# Right gear ratio for single speed Azonic DJ



## Azonic08 (Jul 26, 2015)

I have a 2008 Azonic Steelhead Pro. I was running at 36T in the front and 18T in the back as my single speed set up. The only problem was that I couldn't pull back my wheel to keep tension on the chain because the brake prevented it from coming back hardly at all. Plus I have quick release axles so that doesn't help. So I used a chain tensioner for a while but it couldn't fit on there like it was supposed to. So to fix this, I set my bike up with a 34T narrow-wide race face in the front, and 10 speeds in the back with SRAM X7 components. 

I want to go back to a single speed set-up because I want to start riding at parks and do urban riding but I don't want the trouble and cling clanging of gears. I do plan on getting a new wheelset with bolt through axles. I am just trying to figure out the correct gear ratio so that I can still run my raceface narrow-wide with a smaller cog in the back yet still have good chain tension.

Maybe there is a way I can mount my brake to allow my wheel to come back a lot further? 

And below is my bike. Sorry the pic came out rotated.

Thanks


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

Most people in the DJ world like a "gear inches" number of around 55 up to low 60's. The higher the "gear inches" number, the more difficult it is to pedal (and you go faster). The stock gear ratio for bmx bikes is 25/9 which is 55.5 gear inches.










So, if you're keeping your 36t up front, I'd recommend 36/16.


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## Azonic08 (Jul 26, 2015)

Thanks so much for replying. This is very helpful. The only thing i'm worrying about is whenever I put the chain on, and take whatever links I need out, it will be tight. So I will try this set up and reply back with the outcome.


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

Azonic08 said:


> Thanks so much for replying. This is very helpful. The only thing i'm worrying about is whenever I put the chain on, and take whatever links I need out, it will be tight. So I will try this set up and reply back with the outcome.


I can't quite see from the picture if your frame has horizontal dropouts or vertical dropouts. If you have vertical dropouts, you will likely need a tensioner arm.

single speed bike tensioners - Pinkbike Forum


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## Azonic08 (Jul 26, 2015)

Oh yeah that would have been a good idea to mention. It has horizontal dropouts. And I want to set it up without having to run a tensioner. That's my goal.


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

Azonic08 said:


> Oh yeah that would have been a good idea to mention. It has horizontal dropouts. And I want to set it up without having to run a tensioner. That's my goal.


Correct. You don't use the tensioner arm with horizontal dropouts. The arm and its little wheel add tension to the chain, because you're not able to pull the wheel backwards in the dropouts to get chain tension.

Although, some people do use chain tugs (also called chain tensioners in the BMX world) with horizontal dropouts, but that's different thing.

These are bmx chain tensioners:


















They're normally not necessary if you tighten your wheel down well. I think bmx racers tend to use them because they put a hell of a lot of strain on the chain when they do gate starts.

On new school BMX bikes and MTB-DJ's that have horizontal dropout slots that are short (i.e. not a lot of room for back and forward adjustment), sometimes you need to use a single half-link (or a whole half-link chain) to get the axle in the right spot in the slot, with a particular gear ratio--at least if you're picky about where the axle is. Most people want the back end on their bike to feel short, so they want the axle to be forward in the dropout (not fully slammed, because that's harder to get on and off the bike), but towards the front.

This is my Black Market Mob with an Atomlab wheel and a Shadow Conspiracy half-link chain. (And no chain tensioner). These Allen bolt axle bolts aren't that great though, so if I were doing a lot of hard cranking gate starts I'd probably want a better bolt on axle--they have slipped a little.


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## Azonic08 (Jul 26, 2015)

Well I currently have the 34T Race Face on the front now. Not the 36T. Sorry I didn't realize you said this earlier.


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## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

Azonic08 said:


> ...Maybe there is a way I can mount my brake to allow my wheel to come back a lot further?...


loosen the mounting bolts a little bit and you should be able to adjust the position in the brake mount enough (it has slots for adjusting vs simple holes for a fixed position) to fit your wheel anywhere in the dropout...


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> loosen the mounting bolts a little bit and you should be able to adjust the position in the brake mount enough (it has slots for adjusting vs simple holes for a fixed position) to fit your wheel anywhere in the dropout...


Yeah exactly. And in addition to that you can insert washers in between the two parts of the brake bridge to raise it up a little and provide more room for the disc. See the silver ones in between the black bridges.... I just did this on a bike last week when I wanted to move the wheel further forward, but the disc was hitting the inside of the brake.


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