Your recommendation please

[Mike]

so iv gone and entered the ssuk 17 in the lakes.....iv not got a ss bike but going to bastardise the stooge for this.
My question is....What size rings do I need please iv not a clue what ratio would work for me but what's the general thought on here??
The stooge makes sense as it's the cheapest option to change. The front ring at mo is a 30t I think or maybe 32t what's best up rear and which are the better spacers to buy or should I just use an old cassette and pick a gear?
Ta for any help from you ss nuts out there

[giryan]

I'm not sure about what you'd actually want for bikepacking/mountain biking, but when I was sorting out my road fixie I got bits from these guys, they have a great variety of parts: http://www.velosolo.co.uk/shop.html

[Mike]

I should add at this point i do not intend to ride ss at any point whilst bikepacking thus is just purely for the ss weekend and maybe a dabble through the winter

[Bearbonesnorm]

Generally, 32/16 was always considered 'normal' on 26" wheels. 32/18 will produce something similar with 29" wheels ... however, no matter what you pick, 95% of the time you'll be in the wrong gear

[Mike]

yes and walking up the hills no doubt Stu! that or busting my knees

[psling]

SS in the Lakes? I'd probably go something like 22 on the front and 42 on the back!!

Really though, 32/20 or 30/18 as a starter assuming 29" set up.

[chris n]

32/18 on a 29er always feels a bit big to me. I'd go for 19 or 20 on the back.

[Matt]

Just remember you've got three gears!

1. Sit & pedal
2. Stand & pedal
3. Push

[sean_iow]

Do you have any idea of the stats for the route?

At home (Isle of Wight) I run 34/17 on 650B wheels and my normal rides work out about 100ft/mile (i.e. a 20 mile ride will have 2000 ft of climbing) and can ride all of the hills.
On the Braunton 150 I ran 32/20 on 650B wheels (loaded bike weighing 49lbs) and this was about right as that's approx. 150ft/mile. There was some pushing due to the steepness of some of the hills and fatigue but any lower geared and it would of been painfully slow on the flat bits.

I use oval chain rings as well which is meant to help.

On the downhills the speed is the same regardless of ratio - above about 17mph it too spiny to keep up peddling so I get into a tuck and coast

It does depend on the course though. I keep my local rides hilly so I'm either going up or down as long flat sections are a bit sole destroying if you're in a hurry. That said flat sections when not in a hurry are a joy as I'm not tempted to change up a gear all the time and can just cruise along soaking in the atmosphere

I've no experience of the Lakes I'm afraid, other than walking, but would be keen to hear your final choice and how it worked out as it's on my wish list of riding locations.

Edit, forgot to say, I use these cogs, the wide base doesn't damage the freehub.

http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/sur ... -191-p.asp

and these spacers

http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/hal ... -842-p.asp

[ianfitz]

I'm pretty sure that Rich said tape over shifters would be OK too...

[AlasdairMc]

I ran 32:19 on my Stooge as a commuter and it was great. Spinny on the flats but ideal for the trails near me - it did a lot for my fitness.

I'm tempted to go back to SS on a different bike, but as it's considerably lighter might do 32:18

[Mike]

cheers all. Ian, yes he has said I could just tape the shifters up if I want to.

[Dave Barter]

You can borrow my SS Santacruz Chameleon if you want. It is stealth black and 26" wheeled retro-tastic.

[Jurassic pusher]

Generally, 32/16 was always considered 'normal' on 26" wheels. 32/18 will produce something similar with 29" wheels ... however, no matter what you pick, 95% of the time you'll be in the wrong gear

I think when singlespeeding that I am in the right gear 100% of the time!!

[paramart]

mike I would worry more about riding after a shed load of beer, this event is usually a fantastic piss up with a bike ride, I usually use 32/18 summer 32/19 on hilly or winter conditions, if you make it too easy on the uphill you will be spinning like a twit on the flat and downs, that's 29er

[Mike]

Dave, thanks pal. How about you come and do it though with us be a right good weekend ;0)

I was contemplating turning the R8 into a SS machine as I love riding it. Do the tensioner work ok though and do they look better on the bike coz looking at em on net they look crap

[Bearbonesnorm]

Do the tensioner work ok though and do they look better on the bike coz looking at em on net they look crap

Usually yes but buy one that pushes the chain 'up' rather than 'down'.

[Dave Barter]

Dave, thanks pal. How about you come and do it though with us be a right good weekend ;0)

I was contemplating turning the R8 into a SS machine as I love riding it. Do the tensioner work ok though and do they look better on the bike coz looking at em on net they look crap

I'm washing my hair that weekend

[sean_iow]

From my experience of tensioners I'd go for one where the wheel is toothed like a cog/jockey wheel. My experience of the plain roller type was that when the chain gets muddy it slides over the rolller rather than rotate it and this rapidly wears an indent in the roller and it doesn't roll any more. I've no experience with the other sort as after having issues with the roller sort I chose to modify my frame instead.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'm washing my hair that weekend

Singular?

[Cheeky Monkey]

I have a SS wheel with SS cog (white industry hub with 26" rim ) plus an OO conversion kit and tensioner. Happy to sell. Shout if you want details (it'll mean garage-rooting!).

[Pirahna]

Cassette cogs aren't a good idea, the chain keeps falling off. A spacer is a spacer, I got some green ones from Ebay to match the frame.

With respect to the correct gear, there isn't one. I use a 30 on the front and anything from a 16 to 22 on the back depending on conditions, how much crap I've got strapped to the frame and fitness.