vickster
Legendary Member
This looks lush
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Charge-P...946418?hash=item4d8d0d6272:g:FmgAAOSwSL5caW3V
Hour to go, under £200 at mo
Don't know where you are located though
Building a Single Speed
- Thread starter novemberdelta
- Start date
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- Tags
- single speed
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Charge-P...946418?hash=item4d8d0d6272:g:FmgAAOSwSL5caW3V
Hour to go, under £200 at mo
Don't know where you are located though
novemberdelta
Well-Known Member
I have my eye on this. However, it's hard to tell from the pics but it kind of looks like rust/bubbled paint on the dowtube, but it could just be grime and water splashes. Hard to tell.
Zero feedback seller is not confidence inspiring.
I'm in the north of Scotland so would probably be buying blind, as much as I would want to avoid it.
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ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I built this singlespeed bike a few years back. I wasn't sure how much I would ride it because I live in a very hilly area so it is overgeared for much of the local terrain. It is perfect for our valley roads though and I have taken it on some very long rides in flatter areas, (@nickyboy 's Lllandudno and Scarborough rides and my 200 km Cheshire rides, for example). I have now ridden ... (checks records) ... 3,500 km (2,200 miles) on it.
I had nearly all of the bits lying around in my cellar and a friend donated the frame/fork which did not fit him, but did fit me. (He had been given the bike that the frame came from, and took off all the parts that he wanted.) The whole project only cost me £70-80.
As you can see, I used an (On One Doofer) chain tensioner. If you look more closely, you will see that I am not using it the way that it was designed to be used. Normally the jockey wheel sits above the chain and a spring pushes it down to tension the chain. I found that the tensioner bounced on rough roads and the chain peeled off the sprocket fairly frequently, often several times in one ride, which started to really annoy me. I came up with a solution - I took the spring out and put the chain on the other side of the jockey wheel. I tightened the mounting bolt enough to stop the tension arm moving by itself, but left it loose enough that I can quickly adjust it by hand to tighten the chain. You can see a little bit of slack in the chain in the picture. The system can be quite noisy, despite me setting a perfect chainline. I find that amount of slack keeps the noise down, while still making it very rare for the chain to come off.
I was surprised by how much and how quickly the chain 'stretches' with use. (It doesn't actually stretch - parts wear and the chain gets longer.) I set the bike up so a new chain hardly needs any tension adding. The chain above had probably done a couple of hundred kms. A few hundred more and the chain tensioner would need to take up quite a lot of slack. So, it is possible to use a chain tensioner, but I agree with this post:
The nice thing about singlespeed/fixed is how simple and efficient the chain's path is - a chain tensioner is a kludge and adds noise. Horizontal dropouts for the win!
Even with the tensioner, the transmission feels very efficient. The bike is also pretty light because it doesn't have lots of parts that a conventional bike has. Mine only weighs about 9 kgs (19 lbs).
About gear ratios ...
I chose a 52/19 gear. I arrived at that by experiment and calculation. That combination means that a new chain does not need any tension adding. A different combination might mean that a new chain hangs loose even when adjusted to its shortest possible length.
I knew that I would be riding mainly flat roads, but didn't want to grind to a halt at the first sign of a modest hill. So, I wanted a gear that was good for my usual cruising speed of 24-32 kph (15-20 mph). I can do short bursts faster than that but would normally only go that fast downhill so I just freewheel once I start to spin out. I chose 52/19, a 71-inch gear.
I can climb 3-5% hills without too much bother, 6-8% climbs are hard work, 9-11% is really tough and I can only just manage about 300 metres at that kind of gradient. Longer/steeper climbs would involve walking!
Use this gear calculator to work on your numbers. I like to pedal at a cadence 80-100 rpm but can just about manage 120 rpm on the singlespeed for short bursts.
Definitely choose a frame designed for mudguards. A singlespeed/fixed bike is ideal for winter riding and it isn't nice getting the bike (and yourself!) covered in salty, gritty muck. I had to fit Crud Roadracers to my bike because it was not suitable for proper mudguards. They are good for what they are, but they are almost impossible to keep clear of crud, and end up being noisy.
I would opt for disk brakes on a winter bike. I have worn out too many rims using calliper brakes on dirty winter roads. If you live somewhere flat, that might not be a big issue for you, but coming down descents at 10-25%, heavy braking is NOT optional!
It will be interesting to see what bike you end up with!
I had nearly all of the bits lying around in my cellar and a friend donated the frame/fork which did not fit him, but did fit me. (He had been given the bike that the frame came from, and took off all the parts that he wanted.) The whole project only cost me £70-80.
As you can see, I used an (On One Doofer) chain tensioner. If you look more closely, you will see that I am not using it the way that it was designed to be used. Normally the jockey wheel sits above the chain and a spring pushes it down to tension the chain. I found that the tensioner bounced on rough roads and the chain peeled off the sprocket fairly frequently, often several times in one ride, which started to really annoy me. I came up with a solution - I took the spring out and put the chain on the other side of the jockey wheel. I tightened the mounting bolt enough to stop the tension arm moving by itself, but left it loose enough that I can quickly adjust it by hand to tighten the chain. You can see a little bit of slack in the chain in the picture. The system can be quite noisy, despite me setting a perfect chainline. I find that amount of slack keeps the noise down, while still making it very rare for the chain to come off.
I was surprised by how much and how quickly the chain 'stretches' with use. (It doesn't actually stretch - parts wear and the chain gets longer.) I set the bike up so a new chain hardly needs any tension adding. The chain above had probably done a couple of hundred kms. A few hundred more and the chain tensioner would need to take up quite a lot of slack. So, it is possible to use a chain tensioner, but I agree with this post:
The nice thing about singlespeed/fixed is how simple and efficient the chain's path is - a chain tensioner is a kludge and adds noise. Horizontal dropouts for the win!
Even with the tensioner, the transmission feels very efficient. The bike is also pretty light because it doesn't have lots of parts that a conventional bike has. Mine only weighs about 9 kgs (19 lbs).
About gear ratios ...
I chose a 52/19 gear. I arrived at that by experiment and calculation. That combination means that a new chain does not need any tension adding. A different combination might mean that a new chain hangs loose even when adjusted to its shortest possible length.
I knew that I would be riding mainly flat roads, but didn't want to grind to a halt at the first sign of a modest hill. So, I wanted a gear that was good for my usual cruising speed of 24-32 kph (15-20 mph). I can do short bursts faster than that but would normally only go that fast downhill so I just freewheel once I start to spin out. I chose 52/19, a 71-inch gear.
I can climb 3-5% hills without too much bother, 6-8% climbs are hard work, 9-11% is really tough and I can only just manage about 300 metres at that kind of gradient. Longer/steeper climbs would involve walking!
Use this gear calculator to work on your numbers. I like to pedal at a cadence 80-100 rpm but can just about manage 120 rpm on the singlespeed for short bursts.
Definitely choose a frame designed for mudguards. A singlespeed/fixed bike is ideal for winter riding and it isn't nice getting the bike (and yourself!) covered in salty, gritty muck. I had to fit Crud Roadracers to my bike because it was not suitable for proper mudguards. They are good for what they are, but they are almost impossible to keep clear of crud, and end up being noisy.
I would opt for disk brakes on a winter bike. I have worn out too many rims using calliper brakes on dirty winter roads. If you live somewhere flat, that might not be a big issue for you, but coming down descents at 10-25%, heavy braking is NOT optional!
It will be interesting to see what bike you end up with!
Last edited:
Smokin Joe
Squire
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
Unless you particularly want to do the build yourself, you could do a lot worse than this.
https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-monzonite-2019-singlespeed-bike-EV339944
In fact I wish I hadn't seen it as I'm drooling
https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-monzonite-2019-singlespeed-bike-EV339944
In fact I wish I hadn't seen it as I'm drooling
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
No rust, it's an ali frame.
The Pinnacle looks good.
novemberdelta
Well-Known Member
I thought these plugs were all single speed too.
vickster
Legendary Member
You can have a new one for £250
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Charge-P...964531?hash=item1a76201833:g:UEkAAOSwL1Rcao7c
novemberdelta
Well-Known Member
vickster
Legendary Member
Are you sure as they come up big (I'm 5'10 and a medium was too big for me)I've seen that i'm a medium though
novemberdelta
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure at all. I'm 5'8 and a half so small might be right. I ride a small Genesis Vapour. Hmmmm I might need to do a little research. If that fits me I would by it in a second...
update i think it would fit, effective tt is 55/
Last edited:
vickster
Legendary Member
Indeed, medium would be too big for you I think
I'd be tempted myself if I didn't already have a SS I don't often ride
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Smokin Joe
Squire
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
That's tempting for me too. I'm thinking of buying a single speed as a permanent fixture on the turbo and I've never fancied buying cheapo old bangers.
vickster
Legendary Member
@novemberdelta had better be quick
