[MicroHuck]

Has anyone tried riding two-three ring front and single ring rear?

I'm sick of rear deraileurs, period. I'm sick of being in the wrong gear for pedal kicking off skinnies or even worse, getting ghost shifts that put your shins into unwanted metalic items.

Can I use a single arm pully in the rear on a single speed cassette while still having enough range for 22-32-44 tooth rings in front?

That's the what I pretty much use for now. I stand up for pedaling these days so having gears in the rear is pointless. I still need to be able to ride uphill, flat ground, and fast DH so three rings up front is all I need.

 

[DanD]

I'd just learn to adjust a rear derailleur

 

[Evil4bc]

2-speed!!!

Has anyone tried riding two-three ring front and single ring rear?

I'm sick of rear deraileurs, period. I'm sick of being in the wrong gear for pedal kicking off skinnies or even worse, getting ghost shifts that put your shins into unwanted metalic items.

Can I use a single arm pully in the rear on a single speed cassette while still having enough range for 22-32-44 tooth rings in front?

That's the what I pretty much use for now. I stand up for pedaling these days so having gears in the rear is pointless. I still need to be able to ride uphill, flat ground, and fast DH so three rings up front is all I need.

Hey
You can do it but I'm not too sure how it will work for freeriding .
I have an old Bontrager race light set up as a 2-speed , fun bike !

I run a 24-36 with a bashring and a Paul single speed rear hub and Melvin, with a Paul front der and Thumbie shifter , it works great and is one of my favorite bikes to ride .

Great for going to get coffee , pedal kicks of skinnies ....... possibly not ?

 

[MicroHuck]

I'd just learn to adjust a rear derailleur

That's not the problem.

The problem is that no matter what system you have, the amount of dirt, clay, sticks, etc, in our area will cause you to have problems shifting.

The other reason is for weight reduction in the rear. Extra bonus for bunny hopping my hardtail over stumps and logs.

 

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

get a Sram X9 or X0...enough said

 

[MarzocchiFork]

If you ran only the chainrings to shift, how would you keep tension on the chain?

 

[zedro]

That's not the problem.

The problem is that no matter what system you have, the amount of dirt, clay, sticks, etc, in our area will cause you to have problems shifting.

The other reason is for weight reduction in the rear. Extra bonus for bunny hopping my hardtail over stumps and logs.

exept you'll need a rear derailler (or equivalent tensioner) to spool up the extra chain need for front gearing. And a decent derailler/drivetrain and full length housing can do wonders

 

[TheSherpa]

That's not the problem.

The problem is that no matter what system you have, the amount of dirt, clay, sticks, etc, in our area will cause you to have problems shifting.

The other reason is for weight reduction in the rear. Extra bonus for bunny hopping my hardtail over stumps and logs.

Uh, 99% of people seem to not have a problem.

 

[drum714]

use a single arm pully

This is how he is going to keep tension!

 

[DanD]

This is how he is going to keep tension!

he can have fun trying to keep a decent chain line with 3 rings up front...it is a horrible idea. A properly set up and adjusted derailleur will work.

 

[zedro]

This is how he is going to keep tension!

you need dual pulleys like a derailler uses to spool up the chain effectively and keep enough tension.

Also he'll need to create a guide for the rear sprocket

 

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

you need dual pulleys like a derailler uses to spool up the chain effectively and keep enough tension.

Also he'll need to create a guide for the rear sprocket

you need dual pulleys like a derailler uses to spool up the chain effectively and keep enough tension.

Also he'll need to create a guide for the rear sprocket

 

[Master_Jako]

i run my hardrock like that....i have 3 rings in front and a busted rear derailer in back that runs single speed....no brakes either.

 

[MicroHuck]

you need dual pulleys like a derailler uses to spool up the chain effectively and keep enough tension.

Also he'll need to create a guide for the rear sprocket

I could easily make my own tensioner, that's no issue. Very easy.

My reasoning behind doing this is simple:

I want simplicity. I slip off skinnies all the time and bend my der. slightly, causing bad shifts.

I want less weight in the rear (to compensate for my heavy 2.5 Minion rear tire)

I'm at the point where I keep the rear on one cog the whole time and use the front rings to adjust for gearing. I'm liking it a lot so far. I prefer having the rear set so it's perfect for pedal kicks, I don't need to pedal much otherwise when riding stunts.

I would just go full out single speed, but I need at least some range to get me up hills and get me down hills fast.

The high end SRAM der. looks cool. Lightweight and precise shifting, but I'm not about to drop $200 on one to find it isn't going to cut it.

 

[KavuRider]

Run it SS

Seriously, that would solve your problem. You can choose a gear that will give you plenty of speed on the flats and downhills while still being able to pedal up hills.

OR

Like everyone else said, get a quality rear derailleur, full length housing, and keep it properly adjusted.

OR

Spend some dough and get a Rohloff (but then again, that won't decrease the weight on the rear end of your bike).

Option 2 seems the easiest, cheapest, and most reliable. My $0.02.

Cheers,

KavuRider

 

[zedro]

I could easily make my own tensioner, that's no issue. Very easy.

My reasoning behind doing this is simple:

I want simplicity. I slip off skinnies all the time and bend my der. slightly, causing bad shifts.

I want less weight in the rear (to compensate for my heavy 2.5 Minion rear tire)

so instead you'll bend your home made tensioner, exept that will derail your chain. And the derailler weighs less than the mud on your tires...

just do it tho, no sense in trying to convince us (ie. why are you asking for advice you dont want?).

The irony is the most effective tensioners are either deraillers, or look like deraillers. Theres no difference in removing all your cogs and using a tensioner, when you could just run your bike as-is and simply never shift. Think about it.

 

[thebikedoctor33]

maybe someone said this but u could try adjusting the lil screws that limit the range down to 0 so the r. derailuer cant actually move... just an idea

 

[MicroHuck]

so instead you'll bend your home made tensioner, exept that will derail your chain. And the derailler weighs less than the mud on your tires...

just do it tho, no sense in trying to convince us (ie. why are you asking for advice you dont want?).

The irony is the most effective tensioners are either deraillers, or look like deraillers. Theres no difference in removing all your cogs and using a tensioner, when you could just run your bike as-is and simply never shift. Think about it.

Are there any rear deraileurs that don't cost over $90 that hold a gear perfectly? Even when jammed full of mud? That's my main concern.

I've seen plenty of high end bikes out where I ride and not a single one has perfect shifting after a couple smashes into the mud pits. That's wy I'm hesitant to buy a high end deraileur if I'm just going to mess it up anyways.

Are there any out there that have a super strong cable tension? Maybe for a better hold onto gears for less slipping?

 

[freeriderizzle]

I tried it for a while with a shork cage derailleur in the rear.

Run a small piece of cable through the derailleur like in my "half as$ diagram".
Keep the calbe as tight as possible and set the limits on the derailleur to stay just under your single rear gear.

I used the Gusset 1-er Single Speed Speed converter. With a short cage rear derailleur.
Up front I ran a Saint Crankset 32/22 with a Saint front Derailleur.

It worked well for me. The bike was an On-One Gimp. The front fork was a DJ1 taken down to 90mm travel. I ran Peg in the rear. I was riding alot of Street and Skate Park. I'd smack my rear derailleur all the time. I spent half of my riding time trying to adjust my rear derailleur.
Then I went to the 2 speed set up I described above and it was great. There's still a derailleur there but when the cable is pulled tight and the limits are set, you'll break the derailleur off before you knock it out of line.

 

[macdadilac]

Have you tried yelling at it!

You seem to have thought of everything else.