# Haven't shown you guys my dinglespeed yet



## f3rg

It began as an EighthInch Scrambler singlespeed, which I rode for a long time until my knees began to complain. So, I built up a road bike, and almost never touched the Scrambler again.

I finally decided to re-purpose it as a rail-trail/light XC bike, but I wanted more than one gear since the terrain changes so much. Also, I still use it as a road bike from time to time, so a decent top gear was needed so I don't spend all my time coasting.










I got the SRAM Force crankset on closeout for $89 at Competitive Cyclist, otherwise I might have gone with a compact. So, gearing is 53/39, with a White Ind. ENO 18T freewheel.

There's about a 3mm gap between the chainstay and the small ring, but from this angle it looks like they're touching.










I use a Paul Comp. Melvin tensioner, held on with a DMR chain tug with built-in derailer hanger.










The largest knobbie tire that fits in the frame is a 32c. I had to replace the old carbon road fork with a Bontrager Satellite, since it would only accept a 25c slick. Brakes are Tektro R538, which is all I could find to clear the larger tires. Long reach arms didn't help, since the mounting location was meant for short reach road brakes. Fortunately, they had enough room to make it work. I also tried Cane Creek SCR-3L brakes, but they only cleared a 30c. Like I said, long arms don't help when the mounting point is so close to the tire.










The Scrambler's stock paint was crap, so I had it powder coated gloss black. Beforehand, I drilled the frame and riveted on cable stops for the rear brake, so I could ditch the ugly cable ties and full housing. After the powder coat, I drilled the downtube and riveted on a cable stop for the front derailer, and drilled and tapped the BB shell for a cable guide.

The rest of the build was relatively cheap. I built the wheelset myself, with Stan's 340 rims, Revolution spokes, Soma rear hub, and BikeHubStore front hub. The FSA ceramic headset was $49 on closeout; the rear brake lever is a SRAM S500, and the front brifter is a SRAM Apex, which I got for half price as a new-bike take-off.

As an after-thought, I installed some Cane Creek cross levers, after having a few scary steep descents. Overall, I'm really happy with the way it turned out. The frame is cheap, but it's bullet-proof, and it weighs 19.5lbs with the 32c tires.


----------



## LavenderLightning

Beautiful rail trail bike man! That scrambler frame is very very solid. I knew a guy that built an mtb on one. What's the model of those Kendas? I'm looking for a decent set for my cx but want something that can be a smooth enough road ride too for paved trails. I like Kenda and, from what you said, sounds like those fit the bill.


----------



## f3rg

Kenda Kwicker.

I also have some 30c Kenda Kwicks, with smaller knobbies, and they roll smoother.


----------



## mushroomking

How many problems have you had with mud gathering on the brake calipers?


----------



## Slowhead

Nice work, it's a looker, enjoy.


----------



## Dave Hickey

Sweet build.....Very very nice


----------



## Bosplya

Pretty cool to see something different. Moreover, the parts list and quality of build. :thumbsup:


----------



## floorguy724

Cool bike!!

Definitely different....


----------



## mtnroadie

Realy nice! I bet it rails the trails (no pun intended). I like the red highlights, maybe add a bit more like the hoods or chain ring bolts.


----------



## raymonda

That's one well thought out, good looking and functional ride. Nice job!!!


----------



## kontradictions

Wow your bike looks amazing!

Lol @ dinglespeed. It's faster than ludicrous speed!


----------



## Fixed

*question*

Curious, why a chain tensioner with horizontal dropouts?

Nice bike.


----------



## raymonda

Because he is running a two chain rings up front and a FD.


----------



## DIRT BOY

Very cool and great job. I am going to get a scrambler in raw. I need a urban FG that's cheap and can accept 30-32c tires.


----------



## Fixed

raymonda said:


> Because he is running a two chain rings up front and a FD.


OOOOOh, I get it now.


----------



## fredstaple

*Sweet...*

...ride. That came out pretty cool.


----------



## JohnHenry

dope.


----------



## f3rg

mushroomking said:


> How many problems have you had with mud gathering on the brake calipers?


I haven't really had it out in muddy conditions yet, just damp trails so far. I have a feeling mud will get caked in there pretty good, but hopefully it won't cause any issues.


----------



## Mingkishi

Looks amazing!!


----------



## retspih

wow looks great


----------



## DarthTheo

Very cool.Maybe I just can't see but curious how you shift the FD. Debating about getting a single speed and doing something similar in the future if necessary. Was it tricky calculating what sizes you needed up front? I am wondering if it would just be easier to keep an extra rear cog on me and change it if my route gets super hilly.


----------



## f3rg

DarthTheo said:


> Very cool.Maybe I just can't see but curious how you shift the FD.


The front brake lever is also a shifter for the FD. By the way, I got an itch to see if I could actually cram a full drivetrain into this frame, so I cold set the rear to 126mm, so I can now go 2x1, 1x1, 2x10, or FG. Swapping between full gears and 1x1 or 2x1 is a bit of a pain, but not a huge deal; basically, a wheel swap, slide out some cables and housing, and re-do the bar tape. When I put my SS/FG wheel back in the frame, I use a couple 2mm spacers on each side of the hub.

I can also go with skinny slicks or swap the fork and use up to a 32c knobby, so it's pretty versatile all around.

This is my full roadie set-up:


----------



## PeteV

Nice bike! I suppose the only pain would be swapping parts over to match any type of riding you do but at least it saves on the cost of buying multiple bikes and saves room in the garage!


----------



## LafNowCryManana

Beautiful


----------



## f3rg

PeteV said:


> Nice bike! I suppose the only pain would be swapping parts over to match any type of riding you do but at least it saves on the cost of buying multiple bikes and saves room in the garage!


I already have 5 bikes to store (3 mine, 2 her's), so yeah, that helps. It's basically an on-going project/experiment bike, since the frame's cheap. If I ever end up f'ing it up altogether, it's not a huge loss, and I still have decent components to mount to another frame.


----------



## marshall21205

freaking amazing...I was actually considering the double crank on my SS mtb yesterday. Very nice!!!


----------



## jmlapoint

Very, Very Nice...


----------



## sramred

nice!


----------



## Max-Green

This looks sweet! Want to do the same on a build I'm doing. I'm a newbie and this will only be my second build so this question may seem obvious but how long a chain did you need for this? And if I was to use a 3 cog set up front how long a chain do you think I'd need and would it work?


----------



## f3rg

Max-Green said:


> This looks sweet! Want to do the same on a build I'm doing. I'm a newbie and this will only be my second build so this question may seem obvious but how long a chain did you need for this? And if I was to use a 3 cog set up front how long a chain do you think I'd need and would it work?


That's sort of difficult to say without knowing your chainring and cog sizes, or the length of the chainstay on your frame. I buy full 116-link KMC chains, then cut off how ever many links I need to for it to work.

A triple chainring set-up would be really sweet. I had to go with a double because I used SRAM, but if you find a Shimano triple, that'd make for really good gearing.


----------

