Conversion to single front chainring advice

Slam · 6 Sep 2018 at 10:24

Hi all
My commuting bicycle is a 2011 model Whyte Cambridge hybrid bicycle with an SRAM 10 speed compact chainset drivetrain. The setup is good but as I need to replace chain, rear cassette, front chainring and rear wheel because of wear and tear I’m thinking about switching to a single front chainring setup rather than just replacing like with like.

The SRAM Apex 1x looks good for the money, so my shopping list looks like this

PG1130 11-42 11 speed cassette
Long cage 11 speed rear derailleur
S350-1 BB30 chainset with X-sync chainring
11 speed flat bar shifter
PC-1110 11 speed chain

Do I need to consider the bottom bracket?

I have disc brakes so do I need a rear wheel with a particular measurement or are they all built to the same standard to ensure compatibility?

touch · 6 Sep 2018 at 11:02

S350-1 BB30 chainset with X-sync chainring - that's for a BB30 bottom bracket which I dont think you've got (from a quick google search).
You probably dont need to change the crankset anyway, just get a new chainring which fits on the existing crank.

For the rear wheel, it'll either be a 130mm wide hub (road bike standard) or 135mm wide hub (mtb standard) - i'm not sure what hybrids most commonly use. I'd guess 130 as it has road groupset on it. Any disc hub the same width will fit.

Slam · 7 Sep 2018 at 10:45

Thanks for your input, I hadn't thought of just changing the chainring!
Hope this is possible, I'm thinking that the chainline might be an issue.
The bike has 700c road wheels so the 130mm wide hub will apply. Will need a wheel that holds the brake disc, or get a new brake disc if the mount is different.

MassiveJim · 12 Sep 2018 at 10:03

For a bike I don't ride offroad I wouldn't bother personally.

I still have a dual front ring up front on my offroader, but I can see the attraction of a single, to keep the complication down whilst you have more important things to consider..

My "not offroad" bike however will be keeping its triple setup.

Slam · 12 Sep 2018 at 11:04

My motivation for moving to a single chainring is that I've fallen on the road when the chain has slipped suddenly to the small chainring. If I'm seated it isn't such an issue but the fall occurred because I was stood up and starting to sprint.

I know it shouldn't happen with a well adjusted drivetrain with parts in decent condition but I find it hard to keep my daily commuter bike maintained to that standard.