I think I'm done with rear derailleurs on my park bike. I'm debating switching to a single-speed with a chain tensioner.
For those that have done it;
- Do you really need a single-speed conversion kit or can you just leave your cassette in place and use one of the sprockets? i.e. is the conversion kit a must-have?
- With the conversion kit, since it only uses a single sprocket, do you see faster wear on the hub body?
- Chain tensioner - sounds like the Shimano Alfine is the one folks use on DH bikes - how do you set the chain length? Same as with a derailleur?
It looks like the conversion will cost ~$75 - considering I went though one derailleur and a shifter this year (over 5 days in the BP…and yeah they were at end of life), this seems attractive.
Any experience/insights?
-Gord