2008 PINK BIKE REVEALED (A LITTLE)
 by Chris
Fox Racing Shox has joined us again this year as a sponsor for our soon-to-be-revealed 2008 Pink Bike.
We can't wait to show you this year's bike. But we have to. Each year we seem to go bigger and bigger, and this year is no exception. This year, it's going to be pretty tough to believe the finished bike can be yours for only $10. But it's true.

Stay tuned . . . .



 more...

Why Choose our Fit System?

When we chose to develop our Rider Profile on-line fit system, we entered into the project with a few core beliefs. Fit is the most important aspect of any bicycle purchase. That, above all else guides us. Equally important, though, is our belief that proper bicycle fit involves communication between individuals. Regardless of the technology brought to bare in the fitting process, the truth is that accurate and comprehensive bicycle fit demands a motivated individual to conduct the fit and offer analysis, and a motivated individual determined to find the best fitting new bicycle. Together, these two individuals can elevate the entire concept of "fit" to a comprehensive process, involving analysis of the physical dimensions of the customer, but also much more. Our personal approach to each rider's fit needs involves a detailed analysis of all elements of the bicycle--not just the size of the frame and components, but the intended use of the bicycle, and the unique riding style of the individual.
When we set out to develop our Rider Profile on-line fit system, we realized the magnitude of the task at hand: to properly fit a wide variety of individuals to a wide variety of bicycles with the highest possible degree of precision--without having the benefit of a rider here in the store. Creating a successful solution involved admitting that there is no automated form currently available with which to determine bicycle fit with any degree of accuracy, and approaching the fit process from the customer's point of view. Our Rider Profile fit systems has successfully fit over a thousand riders based on our simple and reliable formula: we spend time communicating personally with you. When you complete a Rider Profile from Speedgoat, you receive a personal typed analysis and a CAD-based drawing of your dimensions set over those of the bike you are considering. In an increasingly automated world, we're well aware that our method here is not designed to be the most efficient means of "processing" and individual, but we never set out to process people in the first place. Our goal has always been to match each rider with the perfect bike.

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How-to: Single-speed Conversion

Many of us have a bike in the corner that we don't necessarily ride anymore, but don't have the heart to get rid of either. You can rescue your back-up bike from limbo with a single-speed conversion. Converting your old bike into a single-speed, is the easiest and least expensive way to give it a new lease on life-and give yourself a new perspective on riding. Many companies are offering out-of-the-box solutions to help you convert your geared bike into a single-speed. Almost any geared bike can be converted to a single-speed quickly and easily.

Step 1: Is Your Bike Single-Speedable?

Currently, the only bikes that don't convert easily to single-speed are Campagnolo®-equipped road bikes and most full-suspension mountain bikes.

Because conversion kits rely on replacing the gear cluster or "cassette," on your rear hub with single cog and spacers, the type of cassette that's on the bike matters. Because Shimano™-compatible splined hubs are the standard for all mountain bikes and most U.S. road bikes, all the commonly available spacers and cogs required to convert your bike will be based on the Shimano spline system. The splines on a Campy hub are different, making it more difficult to find compatible cogs and spacers, at least in the U.S. Now if you're in Italy, things might be a bit different.

Full-suspension frames also don't work for use as single-speeds. One exception would be older "unified-rear-triangle" designs in which the bottom-bracket and rear dropouts are directly attached in the same way they'd be on a bike without a suspension system. It's a long story, and you're welcome to experiment as long as you're careful and wearing hiking shoes, but, because the chain's length from the chain's contact point on the front ring to the contact point on the rear cog actually increases and decreases as the axle travels up and down on a full-suspension design, you can't use a chain with a fixed length (though some chain tensioning systems would almost manage to work under these circumstances, and it is technically possible to ride a full suspension bike with a rear derailleur and only one gear back there).

The next step is choosing a conversion kit and making the conversion. There are two steps to the conversion: swapping your rear derailleur for a spring-loaded tensioning device, and converting your rear hub from a bunch of gears to only one. When choosing a kit, be sure you determine in advance if it includes the parts to do both of these things. Most only include the parts required to convert your rear hub, and do not include the chain tensioning device, assuming that you've purchased it separately. You may be familar with the description of "chain tensioner" as something that locks adjusts your axle and helps secure it in place (handy once you own a single-speed with a horizontal drop out to allow your axle to slide back and forth the tension the chain); these aren't the same thing, though. The "tensioner" you'll need to convert your geared bike to a single-speed looks more like a rear derailleur. Purchasing a tensioner separately ends up being your best bet if there's one you think is mechanically superior, or just looks particularly fetching. Here are some options for tensioners:

Surly's tensioner
Soulcraft's tensioner (included in their kit)
DMR's most basic tensioner
DMR's fancier tensioner
Rennen's tensioner
Rohloff's tensioner

White Industries also makes a beautiful conversion hub that has a built-in "eccentric," which simply means a body that adjusts in an egg-shaped orbit around the axle that's clamped into your bike, and allows you to tension your chain without using a bolt-on tensioner. It's a pricey way to get around the relatively inelegant tensioner, but it is very nice: White Industries eccentric hub

So now you have a way to tension a single-speed chain onto your geared bike, but before you go buying all these things separately, remember to check for complete kits. Soulcraft's conversion kit is one example of a boxed solution that includes the tensioner, and even a chain, in addition to the hub conversion parts.

Soulcraft's conversion kit

The second half of making the conversion involves converting your multi-speed rear hub to accept a single cog, and this is what most of the conversion kits are designed to handle. Usually, they consist of spacers to replace all those extra (unnecessary!) gears, and a single cog, but specific ingredients tend to vary, so be sure to read the product information, and feel free to ask us if you have questions. Here's an example of Gusset's kit, which includes the spacers, the cog, and even a lock ring:


To remove your cassette and install the new cog and spacer assembly, you'll need:

1 chain whip tool
1 cassette/freewheel-removal tool

You may also want to have a new lock ring on hand, in case the one that came with your cassette decides not to work correctly with your spacers (lockrings vary in diameter and can sometimes be too small for the spacers in some conversion kits):

1 lock ring (choose the largest size available)

Once you've done away with all those annoying gears, installing the single cog is easy. Most kits are designed to that you slide a spacer or two onto the cassette body of your hub (don't worry if the spacers don't lock into the splines--they don't need to), then the cog (now that needs to lock into the splines), and then the additional spacer or spacers. Of course, this is the point at which you decide if you'll be switching to a different rear cog to change your gearing. All the players listed above make pretty nice individual cogs, though the finest in existence would seem to be Chris King's stainless-steel cog:

King Stainless-steel single-speed cog

What gearing should you be using? Only you can decide that based on your terrain and the diameter of those quads. One piece of advice: don't automatically gear way down. Using a 32-tooth ring up front with a 22-tooth cog on your hub might sound easy--and it is, until you encounter a level stretch of smooth terrain and the geared riders go 44t/11t on you. Before deciding to gear that low, consult with a friend or send us an email.
After the cog and chain tensioner are in place, you're basically done, though there's still the chain. Using only one gear tends to stress the chain more, and that's one reason many converted single-speed riders use 8-speed chains. They're often just slightly thicker than their narrow 9-speed cousins, and we do recommend changing the chain when doing a conversion to single-speed, so consider adding an 8-speed chain to your parts list. Notice we didn't tell you to get a "single-speed" chain. If you've converted your bike to a single-speed, avoid those larger 1/2" x 1/8" chains, which aren't optimal for the cogs you're using. SRAM's 8-speed chains have proven reliable, and will mesh better with your chainring and cog:

SRAM 8-speed chain

The last area that needs to be mentioned is the front chainring. The original middle chainring on your geared bike has a variety of little "ramps" and "pins" or special shapes carved into it's surface that help shuffle a chain onto or off of its teeth. That's bad news for a single-speed. While it's usually possible to keep your original chainring, we've had better luck with the kind that don't have ramps or pins. Salsa offers some fine choices:

Salsa chainring without ramps or pins

If you have a mountain bike that was made in the last ten years, chances are pretty good the bolt-pattern of your crankset has a bolt pattern of 104mm and four bolts holding your big and middle ring onto the arm. If your crankset has four bolts, and it doesn't have the word "Sugino" written on or stamped into it, you can feel pretty confident when ordering rings described as "104mm." Do yourself a favor and top the whole process off with some added insurance, a bashguard to replace your now useless big ring, and some type of inboard chain retention device, so that particularly nasty trail sections don't dump your chain off either side of that middle ring. A chain under tremendous tension that somehow slips off that chainring creates is a recipe for an out-of-body experience that you will not want to repeat. Get a bashguard with a tooth-rating that's equal to or greater than the number of teeth you have on your middle ring. A bashguard listed "34t" or "34-teeth," for instance, will work for both 34-tooth and 32-tooth rings, but not for 36-tooth ones. Gamut and Salsa both make nice ones that weigh about the same as your big ring did:

Gamut's bashguard

Salsa's bashguard

For the inboard security, there are a few options. Keep in mind that more "robust" chain retention devices are available if you'll be rattling downhill and soaring through the air for any extended period of time, or if you're just willing to trade efficiency and a degree of sanity (installing chain guide systems is not for the timid) for near absolute chain retention security. But the vast majority of single-speed converts are much better off with a simplified system. The N-Gear Jump stop is excellent and easily adjustable, while the 3rd Eye is lightweight and extremely basic:

N-Gear's chain retention device

3rd Eye's chain retention device

And that's it. the rest is a desire to rid your bike of all that mucky-muck, determination, and something to do about that thumb that keeps twitching every time you see a 20% grade. You can do it, though, and nice single-speed is the fastest way to remind yourself why you fell in love with bicycles in the first place.
 



 
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