You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
lockdown musings....only got the one bike, a singular gryphon set up as singlespeed.
[img] 
[/img]
was just wondering, how easy/quick it could be to swap over to geared if i so wished for a jaunt in the peak say (obviously not anytime soon). the less faff the better, so how simple could i make the swap-over?
i already have a set of titec h bars with BB7s already connected. thats about it.
my thoughts were, the major expense would be a rear wheel and a set of forks.
if im going geared id go hardtail, so have a set of forks set up with the BB7s already attached.
so, the drop bars come off, fork out, sus fork in, titecs connected, fronts good to go.
rear obviously more faff. wheel comes off, new wheel on with a 12t cassette (im thinking 1 X 12?). rear mech on and swap chains. connect rear BB7.
that it? there may be a flaw in this in that the chain for a 12t cassette wont be compatible with a 34t white ind ring. or that 34t up front would be crap for a 1 X 12 set up. i get the feeling that theres something obvious i havent thought of anyway 😀
or.....am i just better off saving the faff and looking for a different hardtail?
cheers
I've swapped SS to geared and back on my Singulars. started with a (used to be) standard freehub body wheel, which it sounds like you aren't.
On the Peregrine, I drop the back wheel out, strip off the cassette, derailleur and chain, stick em in a bag, open the SS bag with rear sprocket, chain and spacers, stick them on.
I've got a bar end shifter, so that comes out, but I leave the cable under the bars to an inline barrel adjuster by the stem, that section just stays where it is. Shifter, inline adjuster and the rest of the length of outer goes in the gears bag. bar end in, twiddle the EBB, of we go.
Puffin, I've got an Ispec shifter so that just unbolts from the brake lever, otherwise all the same.
Just read yours again! forks are easy, and if you're changing forks, the stem's off as well. I'd get another stem for the H Bars (you might need/want to anyway), save you faffing with four bolts on the face plate.
HBar F brake can stay attached to the sussfork, likewise for the F brake on the other bar and the rigid fork. You're just unbolting and replacing the rear caliper.
Shifter can stay on the H bar, der can stay attached with full length outer. 34/51 should be a pretty decent low gear. Like you, not sure if the tooth profile wold be compatible though.
I reckon it's a goer. Shouldn't take more than half an hour if you don't lose anything!
One issue might be finding a straight steerer fork.
Go Alfine 8, will swap from single speed to geared with minimal effort. And back again. Chainring, chain stay the same.
Sjs cycles have all you need. I choose single speed and alfine using same size rear sprocket.
Depending on the Gryphon year, couldn't some take a 3" tyre on the front? Worth checking (might be 27+).
started with a (used to be) standard freehub body wheel, which it sounds like you aren’t.
well you live and learn, could have sworn i had a blue white ind freewheel on there, just checked, it is indeed a cog and spacers! (and yes i know, needs a clean)
[img] 
[/img]
where the hell did that freewheel go then! 😀
obviously i wont be using it as its the wrong sort of wheel for it, mebbes i sold it then. just shows how sh1t i am at knowing whats what right now. used to be on top of my game as far as kit and maintenance went, ive let it slip over the last few years by doing nowt.
on a positive tho, i now dont need a back wheel, although itll be slightly more faff.
I’d get another stem for the H Bars (you might need/want to anyway), save you faffing with four bolts on the face plate.
good thinking.....
34/51 should be a pretty decent low gear.
so thatd be a 12 gear cassette with 51 as the largest cog then yep? and the smallest?
i like your suggestion of a ss bag and a geared bag 🙂
Go Alfine 8, will swap from single speed to geared with minimal effort. And back again. Chainring, chain stay the same.
ok ill look into that thanks. i just seem to remember back in the day these were heavy old beasts. and expensive. ill read into it tho.
Depending on the Gryphon year, couldn’t some take a 3″ tyre on the front? Worth checking (might be 27+).
are you suggesting that over a suspension fork? not sure what year the frame is, its quite old now tho, my wheels are 29".
anyone confirm whether a chain for 12 gears would be compatible with my white ind crankset? i fear not.....
thanks chaps
Second the gearhub solution, although I appreciate they are not to everyone's taste.
On my singular swift, I could swap from SS to Rohloff in a few minutes.
38 chainring, no need for any narrow wide business. Perfect for a 16t sprocket on the rohloff or 38/22 SS.
Have a chain at the right length for each setup, cheap as chips 8or 9 speed ones.
Monkeybone brake adaptor, 160 disc on each wheel.
Shifter has full length outers so just cable ties into place.
bedmaker
Second the gearhub solution...
Ditto.
I take it a step further and have a SS handlebar setup and a SS one - with levers, cables and brake callipers attached. That makes a swap over very quick indeed.
the alfine, whilst looking simpler, also looks a lot more wedge to lay out. balancing up a bit more faff vs big cost difference, id be more likely to spend less.
so, with that in mind, ive been doing a bit of googling for prices.
the wiggle 'cassette guide' implies that i may need a new freehub for a 12 gear cassette, and that id be better off with 11. that sound right?
and this XT cassette seem about right for what id need?
the rear mech seems a bit of a minefield for me these days tho. just been looking and theyre some hefty prices too arent they? couldnt really find anything thats 11 speed and would accommodate the larger cog from a 1 X 11 set up. could anyone advise please?
shifter. i thought this xt shifter would fit the bill, but it does say only for use with dyna-sys 11, whatever that is.
EDIT: seems to match this mech which seems a reasonable price.
hmmmm...... its tempting to start looking at alfines again, but..... i spose im right in thinking its 8 gears vs 11, with a narrower range, plus maybe 3 or 4 times the price yep?
thanks
Don't know about those mech/alfine questions, but look at SLX or even Deore if you want to save cash).
I'd have another look at your freehub body before you order anything, though.
It's tricky to tell from the photo, but it looks a bit short/narrow, so could it be a SS or Trials hub? like this one: https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/hope-pro-4-trials-rear-hub-single-speed-/rp-prod145304
It’s tricky to tell from the photo, but it looks a bit short/narrow, so could it be a SS or Trials hub? like this one: https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/hope-pro-4-trials-rear-hub-single-speed-/rp-prod145304/blockquote >
oooh that could be a good spot, didnt know there were different freehubs....
just been out, took a photo and had a measure and you could be right.[img]
[/img]
its an american classic hub, seems to measure about 27mm width. measuring my wifes cassette on the bike next to it, that seems to be around 40mm-ish.
i spose i would have bought the wheels for a ss and theyve never had a cassette on.
if it is indeed a dedicated ss/trials hub, does that mean i can only use this wheel in its current set-up, a ss cog with spacers? no cassette, no alfine, itd mean a new wheel anyway?
thanks
This is the clearest example of n+1 I've ever seen. By the time we're done, the OP will have a new back wheel with cassete, shifter & mech, sus forks, new bars and stem...... just do it, OP. Buy yourself the geared bike.
haha looking that way isnt it 😀
been casting a tentative eye on the ads both on here and pinkbike, im afraid what id really like just doesnt seem to be about second hand these days.
id love a twangy, skinny steel or ti 26"er with discs, much the same as i used to ride. had soulcraft, moots, kilauea and bontragers back in the day, id love a blast about on one of those again.....
its all 29/27.5 these days tho. youd expect people would be offloading the old ones to buy the new sizes wouldnt you, but i cant find one to tickle my taste buds.
Just what I was thinking. I always have grand ideas of switching between SS and gears and despite making it relatively easy to, I can never be arsed.
That looks like an American Classic SS hub. You could use a 6spd custom cassette (DrJon did something like that and there'll be loads of stuff on MTBR) and maybe barend shifters, which would make it easier to switch between the two.
How tall are you? I've got a Privateer frame hanging in the garage...
im 5'10 mate, it was a privateer i used to have, in medium flavour 🙂
[img] 
[/img]
think it was this one i had a brace welded onto the frame to take a disc at the rear. ahhhh lovely 🙂
EDIT:
That looks like an American Classic SS hub. You could use a 6spd custom cassette (DrJon did something like that and there’ll be loads of stuff on MTBR) and maybe barend shifters, which would make it easier to switch between the two.
yes just been reading that john, will take a 6 geared cog. its probably now looking like ill need a totally new bike tho 😀
cheers
Rear mech, cassette, longer chain, thumbshifter on friction & straight through cable. 45mins tops to set up
Done it a few times on my swift
Some nice rigid bikes in the Sonder sale, some titanium frames too. No zingy steel 26ers, admitteedly
https://alpkit.com/collections/ex-display-sonder-bikes?sort_by=price-ascending
Why not just dinglespeed it?