Contacted lbs but no reply as yet. I’m not confident in doing the work myself. So how much would it cost turning my kona unit into geared. Looking to buy new parts but don’t really know where to start. Shimano and raceface stuff seem well priced. Pretty much wanted to keep the unit SS but I need gears and can’t afford to purchase a new bike. But if the cost is expensive then I will prob save for something later down the line. Ta.

Have you got a derailleur hanger?

Second hand alfine rear wheel?

Kona unit gear replacemnet hanger from a kona dealer – £30 I think

Cassette
Rear Mech
Front Mech
Shifters
Chainset
Chain

(Look on merlin or go back into your lbs for prices on Deore/slx)

If you feel confident running 1×10 then you could keep the same chainset, and get away with the cost of a new chainset AND the front mech. You’d need to buy a narrow wide chainring or a chain keeper (£40ish)

If your rear wheel is a cassette type body with spacers then that will still work but if it’s a singlespeed specific rear wheel then you’d most likey need a new one to fit the cassette. Right?

I can get a hanger no probs. I never thought about an alfine though nedrapier. My unit is a 29er. Do you know the cost off hand? Prob go new. Does the alfine work ok.? No experience with them at all. My lbs could do all the work but I wouldn’t have the foggiest on price tbh. I know you can get an alfine 8 and 11 but doing it myself would be out of the question. I can get the parts but would anyone know the cost of a lbs doing the work?

Cheers Rogan Josh. I’m a numpty when doing things like this. Alfine sounds good but I would have prob less issues maybe with traditional gears. Would you know roughly if I sought the parts how much an lbs would charge?

Rogan josh. Would I need a new rear hub and wheel build? Not sure if 2013 unit is SS specific or not? I think it might not be but could be wrong. Numpty alert. Sorry guys but have limited, very limited mechanical experience . Cheers.

It doesn’t sound a good idea to me.

You will end up spending a lot, and not getting a lot of bike in return.

You will be able to pick up a geared hardtail for the same money.

Just had a look on Merlin. Prices under £300 for what I need. BUT would have to factor in price of lbs doing the work. If I could do the work myself then maybe it would be worth while. I will see what my lbs will charge first before commiting to anything. Thanks BigJohn . You could be right. I’m on a limited budget so it seems to be or will be a lot of money to do so. And I could probably pick up something geared and nice on here, Ta

Possibly a new rear hub too. Does your current one have room for a full cassette?

Not sure what a lbs would charge you for an Alfine conversion but I regularly used to swap a Cotic Simple from ss to alfine and it took no more than 15 minutes. It does help having a lock on grip so the shifter comes off easily and I used a bit of insulating tape to keep the cable secure.

I’ve got a set of sliding dropouts (geared and ss, and non-drive) from my dead explosif I can sell if you need them? Near perfect condition.

I converted my trek marlin ss29 into 1×9
I needed all used stuff.
Rear wheel, due to being ss specific £45
Cassette and chain. Xt used lightly. £20
Xtr rapid rise mec £45
Xtr gear lever. £40
Gear hanger. £18
Fortunately my crank set was not 1/8 chain specific but took a 9speed chain. Check this.
Obviously you can get cheaper than xtr, but it looks sooo nice.
All was second hand mostly off here. It rides great now. All the parts were as good as new.
Give doing the conversion a go your self, it’s always good to learn for trail side breakdowns.