I have a specialized rockhopper 07 with an absolutely massive front chain ring that catches on the many logs that cross the trail I ride on. I almost never take it out of the middle gear, I change gears in the back. What would I need to convert the front crankset to 1x ?
Depends on the crankset. If the middle ring is the same Bolt Circle Diameter as the large ring, then all you need is a pair of singlet chainring bolts. You can take the crank to your local bike shop and maybe they have everything and can do everything for you.
Otherwise, you'll need a chainring bolt wrench and likely a hex to remove the bolts, remove the large ring, replace it with the middle ring, and then fasten it with the new single bolts you can order online.
If the middle ring is a different bolt circle diameter, you simply need only to remove the front ring. Maybe replace it with a bashguard.
thank you for the detailed reply. Is their a special way you have to measure the bolt circle diameter?