Small ACS Single Speed Freewheels

[alexanderkahn_j]

Hello. I've become unsatisfied with my 32:16 gear ratio on my Bianchi DISS for city use. Rather than
spend a load of money to replace the chainring and bashguard, I was wondering if I could get a
smaller freewheel. I've always thought that 16T was the smallest singlespeed freewheel I could get,
but looking at ACS Claws freewheels (www.acsbmx.com), it seems that I can get 14 and 15T freewheels.
Will these smaller freewheels fit my Spot hub, or are they for flip-flop BMX bikes? Thanks for
clearing this up.
--
Alexander Kahn

 

[Sheldon Brown]

Alexander Kahn wrote:

> I've become unsatisfied with my 32:16 gear ratio on my Bianchi DISS for city use.

I'm not surprised, that's LUDICROUSLY low for street use!

Rather than spend a load of money to replace the chainring and
> bashguard, I was wondering if I could get a smaller freewheel. I've always thought that 16T was
> the smallest singlespeed freewheel I could get, but looking at ACS Claws freewheels
> (www.acsbmx.com), it seems that I can get 14 and 15T freewheels. Will these smaller freewheels fit
> my Spot hub,

Nope.

> or are they for flip-flop BMX bikes?

Bingo! It is not physically possible to go smaller than 16 on a standard 1 3/8" hub threading,
there's no room for the mechanism.

However, you can put a fixed cog as small as 12 teeth on that hub.

I've got a Bianchi B.a.S.S. frame built up as a fixed/free. (That's an earlier version of the DISS,
without the disk brakes.)

The fixed side is 39/14 and I just _love_ it.

I've never actually ridden with the freewheel, don't really know why I keep schlepping it around.

There's a photo and more info at: http://sheldonbrown.org/bass

Sheldon "I've Even Come To Tolerate The Color" Brown
+--------------------------------------------------------+
| There is no conclusive evidence of life after death. | But there is no evidence of any sort
| against it. | Soon enough you will know, so why fret about it? | --Robert A. Heinlein |
+--------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[A Muzi]

<[email protected]> wrote in message news:WO_%9.178802$AV4.4036@sccrnsc01...
> Hello. I've become unsatisfied with my 32:16 gear ratio on my Bianchi DISS for city use. Rather
> than spend a load of money to replace the chainring and bashguard, I was wondering if I could get
> a smaller freewheel. I've always thought that 16T was the smallest singlespeed freewheel I could
> get, but looking at ACS Claws freewheels (www.acsbmx.com), it seems that I can get 14 and 15T
> freewheels. Will these smaller freewheels fit my Spot hub, or are they for flip-flop BMX bikes?
> Thanks for clearing this up.

Yes, you're right that the ones below 16t are for the smaller thread "mini" or "flipflop" hubs.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Dave Jackson]

In article <[email protected]>,
Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote:

> Alexander Kahn wrote:
>
> > I've become unsatisfied with my 32:16 gear ratio on my Bianchi DISS for city use.
>
> I'm not surprised, that's LUDICROUSLY low for street use!
>
> Rather than spend a load of money to replace the chainring and
> > bashguard, I was wondering if I could get a smaller freewheel. I've always thought that 16T was
> > the smallest singlespeed freewheel I could get, but looking at ACS Claws freewheels
> > (www.acsbmx.com), it seems that I can get 14 and 15T freewheels. Will these smaller freewheels
> > fit my Spot hub,
>
> Nope.
>
> > or are they for flip-flop BMX bikes?
>
> Bingo! It is not physically possible to go smaller than 16 on a standard 1 3/8" hub threading,
> there's no room for the mechanism.
>
> However, you can put a fixed cog as small as 12 teeth on that hub.
>
> I've got a Bianchi B.a.S.S. frame built up as a fixed/free. (That's an earlier version of the
> DISS, without the disk brakes.)
>
> The fixed side is 39/14 and I just _love_ it.
>
> I've never actually ridden with the freewheel, don't really know why I keep schlepping it around.
>
> There's a photo and more info at: http://sheldonbrown.org/bass
>
> Sheldon "I've Even Come To Tolerate The Color" Brown
> +--------------------------------------------------------+
> | There is no conclusive evidence of life after death. | But there is no evidence of any sort
> | against it. | Soon enough you will know, so why fret about it? | --Robert A. Heinlein |
> +--------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
> Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
> shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com
>

Cool bike!

Dave in Minnesota

 

[alexanderkahn_j]

Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm not surprised, that's LUDICROUSLY low for street use!
It's been okay for my short distance commutes to school or friends' houses. It's also been pretty
good for getting my front wheel up onto various objects.

> Sheldon "I've Even Come To Tolerate The Color" Brown
The Bass isn't as bad as the Boss was, in my opinion. I think the best aesthetics for this line of
SS was the Buss. I guess Bianchi marketing thought it was ugly.

Thanks for all the replies. Looks like I'll be searching for a 36T 4-bolt chainring now.
--
Alexander Kahn

 

[Sheldon Brown]

>>Sheldon "I've Even Come To Tolerate The [neon green] Color" Brown

http://sheldonbrown.org/bass

Alexander Kahn wrote:

> The Bass isn't as bad as the Boss was, in my opinion.

Being either 3/8 or 5/16 Irish, (there's one great-great grandmother I'm not sure about) no way I
could own an orange bike!

> I think the best aesthetics for this line of SS was the Buss. I guess Bianchi marketing thought it
> was ugly.

My recollection is that the acronym was s'posed to indicate "Butt-Ugly Single Speed!"

Sheldon "Fixed Is More Fun" Brown +----------------------------------------+
| The art of being wise is the art of | knowing what to overlook. | --William James |
+----------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts Phone
617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com