i've done it to an old Kona that I use as a hack bike more than anything. I prefer it to SSing myself but I do need a something to keep the chain in place over the front ring because it falls off if you use the outer gears. It's a 1*5 at the moment I suppose, work in progress.

yep. 32t up front, 11-34 out back, perfect for most conditions. Dont run a chainguide, but havent dropped the chain once yet, i put it down to the stiffer spring in the SLX rear mech.

i've been running a 1 x 9 set up on my commuter/hack bike for the past 2 years. I've ridden over 7,000 miles and really like the set up.

Firstly I would buy a decent rear mech and shifter off the classifieds, miles cheaper.

I've got a 42t front ring, go for a downhill/slalom style one as they are a bit wider. I have a blackspire one and its been ace. Obviously you'll need some shorter chainring bolts to go with it. 42t seems fine for what I do but you'll probably need to experiment before you find what works best for you.

Depending on what sortb of riding you do you will need a chainguide of some sort or other. As most of my riding on this bike is fairly gentle I just used an old front mech tensioned up to the cable stop on the seat tube which works well. I also drilled out the cable stops to the rear mech to give a continuous cable run and fitted some cable oilers - minimum maintenance is good!

Or perhaps an alfine?

Got this set up on two bikes. Use and unramped chainring in the middle position and shorten the chain too suit and the chain does not fall off

oh yes, forgot to say - running a big ring at front (11-32 at back) as it's mostly on the road. Perhaps its the big ring that makes the chain come off - only happens when shifting.

You going to run it offroad? I use a 34t front and 11-34 out back, when the drive train was new it would drop the chain once or twice a ride, but as the chain gets a bit more side to side slap in it, as it wears, things get worse, one special night at a Summit race it dropped the chain 13 times in an hour!!!

Get an N gear Jump stop up front and a bash ring it will never fall off then, as TJ says I have read that unramped front chainrings help out and I have one to fit this weekend in bid to do without the bash....

ps i run the chain as tight as I dare & its a decent mech...(at least it was once)

i looked into this recently and after some debate on here when for an alfine setup.

Keeps the bike much cleaner looking singlespeeded to a certain extent and has the bonus that in winter you wont be tearing your rear mech off in mud.

As a result i have a spare X0 rear mech and shifters for sale.

Sprog James has two set up like this, SummerSeason 34 front to 12-32 rear with an E13 LG1 chain guide and a DMR 32 front to 12-34 rear with a Betd chain guide both on XT rear mechs, both work a treat and his bikes take quite a hammering, they work well up across and down. He has no chain offs ever, I have them now and then on my bikes with normal 3 front cogs.

I think a chain device on the front, though sounding a little over the top, is a good idea if you have no front derailleur (a chain guide of sorts) and ride the increasingly gnarlier trails.

Or I like the idea of the Alfine.......

Thanks for the info guys ... I wasn't expecting so many replies so soon as i've only ever seen one other person using a 1x9 set up. Looks like i'm gonna be spending the next hour or so searching the classifieds for a rear mech/shifter. I only ride light xc so might be ok without anything up front to stop the chain slipping.
Thanks again
Andy

I built this..

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/my-new-pub-bike-got-a-bit-carried-away

up as 1x9 and I LOVE it. I have ridden all sorts of terrain, ups and downs now and its great. I am running a 32t unramped ring up front with a bash guard and n-gear jumpstop. With a 11-32T at the rear. I have an 11-34T rear I was going to switch to but so far have not needed/wanted to.

Do it.

Andy, if your buying the bits try to get a short cage rear mech, it will help keep it all in check.

Oh and you are wrong for offroad you need the N gear jump stop and a bash ring, you will drop the chain without it, and increasing number of times as it all wears out...

Middleburn Uno set-up is a thing of beauty. 34t (3/32) with 11-34 should be right for XC, 36t if its nice and dry......

I use an unramped chainring (36t) and the chain did drop off occasionally. With the DMR chainguide thing it's been perfect.

[img] [/img]

this is mine :

[IMG] [/IMG]

using just the 34t middle ring from an SLX set and an 11-32 cassette with med cage rapid rise XT mech. Now fitted with bash guard and N-Gear Jump Stop keeps the chain perfectly in place. Much more versatile than SS yet still remains simplistic.

Kev

boris, someone has taken a dremel to your crank arm!!!

What are they?

I do, recently bought a blackspire stinger to keep chain on. Only it's meant for a dual ring setup - belm.

If you're doing any rocky/jumpy stuff you'll need a decent chain retainer (I had quite a bit of luck with a front mech as a bodge but it doesn't look so "simple")

Boriselbrus, that reminds me. Could we have an update on your butchered cranks please, including X-rays if appropriate.

🙂

Change my singlespeed to 1x9 each summer when the trails get dry enough that I need more speed on the flat. Use a 36 up front with 11-32 cassette. Bash ring, jump stop, shadow rear mech and the shortest chain I can get away - chain doesn't drop unless I do something really silly.

Planned to try this as an experiment and then add some sort of chain device later but haven't needed to.

Im looking to do this, and after reading a fair bit of research the comments above are generally whats accepted. A set up of an unramped (SS) front ring, with a bash and n gear jump stop to keep the chain on, and a short cage rear mech to keep it tensioned up.

Not tried myself, but thats what i'll start with.

More (geek) reading here: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=158959 8)

I understand and really enjoy my SS, I understand and really enjoy my fully geared bike, but why 1x9, none of the advantages/characteristics of SS and not all of the advantages of a fully geared?

So why 1x9?

Sheppie_hill ... loving that bike, especially the graphics!

Thanks for all the info and pics guys, you've helped make my mind up and i'm gonna go for it! Hopefully i'll be running a 1x9 set up in the next few weeks!

NW Alps Jeyer aka Boz If you have the N gear and a bash, any ring up front will do, no point throwing money away if you got a decent chainring of the right size.

Bimbler I dont really know, I find it does some of what SS does and makes you attack steep stuff to get up it, but has a bit more versatility, like being able to go faster, not sure why, but I like it for my local riding where I found I didnt use the granny and didnt use the big ring so didnt fancy carrying them about each ride.. But you have a fair point.

Cheers Tinsy, as i said ive never tried it, may well give the existing ring a go. Any tips on how to keep the 32T ring in the same position? Obviously the bash will take the space of the outer, do i user spaces to replace where the inner would of been?

Nah the inner bolts onto a different bit of the crank so nothing to do there but remove it (usually), if you run a bash ring your standard bolts will be fine for holding the bash where the big ring was and the 32 in its usual position...

What cranks have you got?

I have just worn out my front ring and bought an unramped one, I am hoping to ditch the bashring as I have weird cranks and struggle to get a nice looking bash ring purely for asthetical reasons, but I am sceptical this will solve the chain dropping for offroad... N gear and bash and it never drops off.

Bimbler I dont really know, I find it does some of what SS does and makes you attack steep stuff to get up it, but has a bit more versatility, like being able to go faster, not sure why, but I like it for my local riding where I found I didnt use the granny and didnt use the big ring so didnt fancy carrying them about each ride.. But you have a fair point.

Thanks Tinsey, not really trying to make a point, just interested tis all.

They are OEM shimano 4 bolt cranks, M440 i think. Cheaper version of the Deore. From what you have said should be nice and easy!

Infact the cranks i have are these; http://www.cyclesportsuk.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=7157

Using an unramped chainring makes a massive difference. The bikes I have set up like this are only used as commuters and very jey offroad use but we have no issue with chains dropping.

LOL! Not a dremmell, an angle grinder!

Still going strong a thousand or so miles later including several large (by my standard) jumps and drops.

I pulled a pic of the crank and think it will be fine. Guess your going to find out!!

Bimbler I dont take anything too seriously on here. 🙂

TJ I will find out soon enough, but mine only gets used on roads to link up my offroad...

I went 1x9 and went for a quick razz down a little rocky trail by my house (minus chain device) hadnt gone 30 metres before the chain fell off 😀 Havent dropped a chain once with the Gamut (although i have cracked the bash 🙁 (probably due to me riding into rocks and stuff) Using a 32 tooth ring btw.

I use 1x9 on my Inbred for mid-week night rides in Leigh Woods. I've left the little ring on so if the chain drops the small one catches it and you can keep going. Then just pop it back up by hand when possible. Only happens every other ride on average. Also use a bash guard for going over logs.

boriselbrus
I got it, Octalink, I got mine a bit shinier than you did though!!

My old SS

[img] [/img]

Oh and my current 1x9 while I am in Fotopic.

[img] [/img]

I use a BBG Bashguard and N-Gear Jumpspot without any issues.

[img] [/img]

I ran 1x7 on a winter bike before I went singlespeed, a £5 Suntour cheapest of the cheap front mech kept the chain on 99.9% of the time.
The Gamuts do look far nicer and I'm getting one to run 1x9 on my full susser.
Work out what ratio you use most often and size the front to give the straightest chain line when using that gear.

I thought about a 1x9 setup when I got my roadrat but kept it singlespeed - occasionally mulled it over again but having read the above, I'm now put off it by the need to attach a 'gubbins' to stop the chain coming off the chainring 😕

I have been running 1x9 for about the last month now. Really like it with a 32 up front and 11-34 at the back.

I use an unramped chainring up front with a Blackspire Blackguard inside and a bash ring on the outside. It works really well for xc riding and the chain doesn't wander at all. I have also taken it to Woburn without any problems but the rooty downhill runs at Aston Hill were a little different when pedalling over the really rough stuff. It felt like the chain skipped once or twice and afterwards I noticed afterwards that the blackguard was marked all around the edge from the chain jumping, so am thinking about getting a stinger to tighten it a little when I'm in the smaller gears.

[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

Yup,

34T up front, 11-30T at the back. MRP G2 to keep it all together.

Given the choice i ride downhill. Once you've got use to having a chainguide, you'll never want three rings up front. For a start I've never got a front mech to work properly and quietly, you always seem to have give it a kick from time to time to get it to jump up or down.

1x8 here. Use an unramped chainring (e thirteen, excellent) and the chain is as short as it can be on the largest cog. Not had the chain drop yet.

I've done a few rides on my 1x9, converted fron SS. Verdict is GOOD for summer trails, a little bit more "Ummpf" for single track. I've got a road cassette, a super short cage rear mech with 32T front + bash ring and un-cabled front mech. I've got the front mech set-up so that most of the time the chain drops, it picks up again with a couple of crank turns.

[i]Also being released at Sea Otter is the new 1.X (say “won bye”) guide from MRP. This guide has been developed and tested in partnership with Giant XC Pro Adam Craig. The 1.X weighs in at only 58 grams and is perfect for the gram counting cross country rider seeking reliable chain retention for their 1 x 9. There are two sizes available, 32-36T and 36-40T. The guide is bb-mount only for simplicity and light weight, and features a chainline adjustable upper guide to dial it in perfectly.[/i]
[img] [/img]

That looks good.

Short rear cage, chain as short as poss - never dropped in in two years

[img] [/img]

All you guys who say the've never dropped a chain without a chain guide obviously don't ride fast enough!!!

Heh, I'm surprised too. I ran 1x9 at Afan for the first time last year and dropped the chain every 100 metres or so. Even dropped it once on the climb!
Got a Gamut...never dropped since.