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First things first. I'm a girl, and I really have no clue about bike building!
However, I've had my hardtail for about a year and have surprised myself with how much I enjoy "fettling"!
I've just changed jobs recently from one with a 130 round trip commute each day, to one that's more like 9 miles each way, with a convenient bike path door to door. So I've dug out my early 1990's Edinburgh bikes "countour 100" bike and was hoping to transform it into a serviceable commuter. This bike has not been well loved over the years, so I was thinking about converting it to a 1x7 set up to save on maintenance.
However, I don't really know where to start! I guess the front derailleur is relatively simple; I was just gonna get the superstar chain guide and take off the unnecessary components. I suspect I should also replace the chain and cassette as they feel awful at the moment and several gears are unusable.
Can anyone give me an idiot's guide to all of this? Or should I just find a nice man to do it for me?! 😉
I'd just get it fixed then ride it, no benefit to 1x7 for a commute.
Even in terms of maintenance?
To be honest, I'm going to have to replace most of the parts anyway, and I figure that I never really use the front gears anyway. And I fancy a bit of a challenge!!
Singlespeed is what i run.
1x whatever number of gears could be less faf..
Ed cycles sell a bike called the courier i think and has 1x8 to keep costs down.
Not sure I'd manage going singlespeed, would like the comfort of a few gears as my knees ache when I have to power up hills in the wrong gear (at the grand old age of 28!!).
I run my Cotic Roadrat occasionally as 1x9 and that is fine. I slao run it single speed.
Single speed will mean very little maintenance, what is the commute like? is it hilly?
Not particularly hilly, just a few gentle inclines. However, I move jobs every year and the next place is at the top of a reasonable hill!