Its as I thought, messy and a potential for trouble. If I use a brush, Our fence panels have slats that angle towards the neighbours property and i have seen it on other panels in other gardens where the paint has run through into the neighbours side and looks messy. Is it just a case of not overloading the brush?

Anyone else got any suggestions?

Ooh they look lovely. What BB do they need?

I don’t frikkin know, that’s why I asked the question 🙂

Is it ok to hang your bike by its wheel without damage to the rim?

36/16 on my swift. No idea how that compares to the others above but feels ok for bumbling around my area.

I think it’s more of a chain guide than a tensioner

Thanks for all the replies and advice. I quite like the idea of a tensioner but I don’t like the look of them as I feel it ruins the look of a single speed. I see E-13 do one that fits under the front chain ring, at least I assume it’s a chain tensioner, are they fit for purpose or not needed coz I have an EBB?

So with no load on the cranks, if I pinch the top run and the bottom run together there should be no more than 10mm of movement?

are they still swollen?

😀 I was almost considering changing my name the Stephanie.

Ahhhh I think the fact my cranks stop after a couple of spins by hand might indicate I’ve set it up a bit too tight. I have an ebb on the swift and find it a bit tricky to set up the tension. Just a few mm in either direction means the difference between slack or super tight.

Does the chain need some slack in it? Are there any downsides to it being too tight ? Also, is there a more accurate way of setting the alignment? It’s a kmc 610 chain, Renthal 36t chainring and a cheapo 16t sprocket. It looks straight by eye but I just wondered if there was a way of measuring it.

Feeling slightly nervous about riding it again if I’m honest. When it snapped its chain (tbf it was an old chain and buckled shimano 36t paper thin chain ring) it made me realise just how nasty it could have been and I’m not keen to repeat it.

Steve

Is this measurement to be taken when the chain is under load or no weight on the cranks?

crucially they promote an elbows in style of riding and being on an ss I found the loss of leverage from being unable to get right over the front too much of a compromise.

This is what worried me. I like to climb on my SS and stand up over the bars. I was worried the sweep on these bars would be too much of a compromise :-S

These back sweep/swept bars, are they comfortable? Do they affect the steering much?

Thanks chaps

I’ll post a pic when I’ve had lunch 🙂 priorities. Ha Ha

I’m new to bike fettling so I’m sorry if I’m not correct with the terminology but yes, I think I have mounted it on the outside of the cranks. That would explain why there is a huge difference in the alignment. Is it better on the big chain ring position or should I move it to the middle ring position?

It’s mounted directly on to the cranks with short bolts…. Apologies if that makes no sense. So does that make it positioned on the big ring?

Renthal chain ring and a new chain for the SSS. “Hey big spendeeeeeeerrrr”

Why not just get stuff and have it fitted, both at your LBS?

Your old stuff broke probably due to age and perhaps mismatching of wear, who fitted it?

There really is no rocket science to this. Decent quality components (i.e. pretty much anything with a recognisable brand name) will not give you any problems if fitted correctly.

Its old parts fitted to a 2nd/3rd hand bike so probably was due to be changed anyway. This stuff is only easy if you know how or have money to risk mistakes, I don’t. I’ve looked online at different chains, cogs and chain rings and there is differences in BCD, Chain gauges etc Its the not knowing what chain will work with my XT cranks and the new ‘beefier’ chain ring/sprocket that confused me. I don’t mind buying my stuff from my local bike shop but they don’t stock ss stuff and would have to order it in especially and it would cost more than if i order it myself online. I want to learn to do upgrades myself in case of any emergency repairs etc I’ll get in touch with Charlie because he seems to come highly recommended for advice and sales.

Thanks ciderinsport. I’m a real novice with bike maintenance and don’t have the funds to get it wrong. I’ll go check out Charlie’s site.

Anyone?

So before I press the buy it now button….. A decent single speed set would consist of

Renthal or Hope 36t chain ring up front
Kmc 510 or 710sl chain (unsure of what size though)
16t rear sprocket (unsure of manufacturer)
The swift has an EBB so would I need a ghastly looking chain tensioner?

I’m prepared to sacrifice a bit of weight for a strong setup. It’s mainly making sure all the chain/ring/sprocket sizes will be compatible.

Thanks TT. I had been looking at the kmc 510hx chain. I’ll go have a looksee at the on one stuff. Cheers fella

It could well be the breathing hole, I did wonder what it was for. I cant see anything weeping out of it when I squeeze the lever. I guess it’s gonna be trial and error… at least it’s not pissing out. I’m due to ride it this weekend so I hope i can sort it by then.

Thanks for the reply.

Ok. So last night I cleaned and dried the rubber seal, inspected it for holes etc and rolled it back into the reservoir, replaced the cap and was careful not to over tighten the bolts. Checked it this morning and i still have a slight amount of fluid gathered under the lever reservoir.

Any ideas? or is it just a case of replacing the seal with a new one and seeing how that goes?

Many thanks. Steve

“hygroscopic”. No shame in admitting I had to google that 😀 When I checked yesterday it is only a small amount of fluid and it’s not as strong smelling as ‘neat’ brake fluid, so your hygroscopic theory makes sense. Thanks for that…. I’ve learned something new today.

Ah thanks mate. I’ll have a look at the seals tomorrow. I do remember tightening them really really tight :-/ Cheers for the advice.

Thanks chaps. Spoke key and some patience are on order 🙂

Would you class 36:16 as an easy ratio in singlespeed terms?

I’m singlespeed at the moment, loving the one gear so doubt I’ll be upgrading to gears any time soon. I might go for an ardent 2.25 for the rear…. unless the crossmark is a better rear tyre.

So a 2.4 ardent up front, same for the rear? Or something else?

Brilliant stuff. Thanks for all the info, gang. I never thought of putting a beefy 2.4 up front on the Swift 🙂

Ooh thanks fellas. Some great Info and photos. Cranks and chain rings, are they all interchangable or specific cranks for specific rings?

Thanks for this chaps. I think Hever castle sounds perfect for a visit with the Mrs.

Have a great weekend.

Steve

Thanks man. I’m new to spannering and it’s a real learning curve 🙂

Cool, thanks. I had a moment and could’nt work out if it was bigger or not 🙂

So Hope brakes = Good?

Ha Ha I did wonder if my 16st was a bit too much for the little piston :-). They are quite old, not sure how old but the bike is 2nd/3rd hand. I quite fancy an upgrade but not sure what to get next and wasn’t sure it was wise to before checking with the ST Massive about my current brakes.

“I’ve joined the quiet revolution” <—- said in a kylie minogue style