Anybody remove the inner ring? I am building a bike to just fool around on using some pare parts. I don’t plan on using the inner ring because its flat here. I don’t want a single speed or fixie, just want to use a big ring with a cassette. Any advice or problems to avoid? I’m thinking about a chain catcher, not sure if it would extend out far enough.
Don’t shift?
Every fucking ride.
Sounds great until it isn’t then it is really bad. (one day you do an event or ride with a nasty hill, or headwind, and fffffuuuuuuuuuuu)
Although, with 11 speed and 11-32 you could probably pull this off most places. Ideally you would want a crank and chainring designed for the purpose to reduce drag, weight, and keep the chain on (you need special deeper tooth chainring or the chain can hop off)
I used to ride single. I had the chain come off in training and then after it came off in a short tt and blowing the race I put the front derailleur back on. Then I figured if I had the front derailleur I should probably just have the small ring anyway for warming up.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj10/Juanmoretime/IMG_3604.jpg
For the most part that’s true. The time it happened to me during a tt I was not shifting but hit a large exspasion crack that caused the chain to bounce off. The chain was the proper length and my front ring was a single ring design with high profile teeth.
there are some nice MTB chain guides that sit over the top of the chain to keep it from falling off to the outside or inside that seem to work well. I use one called a jumpstop on my cross bike that gets the job done. You will need some short bmx chainring bolts and that should do it, check the chainlength in the big cog in back.
as others note, the main issue is the stupid chain falls off
I do this on my commuter because I didn’t want the hassle of dealing with extra parts to clean and take care of while riding all winter. It works great. My setup is actually an old three speed up front with the ring in the middle. Then I have an old derailleur up front as a chain guide. Otherwise, yup, the chain keeps popping off when you hit a bump or shift too fast etc…
I dont see the advantage ? You wont notice the weight of the inner ring and if you take the front mech off - your chain may bounce off and you’ll struggle to get it back on.
Just keep it but dont shift if you dont want to. I dont see that maintaining a front mech is anything more than squirting with lube every so often ?
You might consider a “bashwich” setup, using two cyclocross bashguards on either side of the chainring:
http://bbgbashguard.com/Cyclocross.html
.
Yeah it really isn’t worthwhile unless you go pretty nuts with it.
For instance you could reduce the Q-factor a bit, but most frames your foot would interfere anyway if you did.
But supposing your frame allowed a lower q-factor and you can pedal well with one, and you dropped the front deraillear and used single speed teeth, then you get a pretty nice weight and drag loss. Might save you 2 seconds over 40k on courses where you don’t need to two front gears? Maybe 3? Not much but doing something like that for nationals or state championships wouldn’t be insane…if you drop your chain you will hate it.
I dont see the advantage ? You wont notice the weight of the inner ring and if you take the front mech off - your chain may bounce off and you’ll struggle to get it back on.
Just keep it but dont shift if you dont want to. I dont see that maintaining a front mech is anything more than squirting with lube every so often ?
Anybody remove the inner ring? I am building a bike to just fool around on using some pare parts. I don’t plan on using the inner ring because its flat here. I don’t want a single speed or fixie, just want to use a big ring with a cassette. Any advice or problems to avoid? I’m thinking about a chain catcher, not sure if it would extend out far enough.
David Millar thought it was a good idea for the 2003 Tour de France prologue…
MTB 1x set-ups are gaining popularity, and have very good track records for keeping the chain on (and they’re getting bumped around a whole lot more than any TT bike). The key is the clutch rear mechanism and the “hounds tooth” chainrings. Not sure if those chainrings can be found in a 54T, but it might be worth a look.
I’ve run a 1x set up on my MTB with just a normal single speed chainring and a 7-speed rear, no chain keeper up front, and I’ve only dropped the chain a couple times in several years, and that was on some pretty nasty baby-head stretches. YMMV.
just take off the front der and you won’t have to worry about rub. Most chains are designed for riding full cross but you could move your big ring to the small slot for a little better chainline. or try a beefy track chain.
or try a beefy track chain.
I think you’d have to worry about the chain rubbing the rear cogs if you did that.
or try a beefy track chain.
I think you’d have to worry about the chain rubbing the rear cogs if you did that.
Not with a 3/32 chain.
or try a beefy track chain.
I think you’d have to worry about the chain rubbing the rear cogs if you did that.
Not with a 3/32 chain.
But then it wouldn’t be a “beefy” track chain…
How is shifting with a track chain?
I just did a single-ring conversion of my commuter/CX bike a couple weeks ago. I picked up a 42T ring from Wolf Tooth Cycling. They don’t stock bigger than 44. I think with a 46T ring and 11-32 in back, that would be just about ideal.
I have 42/11-28 and have been fine riding around SF, but don’t think that would get it done for a race bike.
It does have the XX1 style rings and I haven’t experienced a drop or any issues yet. In terms of spacing, I picked up some 3mm chainring bolt spacers from my LBS. They were listed at $1 each, but just gave me 5 and sent me on my way. The whole process took about 20 minutes. If I did it again, it would take less than 10.
This is an interesting thread, since I have a Specialized Epic that I’m converting to a 1 x 10 setup (and when prices come down, a 1 x 11 setup)… I find it interesting and wondered about experimenting with a 1 x 10 or 11 setup on my road bike… I use a 54/42 rotor q rings and 11/26… I thought about using a 52t and looking at the 10/32 or 34 cassette or looking at getting the duraace 11 speed rear setup, so… can I use the current crankset, Rotor, and I would need these single speed chainring bolts? is that all?