Hack Single Speed

[Vot]

Hello everyone! Great forum. I'm looking for some advice on single speeding an old Raleigh MTB. I'm doing this to basically get a free bike, because I can't afford a new, or even second hand one ATM.

It's going reasonably well. I'm on the middle chainring and have used a $10 spacer and cog kit to convert the freehub. I've got a single speed chain on. The frame has horizontal drops so I think it's tensioned ok. The chainline looks straight.

When I stop and pull back the peddle to take off again it's a bit stiff, I mean it doesn't spin back freely when I try to position the crank to ride off at a junction. Is this normal for a single speed bike, or is this something to do with chainline. I've tried spinning the freewheel backwards with the chain slack, and it's still stiff, so it's not the chain tension. At first I thought it was the bottom bracket, but I've relubed it and it's spinning okay. Maybe this is normal with one cog?

Sorry for such a long and possibly incomprehensible first post. I'd really appreciate any advice.

[Bill]

(05-29-2010, 06:47 AM)Vot Wrote:  Hello everyone! Great forum. I'm looking for some advice on single speeding an old Raleigh MTB. I'm doing this to basically get a free bike, because I can't afford a new, or even second hand one ATM.

It's going reasonably well. I'm on the middle chainring and have used a $10 spacer and cog kit to convert the freehub. I've got a single speed chain on. The frame has horizontal drops so I think it's tensioned ok. The chainline looks straight.

When I stop and pull back the peddle to take off again it's a bit stiff, I mean it doesn't spin back freely when I try to position the crank to ride off at a junction. Is this normal for a single speed bike, or is this something to do with chainline. I've tried spinning the freewheel backwards with the chain slack, and it's still stiff, so it's not the chain tension. At first I thought it was the bottom bracket, but I've relubed it and it's spinning okay. Maybe this is normal with one cog?

Sorry for such a long and possibly incomprehensible first post. I'd really appreciate any advice.

Hopefully I read this correctly (still morning here) but have you tried just spinning the freewheel by itself to see if it is stiff?

[atulkunte69]

(05-29-2010, 06:47 AM)Vot Wrote:  Hello everyone! Great forum. I'm looking for some advice on single speeding an old Raleigh MTB. I'm doing this to basically get a free bike, because I can't afford a new, or even second hand one ATM.

It's going reasonably well. I'm on the middle chainring and have used a $10 spacer and cog kit to convert the freehub. I've got a single speed chain on. The frame has horizontal drops so I think it's tensioned ok. The chainline looks straight.

When I stop and pull back the peddle to take off again it's a bit stiff, I mean it doesn't spin back freely when I try to position the crank to ride off at a junction. Is this normal for a single speed bike, or is this something to do with chainline. I've tried spinning the freewheel backwards with the chain slack, and it's still stiff, so it's not the chain tension. At first I thought it was the bottom bracket, but I've relubed it and it's spinning okay. Maybe this is normal with one cog?

Sorry for such a long and possibly incomprehensible first post. I'd really appreciate any advice.

Check out for your chain tension,or else free wheel ball bearings need to be replaced. I am talking about one inside freewheel.These will be 1/8" balls. I had similar problem with my single speed freewheel. After stripping it down completly the ball race was completly full on both sides of freewheel(54 balls each side). This is why paddle backward was too stiff. Then I reduced balls to 40 on each side & this rolls like butter now.
try it out.But make to check transverse play in freewheel after 40 balls in each side. If you got some play there, try whole process again adding 1-1 ball each side till you optimise play & free backward movement of your paddle.I assume you are having a freewheel as shown below....[attachment=1945]

[X-RAY]

have a magnet handy before you open it up. if its your first time, the balls will scatter to the farthest, dirtiest, darkest corner of your workshop before you realize they can escape the freewheel. go ahead, ask me how i know!