Single speed conversion

[All4-1]

Hi guys
I just ordered a 66/80 kit and I had a few questions- the main question that comes to my mind right now is:
I'd like to make my 21spd mountain bike into a fixed gear/ single speed. I believe it wouldn't be too difficult if I remove the shifters and derailers and just set the chain on the specific gears I want it to stay in
- this would be for a easy way to lock it into a mid range gear.
Is that something that would work? I dont have the money to buy all the things to properly convert to single speed so I figured this would be better suited for me

Any information would be great cause all I can find is people fitting single speed conversion kits- so can I just fix a gear on both sprockets or am I missing something?

Any other tips or information would also be very much appreciated. I'm new to this but it's very interesting to me.. Help me have a good first build please

 

[Chainlube]

I've removed a few front derailleurs, but the draw back of removing the rear is you're stuck in one gear, if the motor quits and you have to pedal.......

 

[All4-1]

Also can I make it have a coaster brake? I remember taking them off but I forget how I did it and dont know if it can be done

 

[All4-1]

I just think it would work better and when I ride without an engine I keep in fixed anyway cause I just don't like to shift..

 

[All4-1]

Darn- both posts were me not sure why it changed my name sorry

 

[Chainlube]

Darn- both posts were me not sure why it changed my name sorry

Ha ha, change it back. Just forget about the coaster brake, those things seize up so much and become a hazard. If you have rim brakes now just use those.

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

Let's start with first things first. A fixed gear bike and a single speed bike isn't the same thing. A fixed gear bike if the rear wheel is moving then the pedals also move. A single speed bike has a freehub that allows the rear wheel to coast without the pedals moving.

On to the next issue. You don't have a 21 speed mountian bike. What you have is a 3x7 drive system. Yes there's 21 different gearing combinations. However, several of these combinations are redundant ratios.

Here's the proper way to shift a 3x7 drive system:

Hill climbing
1(1-4)

Level ground comfort riding
2(2-5)

Down hill and level ground sprinting
3(4-7)

This gives you 12 non redundant gear ratios in a sequential order. If a gear is too easy or to hard to comfortably maintain a cadence (crank rpm) of 70-90 it means you're in the wrong gear.

For stops going up hill be in 1(1) before stopping, then you can use that as a starting gear. All other stops use 2(2) as a starting gear.

Never use both shifters at the same time.
Never stand while shifting.
Never shift while pedaling backwards.
Never cross chain {big big or little little}
3(1) or 1(7).

There's 2 major advantages of a multi drive system over a single speed bike

1) If your engine needs an assist such as climbing a steep hill, you have several ratios to choose from instead of being stuck with only one.

2) If your engine stops you have a multi ratio bike to pedal home on.

I'd also suggest getting a bicycle computer with a cadence meter on it. You can get them fairly cheep on eBay and Amazon.

If you have rim brakes then pay the extra money for high quality pads. Really good pads will cost around $50 for a set of front and rear. Yes you can get pads as cheap as $10 but do you really want to risk your life on saving $40???

 

[Wrench]

You don't have a 21 speed mountian bike. What you have is a 3x7 drive system.

Everyone is not as gear orientated as you

I guess I should call my 10 speed a 2x5 drive system, but then no one would know what I'm talking about

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

Actually most true cyclist and any reputable bicycle shop would know exactly what you're talking about. An ancient relic lol.

 

[Wrench]

Were not "True Cyclists" here at MotoredBikes.com