Riding Single Speed Again
My SS is usually a fully geared steel Vicious Cyles Metal Guru, but for the 2nd Fall/Winter I have stripped the bike down to 1fuckinggear and boy am I having a blast!
Dismayed with the performance of my Surly Singulator on a converted single speed last winter, I set out to find a better way to tension my chain. No eccentric, vertical dropouts and stock wheels meant to keep the chain a hanger-mounted tensioner was my best bet.
The primary flaw of the Surly unit is that it provides tension via a spring. The spring works fine but getting proper tension was never easy, and twice I had the steel spring mar the aluminum body and render it useless. I resorted to ghetto fabing it with zip-ties to the chain stay.
This season I’ve opted for the Rennen Rollenlager, and have put in about 20 rides so far. The unit is nearly perfect in concept and execution. It tensions perfectly, all the time. The Rollenlager looks hot as well. An understated matte black anodized finish with the company’s name etched into the side. Perhaps unique in its genre, this tensioner pivots off the rear axle of the bike. Actually, to be fair, it pivots on the quick release. The clamping force of the QR keeps the Rollenlager in place but the tension is fixed solid by a 2nd bolt that threads through the body and into the derailleur hanger. GENIUS! All necessary hardware is provided and is stainless steel. It can be used with a standard QR wheel, or if street/park is more your style, it also accepts a solid axle. The chain rolls on a black urethane roller that rides on a pair of cartridge bearings. Shhh! Can you hear that? Exactly. It is quiet, and quiet makes me happy.
Upon seeing mine a friend had to have it, and uses it on his urban 26r now… like me -- he’s totally thrilled. You too can roll if you’re willing to way the $50 premium.
Here’s the only problem I’ve found: When changing a flat you need to pull the QR apart and carry a 17mm wrench to loosen the tension bolt. I always carry a small adjustable so it was never an issue for me.
Contact Rennen Design Group for more info.
Dismayed with the performance of my Surly Singulator on a converted single speed last winter, I set out to find a better way to tension my chain. No eccentric, vertical dropouts and stock wheels meant to keep the chain a hanger-mounted tensioner was my best bet.
The primary flaw of the Surly unit is that it provides tension via a spring. The spring works fine but getting proper tension was never easy, and twice I had the steel spring mar the aluminum body and render it useless. I resorted to ghetto fabing it with zip-ties to the chain stay.
This season I’ve opted for the Rennen Rollenlager, and have put in about 20 rides so far. The unit is nearly perfect in concept and execution. It tensions perfectly, all the time. The Rollenlager looks hot as well. An understated matte black anodized finish with the company’s name etched into the side. Perhaps unique in its genre, this tensioner pivots off the rear axle of the bike. Actually, to be fair, it pivots on the quick release. The clamping force of the QR keeps the Rollenlager in place but the tension is fixed solid by a 2nd bolt that threads through the body and into the derailleur hanger. GENIUS! All necessary hardware is provided and is stainless steel. It can be used with a standard QR wheel, or if street/park is more your style, it also accepts a solid axle. The chain rolls on a black urethane roller that rides on a pair of cartridge bearings. Shhh! Can you hear that? Exactly. It is quiet, and quiet makes me happy. Upon seeing mine a friend had to have it, and uses it on his urban 26r now… like me -- he’s totally thrilled. You too can roll if you’re willing to way the $50 premium.
Here’s the only problem I’ve found: When changing a flat you need to pull the QR apart and carry a 17mm wrench to loosen the tension bolt. I always carry a small adjustable so it was never an issue for me.
Contact Rennen Design Group for more info.
posted by BubbRubb at
12/05/2005 05:43:00 PM
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