Singlespeed or not?

robbie7

hi, i need some help. i am stuck on whether to stick with the norm, 27 speed mountain bike or whether to convert my bike to singlespeed!!! i have read many websites and opinions people have written but i still cant decide, i want to know could i still do my cross country and trail centres with only the one gear?

any help would be great

supersonic

Why not use your current bike in just one gear, the ratio you are most likely to use (ie 32 chainring with the 15-16-17 cog) and see how you get on? Not allowed to shift! OK it would be heavier than a SS, but youd get the feel.

Personally I dont like SS on an MTB. Gears are there for a reason - to tune our cadence for maximum power or maxiumum efficiency. The 'it gets you fitter' argument doesnt sway me either - just use harder gears! And it will be heavier too! The only advantage is the fact there are less moving parts, and are cheaper.

ride_whenever

There is something very nice about not changing gears ever, it makes everything very simple and you'll normally get up hills faster or not at all, because you just have to gun it and maintain your cadence regardless of the gradient.

dave_s

I've toyed with this idea for a commuter bike because 90% of the time I stay in one gear on my 6 mile each way commute.
It's up to you really, I'm sure you'd get fitter if you went singlespeed and shave some weight off your bike in the process by losing the shifters and extra chainrings

ride_whenever

Commuting on singlespeed is really nice, however your mind can really wander...