio , on the road , 3 /1 .

Click to expand...

You're not dragging around 5lbs of gears, chain and shifters & the drivetrain is much more efficient. Pickle if you have a choice a steel or Alu frame go for the steel one and ride it rigid, you know it makes sense.

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Very true, but the M2 SS spesh I built was very good, can't dismiss Alloy just because it isn't 'cool' steel.

Has anyone used any of the complete half link chains that you can get?

For my build I'd like to avoid using a tensioner if I can, but I dont have any fancy hubs or BB and dont have horizontal drop outs. I was hoping that the half link chain would enable me to adjust the length of the chain to get the tension just so - am I delusional??

Stear clear of the full half link chains and just get a half link,take a look at charliethebikemonger for all your ss questions!

Spooky ...

Fitted a half link chain to my SS tonight (Gusset Slinky 3/32"), got the magic number without using a tensioner. How much slack chain is acceptable? The chain moves about inch & half in the middle when slack, doesn't touch the chain stay at any point. A bit of slack must be better than having it too tight?

A half link chain (or a half link) will only compensate for +/- 1/4" of chainstay length, so is no guarantee of being able to run without a tensioner, plus as the chain wears from new you will have no way of taking up the slack. You might get lucky, the only real way is to try it....

What a half link will do is get you close enough to use a tensioner (in push up mode) when otherwise you would be a little short or have too much slack. Don't bother with a half link chain either, just use a normal 3/32" SS chain (KMC Z-610HX is a good choice) and add a half link ( from Charlie the Bikemonger) if you find that you need one. As the sideplates of a half link chain have to be "joggled" they will stretch far more noticably than a conventional chain would and tend to be heavier too.

You might want to keep an eye on this too -

http://www.forwardcomponents.blogspot.com/

Does the same job as the Trickstuff Exzentriker (which I use) but is rumoured to be cheaper when it becomes available.

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 :!:

REKIBorter":1pd5awfx said:

Spooky ...

Fitted a half link chain to my SS tonight (Gusset Slinky 3/32"), got the magic number without using a tensioner. How much slack chain is acceptable? The chain moves about inch & half in the middle when slack, doesn't touch the chain stay at any point. A bit of slack must be better than having it too tight?

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I wouldn't like to run a SS with an inch and a half of slack - too much risk of losing the chain with the resulting potential for pain and injury for my liking :cry: .
How tight is tight enough ? - I adjust the tension so that if I spin the cranks backwards I get 1 or 2 revolutions, any less than that is too tight.

So pretty tight then, in other words no slack at all.

I wouldn't be overly worried about 1 1/2" 'travel'...thats what mine is at the moment. When I first started I was slightly obsessed with running a tighter chain....but its surprising how slack you can go...if that makes sense :?