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single speed to 6 speed-- townie cruiser

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single speed to 6 speed-- townie cruiser

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Old 08-28-20, 05:04 AM
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single speed to 6 speed-- townie cruiser

howdy,

i have this old Taiwan single speed step-thru that i acquired before the pandemic. it rides great...i luv it...already replaced alot of parts...now i want a few more gears.

strangley, this bike has already got a 126mm drop out spacing.
but wheel is a 110mm single speed hub with extra spacers.
it has horizontal (track style) drop outs.

i can find a cheap 6 speed wheel, 6 speed derailer, and shifter.

only problem potentially i see is the lack of braze-on for the cable. w/o brazon, the cable housing will have to be full length and zip tied to the chainstay and down tube.

Can it work without brazon for he cabel housing?

i found all the parts online...

Track drop out derailler 6 sp.


Last edited by mtb_addict; 08-28-20 at 08:36 AM.
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Old 08-28-20, 05:06 AM
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heres my bike...
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Old 08-28-20, 05:50 AM
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heres what the derailleur would look like on a track-drop-out...

Last edited by mtb_addict; 08-28-20 at 06:13 AM.
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Old 08-28-20, 06:34 AM
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Sure, you could use full length housing zip-tied in place. Use good quality lined housing and good die drawn cables to minimize friction. An option is to find some clamp-on cable stops to minimize the housing run.
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Old 08-28-20, 07:58 AM
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Another option, if you are ambitious and brave, is to drill holes near each end of the down tube and run the full length cable housing internally.
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Old 08-28-20, 08:01 AM
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Another thing you didn't mention is brakes. I assume the original setup has a coaster brake, but coaster brakes and derailleurs don't work together. You'll likely have to run full length housing to the rear brake, assuming there is a hole in the brake bridge that will accept a brake.
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Old 08-28-20, 08:06 AM
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Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson
Another thing you didn't mention is brakes. I assume the original setup has a coaster brake, but coaster brakes and derailleurs don't work together. You'll likely have to run full length housing to the rear brake, assuming there is a hole in the brake bridge that will accept a brake.
no, not coaster brake here.

it has "band brake". it works with derailers. ( see pic in post #3...left side of hub is the brake)

Last edited by mtb_addict; 08-28-20 at 08:46 AM.
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Old 08-28-20, 08:49 AM
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
The only problem potentially i see is the lack of braze-on for the cable. w/o brazon, the cable housing will have to be full length and zip tied to the chainstay and down tube.

Can it work without brazon for he cabel housing?
Clamp-on cable stops are available in a range of sizes.
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Old 08-28-20, 09:22 AM
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
...it has "band brake". it works with derailers.
According to Sheldon Brown's site (John Allen's work HERE), the hub needs to be threaded the same as for a freewheel (on the non-drive side) in order to mount the brake.
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Old 08-28-20, 09:38 AM
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Originally Posted by sweeks
According to Sheldon Brown's site (John Allen's work HERE), the hub needs to be threaded the same as for a freewheel (on the non-drive side) in order to mount the brake.
yes. Here in China, band brake is very popular. its easy to find a 6 speed wheel with thread for band brake.


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Old 08-28-20, 10:03 AM
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
yes. Here in China, band brake is very popular. its easy to find a 6 speed wheel with thread for band brake.
Excellent! Here in the USA band brakes are not common... though hubs with threads on both sides are readily available.
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Old 08-28-20, 10:26 AM
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the ones threaded on both ends, here, now, are flip flops for 2 different sizes of single speed freewheels..


& back in the 70's ~ 80's tandems used a screw on drum brake made in Japan , Arai , with lots of heat sink aluminum fins.
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Old 08-28-20, 05:55 PM
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Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson
Another option, if you are ambitious and brave, is to drill holes near each end of the down tube and run the full length cable housing internally.
not a good idea.....rust etc and frames have cracked with this approach....at least on top tube, I know i had a favorite bike (miyata 1400) die this way
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Old 08-29-20, 04:12 AM
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Originally Posted by sweeks
Excellent! Here in the USA band brakes are not common... though hubs with threads on both sides are readily available.
Be glad that yall dont have to deal with these brakes. they are junk.

this is my second set. First set's pad broke apart after 6 months. It is draggy when new. Difficult to adjust. Makes wheel remove much more difficult.

i really cannot phanthom why they are being used at all. i rather have any cheap caliper brake instead.

Last edited by mtb_addict; 08-29-20 at 04:18 AM.
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Old 08-29-20, 06:40 AM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
...i really cannot fathom why they are being used at all. i rather have any cheap caliper brake instead.
Sometimes a "hub" brake is better than a rim brake, even if it's not the greatest stopper. For example, my "winter" commuter bike was wearing out its rear rims about every 2,000 miles. The rear wheel has a Nexus hub, fortunately, so I was able to attach a "roller" brake. Presto! No more rim wear. Like your band brake, the roller isn't that good, but the rear brake doesn't really do much anyway.
Cheers!


Rear "roller" brake with huge, unnecessary heat sink. Weather-proof, though!
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