single speeding

A new thread for all who want to discuss everything that is single speed.
Sheldon Brown
riding for sheer pleasure...bringing back the unfettered joy you experienced rising your bike as a child
Sheldon Brown
"You're not hardcore until you live hardcore"
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I bought a '94 Kona explosif pre converted into a ss. The experience of riding a light, responsive no frills bike is totally amazing.
Now his top spec full sus and my long travel all mountain bike hardly see the light of day. I have never smiled do much riding a bike since I was at school.
Anyone else believe single speeding to be the way forward. An simple antedote to our complicted lives?????
Lets make this thread the home of singlespeeding anacedotes, points, comments and advice!!!
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1723188/
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1723188/
what gearing are you running? i'm using 34 - 18 and it seems to be fine for almost everything i want to do.
it\'s only unethical if you get caught.....
it\'s only unethical if you get caught.....
I know its a bit sad but can you post a piccy of your ss?
Are those fancy hope lights on the front?
I ride 32-18, does 34-18 give you much more speed than your friend?
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1723188/
Did my first night ride of the autumn last night. Definately need some new lights though. It just makes all the old trails seem really exciting and tricky.
You've got to try it!
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1723188/
Brakes are Avid Juicy 3's, they came on the bike, last years P7 had hayes, they're OK but i don't rate them as much as Hayes.
Yes it's a hope light, got it as a 40 birthday present off my dear wife, i've used it loads, it's brilliant..........................
34-18 gives a little more speed but i have to work harder when going up, only a little though.
it\'s only unethical if you get caught.....
Singlespeeding is great! I also have a single speed urban bike and a breakless fixed urban bike so my geared connondale badboy, my geared full sus and my beutiful over spec'd geared ti 4x bike never see the light of day!
NewBlender Ti
East London Riders add dangerous innuendo David to your MSN: [email protected]
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And now the nights are darker I have discovered the true joy of nighttime singlespeeding. It's a real leveller and the full suss people I ride with loose just enough of their advantage that at the end of a trail we are all together...and that means being able to gloat about how you did it with no gears, no rear suspension and V brakes. Ahh, the power!
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1723188/
Having not done it yet myself... really, what are the benefits?
I too am curious about this single speed thing. I just can't imagine getting round the trials that I ride now without gears. Surely it must be much harder to get around without gears?
However, it would be nice not to have to worry about the usual problems that come with gears - ghosting, cable tension adjustment etc.
What about having a '3 speeder' by just using a front derailler - one gear for climbing, one for flat and one for downhill?!
Come one single speeders, convince me!
Stu
P.S I do like the look of the new Trek 69er.
You will be surprised what you can ride up and theirs no shame in pushing anyway ,nobody expects you to be able to climb so when you do pass other riders their faces are a picture especially out in the peaks.
If you can build one cheep go for it, I use mine for shopping ,commuting and its great when the weathers bad just throw it in the shed and oil the chain every now and again It does'nt look cool so the local chavs are'nt intrested so you cant loose just give it a go.
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1438016/
How does the new ratio compare??
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1723188/
Basically singlespeeding seems like a bad idea because we've all got used to using gears to maintain speed and momentum when the gradient changes...and it's hard to imagine not doing that...but...
if you take away something that makes your life easy the result is that often it also makes your life more simple. Dodgy example...if you take away cars we all ride bikes, no-one can go as far as they did but there is no road rage, no-one dies in car smashes and we all get fitter. The upshot is that life is simpler and everyone is fitter and happier...
So, if you take away gears you still ride as fast as you can and intially a little bit slower, but in no time your body adapts and you start to hill climb with more power, you learn to maintain/adapt your cadance to pre-empt hills/decents and becuase you no longer have to use 27.3% of your brain working out when to change gear and worrying if it will work you become a gnarly trail god (in your own head anyway
In short, you become fitter, more technical in your riding and smug!
It's also the cheapest thing to try out. I initally choose not to change gear on my full suss for a month as a trial. I chose middle cog on the front (32 tooth) and 19 cog on the back. This is a nice gentle starting point.
Once I felt happy I dropped to 17 at the back and that convinced me...so I bought a new maxlight frame, stuck lots of old parts on and singlespeeded it up with a chain tensioning and cog kit (£45)from Charlie the Bike Monger who lives on ebay.
I tend to run 32 front, 18 back because I'm a lightweight and it suits where I ride (Sherwood Pines). ElRijido who started this thread runs the same, but on a rigid 1994 Kona which makes him the ultimate purist I suppose!
The bike doesn't brake down, v-brakes still work well despite a world full of discs, and I'm the fittest I have ever been. There is no down side unless you live in a very hilly place and then maybe two bikes is a good idea...I certainly wouldn't want to do the full loop round Dalby forest on it, but for a couple of hours in the woods...there is nothing better!
Hope this helps!
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1723188/
I find it beats me up physically a lot more because hills are harder but i actually end up going faster because you have no choice but to grunt up hills in your preferred cadence and not slow down one jot, whereas on my geared bike I'd let myself slow down.
I've taken friends off-roading and let them ride it and every one comes back wanting one of their own because it is such a joy to ride.
Seriously just do it.
Carbon 456
456 lefty
Pompino
White Inbred
They are pretty high ratios...how hilly is it where you ride?
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1723188/
I would seriously try it off road, the zaskar looks like a sweet ride. SS on road for training/communting is great, but off raod you really do remember the thrills of razzing around on your raliegh burner - bring back mag wheels!!!
Elrijido, you love Kona's too much!! Nice to see you back dude...have you fitted the gold brake levers yet??
Night ride next wed?
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1723188/
My bike is a 2007 Gt Avalanche 1.0
KEEPING IT REAL RIDING STEEL
If you do a search on the net there is a program that can work out magic ratio from the length of your chain stay, however how stretched your chain is plays a large part in this too. Personally I would think you would be best to put a tensioner on there.