SS chainring question

[d_douglas]

I have two questions for y'all:

1) Is it a good/OK idea to use a regular . sayyyy SRAM Rival . 34t chainring as the ring on an MTB singlspeed?

Is it strong enough? Will the chain fall off? Is it safe? I am trying to be cheap, but if you give me a good reason to spend $40 I will!

2) If I am buying an SS from a friend (who is keeping the crankset), what is a good sized chainring to use for both commuting and offroad duties? I am not super strong, but I tend to push somewhat big gears on my road bike (so I've been told!)

The seller has a 20t cog on the rear that I will keep and a 34t ring. He suggested keeping the same and be prepared to coast a bit in the city. Is that a reasonable compromise?

[markie]

If the ring is ramped and pinned I would get a new ring. I like blackspire (pricepoint.com) Usually you can get them for $25.

Gearing is a tougher question and it is hard to find a compromise. 2:1 (front to back) works well off-road (If you are reasonably strong and it is not super hilly). As a compromise I would try 34:12 or 34:13....

[d_douglas]

Oops, please see part two on all purpose gearing.

Thanks!

[d_douglas]

So, I have a 38tooth ring that I thought was too big - I could try that and just buy a new longer chain.

That would make it less than 2:1 ratio!

Am I oversimplifying this?

[WadePatton]

what is your fitness level and where will you be riding it and how much do you like pain--all play in finding the right gear for you.

get comfortable with the fact that it'll probably take a couple of tries and you might want to keep a few spare cogs for different types of outings or different parts of your riding season. and it's nearly always better to err on the side of "short" gearing.

i run a 32x20 for moderate to intense off-road riding - leaning toward endurance and not speed. if i was going to be on pavement/flat lands much i'd run 32 or 34 x 16. but that's just me. and i have other bikes for road riding. 42x15 on the fixed roadie.

[d_douglas]

my fitness level is average. I have been told by some people that I ride big gears, but that is mostly just stupidity - I will be close to having a stroke on a climb, then someone tells me that I have three more cogs to spare in the rear. in the end, I guess that means i can push decent gearing.

My buddy uses a 34x20, but says there's a fair bit of cruising going on in the city. I have a geared MTB, so I don't expect to be doing anything too strenuous on this SS - prolly some fun trails beside a river with some muddy, rolling terrain, but nothing crazy.

I guess trying the 38t is the simplest and then going from there.

Also, if I buy a new ring, should it be a SS dedicated one? Or can I just use a spare ring from a geared bike?



Any ideas are appreciated.

[WadePatton]

sounds like 32x16 or 18 to me. you'll get better at spinning _and_ mashing riding a one-speed.

any ring that you can get lined up with the cog-that's all that matters. all 'bout the chainline. new ss rings are cheaper than ramped and pinned, but spare parts are cheaper yet.

[d_douglas]

A 32:16 is a 2:1 ratio - and a 38:20 is practically the same. Since I have both of these items, can I just use these? All I need is a new $10 chain, right?

The one catch with this bike is that he broke a slpine on the SS cog, so he can't get it off the rear wheel. He said it would be easy with the right tools, but he doesn't have one. Once removed, it would be fine and I could replace it with any cog I want.

In any case, he rides regularly the way it is and it poses no safety threat. Really, it just means that he can't change up the gearing so easily.