80s Peugeot Steelies - Swapping to single chain ring

[InertialTooth45]

My old Peugeot is in desperate need of a new bottom bracket. At the same time as replacing that I'm thinking of a few other changes.

Last summer I swapped the wheel set on it which came with a 9 speed cassette instead of the original 7 speed. I don't think the overall range was any different to the 7 speed so now I just seem to spend forever changing gear. Which on a tube shifter is a pain.

I'm tempted now to get a different 9 speed cassette with a wider range and ditch one of the front rings leaving it a 1*9 setup.

It's mostly just a commuter bike on a pretty flat route and I have another bike for serious riding.

What gear ratios would people suggest? I'm likely to change the front ring also.

Someone at work has also mentioned I should get a narrower bottom bracket to bring the front ring in a bit if I'm only having one ring, should I use the big ring mounts for this? It's currently a twin ring non compact.

Thanks

[uncinqsix]

On my commuter, I run a 36T on the front and an 11-32 on the back (9 speed). That's adequate for the 11% + hill on the ride home, so you could get away with a bigger front ring (and maybe a narrower range cassette, like an 11-28) if you're mainly riding on the flat. My crankset was a triple, so it was a simple matter of putting the new ring in the middle position (I bought a narrow-wide chainring for mine, which is possibly a bit belt and braces), but if you've got a double you should really change the bottom bracket to move the chainline into the middle. Square taper brackets are cheap and plentiful, so that's easy. If I were you, I'd just use the existing 39T inner ring, remove the outer ring and get a longer bottom bracket to shift the chainline out a few mm.

[Barchettaman]

Probably just in need of a bottom bracket service - cup 'n' cone BBs are robust things. Disassemble, clean, regrease & repack.

[craigthecoupe]

thinking of doing similar for a flat 10 mile commute. will keep an eye on this.

[yellowjack]

I got dropped today while I was out riding. The chap was on a beautiful Raleigh Record Ace, lugged 531 tubing, etc, and a running modern black Shimano 105 groupset and some mid range Fulcrum wheels. As we waited at some traffic lights we had a brief chat. "So much more usable than it was as a six-speed" he said, before disappearing like a scalded cat when the lights changed...


...I'm off to eBay now to see if I can find a Record Ace/Record Sprint that hasn't been fked up by some student/hipster type.


Sorry, it's nothing to do with swapping to a single ring up front, but it shows that mixing a classic frame with some modern componentry can work really well.