rebuilding the SimpleOne

[jandrews]

I just received my SimpleOne I purchased new as a pre-sale from Bilenky after having the seat tube repaired.  I had accidentally dented the seat tube by over tightening a front derailleur on it when doing some geared SimpleOne experiments.

Planning on running it the way it was intended ...as a manually shifted 2-speed with an 8-tooth spread up front and a single freewheel in the back

The bike will be a trail and road bike.  Will be fenderless wearing 700x43 Bruce Gordon RnR's.  There are a lot of hills where I live so I'll need to be careful where I take it.  Fortunately the rail trails around here are plentiful and mostly flat.

I already have a White Ind 20t freewheel which is a few teeth bigger than most run on their QB's/ SO's ..and I don't really want to buy another freewheel.

So, my question is ...

Any thoughts as to a front combo that would play nicely with the 20t in the rear?

I think the standard-ish 40/32 may be too low with that 20t , but given that the bike will be mostly trail riding and using large tires, maybe it's fine.

Any suggestions ?

[JohnS]

On my QB I have 42 chain ring and an 18 cog, which works very well on the flats and mild hills, so I would think your combination should be fine.

Did they repaint the whole bike? Looks great either way.

JohnS

[jandrews]

Yes full repaint while they were at it
Can post better pics later

[Deacon Patrick]

jandrews,

Sweet! You're gonna love it! A few thoughts to keep in mind:

-- not sure the clearance on the S1 v QB silver, but while I could fit a 44 Snosqualmie on it there was little tire clearance in the rear axel forward gear, and that's without nobbies.
-- I like your "ride whatcha got" philosophy with the 20t freewheel. Keep in mind with a freewheel you can gear lower than fixed because you can coast, which gives more effective range. But what terrain are you riding? My fixed QB has 42 x 17/21 for a go-fast allways (w/ underbiking) spirited ride, and it's delightful. So, I agree with you, 40/32 x 20 sounds low. 48 x 40 as a starting point?
-- another option is to play with the rear cog sizing if you have a flip/flop (and if you have a fixed/free flip flop, give fixed a try even with a same size cog! What a blast!). Gear a lower fixed gear for trail riding, where the fixed gear really shines on stable climbs, rolling over rocks and roots, and "pushing" you up hills (still don't grasp the physics of that, but it's a real thing, at least by feel and by gearing size).
-- Reading between the lines, you've not ridden the QB/S1 before? Wow, are you in for a treat! Prepare to be coached. SS and fixed are the best cycling coaches I can imagine and their first and constant lesson is humility. Grin.

With abandon,
Patrick

[jandrews]

Thanks Patrick

No it's not a new bike for me.  I bought it new from Rivendell in about 2011...and have ridden both fixed and free.

I hadn't thought about fixed for trail but that's an interesting idea.

Maybe I'll throw a cog on the other side of my hub/

but mostly it's been a city bike in NYC

Now I'm out in the country and it will be set up similarly to how it was set up last ..pic below 

[Dave Small]

I love the paint scheme with the cream head tube and seat tube panel.  

Dave

[Jim M.]

Looks great! 

I'll echo Patrick on tire size. On my Quickbeam, a 40 tire would really limit my ability to use the full extent of the rear fork ends. I used a 40/32 up front, with a flip flop 16 and 22. That resulted in only needing 2-tooth adjustability, and gave me reasonable dirt and road gears. Though here in Mt Diablo territory, the steep climbs had me switching to my 24" gear (two feet) plenty.

happy trails!

jim m.

wc, ca

[jandrews]

interesting...I see what you mean with the bigger rubber

At this point my plan is to gear it 42/34 up front with a 20t freewheel in the rear and an 18t fixed cog on the other side with the Bruce Gordon RnR's (700x43)

There's not a ton of clearance but I think a tiny bit more than the Quickbeam

Pics of clearances and paint attached .

Bilenky did a really nice job matching the original green and filling in the various windows which I wasn't expecting

[j.schwartz]

Follow up on the Simpleone build

Just finished this yesterday 

At this point it appears that I'm able (barely) to use the 8-tooth spread with the following components 

38/30 chainrings 

20-tooth freewheel

700x43 tires 

On the 38t ring , the tire has just enough room up near the chain stay bridge to not be concerning and on the 30t ring, the axel is nearing the end of the track ends.

on my test ride yesterday , it didn't seem like the high end was missing too much in terms of gearing.

I am currently using a very lousy old Suntour QR on the rear that is slippy ...so need to get a good strong 120mm rear QR skewer to fully make sure I'm good, but so far, it seems like this is working .

Thinking of getting a 135mm Paul skewer and cutting it down.

The front is a Paul bolt-on.

Anyone have any suggestions for an appropriate QR for the rear?

If it all ends up being too much for the spread, I may need to size down in the tires.

Lastly, I'm planning on putting a dingle cog on the other side if I can find one.

Also testing out these Nitto B812 bars from Blue Lug on a nice high rise stem.  The area just in front of the levers where they curve to the flat portion is a very comfy 2nd hand positi

[Jeremy Till]

For a while Merry Sales/Soma was selling a good quality 120mm skewer with an enclosed cam and stainless steel faces. I bought one when I had my Quickbeam (circa 2014) but they seem to have disappeared since then. Probably rarer then hen's teeth but there are a few out there. Other than that, finding a skewer from a good old 120mm road hub might be your best bet. 

-Jeremy Till

Sacramento, CA

[Patrick Moore]

Very nice!

I like the old Shimano XT and cousins steel skewers from the 7 and 8 speed era, but these are all 135 mm OL (perhaps a few for 7 speed are 130, but if so, they are rare). These will work on a 130 mm hub, but probably not for a 120 mm hub; I mention them in case they can work. In any event, they hold well if properly tightened, though not quite as well as track nuts.

Old "10 speed" era skewers can work; look for those with serrations to grip the dropouts -- I've had "smooth" ones slip.

Let us know how you like the bar. I installed a similar Surly Open bar on my (fixed) Dahon, tho' I trimmed off about 4". I like the absence of rise -- I find it easier to fine tune the position with a flat bar, and the sweepback is at a good angle, for me.

Also (general question): why are the SO and the QB designed with dual chainrings instead of dual cogs? You get a lot more gear difference for each tooth on the rear, compared to each on the front -- roughly twice as much in medium gears, I think; tho' rings are better for fine tuning. Also, IME, mid-ride changes are easier with cogs at the back than rings at the front.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique

[Patrick Moore]

I forgot to add that, at least a few years ago, many bike shops had clots of old "10 speed" skewers hidden away in boxes and under workbenches; a couple of years ago I sold about 5 lb of these that I'd collected over the years.

Tangent, but related: Does anyone know of an allen head skewer that works with the narrow, 74 mm hub on folders?

[Jeremy Till]

Bromptons that have the "Superlight" or SON front hubs come with a 74mm allen bolt skewer, so they should be available from a Brompton dealer. I don't know who sells Brompton parts online (Clever Cycles, maybe?) but I'm sure there are few out there.  

-Jeremy Till

Sacramento, CA

[lconley]

All you need is hacksaw and the proper tap to shorten a skewer.

Laing

Cocoa, FL

[Patrick Moore]

Good to know; thanks!

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[Patrick Moore]

A hacksaw I have, but no tap. How does one go about finding the right tap and learning how to use it? I have tapped internal (female) threads but never external ones.

At $9 + shipping from the UK, a tap would have to be very cheap and very easy to use to outweight this: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hub-spares/schmidt-allen-key-fitting-front-quick-release-skewer-for-75mm-oln-brompton-hubs/?geoc=US

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[lconley]

My bad - you need a die, not a tap.

Let me see if I can measure the threads on a skewer tonight.

Laing

Cocoa FL

On Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 1:28:37 PM UTC-4, Patrick Moore wrote:

A hacksaw I have, but no tap. How does one go about finding the right tap and learning how to use it? I have tapped internal (female) threads but never external ones.

At $9 + shipping from the UK, a tap would have to be very cheap and very easy to use to outweight this: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hub-spares/schmidt-allen-key-fitting-front-quick-release-skewer-for-75mm-oln-brompton-hubs/?geoc=US

On Tue, Oct 22, 2019 at 11:04 AM lconley <lco...@brph.com> wrote:

All you need is hacksaw and the proper tap to shorten a skewer.

Laing

Cocoa, FL

On Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 12:27:45 PM UTC-4, Patrick Moore wrote:

I forgot to add that, at least a few years ago, many bike shops had clots of old "10 speed" skewers hidden away in boxes and under workbenches; a couple of years ago I sold about 5 lb of these that I'd collected over the years.

Tangent, but related: Does anyone know of an allen head skewer that works with the narrow, 74 mm hub on folders?

On Tue, Oct 22, 2019 at 10:07 AM Jeremy Till <jerem...@gmail.com> wrote:

For a while Merry Sales/Soma was selling a good quality 120mm skewer with an enclosed cam and stainless steel faces. I bought one when I had my Quickbeam (circa 2014) but they seem to have disappeared since then. Probably rarer then hen's teeth but there are a few out there. Other than that, finding a skewer from a good old 120mm road hub might be your best bet. 

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[Patrick Moore]

Thanks.

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[Bill Lindsay]

QR skewers and allen head skewers are all M5x0.8mm.  If you doubt that, remove one water bottle bolt and prove to yourself it threads into the female threaded end of your skewer. 

That said, I'm nervous of mechanical maneuvers that will put my head on the ground if I screw it up.  In my opinion, all M5x0.8mm threads on skewers are rolled, not cut.  I'd be nervous cutting an extra inch of threads onto a bolt that is already tiny.  If that guy fails, the rider is going to go down on the ground right quick. Please please be careful.  Patrick Moore repeatedly tells us that he is a hamfisted mechanic, who frequently breaks fasteners and strips out threads.  It gives me the willies that his first attempt to cut threads might be on a front skewer.  I'll repeat: please, please be careful

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

On Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 10:28:37 AM UTC-7, Patrick Moore wrote:

A hacksaw I have, but no tap. How does one go about finding the right tap and learning how to use it? I have tapped internal (female) threads but never external ones.

At $9 + shipping from the UK, a tap would have to be very cheap and very easy to use to outweight this: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hub-spares/schmidt-allen-key-fitting-front-quick-release-skewer-for-75mm-oln-brompton-hubs/?geoc=US

On Tue, Oct 22, 2019 at 11:04 AM lconley <lco...@brph.com> wrote:

All you need is hacksaw and the proper tap to shorten a skewer.

Laing

Cocoa, FL

On Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 12:27:45 PM UTC-4, Patrick Moore wrote:

I forgot to add that, at least a few years ago, many bike shops had clots of old "10 speed" skewers hidden away in boxes and under workbenches; a couple of years ago I sold about 5 lb of these that I'd collected over the years.

Tangent, but related: Does anyone know of an allen head skewer that works with the narrow, 74 mm hub on folders?

On Tue, Oct 22, 2019 at 10:07 AM Jeremy Till <jerem...@gmail.com> wrote:

For a while Merry Sales/Soma was selling a good quality 120mm skewer with an enclosed cam and stainless steel faces. I bought one when I had my Quickbeam (circa 2014) but they seem to have disappeared since then. Probably rarer then hen's teeth but there are a few out there. Other than that, finding a skewer from a good old 120mm road hub might be your best bet. 

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[Patrick Moore]

Thanks for the data and the warning. With a Brompton skewer avalable for $9 + UK shipping, it's hard to convince myself that the do-it-myself route is the preferred one.

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[Tom Horton]

a handsome frame. ironic I just posted about taking my qbeam to bilenky for a repaint to accentuate the lugwork. seeing your pix makes me optimistic I did the right thing.

and while I do a 40 16  on my bike, it's all on pavement and mostly flat. 40/20 probably won't be far off what you need.

[Rob Kristoff]

You might do better to get a chain tug than a stronger skewer. Just one on the drive side is probably enough.

Rob

[j.schwartz]

Update - 

I'm no longer looking for a QR for the rear wheel.

The two QR "nubs" on the Paul high flange rear hub, can be unscrewed to accept the strong Paul hex bolts and washers.  As I was inspecting the nubs, I noticed one was a little out of shape , so I unscrewed it when I realized it was shorn off in the axel.  After easy-outing the remaining threaded bits ,I wrote Paul to see if I could buy a couple more nubs and he wrote back that they aren't selling them anymore due to too many breaking.  So, bolt-on only with those hubs.

I actually had the rear bolts and washers in my box so that's what I'll be using.

Also , I had to give up on the 8-tooth spread given that I'm using Bruce Gordon 700x43mm tires.

I swapped the little ring out to a 32...which , with the 38t big ring give me a 6-tooth gear difference with both being safely in the dropouts and no tire rub on the high gear 

Loving the unique ride of this bike.  It's very diff from my SH.  Curious if any other Riv's ride more like a SO.

On Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 12:30:44 PM UTC-4, j.schwartz wrote:

[tom horton]

I really think trial and error is the only way to go. leg strength, trail surfaces, hilliness are all so variable. your present setup cannot be too far off the mark. I’d give it a try. those white cogs are the best.

I do have a 43/21 ss setup on a custom bike, and on flat pavement it’s a bit too ‘easy’ but alright for around town…I could probably do trails and modest hills on it…running 36 mm street tires now. and I’m fit, but 74 years old…so maybe that gives you some sense.