Hello, Gang
I have what I believe is a Diamondback El Oso De Acero 2016, with a steel frame with fat tires (26×4). I think it currently has a front Shimano Alivio FD-M410-E with an E-type mount and a Shimano Acera M360 on the rear, it’s 3×8.
I’m considering running a single chainring and was wondering if I should update the cassette too? I know these bikes are not intended for street use but I will be using it to ride around the neighborhood for fun, and to tinker on. My questios are, considering the fat tires…
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What cassette and chainring (30-32t) gearing do you all suggest?
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What cassette(s) can I add without having to mess with the stock wheel set?
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Will I need a new derailleur and shifter, suggestions are appreciated?
I'm not sure what info you might need to answer this, but if you tell me I’ll try to locate it.
Many thanks!
by T_h_e_S_a_l_t
1 Comment
You will of course want a new cassette, otherwise all you’re doing is removing a bunch of gears and making it harder to ride your bike. There are a number of ways to convert with the parts you already have, but presuming that it’s a standard HG freehub (which it almost certainly is), the simplest thing to do is to buy a turnkey 1x group like Microshift Advent X or Shimano Cues, and then whichever narrow-wide chainring fits your riding style and crankset BCD.
The important thing is not to buy anything designed around Shimano’s Microspline and HG-L2, now SRAM XD/XDR freehubs, which are not compatible with your existing wheels.