# Mods are asleep... Post Your Dinglespeeds.



## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

Just finished a Dinglespeed Karate Monkey for bikepacking. Low for the climb, high for the flats, so it's only _mostly_ making me want to kill myself.










Here's the full bike:










Here's a fun story about the build:

Two-Speed Karate Monkey with Paul Melvin

Whatcha Got!


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## jmmUT (Sep 15, 2008)

Wait...is that a front derailleur?


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## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

jmmorath said:


> Wait...is that a front derailleur?


36/22 with a 17T cog in the back. One gear for off-road, one gear for the streets. Bikepacking with two gears!


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## AlexCuse (Nov 27, 2011)

I think having a shifter is cheating. But still awesome


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## dledinger (Nov 29, 2014)

Yeah...you might even get picked on by dinglespeed purists.


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## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

dledinger said:


> Yeah...you might even get picked on by dinglespeed purists.


There are dozens of us! Dozens!


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## praharin (Sep 21, 2014)

That's a 2 speed, not a dingle. Interesting idea though. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## BLUFF (Dec 23, 2013)

So you've never got a perfect chainline yeh? Good for you for making it work.


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## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

BLUFF said:


> So you've never got a perfect chainline yeh? Good for you for making it work.


The pulleys in the Paul Melvin float, so it's as good (or better) than a rear derailleur with a cassette.


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## RajunCajun44 (Aug 12, 2012)

i personally would run that with Narrow wide rings with no der.... just switch it with your hand...


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## DefenderOfRock (Jul 31, 2006)

I am currently single but di-curious. (Hehe). Question: what is everyone's preference for their dingle gearing strategy. I'm thinking about a "normal gear" and a high gear for riding to the trailhead, because spinning 32X20 on flat suburban pavement suuuuucks. OTOH, big 3500+ ft climbing days leave me wanting something a little smaller for those long climbs. (Gears are obviously the answer, and obviously not an option because I am stubborn/stoic/stupid/too broke to buy gears)


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## Stopbreakindown (Jun 27, 2011)

Dinglenator!!1!1111!


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## WillTheGreat (Aug 26, 2010)

DefenderOfRock said:


> I am currently single but di-curious. (Hehe). Question: what is everyone's preference for their dingle gearing strategy. I'm thinking about a "normal gear" and a high gear for riding to the trailhead, because spinning 32X20 on flat suburban pavement suuuuucks. OTOH, big 3500+ ft climbing days leave me wanting something a little smaller for those long climbs. (Gears are obviously the answer, and obviously not an option because I am stubborn/stoic/stupid/too broke to buy gears)


For a dingle that is set up for road use and trail use, I like to use a 4 tooth difference in gearing. For example, my 26" bike has a 42/16 for road and 38/20 for trails. This gives me about 68 and 49 gear inches, which works pretty well for me. You can maintain a pretty decent speed on the road (for a mtb) if you can get your high gear in the 60's. There are only so many choices, so it might be hard to get both gears exactly where you want.

A 3 tooth difference may also work if you want a more relaxed ride to the trails, or if your roads have long climbs. My roads are mostly flat or rolling hills.

If you run a tensioner, you would have more flexibility to change your high and low independently without worrying about losing the dingle magic. You could go up a cog on the trail gear, while keeping the same high gear, and easily re-tension the chain when shifting. FWIW, the DMR STS has a floating pulley which works well on a Dingle since it has enough travel to sync with both cogs (and it's cheap).


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

so tempted to move this thread....

but alas, I am sleeping...must be a bad dream.


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## captnpenguin (Dec 2, 2011)

I'm very intrigued by this as a possibility for my fatbike since I don't want gears but southern california is rough enough with my 29er ss let alone a fatbike ss. Question, when you really have to stand and hammer do you worry about the torque at all? And do you think you could use oval rings up front with this method?


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## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

I ran this setup on my Pugsley for a bit, loved it.










Yes, you can hammer, and yes, I would not hesitate to use oval rings. You need to fiddle with two things:

1. You need to get your chainring juuuust right, especially with a new cog. As the cog wears in, it gets to be less of an issue. I would "favor" the big ring because generally you'll subject it to more torque, so move your spacers around in the back to get your cog slightly outboard. I would not even try this setup with a singlespeed cog.

2. If you use oval rings, and you want to maximize your spring tension on the Paul, make sure you rotate the cranks so the oval is vertically aligned, using the maximum chain wrap. Otherwise, you could tighten it all down and then turn the cranks and get resistance because you're going past the limit on the Paul spring. But, theoretically, it should all work exactly as well as a derailleur setup.


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## Andy R (Nov 26, 2008)

CHUM said:


> so tempted to move this thread....
> 
> but alas, I am sleeping...must be a bad dream.


Wake up! Come on, man - wake up!!


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

Andy R said:


> Wake up! Come on, man - wake up!!


huh?!...snore///wut.

dingle?whats?

can be right

snore...snore...snore

BTW - what happened to all the awesome beer trading in this subforum?


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## ultraspontane (May 26, 2011)




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## bmike (Nov 17, 2009)

I ran my Surly CrossCheck fixed with a dingle for a long while. Was a great gravel rig. Had the flip flop so I could run SS, but that bike was fixed from day 1.










Moved most of the parts to a Soma Juice frame. Ran that as a dingle fixed as well. 2 rings up front, dingle on the back. Loved that bike too.
Also ran is as a dingle with front derailer and Paul Melvin - worked great for hauling the kids, and having another option in the woods.


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

*Bikepacking Dingle*

From a couple years ago. The versatility and durability of the dingle is hard to beat for bikepacking trips out in the Chilcotins. 30x19 and 24x25. A wide, usable spread dingle for the variety of terrain out there. It was perfect.
Currently have it set up single.. but that's another forum I think


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

*Bikepacking Tringle*

Oh no... This is not meant to hurt the feelings of the 'dingle purists'. Mods if you feel you need to move this to the geared or bikepacking forums, I get it, my feelings won't be hurt.

Bike touring/packing vacation set up for a month November/December 2015.

The beauty of RaceFace's cinch system for drivetrain experimenters like myself it makes lego'ing pieces together pretty easy.

30x17 for roads and some trails
28x19 for trails
24x23 in case. Didn't need it!

Some experimentation, a longer axle, a spider, some spacers, some bolts, some futzing and the result...a very usable multi geared drivetrain with good chain lines and pretty good chain tension across the spread.

I tensioned to optimize the bottom 2 gears as the 'bail gear' was only to be used in case, which I didn't end up using at all on this trip (although I did test at home...so spinny) so technically all I used was a dingle, so it counts for this forum! It still would've worked just fine, but again..no need.

Arizona Rules!


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## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

Every one of these bikes is wicked. So awesome. Glad this thread is bearing fruit.


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## Jdirt (May 25, 2013)

nice set up, I want to make a dingle or tringle speed like this. do you have to adjust chain tension when you move the chain between gears? thanks!


sorry re-red your post, looks like you were able to get away without tensioning going between two of the gears. would you say this resulted in almost ideal/ or even and ideal level of tension when goin between the two gears?


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

Jdirt said:


> nice set up, I want to make a dingle or tringle speed like this. do you have to adjust chain tension when you move the chain between gears? thanks!
> 
> sorry re-red your post, looks like you were able to get away without tensioning going between two of the gears. would you say this resulted in almost ideal/ or even and ideal level of tension when goin between the two gears?


Hi, thanks for and Yes chain tension was pretty good across the board. The 28/19 was the best, the 30/17 was a little tighter but worked totally fine. The 24/23 while not used on the trip when tested prior was definitely a bit looser than the other two gears but was safely rideable. I'm certain it has to do with the decreased chain angle going from an almost 2:1 gear ratio to an almost 1:1. If you're just going with a dingle with a drop in 2 or so teeth in my experience chain tension is fine and does not have to be adjusted if you set it properly between the two gears at the start. 3 takes a bit of accommodating but again works well.


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## captnpenguin (Dec 2, 2011)

ultraspontane said:


>


What gearing you got there? I'm still trying to figure out how to gear my Wednesday once I get the parts to switch it to SS and I got lots of big mountains too.


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## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

RajunCajun44 said:


> i personally would run that with Narrow wide rings with no der.... just switch it with your hand...


FWIW, I ended up doing exactly this.


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## Stopbreakindown (Jun 27, 2011)

Laced up a new set of wheels
Pacenti DL-31s to Pauls wrapped with Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pros
34/16 & 32/18
Added a Nitto Bullmoose handlebar and took her out on a date to the brewery
Think I'm in love


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## foxonabike (May 18, 2015)

What about a 1 x 3 speed, is that a Tingle Speed ? have thought about trying that, 3 cogs on the rear (the 3 biggest from my 7 speed) and some kind of hand shifter/chain tensioner on the rear.


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

foxonabike said:


> What about a 1 x 3 speed, is that a Tingle Speed ? have thought about trying that, 3 cogs on the rear (the 3 biggest from my 7 speed) and some kind of hand shifter/chain tensioner on the rear.


Like the original post being a 2 speed not quite a dingle... and I'm no stickler but what you're describing would be a 3 speed. 
Dingle's and Tringle's are 2 rings/2 cogs or 3 rings/3 cogs. Basically 2 or 3 single speed ratio's, good chain lines and tension and ideally no contraption in the back to bounce around and make noise. 
At the end of the day whatever it's called doesn't matter, if it works for you go for it!


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## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

Addy Marx said:


> Like the original post being a 2 speed not quite a dingle... and I'm no stickler but what you're describing would be a 3 speed.
> Dingle's and Tringle's are 2 rings/2 cogs or 3 rings/3 cogs. Basically 2 or 3 single speed ratio's, good chain lines and tension and ideally no contraption in the back to bounce around and make noise.
> At the end of the day whatever it's called doesn't matter, if it works for you go for it!


Oh yeah, I totally figured that going in, but I like the idea of 'Dinglespeed' referencing anything that fits the principle. After all, Surly's Dinglespeed cog isn't singlespeed at all, it's fixed gear!

You set me up perfectly to introduce my current setup on the Pugsley. Low and Slow:



















Here's a full post about it: Slow

Bsically, it's a dinglespeed setup using two cogs on a cassette freehub using spacers. The ratios are a very pedestrian 30/19 for 95% of my riding, with a 24/25 "bail" option for mountain-climbing, steep snow, beach sand, and lazy sundays.

Good stuff :thumbsup: I love it so far.


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## ultraspontane (May 26, 2011)

captnpenguin said:


> What gearing you got there? I'm still trying to figure out how to gear my Wednesday once I get the parts to switch it to SS and I got lots of big mountains too.


It's 32x20 and 30x22. The fixed cog is a 22t. Both ratios are usable in all conditions, you just have to have the fitness for it.

This bike has changed how I ride trails. It feels like a sustained plyometrics/weight bearing/calisthenics workout rather than a spinny leg and cardio workout. You use your whole body to keep power going to the pedals on slow griding climbs at low cadences. The heavy wheels work like flywheels, carrying inertia after each pedal stroke. There really is something to it. If you can make yourself comfortable with the grind, it becomes a meditative experience.


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

mdilthey said:


> Oh yeah, I totally figured that going in, but I like the idea of 'Dinglespeed' referencing anything that fits the principle. After all, Surly's Dinglespeed cog isn't singlespeed at all, it's fixed gear!
> 
> You set me up perfectly to introduce my current setup on the Pugsley. Low and Slow:
> 
> ...


Nice! I used the same ratio's you list a couple years ago in my Chilcotins post above. It was great for mixed/loaded riding. I would find it too spiny now but it was perfect for that trip at the time as I rode with a buddy who was on a 1x10 spinning easy most of the time. I love thinking about the dingle gearing for different trips/applications. I think they're among the most practical and usable drivetrains for back country, mixed terrain and off trail touring and travel.


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## Rod (Oct 17, 2007)

Addy Marx said:


> Nice! I used the same ratio's you list a couple years ago in my Chilcotins post above. It was great for mixed/loaded riding. I would find it too spiny now but it was perfect for that trip at the time as I rode with a buddy who was on a 1x10 spinning easy most of the time. I love thinking about the dingle gearing for different trips/applications. I think they're among the most practical and usable drivetrains for back country, mixed terrain and off trail touring and travel.


I've never used a dinglespeed, but you've piqued my interest. I can see why someone would use this setup bikepacking. Very cool concept. Rock on


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## Jack Burns (Nov 18, 2005)

Jack built up this dingle/fixie from his original all purpose SS Soul Cycle frame a week ago. On the rear hub governed by. V-brake is a 20t 6 bolt rotor mount sprocket where a brake rotor would go. Dingle side, freewheeling, is a 16 and a 20t sprocket, coupled to 34 and 30t chainrings up front.

The idea was to experience fixed mountain biking on certain trails during a ride, and not being committed to doing so for the entire ride.

It works.

The other main feature of the build are the handlebars. What they are is unknown, but they are made of aluminum, very wide, and comfy. The bike is an odd bird. He calls it the Pee Wee Twingle.

Jack hasn't been back on his regular SS since building this red dingle. Also the bike is built into a 96er.

Merely a novelty at this point, this ride is an escape from the ordinary which creates alternatives.


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

Here's mine.

32/22 for trail use, 22/32 for bogs and deep snow.

No need for a tensioner because both use the same chainlength (which is what I regard as the defining feature of a dinglespeed - otherwise it's a 2 speed  )


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## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

New Bike Day? Just set up my Surly Pugsley with Rabbit Hole 29+ wheels, a dropper post, titanium handlebars, and of course, two gear ratios.










31/18 and 24/25, super ratios for a dinglespeed setup. It's geared for loaded touring, so the 31/18 is perfect for asphalt and dirt roads, and the climbing ratio is good for crawling through singletrack or up big hills. Like a singlespeed bike, you're always in the wrong gear!










Four gears, four manufacturers. Endless, Chris King, Surly, and a NOS Sugino steel ring from a couple of decades ago.










The Gravity Dropper really pushes this build over the edge... with the 29+ wheelset and the super-wide 770mm titanium bars, the bike descends so confidently, I feel like I've got full suspension. Absolutely great, feels like a new bike!


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## HarMi (Aug 20, 2014)

Surly Instigator, 24x4 tires


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## mdilthey (Dec 15, 2014)

Glad this thread is still alive. Here's the Dinglespeed Krampug on the F-roads in Iceland, with full touring gear and a 2P, 4-season tent.


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

*Baja Dingle*

32/19 and 30/21 for a 3+ week in the Baja on my Walt Works. Got to ride a bunch of miles on the southern sections of Baja Divide route and some highways/paved as well. Mostly used the 32/19. Nice to have the 30/21 for the few sections/times that I used it. Dingle touring for the win!


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## legopro87 (Nov 6, 2016)

My Jones Plus Dinglespeed. Running 30/19 and 32/17. Not a wide gearing range but good enough for now. Pics are from my first ride through the local park about 10minutes after I converted from a SS. Chain is a bit sloppy in 30/19 but didn't skip or fall off on a steep bumpy climb. This is my only bike right now so using it for single track, grocery shopping and riding to beer gardens. Dinglespeed is the way to go.
Check out my blog post for more pics Singlespeed & Dinglespeed Gearing


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## BigBMX (Mar 22, 2018)

HarMi said:


> Surly Instigator, 24x4 tires
> View attachment 1085229


This is excellent. Came here looking for a solution to the problem of not being able to have a tight chain line for both of the dingle speeds. It looks like you've solved it! Could you please tell us which tensioner that is!

Thank you!


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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

BigBMX said:


> This is excellent. Came here looking for a solution to the problem of not being able to have a tight chain line for both of the dingle speeds. It looks like you've solved it! Could you please tell us which tensioner that is!
> 
> Thank you!


The pulley looks like a DMR tensioner, but the arm is like a number of other offerings like Weaponized.

For a dingle speed I would recommend a Paul Melvin since the chainline does need to be perfect. One can even keep an FD to use with the Melvin. I've seen a few go for very cheap too. There was one listed for 20 on my local CL, but somebody already got to it before I was able to.


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## jmmUT (Sep 15, 2008)

dbhammercycle said:


> For a dingle speed I would recommend a Paul Melvin since the chainline does need to be perfect.


What's nice about the DMR pulley thingy is it's wide enough to accommodate the change. The chain with just slide over to the other side of it


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## BigBMX (Mar 22, 2018)

jmmUT said:


> What's nice about the DMR pulley thingy is it's wide enough to accommodate the change. The chain with just slide over to the other side of it


The tensioner (in the video on the Instigator) looks LIKE the DMR (orange and plastic) but much wider, right? From what I've read, the DMR is narrow and requires one to use a 9spd chain.

My dingle is 34/18 and 30/22 and it is super slack in the lower gear. I don't know how y'all can handle it without a tensioner. 
~BigBMX


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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

Yeah, that pulley wheel looks quite wide. I don't know specifically what tensioner was used or if it was moded by the owner to accommodate the dingle better. 

I'm pretty sure the Melvin would work quite well since the pulleys have some slide room and I'd trust it more. However, I'm intrigued a bit more by the one show in the video above after having watched it.


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## Adrianvdr (Nov 20, 2018)

I have a dinglespeed setup on my Moonlander for bikepacking and want a bigger cog at the rear than is generally available.
Can you please shed more light on how you attached that 32 tooth chainring?
Does anyone else have elegant solutions for attaching large chainrings to cassettes?



Velobike said:


> Here's mine.
> 
> 32/22 for trail use, 22/32 for bogs and deep snow.
> 
> No need for a tensioner because both use the same chainlength (which is what I regard as the defining feature of a dinglespeed - otherwise it's a 2 speed  )


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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

Adrianvdr said:


> I have a dinglespeed setup on my Moonlander for bikepacking and want a bigger cog at the rear than is generally available.
> Can you please shed more light on how you attached that 32 tooth chainring?
> Does anyone else have elegant solutions for attaching large chainrings to cassettes?


I seem to remember Mikesee doing something like this to a B Fat Pugsley as well. Try PMing both Velobike and Mikesee. You may get a faster response.


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## Adrianvdr (Nov 20, 2018)

Will do. Thanks very much.
Am still interested if anyone else has an elegant solutions for attaching large chainrings to cassettes?



dbhammercycle said:


> I seem to remember Mikesee doing something like this to a B Fat Pugsley as well. Try PMing both Velobike and Mikesee. You may get a faster response.


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

Adrianvdr said:


> I have a dinglespeed setup on my Moonlander for bikepacking and want a bigger cog at the rear than is generally available.
> Can you please shed more light on how you attached that 32 tooth chainring?
> Does anyone else have elegant solutions for attaching large chainrings to cassettes?


Pinion rear wheel spider, scroll down to the bottom of the page,

https://pinion.eu/en/accessories-2018/









My be available here,

Bikeman Pinion Rear Spider, 104mm bcd, Aluminum, Black


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## Adrianvdr (Nov 20, 2018)

That's a nifty gadget! Thanks for the info.


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## Adrianvdr (Nov 20, 2018)

After much deliberation, calculation and scrounging the far-flung corners of the Internet, I was not able to find a solution to my particular dingle speed problem. So I decided to come up with my own.

I live in mountainous terrain and as such, wanted an easy uphill gear coupled with a decent downhill/flat gear. I also wanted to use steel chainrings and gears.

So I designed cassette to chainring adapters so that I could vastly increase my cassette gear options. Here they are:








Two of them are 1.8mm thick 308 stainless steel. They are 94 and 110mm BCD respectively. The ID connects to a Problem Solvers Carrier from their "Cog & Carrier". The 94mm BCD adapter will work with Surly's 5 bolt stainless steel chainrings from 30 teeth to 36 teeth. The 110mm BCD adapter will work with Surly's 34teeth to 50 teeth chainrings.
The third adapter is laser cut from 6mm thick 7075-T6 aluminum plate. As the BCD on Surly's 58mm BCD chainrings interferes with the Problem Solvers Carrier BCD, I had to take a different route. This adapter needs to have the Shimano cassette spline broached directly into the adapter. This adapter will take Surly's 22 teeth to 26 teeth chainrings (Surly makes cassette cogs up to 22 teeth). Unfortunately I don't know anyone with a machine shop and Shimano cassette broach (If anyone does, please let me know as I'd love to get this adapter finished).

Here is the finished product - Surly 5-bolt stainless chainring to Problem Solvers Carrier.















And the finished product on my Moonlander. The gear ratios are 24/30 and 34/20. Works like a charm and I have endless options.















If anyone is interested in these adapters, I'd be willing to sell them for $20 each. I am not in the business of selling bike parts. The setup costs for the laser cutter and material was well over $500, I am not making any money. I got the maximum number of parts made to break even with the minimum setup fee. That came out to 19 parts total and I want to keep at least two of each for myself. Obviously the 58mm BCD parts still need to have the Shimano Cassette spline broached into them to be of use and the 10mm diameter chainring bolt holes need to be reamed.

Fun project and I'm very happy with the current setup.


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## Redlands R&C (Dec 14, 2013)

Adrianvdr said:


> If anyone is interested in these adapters, I'd be willing to sell them for $20 each. I am not in the business of selling bike parts. The setup costs for the laser cutter and material was well over $500, I am not making any money. I got the maximum number of parts made to break even with the minimum setup fee. That came out to 19 parts total and I want to keep at least two of each for myself. Obviously the 58mm BCD parts still need to have the Shimano Cassette spline broached into them to be of use and the 10mm diameter chainring bolt holes need to be reamed.
> 
> Fun project and I'm very happy with the current setup.


Sent you a PM.


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## Addy Marx (Jul 18, 2009)

Adrianvdr said:


> After much deliberation, calculation and scrounging the far-flung corners of the Internet, I was not able to find a solution to my particular dingle speed problem. So I decided to come up with my own.
> 
> I live in mountainous terrain and as such, wanted an easy uphill gear coupled with a decent downhill/flat gear. I also wanted to use steel chainrings and gears.
> 
> ...


Love seeing such high quality DIY work for niche problems.. Well Done!


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## legopro87 (Nov 6, 2016)

Addy Marx said:


> Love seeing such high quality DIY work for niche problems.. Well Done!


Seconded! This is awesome! I'd buy one if i ran Surly cranks.


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