I would love to make a singlespeed of this old mountainbike. Would it work with this type of bike? Normally I only work with old race frames so this is kind of a new one to me
by Lolidkausernamehehe
I would love to make a singlespeed of this old mountainbike. Would it work with this type of bike? Normally I only work with old race frames so this is kind of a new one to me
by Lolidkausernamehehe
4 Comments
It’s complicated. [Start here](http://www.ridemorebikes.com/single-speed-conversion-guide/)
Should be pretty simple, I’d replace your chainrings with a narrow wide chainring (maybe swap the cranks if the chainline is off; i also run non narrowwide chainrings on 1x builds, a front derailleur chain catch works 90% of the time), replace the cassete with a cog (my shitty writing this while high idea is to take a regular fixed hub wheel and bend the chainstays in if thats steel, the good idea is to replace the cassete with a singlespeed conversion kit or a home equivalent), size the chain, and swap spacers/cranks to get a good chainline. Tensioning it would be a little harder than track fork ends but not too much
Mostly what’s in question is what condition the Headshok is in now and whether you’re prepared to deal with it when it needs attention. The tldr there is often be prepared to switch the fork and headset because some of the dampers are non-replaceable/non-serviceable. The boot condition is also a big part of the conversation; the boots are easy to get and change, but the system suffers badly if it’s used with tears etc in the boot, so in other words a little bit of that goes a long way to the telescope bearings getting toasted. If it does all seem to be in good condition and you go with it, consider replacing the boot preemptively unless it happens to have been done recently.
Other than that it’s the same as any other MTB ss conversion.
You’ll probably need a chain tensioner unless you get really lucky.