Homemade Single Speed

A step-by-step guide for building your own single speed.

_________________________________________________________________

The single speed rage (a quick, short lesson):

The single speed bike has been around for as long as the bicycle has been in existence. As a matter of fact, that was the only type of bike available until around the early 1900's with the invention of the derailleur (For more on the history of the bicycle and other bike related topics see our “Starting Line” section for more interesting facts).

However, over the last couple years, there has been a resurgence in the bicycle world of the single speed bicycle (also known as a fixie, track bike, etc. etc.). More and more riders are getting into this style of bicycle for a number of reasons:

One of those reasons is the simplicity of this style of bicycle. Single speeds are simple machines that require less maintenance than their derailleur equipped brethren. Less maintenance means more riding.

Single speeds are also lighter. By removing the derailleur and cassette, you’re removing extra weight (anywhere from a few ounces to a few pounds). Some riders that ride fixed gears also have only one brake or no brakes at all, which cuts down more weight.

Aside from track riders, bike messengers have known the benefits of single speed bikes for years. The single speed, particularly the fixed gear, has been there bike of choice for dodging in and out of congested city streets and around pedestrians for years.

One of the most famous bike messengers of all time was Olympic track cycling Silver Medalist Nelson Vails, who caught the attention of cycling coaches as he passed a group of cyclist while working as a bike messenger. There was even a movie made back in 1985 glorifying the bike messenger called "Quicksilver" starring actor Kevin Bacon.

So there you have it. The single speed bike, which used to be limited to track cyclists and bike messengers has found its way to the main stream. And rightly so. _________________________________________________________________

Before we get started:

We at Get-Into-Cycling.com are all about saving money and for this project we plan on using the most inexpensive items that we can get our hands on, without compromising safety. We know for a fact that a lot of you out their would love to have a nice, brand new single speed from your local bike shop, but just don’t have the funds to do so.

However, if you can afford to use better quality components versus what we will be showing here, by all means, feel free to do so. But if you can’t, the materials and methods we will show you here should be enough to get you on the road (or off the road depending on what you're building). This segment is merely a guide to unleash your creative potential to build your own single speed. There are no set rules. Use your imagination and enjoy!

_________________________________________________________________

What you’ll need:

1. An old road or mountain bike (depending on what you’re building). We prefer the bikes that have clamp on accessories (shifters, cable guides, etc.) versus the kind of bikes that have welded on shifter mounts, brake cable guides as they provide a smoother appearance once the accessories are removed, but most importantly, they won’t snag any clothing or cut you should you accidently hit them. Additionally we also prefer the clamp-on rear derailleur as they have the longer dropouts that allow for chain slack adjustments. Regardless, any bicycle will do. Check out our “Shoppers Guide” for tips on where to pick up a good used bike.

2. Workstand and tools (See our “Cassette Removal” section in Tech Tips for appropriate tools since this project involves replacing the cassette/freewheel as well as “Drivetrain Overhaul" for more tools and tips involving the drivetrain.).

3. A replacement single speed gear compatible to your wheelset (whether an adaptor for a cassette body or a single speed/fixed gear/freewheel). If you can afford a single speed/fixie wheelset, then by all means purchase a set. But if you’re like the rest of us and have to watch your wallet, the wheels that came with the bike should be fine.

_________________________________________________________________

First things first:

When choosing a bicycle as a possible candidate to convert to a single speed, make sure that the frame and fork is structurally sound: Look for severe rust (if using a steel frame), severe dents/bends that could cause frame failure, any cracks, etc. Of particular concern should be the fork crown, frame joints and drop outs.

_________________________________________________________________

Now on to the next step:

Once you’ve found a suitable bike, it’s time to start the conversion from “boring” bike to a homemade single speed (woo hoo!). Let’s start by placing the bike on a workstand and removing the rear wheel from the bike. Take the rear wheel and by following the tips in our “Cassette Removal” section, swap out your cassette/freewheel and install your new single speed gear. Follow any instructions included with the particular gear that you purchase.

**CHEAPIE TIPS: If you’re budget is tight and you can’t afford to replace your cassette/freewheel with a new single speed version, why not just use the existing cassette/freewheel (minus the rear derailleur, of course)......you can do one of two things:

1. Leave the cassette/freewheel as is and just run the chain directly on the gear that works best for you.

Or....

2. If you have a cassette/freewheel that has removable cogs, pick the cog that suits your riding taste and make a shim using a piece of plumbing pipe (alloy or PVC). Make sure that the pipe is wide enough to slip on to the cassette/freewheel body. Once you’ve determined the appropriate diameter pipe, cut the pipe to the appropriate size and file it flat to allow accommodation of one cog, two spacers (one spacer for either side of the cog) and your lock ring. This technique requires alot of trial and error as well as patience, so take your time if you choose to go this route.

Something to think about.

_________________________________________________________________

What’s next? Read on:

Now that you’ve “fixed” your rear wheel (single speed joke.....yes, I know, its bad), it’s time to remove the chain. To remove the chain, go check out our section in “Tech Tips” called “Drivetrain Overhaul” and scroll down to the section dealing with chain removal. Once you’ve removed the chain, place it aside (preferably in a container filled with chain cleaner/degreaser) until we’re ready to reinstall it.

Release the cable tension on both front and rear derailleurs and remove both of them off your bike.

**FOOTNOTE: Any parts that you remove should be retained, JUST IN CASE you decide that you’d like to convert the bike back to its original format.

Remove derailleur cables, housing and shifters. If your bike is equipped with combo shifters (i.e. Shimano STI shifter/brake lever combos and the like), unless you are willing to spend a little extra on dedicated brake levers, you can still use the combo shifter/brake levers for your single speed. Totally up to you.

Additionally, if doing a road bike conversion, when removing the brake cable housing from the handlebar, you’ll need to remove and reinstall your handlebar tape. If your tape is already damaged, this would be a good time to install new tape.

_________________________________________________________________

Let’s digress a little. What about the brakes?

Single speeds, in particular the track bike in its purest form, are usually not equipped with brakes. The reason for this is because a true track bike has a fixed gear (track bikes are sometimes referred to as a fixie). With a fixed gear, your bike cannot freewheel or coast, so when you pedal, you move, but when you slow your pedaling or stop pedaling, so does your bike. You have TOTAL control of your bikes speed. You literally become one with the bicycle because you really control the bikes every movement. You can develop exceptional bike handling skills and balance from a fixed gear bike than on any other style of bike.

However, if you’ve never ridden a fixed gear bike, you’ll find out real fast that slowing down is a bit more challenging than on a bike equipped with a freewheeling gear. With that said, if this is your first time riding a fixed gear bike, we recommend that you add at least one brake to the front wheel for a little bit of security and control until you can control your speed without the assistance of a brake.

Better yet, we recommend using a freewheeling gear along with a set of brakes instead of the fixed gear drive, especially if this is your initial foray into the single speed world. Most wheelsets designed specifically for single speeds have a special hub that accommodates both fixed and freewheeling gears. These are generally known as “flip-flop” hubs. If you plan on purchasing a wheelset for your project, a flip-flop hub equipped wheelset is your best bet.

Finally, regardless if you use a fixed or freewheeling gear, if you plan on riding in any kind of traffic, a good set of brakes will greatly enhance your safety (Don’t forget the helmet.).

_________________________________________________________________

Okay, back to work:

You’ve removed your derailleurs and all associated parts (i.e. cables, shifters, etc.). Now it’s time to take your crank off your bike and convert it for single speed use by removing one of the chainrings (go check out our section in “Tech Tips” called “Drivetrain Overhaul” and scroll down to the section dealing with crank removal and cleaning). Most cranksets have two or three chainrings. For most applications, we recommend removing the largest chainring (for triples, remove the smallest one as well) and keeping the mid range chainring (this ring will usually have anywhere from 36-42 teeth). Why you ask? Because the midrange chainring will allow you to ride in almost any condition (flat, hilly, etc.) without bogging you down or causing you to spin too much.

There is one exception: For mountain bikes, we recommend using the smaller chainring due to the varying terrain that you will encounter. The lower gear will allow you to traverse rough terrain a lot easier than with a midrange ring. But all of this is, of course, up to you. If you choose that you want more speed than torque or if you ride mainly on the flats and don’t require lower gearing then, by all means, use the bigger rings.

Once you have chosen your chainring, you will need to either replace the stock chainring bolts with shorter bolts (see photo above) that are designed for a single ring (BMX bolts are fine) or you can add some flat washers on the bolts to fill in the gaps left by the now removed other chainring. You can also file down or cut the bolts, but we don’t recommend doing this as you may need them if you return your bike to a multi-speed bike (plus it takes a long, long time to file and you could possibly hurt yourself). Your local bike shop will have shorter bolts or washers (maybe even the local hardware store).....just bring your old bolts and tell em’ what you’re doing. They will be happy to help.

_________________________________________________________________

Now that I’ve changed the cassette and crank, what’s next?

You can now reinstall your wheelset and crank on to your bike. Once reinstalled, it is now time to shorten the length of your chain. How do you do this, you ask? Simple: Start by threading the chain back on to the bike. You will notice (of course) that the chain is long (really long) because you no longer have the extra gears and the derailleur to take the slack. To shorten the chain you will need to “break” the chain using your chain tool (refer back to the “Drivetrain Overhaul” section dealing with chain removal for more information).

If your bike has dropouts that are long (these are usually bikes that have clamp on style rear derailleurs), it would be best to set your rear wheel as close to the end of the dropout as much as safely possible (see photos above). This will allow you to have room so that you can pull back your wheel to tighten any slack on the chain once it is shortened (see photos below).

If your bike is not equipped with long dropouts (which is pretty much the majority of modern, higher quality bikes, see photos below), you’ll have to shorten the chain as much as possible without shortening it so much that you can't reconnect it. You will have a little slack, but it should not effect your ability to pedal.

Once you have threaded your chain back on the bike, hold one end of your chain and pull the opposite end of your chain until you get the desired length. Use a chain holder, if you have one, to keep the tension consistent and to allow you to break the chain at the appropriate length. If you don’t have a chain holder, just remember which links the chain will join up with and break the chain at that link.

Once you have removed the excess length of chain, retain that section just in case you decide later to return your bike to a derailleur equipped bike or for back up if you should break a link while riding (We always carry spare chain links and a chain tool when we ride. Cheap insurance to keep you from walking home).

Don’t forget to “twist and bend” the section that you’ve just reattach to loosen the chain up so that it will run smoothly on your drivetrain.

_________________________________________________________________

Additional upgrades for your homemade single speed:

To give your homemade single speed a different look and feel, as well as decreasing weight even more, how about installing a pair of time-trial style handlebars?

These handlebars which are also known as "cow horn" bars, give a more upright position than standard drop handlebars, without compromising the control. However, a drawback is that your hand positioning is limited due to its small size, which is important if you ride long miles. Changing hand positions, decreases fatigue on your hands and arms.

But we at Get-Into-Cycling.com are pretty smart (sometimes), so we equipped this bike with a stem that has a removable face so that we can swap the bars to match our riding style for the day/week/month/etc.

Some riders even use narrow flat bars (real popular around urban/major downtown areas....for ease of getting around tight, confined streets and congested traffic). But unless you ride in these areas AND have excellent bike handling skills, we suggest you avoid this as your overall steering control is limited because you have less leverage to steer properly.

There's so much more that you can upgrade (i.e. pedals, cranksets, seats, etc.) that you are only limited by your imagination & your budget, of course. If you have any other suggestions for upgrades, please feel free to go to our “Contact Us” page and we'll be happy to share it with your fellow cyclist.

_________________________________________________________________

So there you have it. With a little bit of patience & creativity, you too can make your own homemade single speed. It's a fun project that every cyclist should try at least once. And it's definitely a riding experience into of itself. If you have a homemade single speed of your own that you'd like to share a photo of with your fellow cyclist, go to our “Contact Us” page for more information.

Homemade Single Speed: Return to Tech Tips Home