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Surly 1x1 Project Complete - thoughts?

3K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  shenny88 
#1 ·
Took a long time, but I finally finished my single speed project (grad school, baby, house purchase all rightfully got in the way...). Interested in your thoughts on where I could potentially improve the bike. I live in Milwaukee, so I run the river trail a lot, which is pretty technical for the Midwest. I have a 34 tooth chain ring with a 19 tooth (I believe) cog in back right now, and I feel like I should maybe go to a 32 tooth and then switch out the cogs as needed depending on the trail.

Also wondering if the crank is good for what I am doing. I have a race face single speed crank as well - would that be better to use for the muddy trails like the one I run?

Long time lurker on this forum, so thank you all for the inspiration the past few years.

I got the frame, fork, handlebars, crank, seat post, and pedals for a guy on craigslist in Michigan who shipped everything to me for 275, which I think was a great deal. I had the wheels and tires (2.4 in wide) for probably five years. I bought the disc brake for the front and the rear brake and installed those myself. Also installed the new grips. Seat was also my own. I would say I am probably 400 bucks into the bike, total. View attachment 1209822 View attachment 1209823 View attachment 1209824 View attachment 1209825 View attachment 1209826 View attachment 1209827 View attachment 1209828 View attachment 1209829
 

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#5 ·
flat pedals have been discussed to death in these forums. any modern BMX pedal will work for you. if you want a really nice trail pedal, something like One Up composites or Raceface Chesters are popular.

linear pull brakes should clear the tire if you space the pads correctly. It's been over a decade since I even thought about riding with brakes like that, but Shimano looks like they make some with a little extra clearance.
 
#8 ·
that's really bizarre that you can't get the brakes to clear. I had a 26x2.55 weirwolf on a Surly 1x1 fork with old XTR brakes and there was plenty of room. are you arranging the brake pad spacers correctly?

if it's really impossible, there are better canti brakes than those cheesy ones.

the end of the cable on the front brake is way too long. trim that sucker down before it gets sucked into the rotor.
 
#10 ·
Hey, I'll try to give you a helpful answer instead of just telling you you're wrong. I recently converted/rebuilt a late 90's Rockhopper into a SS and that frame had no disc brake mounts, so I was forced to stay linear pull. I finally decided to spend the cash on some Paul Component Motolites, they are about $120 but the feel and quality is unmatched and I couldn't be happier. My biggest concern was the tire clearance for a 2.4 and they worked perfect, just take your time and set up the spacers carefully. Hope that helps ~
 
#16 ·
I would agree that the Moto-lites are a great rim brake and partly because of the clearance and the ability to use them with a 650b rim, assuming of course you can find a MSW 650b rim, but they are blingy.

I would suggest the Avid sd7s. I think they are relatively cheap and for the years I used them prior to disc, they worked quite well. With some salmon colored Kool Stop brake pads you'd be golden. As for the rest, perhaps get a couple cheaper Shimano freewheels to try out different ratios before going for a WI freewheel. The other option is something like a Hope SS hub but that is gonna cost. Whatever happens, ride the snot outta that 1x1.
 
#20 ·
I would agree that the Moto-lites are a great rim brake and partly because of the clearance and the ability to use them with a 650b rim, assuming of course you can find a MSW 650b rim, but they are blingy.

I would suggest the Avid sd7s. I think they are relatively cheap and for the years I used them prior to disc, they worked quite well. With some salmon colored Kool Stop brake pads you'd be golden. As for the rest, perhaps get a couple cheaper Shimano freewheels to try out different ratios before going for a WI freewheel. The other option is something like a Hope SS hub but that is gonna cost. Whatever happens, ride the snot outta that 1x1.
Thank you - this is exactly what I was looking for! I think the freewheel on there is actually a higher end one, I just don't know which. I bought the wheels 5-6 years ago.
 
#19 ·
I have never ridden a Fox fork, only Manitou and Rock Shox forks from early to mid 2000s, but this Bomber works better by a long shot. Eventually would like to upgrade to a Fox fork, but not this year.

The river trails are pretty technical with lots of roots and rocks. I think riding it without a front suspension would be miserable...
 
#22 ·
There should still be plenty of good linear pull (V-brake) options out there for the rear brake. Yes, Paul makes awesome ones, but im the type of person who's reluctant to drop that much cash on a V-brake, but they are cool! Any calipers that are full metal construction (no plastic) and pivot smoothly should be sufficient (check out TRP, Promax, Box, XT). The pads and brake track would arguably be more important. So, just get a good pair of pads that work well in trail conditions (maybe something from Kool Stop).

Definitely address your gearing ASAP, as that will affect every aspect of your ride. My go-to setup for a 29er singlespeed is 32x18, and adjust from there as necessary. Maybe 32x19 if running meaty tires.
For crank, yours is fine as long as it doesnt flex or creak unacceptably. Stiff cranks on a single speed are obviously beneficial because you're often required to mash on them.
To be clear, your bike is still plenty fine as-is, especially for $400.
 
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