single speedin question

[PEDRO]

Can I take cogs from a old cassette to use on my single speed? I am new to SSing and would like to have a few gearing options for racing. Any other advice you can give me on single speeds would be appreciated.

[BKocka]

what gear(s) are you thinking of running?

[JBergland]

Can I take cogs from a old cassette to use on my single speed? I am new to SSing and would like to have a few gearing options for racing. Any other advice you can give me on single speeds would be appreciated.

Yes you can. However, because these cogs will likely have a couple specialized teeth designed to make shifting easier, they might not be the best choice. I was using a cog from a cassette and found that it often threw the chain, even when properly tensioned. I switched to a SS specific cog and haven’t had any problems.

JB

[Kosk]

Yeah you can do it. The difference between a cog from a cassette and a single cog (DX, surly, whatever) is a taller tooth profile and no ramps on the SS specific cog. If you use a cassette cog, make sure you have plenty of chain wrap, and that the chain line is dead straight.

(even if you use a SS-specific cog, you should still have planty of chain wrap!)

[soupboy]

Ditto what everyone else said. That said, invest in a couple Surly SS cogs and have no worries about dropping chains and crushing your kneecaps onto your stem.

[tedsti]

If you have a steel freehub body, just buy some cheap $5 DX SS cogs if you want to have/try some extra gears. They are available in 16, 18, and 20T.

[jjrsds]

If you have a steel freehub body, just buy some cheap $5 DX SS cogs if you want to have/try some extra gears. They are available in 16, 18, and 20T.

Why break up a cassette when you can pick up a Shimano DX cog for next to nothing and it fits my DX hub so nice. Coming up on about 2500 miles on my 16 T Dx cog on my commuter. If you like SS then get the surly cogs, they are nice and I plan on getting a few in the larger sizes for winter riding on studded tires.

[patches]

are you running a (surly) singleator? if so, dont be lazy. switch the spring to make it push the chain upwards. its worth the time. aslo, plenty of chain wrap (more teeth both front and rear) to reiterate pete.

[crux]

Ditto what everyone else said. That said, invest in a couple Surly SS cogs and have no worries about dropping chains and crushing your kneecaps onto your stem.

Ouch, that one sucks.

Invest in a single speed specific cogs as they are inexpensive and will give you a better chance of not knocking knees