Has anyone ridden or built a single speed downhill bike? I saw a picture of a Bottle Rocket that was SS'd up and it looked like a great idea. It seems when I go ride the lifts I'm not really changing gears that often but my chain likes to jump around. Maybe it's just me but isn't a rear der just kind of in the way?
I'm thinking this would be a DH/lift bike only and I know you would probably have to run some sort of chain tensioner in the back but it sure seems like a good idea.
If anyone has any pics or feedback thanks.
Oh maybe my mind is wandering because I'm bored at work.
i rode with a guy with a single speed downhill bike. He used a chain tensioner and i believe a 17T rear and 34T front and he just ripped on it. 1 of the fastest guys i have personally ridden with.
someone else on here had a full on DH bike that was SS style... looked really nice... I think that it would also depend upon the amount of chain growth(or srinkage) your frame has though.
An SS DH rig sounds like fun to me, especially if you are just messing around on it, but I'd want to have a fat stack of cogs to play with ratios for different conditions and courses.
A guy in my usual shuttle crew spoke fondly once of a guy who smoked him and a bunch of others down the mountain during a race a few seasons back with no drive train. I believed he busted his rear dérailleur coming out of the gate and just bombed down with minimal loss of speed.
How is this relevant to a SS-DH post? No clue, just was reminded of this particular anecdote.
I change my gears often, especially in racing and such to always be able to hammer it out of the corner... but then again I also do skill builder days chainless to learn how to carry my speed better and use less brakes.
so i imagine it would serve a novel purpose, however for practicality, i would stick with gears.
If its a single pivot like a cowan ds it woulnt be hard at all.
But with some of the more complex linkage systems you would proably have chain growth out the *******
I had my Bottlerocket SS for awhile. It sucked, don't do it. BUT, I don't think anyone needs 9 speed cogs. 6-7 at the most would do it for most gravity DH/FR stuff IMO. 11,14,17,20,24,28,32 would be great for FR.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
15.4M posts
515.2K members
Since 1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!