Turned my Blur into a fixie today

[brown group]

Well, not on purpose.

There I was, minding my own business, doing a 1st shakedown ride after full disassembly over the winter. Everything was nice and smooth and quiet. Hit the first of three bits of singletrack on my ride and all was great. Cut through some neighborhoods to the next bit and was halfway through when I went to upshift down onto a flat after a descent...and I heard the bad noise of my rear wheel snacking on the derailleur.

So, off with the rear wheel, pop the chain apart, gently pry the mangled rear der. out of the spokes and thankful that no spokes got clipped. Shortened the chain and voila my Blur Fixie.

Well, I still don't see what y'all find so thrilling about riding fixie, but at least I tried it. Got me home anyway. ;)

So, a poll:

Was it:

A. Chain suck (this would be the third season for this der/cassette/chain/chainring combo)

B. Chain too short. Just took two links out after carefully checking using the Sheldon Brown method (big-big)

C. Metal fatigue. It's an X-9 ('05) rear der. and it happened as I was putting down some power coming down a hill out onto a flat and upshifting. Snapped clean off back near the mounting bolt.

I'm leaning towards A, but B and C are appealing. I think I'm going to replace the whole drive train to be safe - call me crazy. It's had alot of mile put on it in two years. I was hoping to get one more season out of it. Oh well.

[lubes17319]

"This response may exhibit some imprecise use of vocabulary that does not seriously interfere with the communication of the message."

....ooops, sorry. I'm at work now scoring spoken English responses & using my criteria to grade biking topics.

Watch the lingo or some militant fixie might come after you....
;)

[phlatlander]

Well, if you "fixed" your Blur by turning it into a "singlespeed", then your verbiage makes sense... ;)

ps I hate that munching sound. Sticks, derailleurs, 'possum...

[rockyrider]

Some of the X-9 rear derailleurs of that vintage did exhibit spontaneous failures just beside the pivot. And the look of the break was sort of crystalline.

There's a lot of chainline shortening on the Blur when it compresses, how did you manage to ride back without snapping the chain?

[brown group]

Some of the X-9 rear derailleurs of that vintage did exhibit spontaneous failures just beside the pivot. And the look of the break was sort of crystalline.

There's a lot of chainline shortening on the Blur when it compresses, how did you manage to ride back without snapping the chain?

the break is very crystalline. i picked a chain length that was in the middle of the cassete for my big ring (middle actually, running a bash ring in the third position) and then cranked up the pressure on the rear shock so it wouldn't compress as much. Rode home carefully under impulse power only.

[brown group]

"This response may exhibit some imprecise use of vocabulary that does not seriously interfere with the communication of the message."

....ooops, sorry. I'm at work now scoring spoken English responses & using my criteria to grade biking topics.

Watch the lingo or some militant fixie might come after you....
;)

i kind of lump em all together. bring it i say.

[sjsielen]

most likely your 'low limit screw' on the derailluer was not properly adjusted. i have seen this problem a million times - well maybe thats a bit of an exaggeration - either way if if the screw is not screwed in just enough to allow the deralluer to reach the largest cog, it will throw the derailluer right into the spokes. even if your screw isnt in far enough you will still shift just fine most of the time, though its that one time where you really push hard on your shifter into the lowest gear (largest cog) that just launches the der into the spokes.

[brown group]

most likely your 'low limit screw' on the derailluer was not properly adjusted. i have seen this problem a million times - well maybe thats a bit of an exaggeration - either way if if the screw is not screwed in just enough to allow the deralluer to reach the largest cog, it will throw the derailluer right into the spokes. even if your screw isnt in far enough you will still shift just fine most of the time, though its that one time where you really push hard on your shifter into the lowest gear (largest cog) that just launches the der into the spokes.

low limit was set perfectly. as i said above, i was going into a higher gear - picking up speed so the derailleur was moving *away* from the big cogs.

[2dumb4gears]

problem diagnosis aside, before you write-off the "fuss" about single speed bikes, just make sure you realize that limping home in one gear on your full-squish bike gives you the DETRACTORS of singlespeeding, with none of the benefits.

Yes, you only had one gear, but with a likely bad chainline, and still with the friction of a front derailleur, etc. Additionally, hard out of the saddle efforts on a Blur aren't going to feel the same as they do on a true singlespeed. You are still carrying the weight of the extra shifty bits, and the noise is still most certainly present.

A true singlespeed is quieter and lighter than a geared bike, and will almost never leave you stranded and stressed (as your Blur just did). Additionally, a true singlespeed is about 15 % more efficient in the same gear as a shifty-bike, because the chainline is direct, the chain is short, and there is no derailleur,etc. causing friction.

Not to give you a hard time, but just know that it's worth giving singlespeeds a legitimate shot. As far as fixed goes, that's a different excited rant for another time!

[tryandgetme]

There's a lot of chainline shortening on the Blur when it compresses, how did you manage to ride back without snapping the chain?

or twisting the frame...chains are strong. I've seen an ETSX pretzel when someone tried to do that.of course, he was a bigger rider, didn't do any shock adjustments, and still rode it as hard as he could...

[dyed]

Last thanksgiving I managed to actually turn my Sugar into a fs fixie. Was just riding along, you know... and then the chain dropped. I put it back on, and damn it all, the thing fell off again just as soon as I tried to coast. Got to looking, and had managed to irrevocably wedge a bit of stick between my cassette and spokes. I get the feeling steel spokes would not have made it, but the ti spoked cane creeks were no worse for the wear once I got back to civilization and busted it all apart. It really was quite a challange, never coasting, but not a true fixed experience.

[wigger thomas]

Can I see a picture of your SS FS bike? I take it you did free the hub back up?

Anyway,do you use a tensioner to keep the chain from snapping? Do many people run FS SS ? Hmmmmm?

[bitchslapmadman]

i was just riding along and my.........
any idea why?








































meh

[brown group]

problem diagnosis aside, before you write-off the "fuss" about single speed bikes, just make sure you realize that limping home in one gear on your full-squish bike gives you the DETRACTORS of singlespeeding, with none of the benefits.

Yes, you only had one gear, but with a likely bad chainline, and still with the friction of a front derailleur, etc. Additionally, hard out of the saddle efforts on a Blur aren't going to feel the same as they do on a true singlespeed. You are still carrying the weight of the extra shifty bits, and the noise is still most certainly present.

A true singlespeed is quieter and lighter than a geared bike, and will almost never leave you stranded and stressed (as your Blur just did). Additionally, a true singlespeed is about 15 % more efficient in the same gear as a shifty-bike, because the chainline is direct, the chain is short, and there is no derailleur,etc. causing friction.

Not to give you a hard time, but just know that it's worth giving singlespeeds a legitimate shot. As far as fixed goes, that's a different excited rant for another time!

you take me too seriously! I completely recognize I was riding about the worst case scenario possible for fixie.

just like to poke people with pointy objects and see what happens.

[rockyrider]

Anyway,do you use a tensioner to keep the chain from snapping? Do many people run FS SS ? Hmmmmm?things that make you say aaaaaaaaaaaa...

[tryandgetme]

I had my K2 razorback as a singlespeed for a while, that was shits and giggles all over the place. I think I'll do it again...

[ur13]

You were riding a singlespeed there, you had one gear AND a freewheel. Thus, it was not a fixie, which has NO freewheel. Your rearwheel moves and so do your cranks....no coasting.

Very VERY different things....singlespeed and a fixie.

[brown group]

apologies to many and all for mis-attributing my post-wreckage ride home.