Im Getting A New Chain But

[NicP]

Well due to the damn chain snapping earlier this afternoon I'm gonna need a new one which is fine,

I've also decided that because i hate gears (due to various reasons slipping etc.) I'm gonna go single speed,

but i was wondering can i use this tensioner with my 6 speed cassette,

if its all lined up correctly and stuff.

Thanks

NicP

[Pashley26]

I don't think so, becouse the chain will need to Float from left to right and they fixed.....

Correct me if i'm wrong ?

Jarrod

[Muel]

It does work, my mate used to have 4 sprockets with a single wheel tensioner. Then he went down to three.

[Lawnmowerman]

I don't see why not but your chain will fall off all the time unless it's super tight and aligned perfectly. Cassette cogs have little ramps that allow you to change gear so it'll be changing all the time.

You're best off getting a ss kit here and using your existing mech as a tensioner.

[NicP]

thanks alot for the quick replies

the only problem is I've got literally like 24 quid lol

so i really don't know what to do,

umm would using a bmx freewheel work and tensioning that providing i got a bmx chain as well?

Thanks

NicP

[Lawnmowerman]

What wheel set up have you got?

[NicP]

A Alex rim DX32 on god knows what hub and a shimano cassette

[Lawnmowerman]

Hmmm well a bmx freewheel won't work but the ss kit will. If I were you I'd get the kit and a KMC Kool chain and it'll run perfect with a little bit of bending of the cages on the mech for it to clear the chain.

[NicP]

seems like trouble

shame i might get a decent mech and cassette reckon that would be better?

NicP

[Lawnmowerman]

Nope not if you want to go single speed it won't. I'll see if I can find a tutorial on converting

Ready to make that jump to a single speed but don't wanna blow your wad on a new bike? You can convert your bike for not too much money, that way, you can make sure you dig the SS thing before you empty your pockets. It's really quite simple. The first thing you need to do is get rid of your shifters, front derailleur, and large and small chainring. Actually, if you take your big ring off, you will inevitably need shorter chainring bolts. You can file the old ones down, or buy some new ones. You can also take an old big ring and grind all of the teeth down, and make yourself a custom bash ring. It's won't be the beefiest thing in the world, but it will protect your teeth and chain. For a clean look and more protection, a lot of companies make bash rings that will replace the big ring.

Next, you need to take off your cassette, and put one cog on the freehub. To do this, you can take your old cassette apart, and use the cog of your choice. How do you know what size cog to use? Good question. Most people start with a 2:1 ratio and adjust accordingly depending on terrain and fitness. My 26" commuter has a 39:16 and my 700c cross bike has a 38:16 - and both work great for me. Try certain gear combos on your geared bike and see if there is a certain gear you really like - that should at least get you in the right area. Once you've chosen the cog you want, you need to stick it on the freehub with a bunch of spacers. You can use the spacers from your old cassette, but you'll need more, so try to find another used cassette, or get some spacers. You'll need to arrange the cog and spacers so that your cog is even with your chainring, which will give you a good chainline. If you have a poor chainline, your chain could come off.

Odds are that since you are using vertical dropouts, you probably won't achieve optimal chain tension without some sort of tensioner. It is possible - my Bridgeston XO-1 fits a 39:16 perfectly. You can take some the guess work out of it by checking out this software designed by Team Big Time. If you don't find the perfect gear fits, you can buy a new tensioner, like the Surly Singleator or our favorite Paul's Melvin, or you can use your old derailleur to pull the slack in the chain. Just screw in the limit screws to get it in the proper place. I guess technically, you could stick a cable though the derailleur, and let the cable end sit where the cable ferrule would normally go. Then just tighten the cable so that it is in the exact spot you need, but that's kinda complicated and then you have to worry about cable stretch and whatnot. Forget I said that.

Throw your chain on and there you go, your very own single speed. If you really feel the need to spend some money, you can get a new SS rear wheel, new riser bars, or maybe a SS crank (some people like to run longer cranks for more leverage), or some fatty tires. If you are riding rigid, fat tires will definitely help. They will make riding a lot more pleasurable. Good luck!

[Typhoon_Rider]

I used to use that chain tensioner on my old bike which was single speed.

They work absolutly fine but they arent brilliant.

Why not try just a normal derailleur and cable tie it to the frame to stop knocking.

This would be handy as they work fine but wont bust your bank and will save your pennys

[Wilson.]

I had this problem with loads and loads of different tensioners i spent loads on trying to fix it, so in the end i bought the onza mech from tarty it was cheap and worked perfect.

up to you mate i was using single speed when i had it and it was sexellent

Edited January 17, 2008 by SAFE DANNY

[NicP]

thanks all

to have helped especially Lawnmowerman props to you my friend

might give that a go actually

NicP

Edited January 17, 2008 by NicP