Hello Singletracks!

Tagged: bikepacking, specialized

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- March 9, 2011 at 05:59 #96504
  
  rubiksnoob
  
  Well, after quite a while of reading this forum, I’ve finally signed up!
  I’m fairly new to mountain biking, been riding for about a year now. I’ve got a Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc, and it’s a great bike, hasn’t failed me yet.
  
  I do have one question, though.
  
  My Hardrock has about a million gears, of which I use about 2 or 3. How hard, and how much would it cost, to convert it to a singlespeed? Or is this even possible? I’m a total noob when it comes to this stuff. 😳
  
  I really like the idea of having only one speed. Simple, less hassle, less maintanence, more focus on riding and less on shifting. . .
  
  I also want to try some bikepacking sometime down the road, and if something breaks on the trail when I’m miles and miles from civilization, repairs would be much easier with a singlespeed.
  
  So if anyone wants to give this poor noob a little advice, it would be much appreciated! 😃
  Thanks, and hello Singletracks!
- March 9, 2011 at 08:42 #96505
  
  Seriously_Tho
  
  Less than $50 to do it right.
  
  Ingredients of a typical SS conversion –
  
  Cog, spacers & a tensioner – http://www.amazon.com/Single-Speed-Conv … B0014X6TM0
  
  New chainring bolts (for only one ring) – http://www.amazon.com/Origin8-Single-Bi … d_sim_sg_8
  
  Sometimes you get lucky with the gearing & the chain fits just right without the tensioner. SS’ing isn’t for everyone and has a lot to do with the terrain. It’s a good idea to pick a single gear & go for a ride first to see what it’s like. Simple as it sounds sometimes people discover that not having at least a few gears is more pain than it’s worth.
- March 9, 2011 at 10:12 #96506
  
  rubiksnoob
  
  Thanks for the info, and the advice. I think I’ll go for a couple spins in a single gear to try it out. . . . we’ll see how it goes! 😆
- March 9, 2011 at 19:09 #96507
  
  cynergy68
  
  Welcome, and I love your user name. That’s clever.. 😃
- March 10, 2011 at 05:19 #96508
  
  Greg Heil ✓ supporter
  
  Hey man, welcome to the forum!
  
  Good advice already posted above on the SS conversion.
- March 10, 2011 at 05:53 #96509
  
  rubiksnoob
  
  😆 Haha thanks cynergy.
  
  Thanks for the welcomes, guys.
- March 10, 2011 at 06:02 #96510
  
  Dustin Gaddis
  
  Does your hardrock have the sliding dropouts? They only made them that way a few years I think…
  
  If it does, converting to SS will be very easy. You wont need a tensioner.
- March 10, 2011 at 06:20 #96511
  
  rubiksnoob
  
  Hmm, I’m not sure, I’d have to check out my bike when I get home.
  
  It’s the 2010 hardrock, in case that helps.
- March 10, 2011 at 06:28 #96512
  
  Dustin Gaddis
  
  If it’s this bike – http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBC … nuItemId=0
  
  Then it doesn’t have the sliding dropouts, I think maybe the ’09s were the last ones that had them.
  
  I’m working on putting together a blog post all about getting into single speeding, so be on the lookout for it! It may be a few weeks though, I’ve got some non-SS friends I’m going to get to ride my SS and get their impressions on it, and that’ll take a little time. These guys are all strong riders, and ride full suspension geared 26" wheeled bikes. It’ll be interesting to see what they think of a hardtail SS 29er! Part of the post will also cover how to convert a bike to SS.
- March 10, 2011 at 07:51 #96513
  
  rubiksnoob
  
  Hahaha yep, that’s it. Oh well. . .
  
  But I will definitely watch out for your blog post! Sounds like it’ll be really informative!
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