Need advice on building a single speed

[cstenger5]

So I went to my parents house a few weeks ago after my Scalpel was stolen, and my dad says "don't forget that you still have that bike frame in our garage". Huh? Bike frame???

I looked, and found that I had completely forgotten about my old, cannibalized '96 Stumpjumper. Now I want to build a single speed out of it.

So I have the Stumpy frame and it's seatpost, and another complete piece of 90's Haro junk that I could cannibalize. I'm trying to go low budget, but still come out with a bike I enjoy riding.

Are there any good references out there for building a bike from the frame up for beginners?

Also any advice about potential pitfalls and hidden costs from people who have done this before would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Chris

[CRAIG2]

No advise per say, but I do have a SS specific wheel built I'm trying to offload, 26", rim brake only. It's a Mavic rim (can't remember the exact model number), with a Paul hub and White Industries 18t freewheel. The wheel is in great shape, and it's got under 100 miles on it. I used it for a handful of rides, and then realized that singlespeeding, albeit trendy, was just not for me. If you're interested, let me know.

C.

[BikerMiker]

To follow-up, buy a singlespeed wheel first.

Get friends who know something to help. Add beer, bike parts, music and mix.

Ride bike.

mk

[mipellerin]

I found this page on MTBR quite helpfull when I built up my first SS.

http://www.mtbr.com/ssfaqcrx.aspx

I have a set of rim brakes that you are welcome to.

[walsh]

Are there any good references out there for building a bike from the frame up for beginners?

There is only the Master: http://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

God rest his soul, no one else knew more about breathing new life into venerable old frames, and doing it for cheap.

I'll bet that 96 Stumpy is a pretty neat frame - steel, I'd imagine. I'm sorry for your loss, but this will be a great project. The connection I feel to bikes I've built out of odds and ends is much stronger than the way I feel about any stock bike, no matter how fancy.

[tuba_transport]

Are there any good references out there for building a bike from the frame up for beginners?

Also any advice about potential pitfalls and hidden costs from people who have done this before would be greatly appreciated.



Park Tools website has great walkthroughs on bike repair
http://www.parktool.com/repair/bikemap.asp

Hidden costs are going to be the tools needed.

Also with using parts on hand and an old frame you might need a few parts new. Here is my guess.

8 speed or 1 speed chain $8
SS conversion kit from Performance Bike $25
new tires and grips if the rubber is old and decayed $50

If the fit is way off you might also need a new stem and handlebar to make it fit. Stems are about $35 I would guess. Singlespeed handlebars are about $500. They are only made in titanium.

[jabberwocky]

What do you have that can be used, and what will need to be bought?

For the build, Sheldon Browns website has tons of info, as does Park Tools. If you tell us where you are located you might get an offer of local help.

If it were me, I'd look at an inexpensive rigid fork with a disc mount, and go with a mechanical disc up front and a rim brake in the rear (assuming the frame doesn't have disc mounts). Look for a cheap 8/9 speed wheel and use something like the Performance singlespeed kit. Look for an inexpensive/used set of cranks. Same with the rest. It can probably be done for cheap pretty easily, but it depends on how much you actually need to buy to get it working.

[walsh]

Singlespeed handlebars are about $500.

Smartass.

I paid $85 for the cheap knock-off. :(

[halfinch]

cobble together you're first singlespeed from parts. best way to learn. many here can help.

i have an old coda crankset with a middle and large ring, plus bottom bracket. you'll want to check the bb shell first.

your's for the taking. just cover shipping from 78155.

[BikerMiker]

The MORE winter party is a great place to do this. Maybe we should have a build-off with only winter party parts available...

mk

[rmac]

buy good bike grease & a small red bottle of blue loctite - both will last a long, long time. Use the grease on most metal on metal parts - very sparingly - it doesn't take much at all. You may not need the loctite, but I use it on crank bolts. I second the Performance conversion kit - inexpensive & easy to convert a 8/9 hub to a single & includes the chain tensioner as well. I used a cheap Pyramid tensioner for 2 years on a convert & liked it better than a more expensive Surly.
Where are you? What parts do you need?

I just built up an 80s hopper ss for my nephew & may have some parts left over.

[DKEG]

good replies so far. I will just add a few things.

This is assuming that you will use what is existing on the bike for now (I would until you decide you want to upgrade).

You will need to buy 5 things (may be 7)

1. 1 non ramped chainring. I would start off with a 32 tooth. Surly, Salsa or E13

2. 1 rear cog. Get one with a wide base, Surly makes a good one. Also Kick Ass Cogs and King make wide base cogs. I would start off with a 17 or 18 tooth cog

3. 1 Chaintensioner, again Surly makes a decent tensioner. It is called a Singulator, The SoulCraft Convert is better.

4. A new chain. I would get a 8 speed SRAM (PC48). They come with a quick link which makes it easy for an easy trailside repair if you break your chain while riding.

5. A spacer kit. to convert your 8 or 9 speed rear hub for SS use. Surly makes one as well.

6. Short chainring bolts if you are not using a bash guard

7. You may need to get a half link if you cannot not get the chain the right length. I got a couple of half links a while back from Spicer.

All parts you should be able to get from a local shop. They may have to order them. Or from the internet.

Begin conversion

1: you need to take off all the Shifting components.

a) Remove all Shifter cables and housing

b) Remove Shifters, hopefully you have seperate shifter and brake levers. Not pods

c) Remove Old Chain

d) Remove Front and Rear derailleurs

e) Remove cassette from the rear wheel

f) Remove old chainrings from crank. You may have to remove the driveside crank arm to get all the chainrings off.

2. install new non ramped chainring on the crank arm. Most likely you can put it on either the Middle chainring position or the outer (large chainring) position

3. Install the rear cog with the spacer from the spacer kit onto your rear wheel. You just need to guess at this point what the chainline will be. You can do the measurements but I never have needed to. When you install the chain you can get a pretty damn good chainline by just eyeballing it.

4. Install the rear wheel temporarily. Eyeball the chainline to make sure it is close to being straight. Adjust cog and spacer position as needed.

5. Install the chaintensioner where the rear derailleur used to go.

6. Reinstall rear wheel onto bike

7. Cut chain to proper size. It will be a little loose that is what the chaintensioner is for. To take up the slack.

8. Adjust the tension on you chain. It should be fairly tight not loose. Back pedal the crank by hand. If the chain is to tight you will feel it as you back pedal.

9. With the everything on and tensioned. Eyeball the chainline from the rear of the bike. It should be straight as possible. Adjust the rear spacing as needed to get a good chainline by removing the rear cog and spacer. Rearrange them as needed.

10. go take it for spin, fall in love with SSings then go and by a $7000. custom Titanium SS bike.

I think I covered it all. It is pretty simple. People feel free to correct anything left out.

[MMMark]

I have a spare Singulator if you need it.

[halfinch]

good replies so far.

9. go take it for spin, fall in love with SSings then go and by a $7000. custom Titanium SS bike.

I think I covered it all. It is pretty simple. People feel free to correct anything left out.

does that price include a spiffy handlebar and hugemongous front tire?



fine job on the instructions.

[tuba_transport]

does that price include a spiffy handlebar and hugemongous front tire?

fine job on the instructions.

We tease, but only because we all want a blinglespeed some day too. I mock $500 handlebars out of jealousy, not contempt.

[DKEG]

I edited my instructions as I remembered a few things. Anyone feel free to improve them.

[wrench177]

I edited my instructions as I remembered a few things. Anyone feel free to improve them.
If possible, mount the Singulator in the "push-up" configuration as opposed to "pull-down". This will give more contact area between the chain and rear cog.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8091/1245/1600/DSCF0004.0.jpg

This guy (http://nooksack.blogspot.com/2006/11/ive-been-riding-with-ghost.html) also just sawed off the shift pods instead of buying separate brake levers. Save him a few bucks.

Oh, and if you REALLY want to ride the bike, don't waste your time with the cheap SS conversion stuff from Performance. Yes, it will work, but, you can't make the tensioner operate in push-up mode and it is fairly low quality stuff. Stick with DKEG's recommendation and stay with Surly at a minimum. There is better, more expensive conversion stuff out there for sure, but, Surly will get you there without breaking the bank.


Great directions so far DKEG. Very comprehensive. :thumbsup:

[cstenger5]

Thanks so much for the response fellas - reading through them now...

[liznotter]

I think the Soulcraft Convert (http://www.soulcraftbikes.com/convert.asp)is better than the Singulator. I could never get the Singulator to work for me in the push up configuration, the Convert is much smoother, and it also has a release button when you need to take the wheel off.

[riderx]

I wrote these single speed conversion instructions (http://www.singlespeedoutlaw.com/issue1/features.shtml#HowTo) back in 2001. Still holds true today except you can add the White Industries ENO hub to list of tensioning devices and nix the eccentric axle (no longer made).

[cstenger5]

There is only the Master: http://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

God rest his soul, no one else knew more about breathing new life into venerable old frames, and doing it for cheap.

I'll bet that 96 Stumpy is a pretty neat frame - steel, I'd imagine. I'm sorry for your loss, but this will be a great project. The connection I feel to bikes I've built out of odds and ends is much stronger than the way I feel about any stock bike, no matter how fancy.

Yep, it's chromoly steel. I loved that bike back in the day, and was really excited when I found that I still had it.

I have been to the Sheldon Brown site, and I definitely plan on using it as a reference.
My biggest issue in approaching this from a budget perspective is that I'm always of the opinion that it's better to spend more money on better stuff once, than to have to replace crappy stuff and *then* end up spending the bucks. I know I need to shed that thinking here (since I just had to shell out a few thousand on a bike to replace the Scalpel), but it's definitely a hurdle for me.



Singlespeed handlebars are about $500. They are only made in titanium.

Damn it all. :: scraps the whole project :: ;)


What do you have that can be used, and what will need to be bought?

If it were me, I'd look at an inexpensive rigid fork with a disc mount, and go with a mechanical disc up front and a rim brake in the rear (assuming the frame doesn't have disc mounts). Look for a cheap 8/9 speed wheel and use something like the Performance singlespeed kit. Look for an inexpensive/used set of cranks. Same with the rest. It can probably be done for cheap pretty easily, but it depends on how much you actually need to buy to get it working.

From the Stumpy, all I have is the frame and seatpost - and yeah, it's only set up for rim braking at the rear. I actually have a complete, albeit crappy, Haro from the early 90's that I could use as a donor for some parts - but much of it looks like what you would buy at Walmart these days, so I don't want to use anything from the drivetrain. I would also prefer to go with a suspension fork (which probably makes me some sort of wus), but I'm ignorant to steerer tube sizes, etc.

As for location, I'm in upper MoCo, and regularly ride Schaeffer, Avalon, Hoyles Mill, and Fountainhead. I'll also be at the Christmas ride, which will be my first MORE event. Definitely looking forward to that.

The MORE winter party is a great place to do this. Maybe we should have a build-off with only winter party parts available...

mk

When / where is this?

[wrench177]

I think the Soulcraft Convert (http://www.soulcraftbikes.com/convert.asp)is better than the Singulator. I could never get the Singulator to work for me in the push up configuration, the Convert is much smoother, and it also has a release button when you need to take the wheel off.
I couldn't agree more, however, the Soulcraft converter costs $90 bucks. That's a lot of coin, 3x the Singulator. Like I said, there are better, more expensive ways to go, but.......

[Pinoy Rider]

I'm still rockin a 95 M2 stumpjumper fs. The only thing still original to my bike is a seatpost clamp, bottom bracket, crank, and RD. I do have an issue with my 2000 SIC XC forks air caps touching the derailleur cables on the down tube. Dependent on the shock controls, you may need to get a race to allow the controls to clear the cables. If you go rigid up front you shouldn't have a problem.

[allencb]

If you want to avoid the expense and hassle of a tensioner, you might be able to get by with a "magic gear". It's merely the chainring and cog combination that matches the length of your chainstay. However, you won't be able to adjust for chainwear and will be replacing chains more often. I did this with my Klein and it worked well, but I had to replace my chain every 200 miles or so. My Klein's magic gear was 32x17t.

Cheap Bell brand chains from Walmart work well for this since they're only $6 for the 1/8" width (they were $5 when I did this though). I'm currently running one on my fixed gear right now.

Chris

[DKEG]

I couldn't agree more, however, the Soulcraft converter costs $90 bucks. That's a lot of coin, 3x the Singulator. Like I said, there are better, more expensive ways to go, but.......
I third Liz's recommendation on the Soulcraft Convert. It is what I have used. But most places stock the Surly more then the Soulcraft. And what Wrench said about price.

[cstenger5]

hmmm... something wrong with my posting... please bear with my double-posts until I figure out how to delete them.

[cstenger5]

10. go take it for spin, fall in love with SSings then go and by a $7000. custom Titanium SS bike.
.


You joke, but I am afraid of this very thing. I was secretly a little bit happy that mu Scalpel was stolen because I could now justify buying a 29er, after having ridden one and fallen in love.

Great input DKEG - thanks!

[escatmore]

I'll second the magic gear. I have an old stumpy that is setup this way, 32x16 fits perfect and the dropouts allow the smallest amount of movement for chain tension adjusting. I can get by for about 2-3 months on a bmx chain before the chain becomes to slack. Replace the chain ( for cheap! ) and start over.

I have an eno wheel, or the whole bike available if anyone is interested.

eric

[ride_clyde]

This is a fun project, I did it on a 95 or 96 Stumpy M2 for bike polo. Running a 32 (raceface ramped) 17(surly) I did not need a tensioner or half link. The drop out angles ever so slightly to give you some tension. After two years of riding it I now have to replace the chain. What a difference if you can get away without a tensioner.

Also skip the suspension fork, that's what the scalpel is for, and make this bike super light by buying a great rim brake set of wheels on ebay. No one uses them anymore so there are some fantastic deals out there.

I got mine to about 20 lbs with an enormous WTB front tire, old SPD and a Surly rigid fork ($60).

This is a bike worth restoring properly.

[escatmore]

posted previously and all still true, open to negotiation ( it's been so long, I'll drop the price to $250 ). You have to love integrated seatposts though...

eric

- I want to sell a 96 18" Specialized StumpJumper (http://www.more-mtb.org/galleries/gal_imgs/5/6/4/96sjss.jpg)setup single speed with a magic gear and rigid fork, Surly Blowerdrive, XT levers, Avid V-brakes, 1x1 bolt on wheels - might consider including an Eno wheel too, all well loved, steel and red. $300

[tuba_transport]

Oh, and if you REALLY want to ride the bike, don't waste your time with the cheap SS conversion stuff from Performance. Yes, it will work, but, you can't make the tensioner operate in push-up mode and it is fairly low quality stuff.

I used my Performance tensioner in push-up mode. It takes a little hacking and ingenuity, but it will work that way.

Right now I use no tensioner. Instead I use a magic ratio. Certainly works a lot better than a tensioner.

[riderx]

Definitely shoot for the magic gear first. With a half-link you have twice as many chances to find a gear that works.

[yueq]

Would WI Eccentric ENO hub be an option for you?

[soreback]

if you get a singleator, you'll need an 18mm cone wrench or Surly Singleator wrench.

take a look at the wheels manufacturing ssk-3 kit. i have it on my ss. it has a chain guide.

http://wheelsmfg.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=523&Itemid=40

[kdweb]

There's a ton of SS stuff out on the web and you bet, Harris and Mr. Brown's site are tops. Two other suggestions, Dirt Rag and although this site is more FS centric, it's got a lot of the same concepts.

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/columns/bobgarage/indexb.htm

Dirt Rag and More site's have good search engines on them and when you encounter a problem, use the engine like an index!

And as far as your desire for doing this on the cheap...I'm so cheap, I make my kids close their eyes when they are not wearing their glasses!! Start with your rear wheel and a BMX Freewheel....less then $20 get's you in the game and if you love the 1x1 world, you can always upgrade.