Single speed Why???

AcousticDave

Im interested but dont know why. What are the benifits of single speed. Is it not just like riding in 14th gear everywhere.

Any help to convert welcome

pliptrot

Well, to get the benefits of a single speed it really needs to be fixed. Those who ride this way eulogize over this type of bike ad nauseum. Certainly the bike is simpler, requires far less maintenance and is considerably cheaper (think: Campag Record rear mech 150 quid plus!!!).
Derailleurs are all well and good when clean and well adjusted, but how long does that last in the UK?

If you do ride a simple 1 speed bike you'll find the simplicity refreshing. And yes, you will learn to spin fast and to stand up on hills. Always.

shisaa

There is a big difference between fixed wheel and freewheel singlespeed, but generally the advantages are less maintenance, less weight and improved efficiency. There is also a simplicity to singlespeeding that's great and over time it'll build fitness. Obviously it's not great if you ride lots of hills though. As for riding in 14th gear, maybe, but you can ride whatever gear ratio you want.
Check out this webpage for more info:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

meagain

Single freewheel OK - especially for mild off-tarmac in winter, so much easier to keep clean - but single fixed different really. Though obviously the cleaning/maintenance attractions the same!

Why fixed? Well, I can't be doing with the karma-connected-to-road (and even the universe!) thing, just simpler. And I at least fine it better exercise.

I may not be in the *right* gear very often, but I can never be in the *wrong* one. OTOH it's becoming such a fad thing I may have to give up. Or get a frame sticker that says "honest I first rode one of these in c.1962".

NorwegianBlue

Why? Why not?

Really there doesn't have to be a carefully researched reason for your life choices. Like everything else you either like it or you don't. If I want a washing machine then I might read a whole load of reviews and pick the one that is empirically the best for my needs at my chosen price point. However when it comes to a bike (or a surf board, or whatever) then it doesn't, or at least shouldn't work like that. Indeed seldom have I seen an off the shelf bike that ticked all my boxes which is why I have built most of my bikes over the years from parts.

There is a big difference between fixed wheel and single speed freewheel (and don't forget that fixed wheel doesn't have to be single speed), but I have never really understood the evangelical "man and machine in harmony" spiel that so many spout about fixed. For them it's obviously something special, but it never really hit me like that. I've owned a few fixies, but I'm just as at home riding freewheel. It's hilly round here so a fixed gear low enough to climb the hills would be way too low for the descents, perhaps that's why fixed doesn't grab me like it does some?

Many will claim that fixed is faster than gears, and maybe in special circumstances it is. After all I think Boardman's British 25 record still stands and that was on fixed. However I think that riding on everyday roads is not the same as a time trial course and for me at least having more gears is faster, especially when there's stopping, sharp bends and steep hills to contend with. But it isn't about speed, it's about enjoyment.

While I haven't been riding fixed as long as DJ I've been riding single speed MTBs since before it was a trend in this country at least. It came about, as it did for others, as a result of a broken bike and a general disilusionment with a rigorous cleaning and maintenance schedule. After much mucking about with overly high gears I settled on the same 32/16 gearing as almost everybody else. It may appear to some that riding off road single speed and rigid is a sack cloth and ashed approach but it really is a sublime experience once you are emersed in it. Riding on road has never hit me like that, so maybe that's another reason why I don't get road fixed riding?

Finally I know some like to ride fixed off road, but I cen't believe they ride the same terrain as I do. Denby Woods would have you grounding pedals all the time, I may be a glutton for it but I don't want to spend my time being thrown into the scenery head first.

AcousticDave

Thanks, excellent replies. Is it not bad for the knees in the long run and therefore deprimental to fitness. I am also a runner and treasure my knees.

meagain

"Is it not bad for the knees in the long run ....?"

Interesting point! The received wisdom for many years seemed to be "yes". BUT this was discussed at some considerable length more than once on old C+ Fixed Community and all the (admittedly personal and particular) evidence was "no" - either neutral or beneficial!

FWIW my knees are not "good": I put this mainly down to years of playing football on concrete when a teenager. If I run now my knees tell me to stop almost as quickly as the lungs. Yet I get more pain (if slight) if I ride gears for a few days rather than fixed (or single free). I suspect that in my case at least it is because I am tempted to push higher gears on multi-ratio bike than with only one, which is of necessity quite low or otherwise I can't get up the last hill home!

AcousticDave

Interesting Meagain, thanks for thoughts. I am very tempted to get a Specialised Langster or Tricross or Revolution courier single.

SamWise72

I ride single speed freewheel because it's fun, and less to think about. If it was like riding in 14th, you'd probably be geared too high. Mine is at about 72 gear inches (most road bikes get up to 110+ in top), so I can start sensibly from the lights, and still spin reasonably fast. It's kinda refreshing not to think about what gear you're in, or indeed anything else than PEDAL! It's also really good training if you ride a route with rolling hills, not being able to shift down for climbs or up for ascents.

As far as fixed, I've got two, and have been trying it on and off for a couple of years, without ever getting really comfortable. One is a track bike, which I have only ridden on the road a couple of times, and plan to use at the track (quel surprise). I bought it for a bargain price, intending to flip it, and found that the seatpost was stuck, and stuck at my height, so I decided to hold on to it.

The other I built to look cool, and given that the frame is a little small for me, and I used a ridiculous track drop stem, the riding position is way too extreme to be comfortable for more than a mile or two. It does look cool though. I wonder if I should build a fix with a much more conventional riding position.

NorwegianBlue

If you are going to try single speed the best route to follow is usually the cheapest. A tensioner and a single speed kit are pretty cheap, and if you don't like it you can always recoup some of the outlay on ebay.

Trying fixed is less easy as you really need a frame with track ends or horizontal dropouts. You can try it with a vertical dropout frame, but in order to get the chain tension right you need to find the "magic gear" which isn't so easy.