Converting A Retro Mountain Bike To Single Speed - 1990 Carrera Katmandu

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So, the Katmandu really didn’t do well in the market place. Instead of stripping it all down again I thought I’d use it for another video and do a single speed conversion. It’s not the most practical conversion but it makes a clean looking bike that’s easy to cruise around town on.
All you need is:
Single Speed Conversion Kit for a Cassette
Chain Tensioner
(The new chain and crankset were optional)
Since making the video I’ve discovered the tensioner I used is designed for 8/9 speed chains... it wasn’t in the listing so I had to do a bit of searching to find that and it’s definitely the reason for why there is a ticking sound!
Hope this video is useful. See you in the next one!

[@liamthomson8787]

Doing a conversion like this one on an old MTB that’s been lying around my garage for years. So glad you made this video for a beginner like me to easily understand

[@TheMainCore]

Finally, someone explained it in a way that make this project seem fun and doable! Totally gonna convert my "new" 1998 Cyclepro with trashed gears.

[@MonkeyShred]

Good luck! Hope it works well for you!

[@virgilfulton4426]

Love the splatter paint jobs on early 90's bikes... that one's got an awesome one.

[@davidt8546]

Converted an old Rockhopper and love it. Whenever I see an old MTB now I see a potential SS

[@timetravelfilms727]

Thanks I didn't know those tensioners existed, would have kept the original derailleur as a hack tensioner. But this one is lighter and tidier. Great work.

[@bink281]

I went with no tensioner on my Rockhopper (vert dropouts) using magic ratios. Looks like you might have accidently had a magic ratio yourself. Even cheaper and looks great!

[@stockton350]

Greg Miners half links can come in handy sometimes with these builds

[@liamsheehan4514]

I love your videos and how you keep everything simple but descriptive yes calm and I alway love to see the thing you come up with I’ve been watching almost Daly for the past month or 2 but just noticed I didn’t sub yes but i fixed that but I’m 16 with the dream job of haveing a bike shop filled with my own custom bulds and I just resent became a bike mechanic and they took me in quick and I’m surrounded by extremely talented mechanic but when I’m at home I come to listen to your wisdom and learn even more about bikes so keep it up

[@MonkeyShred]

Thanks man! Good luck in your job!

[@kristiandawe85]

You could also use a eccentric bottom bracket instead of a chain tensioner for a single speed conversion, it worked amazing for me.

[@kevinfromsales6842]

Kristian Dawe is that the same as elliptical chain rings?

[@rob-c.]

Patrick Todd eccentric bottom bracket allows you to move the ‘centre’ of the bottom bracket forwards or backwards, by rotating it within the shell. The centre is offset, so by rotating it around what would be the normal centre you effectively shorten or lengthen the necessary chain length - in the same way you would slide the rear axle back and forward within a horizontal dropout.

[@mutos82]

beatiful frame. I love 90s bikes.

[@davidt8546]

Shimano 11.99 7-8 speed chain works very well with narrow wide chainring. 32 to 16 tooth ratio

[@maggiebest08]

Completely satisfied.

[@ericsanquist]

the easiest way is to use the front sprocket and set the chain on it then put some spacers on the rear wheel then just make sure you have spacers on both sides of the rear sprocket then adjust the amount of spacers of the rear sprocket are even on both sides to center the sprocket that should match up about right then with the front sprocket just and enough spacers to clear the frame

[@zacundem7394]

not related to the build in any way, but the guy doing the build sounds very polite

[@MonkeyShred]

Thanks!

[@jcnredpizzawindow2219]

Love the measuring mate but for a guy in Cali that’s lazy at math I just eyeball it! Lol but mo power to you. Gonna convert a old Diamondback somebodies gave me. Was thinking of tape instead of grips though just to be different and some sweet bar end caps.JC

[@paulvangorp8621]

Just had a fixed gear for the second time. My gearbox broke down so lifted them off and shorten the chain I used some wood and a new gear form a back gearbox. Fixed it to the frame. It makes noice but only spend 2 euro's on the gear and 4 euro on the bolts. Spend 6 euro total... That's a fix

[@Ivlodded]

Nice little guide!

[@MonkeyShred]

Thanks!

[@JogieGlenMait]

1.75 playback speed to save time. :)

[@jonienglish3231]

i converted my 1992 Alpinestars AL-Mega to DISC BRAKES used the OEM Mavic 213 added newer 6 bolt hubs , made a TAB got a LOCAL Welder to TIG on to the FRAME and used a Exotic fork aluminum 445

[@DAllan-lz3lg]

I had the same annoying click with the guide on the tensioner so I just removed it. The chain stays on fine.

[@betotrono]

For my fellow Yanks watching this video: "'Bob's your uncle' is a phrase commonly used in United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries that means 'and there it is' or 'and there you have it.'" (I figured that part out...) "The origins are uncertain, but a common theory is that the expression arose after Conservative Prime Minister Robert "Bob" Cecil appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887, an act which was apparently both surprising and unpopular. Whatever other qualifications Balfour might have had, 'Bob's your uncle' was seen as the conclusive one."

[@MonkeyShred]

And for my fellow Brits, this is apparently why we say it!

[@betotrono]

@@MonkeyShred Wellp... Bob's your mother's brother...

[@BruceChastain]

looks good, I like how you bothered to get the chain-line right. But looks like a pretty low gear ratio.

[@RadioSnivins]

Did you wangle the tensioner click?

[@mokotramp]

Proper Carrera!

[@MonkeyShred]

They did make very nice bikes back in the day!

[@mokotramp]

@@MonkeyShred Got one sat in my workstation as we speak! Always on the lookout for a cheap Quattro!

[@islander5901]

Is there a follow up video to this SS? Like how you find riding it etc. I do all my ss set ups by eye. Works fine

[@BruceChastain]

not sure, but maybe loosen the tensioner axle and make sure it's centered on the chain right.

[@Fixed_Sprint]

Converted Mine into a 9T 52T track bike. I replaced One The Chain-link into half link.

[@kris4645]

Lol You can actually tension the chain on those dropouts! I ride 2 bikes, with the vertical dropouts like that one,and no chain tensioner! How? You gotta play around with the different cogs!

[@virgilfulton4426]

It appeared to me that the chain "retainer" (the little bit that circumferences the chain at the point where it hits the initial tooth of the chain tensioner) was coming into contact with the largest part of the chain, on the bottom side. Cool idea for a project... was it specifically built to meet a certain customers needs? Do you know if that detail on the chain tensioner is specific to the type of chain width you use?

[@MonkeyShred]

It was built mainly so I could do a video that I haven't done before to be honest! I checked the chain tensioner specs out elsewhere after and found "apparently" it's for 8/9 speed chains. I happened to have a 9 speed chain spare to threw that on and it seemed to quieten down. Not sure why the 1/8" was so noisy though.

[@antonioporras5161]

Like adding a baseball card that clicks on the rotating spokes. Let's people know that you're coming. 😊

[@C345OFR]

Just passing on some useful info: 'vintage' is 'of the period', whereas 'retro' is 'of a _later_ period, harking back'.

[@MonkeyShred]

I don't know if the caustic soda fumes have gone to my head but I'm not understanding this fully. Retro is OLDER than vintage?

[@C345OFR]

Haha, no mate :-) - your bike is from 1990 so is 'vintage'. If Carrera makes a Katmandu in, say, 2020, that uses the exact 1990 styling, that would be retro. The way I remember it is the word 'retrospective', which is like: 'from now, looking back'

[@MonkeyShred]

Ah haaaaa. I never realised that. Interesting!

[@LewisRawlinson30]

Looks like your idler pulley is for 5/32"

[@mrmrlee]

Why not just get a tensioner with a roller rather than a geared wheel?

[@DavidLopez-bz4rj]

Now replace the seat with a cactus to avoid sitting

[@stevendearing4619]

Very good video

[@martinwakawaka5265]

Converting without Cleaning????????

[@jedisentinel1499]

Is that a 3x7? I didn’t quite catch it but are you using the same chain for the single speed?

[@MonkeyShred]

It should be originally yes. This video is pretty old so I can’t remember what chain I used but you can use 1/8” or the narrower 3/32” chain. You’ve just got to match the sprocket and chainring to the chain. A 3/32 chain won’t go on a 1/8” chainring/sprocket but it will work the other way round, although it might be a bit noisier.

[@craigrobinson83]

@monkeyshred. What did you do to get rid of the clicking from the tensioner?? As have encountered the same problem

[@MonkeyShred]

Double check the chain alignment and the alignment of the wheel itself (on the tensioner) on the chain.

[@craigrobinson83]

@@MonkeyShred sorted, it was the loop guide on the tensioner, I just moved it around till the click stopped! 😂 Thanks for the reply!

[@Jeommin2]

It’s pretty pretty

[@matiavio]

great Video!!! thanks :) easy to understand!! :)

[@fgv3357]

Can beach coaster bicycles also be called single speed?

[@inorganicintelligence-IoI]

Fede Juarez Yes, if there's a single front chainring and a single rear cog. Coaster brake bikes are a fun alt. single-speed build. Easy to maintain, and fun to skid on.

[@RuezgaDaniel]

Yes. They have a single gear, so they are single speed. Fixed gears are also single speeds. Have a good one!

[@bishankagrawal2948]

What if you don't use chain tensioner?

[@MonkeyShred]

If you don’t use a tensioner and the chain is loose… it’ll come off

[@DavidLopez-bz4rj]

I removed the pedals and gears. Flintstones cant be wrong.

[@sportsandeverything4792]

Is the mtb has a threaded sprocket

[@MonkeyShred]

Nope.

[@searchingshropshire]

I would of used a chain tensioner that hangs from the frame. Doesn’t have a cog instead it’s a hard rubber wheel.

[@MonkeyShred]

Like they sue on DH rigs right?

[@searchingshropshire]

@@MonkeyShred that’s the ones.

[@telhobby]

Would this chain tensioner work if it was a fixed gear and not a freewheel?

[@corynardin]

I don't know from experience, but I have heard that chain tensioners are not strong enough for fixed. Particularly when stopping or pedaling in reverse.

[@aneeshkb369]

Katmandu is a city in nepal...

[@petersymons7817]

Thank u

[@mariuskaupas]

There was definitely space to tension the chain with a half link...

[@clarkjames1510]

exactly what i was thinking

[@quietgamer3736]

Why can't you just cut the chain to size?

[@MonkeyShred]

You can't always get the right chain size just by cutting it.

[@paultinajero9733]

Cool!!

[@gurkajpeg]

i like water trucks and moster trucks

[@gurkajpeg]

walter

[@inorganicintelligence-IoI]

+MonkeyShred How did you decide on a gear ratio for this build? Is it good for dirt trail climbs? Thanks.

[@mastresonjecklehyde2977]

" GHOST GEAR " IT ...

[@kris4645]

Okay, music is kind of spoiling the whole video 😢

[@pierrelarouge]

I'll never understand how downgrading ever became a thing in cycling, its like taking a PC and saying now today we're gonna turn this PC into a single stick of ram PC and remove the video card ect..

[@DavidLopez-bz4rj]

Stupid people

[@andreicristian1625]

On an old bike, changing gears is not so fun as on a brand new Scott let's say. Singlespeed, if made correctly, is durable, maintenance-free and quiet, unlike a multi-geared bike. Btw, you can't compare Bikes to Computers and Watermelons to Apples. So mind your own business and hate somewhere else

[@DavidLopez-bz4rj]

@@andreicristian1625 If you think it is fun not having gears. .. When I was a kid I made hundreds of km on one gear. I can asure you it is everything but fun. Maybe in your country there arent steep hills...if you live in Holland you can go everywhere on one gear. Here where I live, north of Spain people would laugh at you if you screwd your gears. As I said, stupid idea.

[@pierrelarouge]

@@DavidLopez-bz4rj Exactly when i was a kid I was so excited to get a bike with actual gears, and Cristi a geared bike doesnt take hardly any maintenance either and is quiet.

[@andreicristian1625]

However, it was his decision to go singlespeed. You cannot judge him for that.You cannot judge anyone for riding single and no one cand judge you for riding geared. Actually, he made a pretty good tutorial, thumbs up for him.

[@albertoflora5402]

choll fico top

[@Josecruz-zg2hk]

I need single speed

[@paulkazjack]

Jockey wheel!!!!!!

[@davids.d7166]

Idler sprocket.

[@iamyourfuture808]

Couldn’t ride it with that annoying click

[@mlongob]

please clean your parts mate

[@ashleighmason4982]

Geez, at least clean the thing before installing new parts. For me that bike looked perfectly fine in it's original shape...

[@MonkeyShred]

It looked fine to me too. Unfortunately, it wasn't selling so I had to do something different.

[@ashleighmason4982]

So maybe go really bonkers, put on it a fixed gear with 1:1 ratio and learn some artistic cycling? That would be something special 🤸

[@crowman8914]

No point to use a chain tensioner with that single speed fuck that cry once and cut that shit

[@Beans-he3xi]

“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Ephesians 5:14 (KJV) Wake up. If you do not have Jesus Christ, if you neglect so great salvation, then you are in darkness and on your way to everlasting flames of fire, where the smoke of your TORMENT will ascendeth up for ever and ever (Revelation 14:11, KJV). "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36 (KJV) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9 (KJV) Only if you repent of your sins and receive Jesus Christ will you be saved from the judgement to come (John 3:15-18; John 8:24, KJV). Jesus paid the price of our sins so we wouldn't have to (1 Peter 2:24, KJV). Receive His free gift of eternal life--only through Jesus can you be saved, it is not of our own works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9, KJV). Do not oppose yourself, let go of your pride, self-righteousness and the foolish wisdom of the world and call upon the name of the Lord and be saved (Romans 10:13, KJV). There's so much more ahead of us for those of us who are truly saved and born again (1 Corinthians 2:9, KJV).

[@target3842]

not here.

[@postiephilip]

The equipment that you removed from the bike looked brand new. Think I would rather have the gears. The conversion to single speed is very interesting to learn about and more complicated than I thought. Now it's a great all weather run around. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@target3842]

@@postiephilip agreed. all he did was install shit anodized alloy parts from china.

[@postiephilip]

@@target3842 shit parts is a bit strong. I think they are OK for winter or wet riding as the will have a hard life. So better parts are wasted if use in those conditions.

[@lancehatch4475]

He could have bought all of the parts from Paul Components and spent hundreds to do the same thing. It probably wouldn't work any better than the cheap Chinese parts.