single speed too 1 by 9

[chrisx]

How does a person go about changing a single speed to a 1 by 9 drive train.  You know how it is,  you find a dusty old single speed at a garage sale, dust it off and find out it is a good one.  Next you look in the closet and find a old Saint m800, (derailleur attaches to axle), rear wheel that never got used.  with visions of a 22 tooth ring in front and a whole cluster of cogs in back  and ... .....      .... . .. screech      Did not someone say there were problems with the chain jumping off, or some other problem I did not predict?

or

In my dream I was pedaling on a little used trail for about a month, more or less in a 22 too 36,  accept for once a week a crossed a paved road which took me to a distant post office, where I collected my box of food, while pedaling a 22 too 12.  ( Why don't they make a 5 speed with a single speed chain. )  Next I went home put the single speed drive train back on, put the rigid fork back on, and rolled around town a bit.

or

If I am going to have bike parts collecting dust like my Grandmothers 67 Dodge, should the bike not run smoothly, like my Grand mothers Dodge

[AZTtripper]

Sounds like you answered most of your own ?.

You may have to run some kind of chain keeper up front but I have seen it done with out one.

Not sure about 5 speed but I am sure as hell not interested in 10 speed.

Maybe at some point some one will come out with a new 8 speed (same chain as your SS) with a 12-36 cassette. Something reasonably light but durable marketed to the endurance crowd.

[bmike-vt]

Maybe at some point some one will come out with a new 8 speed (same chain as your SS) with a 12-36 cassette. Something reasonably light but durable marketed to the endurance crowd.

i've run shimano 8spd cassette with a shimano derailer (9spd) being pushed around by a campy 10spd ergo lever on my road rig. works really well...
i'd think a 1x9 or 1x8 would be a great adventure bike setup.

and if you search mtbr you'll see folks building up 1x5 and 1x6 setups with ss hubs and eliminating some of the cogs in a standard cassette.

[AZTtripper]

I've seen the SS hubs with the short stack that looks ok but what I would push for would be to go back to the fat chain that works with the old 8 speed. And then do a short stack for a 5 speed maybe. I just can't see the advantage of a whip thin chain, well not for an adventure bike anyway. The ultimate adventure drive train on a 29er 8 speed with 20/30 front 11/36 out back in XT level durability and weight. Sure there would be some big jumps on the cassette I would but them down in the smaller cogs. Say 36, 32, 28, 24, 18, 14, 11 hell I got there in 7. 

[ImAFred]

Throw a 16 or 17 in there and your good ta go

[bmike-vt]

Ultimate for me would be a Fargo with alternator dropouts and a rohloff. That leaves the option of FG with studs for winter, and SS too.

[HOser]

and if you search mtbr you'll see folks building up 1x5 and 1x6 setups with ss hubs and eliminating some of the cogs in a standard cassette.

Walt of Waltworks has machined standard 9-speed cassettes down to fit singlespeed hubs resulting in a super-reliable and light 1x6 or 1x7 drivetrain.  I think he'll even sell you one, here's some info:
http://waltworks.blogspot.com/2010/05/xt-cassette-mods.html
http://waltworks.blogspot.com/2009/10/this-one-goes-to-11.html