[Closed] Best kit to make a normal HT mtb singlespeed

I used some on one kit in the past and it did the job fine, they still have it:

https://www.on-one.co.uk/c/q/components/drivetrain/singlespeed-kits

Those rear mounted chain tensioners look so clunky. Do you have iscg tabs?

If so, another way to do it, how I used to do it on my old DMR sidekick was to use an iscg mounted bottom chain guide, fit the chain slack, then rotate the chain guide upwards, tensioning the chain and nip up the screws through the chainring.

Tensioned chain, secure chain, looks neat. Only downside is of course it's a tiny bit more hassle to remove the rear wheel should you need to.

"Best" in your situation is probably a white eno hub. The axle is offset to give you tensioning ability and they're lovely bits of kit.

I wonder if in these days of narrow-wide chainrings you could get away with just having a magic gear?

The n-w chainring would make the chain much less likely to fall off at the front.

And I've just seen that Absolute Black make N-W rear sprockets:

https://absoluteblack.cc/cogs.html

So between those two, the chain could be quite slack from "stretching" and still stay attached to the bike with no need for a tensioner at all.

I've not tried this myself.

IME all the Singleator-style tensioners work just fine (though if you use a 1/8" chain some may need the cage removed). A spacer kit that allows you to adjust chainline is helpful, though.

I've got a BB mounted blackspire stinger tensioner if you need it. Brand new, unused.

Also a DMR STS rear tensioner with about 50 miles on it.

And bunch of single speed sprockets with spacers.

Message me if any of this helps complete your parts list. 👍😁 email in profile.

BB mounted blackspire stinger tensioner

This is what I used before getting a SS frame. Works a treat and I found it no hassle removing the wheel.

Shimano SS sprockets are cheap too. Avoid Gusset, I found the teeth a little long.

I have an ENO hub as mentioned above. Before that went through a couple of sprung tensioners at the dropout but found they tend to pull at an angle once worn a bit. So for my money the bb mounted lower chain guide is superior to a dropout mounted tensioner. But they all work...

‘Magic gear’ will only work temporarily, as the chain starts to wear, it effectively gets longer and therefore slacker. I have used a tensioner from velosolo which I modified so that it pulled the chain upwards.

Worked well, looked neat. Don’t bother with narrow wide, not required for this application. Velosolo website is a bit clunky, but a good resource for ss info and advice.

I wonder if in these days of narrow-wide chainrings you could get away with just having a magic gear?

A lot of luck required for a magic gear as you are compromised on gearing and led by what chainring and cog work rather than what gearing you want.  As a single speed rider of 15 years I am very particular about gearing (down to the gear inch) but others may be less fussy.

I have sprung single jockey wheeltensioners on two bikes and they just work with no issues

Rohloff make a chain tensioner which is probably king of the tensioner systems as it's a proper little two pulley wheel job.

Coincidentally I've got one here I am not using...

ENO hubs are lovely - I also have a Token freewheel which is comparable to the White Industries in terms of quality and makes a lovely noise.  Exentriker make an eccentric BB which works with a threaded BB and 24mm spindle cranks but is more fiddly to set-up. If you do go down the tensioner route, the best I've found is the Problem Solvers dual pulley one. Finally, tuning the chainline helps to keep is running sweet.

martymac

'Magic gear’ will only work temporarily, as the chain starts to wear, it effectively gets longer and therefore slacker...

I found this much less of a problem if I used steel chainrings (eg Surly, On-One) with a steel rear and a good quality chain (KMC). A straight chainline and proper SS cogs will tolerate a lot of slack anyway.

The only problem with a conversion is that often the chainstays have more lateral flex on a derailleur frame than one designed for SS use (feature, not a bug).

As for getting the gearing right, generally you're only going to be out one tooth, and that's no big deal. You're in the wrong gear 99% of the time in SS anyway.