Singlespeed TD SomethingNEW

[FullFat]

A penny for your thoughts.
Riding TD in 2013, single speed, BUT using salsa enabler fork to run a 135mm rear wheel up front with a single speed cog. The idea is run one 18t and one 20t and swap wheels front to rear for the big climbs. I would carry 2 chains one for each gear so I dont have to adjust dropouts. Im crazy I know but just how crazy?

[THE LONG RANGER]

You could also use a White Industries Dos ENO hub, run one chain and two chainrings and it probably would be a ton more convenient (working with the chains does not sound like much fun) and spare yourself some weight. Chainline is not going to move too much, but you're probably best with a chain tensioner either way.

[Thumby]

That just sounds like a major pita.  Trailside, tired and hungry, mad at the world, dealing with yet another messy chainswap for just a few inches of gear inch gain.  FWIW, seems to me on most TD climbs that I walked (and I rode geared), I lost 10 to 15  minutes on the riders who rode away as I bailed.  A strong single speeder who walks a bit won't lose much time to anyone. 

[JReeves]

I've considered something along these lines myself.  I love the simplicity of single speed, although for bikepacking, it can be hard to find that "happy medium" gear ratio.  Having two options on something as long as the TD would be nice, since you wouldn't necessarily have to change it daily or multiple times a day, and you could foresee the terrain and climbs that would need a gearing change.  
With that said, There are better ways to achieve this than having to switch wheels, and chains.  A lot of it depends on your frame, and the tensioner method for the chain(paragon, ebb, track ends, etc).  As TheArtist mentioned, the Eno hub allows you to take the tension out of the chain at the rear, so you could run two chainrings up front.  I know surly used to make a crankset that had two closely sized chainrings up front(31/33 I believe) that came on the Karate Monkey.  
If I were you, and were interested in following through on this, I'd look into Dingle Cog setups...  These simply require you to loosen the rear axle/qr, and move the chain over to the next chainring and cog, then re-tighten the axle/qr...  This whole "process" takes less than a minute and requires only one or two tools at most.
Here are some links to discussions...
http://forums.mtbr.com/singlespeed/going-build-dingle-693228.html
http://forums.mtbr.com/singlespeed/salsa-ala-carte-dingle-speed-687418.html
http://forums.mtbr.com/singlespeed/built-my-own-dingle-556629.html


There's also this thread on here:
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,2525.0.html

[FullFat]

Thanks guys lots of knowledge talk about quick reply. Im new here and hooked. Any thoughts on maybe fat front on TD. pretty cush lots of rolling resistance? If it makes a diff. Im a super clyde and plan to ride the divide at over 200#s im 6ft 5in.

[Slowerthensnot]

sorry to rain on parade, but not a single speed then, just a really slow derailuer

[DenisVTT]

Seems like a lot of trouble to switch wheels several times a day on a fully loaded bike. A dinglespeed sounds like a better solution.

http://www.psyclestore.com/pages.php?pageid=14

[AZTtripper]

To me it wouldn't be worth it unless you could get a bigger jump and even then you should be able to do it all with one back wheel.

As Slowerthen points out you aren't really a single speeder if you keep changing.

Maybe Troy Marino will chime in on his 3 speed system. I thought it worked as good as any derailerless system possible. By using Sram quicklinks to pull out a short piece of chain he could run as low as 22/20 or 32/18 or 20.

By knowing the terrain of the AZT 300 course he was able to pick a gear that would work best for each section.

He finished in a fair time but did get the asterisk that he was derailerless but not SS the first SS of the course went to Chad Brown the next year.

So do you care about being a true SSer or are you just looking to do your own thing.

When you say fat front do you mean like an oversized snow tire for cush at the price of rolling resistance. I think that would be crazy on a long haul ride. Better to have travel and run a fast rolling tire I should think.

[FullFat]

Dingle or single? Maybe I should just stop being lazy, stop complicating something simple (singlespeed) and just train enough to make my self lighter and faster. I think I will still run an enabler forkfor 2 reasons. 1. Fat front trail or winter setup (surly nate) 2. Salsa anything cages. Might run wtb nano tcs for the TD. I HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN!

[pro_out]

For a "two speed" I have considered using a Truvativ Hammerschidth crank. Pricey, heavy, but I think it would make the most reliable setup.

[elobeck]

I guess why not run a rohloff IGH then and have all the options in the world??

[tubeSSnapper]

Do what is fun, forget the labels. Who cares if it is truly S.S. I certainly won't. Riding SS is awesome....period. Weight wise two chains is HEAVY and adds labor. a dingle cog and track drop outs( or eccentric BB) would make more sense. But hey, you gotta "ride whatcha brung". My experience tells me to keep it at one combo and just grin and bear it. Simply decide what will frustrate you more...spinning or walking. Personally walking a few miles here and there is WAY better then spinning like mad for hours on end. Then again, we all ride differently. It is A LOT of miles from Canada to Mexico.

P.S. If you want to set a "record"...only one gear will do. Simply finishing the TD though puts you a category all by itself. Dream big.

[AZTtripper]

For a "two speed" I have considered using a Truvativ Hammerschidth crank. Pricey, heavy, but I think it would make the most reliable setup.

I have heard the Hammerschmidt creates a noticeable drag in high gear. That's fine on an AM bike but not what you want on a long haul rig.

They look like a great idea tho, it would be sweet if something like that worked efficiently. For now the best thing in internal gears seems to be the Roloff. I've seen post on guys running lower priced IGH and claiming they worked off road. Has anyone tried it on the TD yet? 

[FullFat]

Affordable igh thoughts hmmmmmm interested but they make me a little nervous.

[bmike-vt]

Dave T from VT ran and Alfine or Nexus. A friend of mine plans to run an Alfine 11 and has been using an Alfine 8 for everything the last few years. No issues for him other than keeping cables adjusted.

[Cheyou]

I have a 3 speed fixed gear hub (S3X hub) on my road bike . It is heavy and I dont think I would
trust it off road.

Thom

[DocTrike]

I would just use a Schlumpff 2 speed crank or the new Patterson crank from SRAM.

[sluttyduck]

Dave T from VT ran and Alfine or Nexus. A friend of mine plans to run an Alfine 11 and has been using an Alfine 8 for everything the last few years. No issues for him other than keeping cables adjusted.

Alfine 11; EBB was a bigger pain for him if i remember correctly.
I've done it twice on a Rohloff.  It has it's draw backs, but the piece of mind it gave me was worth it.  I'd probably feel the same about an Alfine.

[Groundshine]

Alfine 11; EBB was a bigger pain for him if i remember correctly.
I've done it twice on a Rohloff.  It has it's draw backs, but the piece of mind it gave me was worth it.  I'd probably feel the same about an Alfine.

Alfine 8! and yes the EBB failed in Wy not fixed until Steamboat.  The Alfine 8 was flawless - never even adjusted the cable the entire TD.  If only they made them a bit lighter... or maybe a bigger jump in gears.   

[mbeardsl]

To me it wouldn't be worth it unless you could get a bigger jump and even then you should be able to do it all with one back wheel.

As Slowerthen points out you aren't really a single speeder if you keep changing.

Maybe Troy Marino will chime in on his 3 speed system. I thought it worked as good as any derailerless system possible. By using Sram quicklinks to pull out a short piece of chain he could run as low as 22/20 or 32/18 or 20.

So do you care about being a true SSer or are you just looking to do your own thing.

The Marino system above sounds pretty clever and perhaps the easiest for large jumps and the least amount of friction.  Figure out how fast/slow you want to go and do the math to get the right gearing.

I'm surprised noboday has said "tensioner" yet.  Run two cogs and hope chainline works well enough to not drop the chain.

If you want to go totally nuts, you could test out using a "ghost ring" to tension the chain.  I haven't tried it but it looks interesting and some say it works fine as long as a) your chainstays are shaped to accomodate one without rubbing b) you can fit a big enough ring in to take up all slack and c) you steer clear of getting any sticks tangeld up in the whole mess.  I've thought about toying with this not for climbs/descents but for singletrack/doubletrack rides where the speed differs a bunch (8mph -> 15mph).  You could run a 32/21 and 32/15 with one chain and a ghost ring at roughly same weight or lighter than a tensioner.

Biopace chainring + ghostring at fixed gear bicycle

http://forums.mtbr.com/singlespeed/ghost-rings-do-they-work-231146.html