# Converting 1986 Raleigh Technium 460 to SS



## pageerror404 (Jun 23, 2011)

Well I tried going down to my LBS to ask for advice but they weren't much help. I got this bike for free from my girlfriends garage and I thought I would make it into a project and restore.

Well it was less of a project than I anticipated, it was just really dirty and actually in pretty good condition. My desire to work on it is not satisfied, so now I want to make it into a singlespeed. I have never done this before. 

What special tools do I need? Obviously something to break and join the chain, what else? I put some pictures up of the bike, freewheel and crankset. 

What will I need to buy to make this happen? The dude at the bike shop told me that I need a BMX freewheel. Sounds right, but he also told me that I have to have them true the back wheel since the extra gears will be gone. I remember seeing lots of stuff about spacers you can put in to fill that gap, and I asked him and he said it won't work. Sounds like he was trying to discourage me from doing it myself so he could charge me $50 for labor. Which ruins the point because I want to do it myself. 

So help me make a shopping list so I can do this project.


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## 10ae1203 (Jan 14, 2007)

that looks like more of a freewheel than a cassette. if so, the spacer thing is not gonna apply to you.

pick a good chain line, remove the derailer, shorten the chain, and go ride your new single speed.

it is that simple.


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## pageerror404 (Jun 23, 2011)

10ae1203 said:


> that looks like more of a freewheel than a cassette. if so, the spacer thing is not gonna apply to you.
> 
> pick a good chain line, remove the derailer, shorten the chain, and go ride your new single speed.
> 
> it is that simple.


I want to remove the extra gears though, I want it to look as simple as possible.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

read:
http://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html
All you need to know.

The spacer thing is this: When you remove the multi-speed freewheel and replace with SS, the chainline will be off - the FW will be too far left. So you have to re-space the axle to put the FW in the right place for a good chainline. But then the rim will be moved too far right, so you have to re-dish the wheel. He was correct that you can't do it as with a cassette and spacers.

It's not that hard. Sheldon explains.If you have a little mechanical aptitude, you can learn to do all this stuff. 

Good bike, BTW.


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## pageerror404 (Jun 23, 2011)

JCavilia said:


> read:
> http://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html
> All you need to know.
> 
> ...


I just dont understand why the wheel cant stay as it is, if its offset like that with the gears on then why cant it be with the single speed?


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

pageerror404 said:


> I just dont understand why the wheel cant stay as it is, if its offset like that with the gears on then why cant it be with the single speed?


As JCavilia mentioned, your chainline will be off. 

Shift the chain to the largest rear cog and notice how the chain isn't straight. If you remove the freewheel and install a single speed freewheel, the single speed cog will be in a position that is similar to the chain on the largest rear cog....


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

pageerror404 said:


> I just dont understand why the wheel cant stay as it is, if its offset like that with the gears on then why cant it be with the single speed?


Did you read Sheldon? Do you know what "chainline" means? Do you understand why it's important on a SS bike? Think about it a bit, and it won't be so mysterious.

And don't be afraid of a mechanical task just because you haven't tried it before. You keep saying you want to do this yourself, so you must believe you have some mechanical aptitude. Re-spacing an axle and re-dishing a wheel isn't rocket science. If you want to have a well-functioning SS (and you want it to look a certain way, so you reject 10ae's suggestion to just use one of the existing cogs), then this is how it's done. You can do it.


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## pageerror404 (Jun 23, 2011)

Thanks guys. I was looking up the instructions on how to dish a wheel, I didn't see anything on sheldons page, or I accidentally looked over it, but I did certainly read it. I was looking at other instructions online and it doesn't look that hard at all. The guy at the bike shop had me believing that I wouldn't be able to do it myself.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

pageerror404 said:


> Thanks guys. I was looking up the instructions on how to dish a wheel, I didn't see anything on sheldons page, or I accidentally looked over it, but I did certainly read it. I was looking at other instructions online and it doesn't look that hard at all. The guy at the bike shop had me believing that I wouldn't be able to do it myself.


Re-dishing just takes a little attention. The principle is simple. Loosen spokes on one side, and tighten on the other, so the rim moves toward the tightening side. Here's something about re-spacing the axle:
http://sheldonbrown.com/chainline.html#adjrear
and some other stuff
http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#tensioning


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