[Closed] Cheap Single Speed conversion?

Years ago I bought a DMR kit that had the tensioner and a sprocket in it. It was quite cheap. I then ran a normal chain ring for a bit. It's a little fiddly in use first time but works well even for a hefty blighter like me.

Salsa used to do a single speed (not narrow wide) ring for sensible money.

I'm assuming you have a QR frame.

Charlie the bike monger used to do a cheap spring loaded tensioner called the 4 Jerry or something similar.

Here's CTBM's chain tensioners and his single speed kits , CRC do the DMR single speed kit and the tensioner on its own.

From memory my single speed conversion costs (bike has horizontal dropouts) were:

SS chain from LBS - £7

Cog and spacers from On-One - £8 (edited thanks to link provided by @verses )

Surly tugnut - £29

[u]Crankset[/u]
Cut up unwanted chainring and use the holes to act as spacers so you don't need narrower chainring bolts

[u]Tensioner[/u]
Use old spare mech

[u]Cog + Spacers[/u]
https://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/SKOOSSKK/on-one-singlespeed-converter-kit

Gusset tensioner is good and not much money. Comes with two spring so you can push or pull chain. I've used one for a couple of years and its never dropped chain. They also do a spacer kit with chainring.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/gusset-1-er-single-speed-conversion-kit/rp-prod17776

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Gusset-Squire-SS-Tensioner_43257.htm?sku=110632&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI68nz3buT2QIVip3tCh0LlwnKEAQYASABEgLI-vD_BwE

I did it on my commuter with the following for <£30, 18 of that being the tensioner.

Original front chain ring

A2Z single speed kit (16+18T rings plus spacers)

4Jeri tensioner

<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Spare 9 speed chain I had lying around</span>

Forgot to mention that the On-One single speed cog and spacers wasn't quite wide enough - I had to add a cassette spacer ring that I had lying around. So when you take the cassette off, don't throw everything away.

@ verses, love the cut up chainring hole tip. Finally got a use for my spent chainrings

Best tensioners I've ever used have been old mechs, bombproof, good tension etc. I think the best mod was replacing the jockey wheels with a rubber orange roller from the old school MRP chain guides.

I've got an old XT M735RD ... I just did a search out of curiosity and can't believe what these are going for in NOS... LOL ...that said by the time I replace the jockey wheels with rollers perhaps the Gusset is cheaper?

So when you take the cassette off, don’t throw everything away.

I use one very similar to the 4Jeri tensioner thats spring loaded. Ran an 8 speed chain and standard rings few a few rides but lost the chain a couple of times. Actual single speed cogs and chain solved this.

Blackspire Stinger style tensioner works well for SS.

Looks neat and doesn't get in the way of rear wheel removal like some rear tensioners do.

I did mine with a Superstar cassette spacer kit £10, "Weaponised" tensioner from ebay for £17.00, then used a 16T rear I had from an old cassette, and a used N/W oval ring and 8 speed chain I had lying about - all seems to work. Not pretty, but cheap and it does the job 😉

I used a bit of plastic plumbing tube as spacers and just took the 22 and 44 off a set of cranks, so all I had to spring for was the SS cog at the back (frame had track ends).

I've seen it done with one of those old DCD chain devices too, or an old mech.

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When I did my old XC frame I think I used a DMR tensioner. I seem to remember you could also get half-links (poss BMX chains?) that allowed you to better fine-tune chain length if you had vertical drop outs.

Best tensioners I’ve ever used have been old mechs, bombproof, good tension etc. I think the best mod was replacing the jockey wheels with a rubber orange roller from the old school MRP chain guides.

I did similar but just removed one jockey wheel.

I also took the spring out of the pivot and locked it solid so only the cage can move. It saves it all flanging about. Used a 6" or so length of gear inner to align it.

Got a Gusset SS conversion kit (spacers & sprockets) used for under a tenner and just to be s****y a Chris King alloy 16t sprocket for about a fiver, both off eBay .

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