Converting Liv Tempt 3 MTB Gears From Double to Single Mega Range?

[Cletus Van Damme]

I bought this bike new in 2020 for my daughter, it's a really nice bike, except she doesn't get on with the gears. It's strange as when she was younger she had a Specialized Hotrock with a triple and could use it fine. Now she's nearly a teenager she can't be bothered with it. A year after she got this bike I got a Voodoo Hoodoo MTB that has a 1 x 10 speed, low level Deore groupset that works really well. So I'd like to put something similar on the Liv. They seem to be less hassle and work really well for what we use them for, roads and light trails. I'd do the swap myself, and understand that it would need a new cassette, chain, rear mech with a clutch, and a shifter. I fully understand that part.

What I don't understand is will I need to buy a new crankset?

Can the existing crank spider be used with a new single chainring and what would I buy to make sure that the chainline was good if it was possible? It's just that by my reckoning the single chainring would need to sit in a central position, like the centre in-between where the double chainrings were. Would the single chainring have an offset to achieve this? Sorry I haven't a clue.

The other issue I would have would be getting the chain length correct. Thanks for any help.

Liv Tempt 3

 

[Cycleops]

You could always adhere to the ‘KiSS‘ principle and just remove the FD and keep the chain on the central chain wheel. Looks like those chain rings aren’t removable so you’d be stuck with them. Alternatives if you wanted to go megarange would involve new chainset, cassette and RD if you wanted to keep the spread of gears but unless you need that my suggested solution should work for her.

 

[Big John]

Without wishing to put a downer on proceedings you could go to a lot of trouble reinventing the bike and she'd still show no interest in it. My kids flew the nest years ago but I remember all the things I did to chivvy up their interest and all to no avail. I'd go for the easiest and cheapest option suggested by Cyclops. My daughter, who's now 38, asked me a few years ago to refurbish her bike for her which had been sitting idle in a shed for years. I spent an age doing it up and it went right back in the shed where it's been sat ever since ☹️

Edit: Couple of years ago I refurbished my sister-in-law's bike and my nephew and niece's too. All three have been sat in her shed ever since too. I wouldn't mind but she asked me to do it because they were all 'going to get fit'.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Cheers Cycleops and Big John, I know exactly where you are both coming from, and yes I've wasted money in the past on my child. The bike in-question is completely mint through lack of use, but we have been out more lately.

Another solution I thought about was swapping the groupsets over from my bike to hers. To be honest I'm not really bothered if I have a double on my bike. The problem is with that, is that my bike is a L with 175mm cranks, my daughters is a S, with 170mm cranks. So nothing is straight forward..

 

[GuyBoden]

1 x 10 speed are the latest fashion, next will be the Bay City Rollers again.

 

[GeekDadZoid]

There are some quite cheap Chinese 1x cranksets online but to get the chainlike right you would probably need to swap the bottom bracket.

As others have said KISS might be the best option, can you try setting the limit screws on the FD to keep it on one ring, then see how she gets on with it. You have the advantage there of being able to try both rings over time. If you find she uses it more and enjoys it then the investment may be worth it.

 

[figbat]

If the spider has riveted chainrings then you’ll need a new one if you are determined to make this change. It looks like it’s a square taper setup so replacement crank arms are not expensive - I replaced a 3x with a Sunrace FCM800 and a narrow-wide chainring. If you’re wanting to extend the range of the cassette then this might be the more expensive - and trickier to find - item. You might get away with the derailleur you have or a drop link might adapt it.

 

[Ajax Bay]

• it's a really nice bike, except she doesn't get on with the gears

Liv Tempt 3
Crankset Prowheel, 22/36 Bottom Bracket Feimin FP-902W
Look riveted to me (see below) - limit screws for the win.
BB is square taper. From another site 122.5mm spindle length.
Spindle will be too long for a single ring chainset, so replace BB with UN-300 if going that route.
Ime (daughters and gear 'preference' as an excuse for not using 😢) this may actually be a shifter issue rather than a 'gosh two rings' issue. And the 'large' ring is 36t so with a CS-HG200-9, 11-36 should be good for all but the gnarly stuff. On the plus side daughter 1's weapon of choice is a BMC TT bike.
Perhaps remove the wire from the shifter and anchor (cable tension) in the large ring (if the limit screws won't do it).
Remove LH shifter for the 1x 'look'.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

• 
  

Liv Tempt 3
Crankset Prowheel, 22/36 Bottom Bracket Feimin FP-902W
Look riveted to me (see below) - limit screws for the win.
BB is square taper. From another site 122.5mm spindle length.
Spindle will be too long for a single ring chainset, so replace BB with UN-300 if going that route.
Ime (daughters and gear 'preference' as an excuse for not using 😢) this may actually be a shifter issue rather than a 'gosh two rings' issue. And the 'large' ring is 36t so with a CS-HG200-9, 11-36 should be good for all but the gnarly stuff. On the plus side daughter 1's weapon of choice is a BMC TT bike.
Perhaps remove the wire from the shifter and anchor (cable tension) in the large ring (if the limit screws won't do it).
Remove LH shifter for the 1x 'look'.
View attachment 635290

That's great, very much appreciated