WHY? Taking all but one of the gears off your bike, or even specially going out and buying a 1-speed machine may seem like an odd thing to do, but it has it’s advantages: low weight, less clutter, fewer mechanical problems, quieter, less affected by mud, cheaper way to build a hack bike, looks cool, no noisy chain slap, and your brain is less occupied with changing gears, and more focused on the actual riding.

For some people, nothing can beat the super-responsive & reliable feel of a single-speed, and while the one gear may lead to some frenzied pedal spinning when trying to keep up on flat tarmac, the inevitably aggressive climbing style required may make you first to the top of every hill.

IS IT FOR ME? Admittedly the strain of getting up those hills may not be suitable for people with problematic knees or backs, so think twice if you’ve had a problem here.  However, if you think the pros outweigh the cons and would like to give single-speeding a go, but don’t want to spend a lot of money, follow our D.I.Y. guide to going singlespeed.

CONVERTING TO SINGLESPEED

First, think about how you’re going to un-gear your bike. Read through all the steps, decide on your chain-tensioning method, and work out what gear to run – most riders go for a 2:1 ratio, e.g. 32 teeth chain-ring and 16 teeth rear sprocket. Remove those subversive shifters, derailleur, cables, cassette and other superfluous gear from your bike. Now follow the next 3 steps – either doing it properly, or if finances are tight (or you are) and you might want to change back to gears when your knees give out, use the bodge it (B) guide.

TOP TIP: Get a SS specific chain e.g. BMX chain which are also tougher and stretch less.

01A: Chainring (Proper)

A popular add on is a bash-guard to protect the chainring. It allows the use of regular chainring bolts and also attempts more ambitious log-crossings without tooth-loss misery.

NOTE: Many singlespeeds are set up with longer-than-normal crank arms (e.g. 180mm instead of usual 175mm) for improved leverage for climbing.

01B: Chainring (Bodge)

Remove the front chainrings, and replace with a single ring. Profiled teeth and shifting ramps aren’t really any good, so go for a chainring with plain teeth.

NOTE: You’ll usually need shorter (BMX) chainring bolts or you could file down the ‘female’ side (shown on the right hand side of the picture) of a set of regular bolts.

02A: HUB / FREEWHEEL (Proper)

Use a screw-on hub that will accept a singlespeed BMX style freewheel. There are many hubs designed for singlespeed MTBs available.

Alternatively, use an old BMX or road hub, rebuilding it with a MTB axle and spacing it to be compatible with the 135mm dropout spacing of a MTB. Some manufacturers offer singlespeed cassette hubs, which have superior seals and freewheel mechanisms (but at a price).

02B: HUB / FREEWHEEL (Bodge)

The most popular option for hubs (usually involving the least investment) is to use a Shimano style cassette hub and a single sprocket with spacers. This can be obtained in a kit from single-speed friendly manufacturers – use a cassette lockring to hold it in place.

Alternatively use the spacers from old cassettes, file the heads off the rivets on the back and pull apart, or try using some plastic piping e.g. a drain pipe of the right diameter. Now line up the rear sprocket with the front chainring – this gives a good chainline to keep things running smoothly and quietly.

03A: CHAIN TENSIONING (Proper)

Horizontal BMX-style track ends / drop-outs allow the wheel to be slid back to tighten the chain, and so do some old frames with forward-facing dropouts. If wheel slippage is a problem, try using chain tugs or tapping a thread into the axle and using bolts instead of a quick release.

Elliptical bottom brackets do away with the ‘faff’ of moving the wheel in the drop-outs.

03B: CHAIN TENSIONING (Bodge)

If you have a regular bike with vertical drop-outs you cannot tension the chain by moving the wheel forwards of backwards. If you’re lucky, you may be able to get the chain to the right length, otherwise, use a chain tensioner or an old rear mech – use the ‘H’ screw or put a small bit of cable in the mech and adjust with the barrel adjuster to adjust the jockey wheels.