Single-speed commute

will lea

I have a 15 mile commute to work across London and I use a standard Cannondale hybrid that does the job well. I am interested in getting a single speed bike (maybe a Langster/Charge Plug or similar to do my commute). Can anyone give me the pros & cons on single speeds for this type of use? Cheers, Will.

spen666

go fixed instead

no point in going half way- IMHO single speed gives you the negatives of going fixed without the benefits

Greg T

Will, there is a whole cultish sub genre of dreadlocks and tarts here

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12580585

Enjoy

Littigator

spen666 wrote:

go fixed instead

no point in going half way- IMHO single speed gives you the negatives of going fixed without the benefits

And would you care to elaborate on what those negatives and benefits are pray tell?

lost_in_thought

spen666 wrote:

go fixed instead

no point in going half way- IMHO single speed gives you the negatives of going fixed without the benefits

Absolutely right... for reasons which I'm hoping you'll explain to cover my back.

coasting is for sissies.

pst88

Littigator wrote:

And would you care to elaborate on what those negatives and benefits are pray tell?

negative: you've only got one gear
positive: you instantly become more attractive to the opposite sex/everyone thinks you're super cool

ride_whenever

The only negative is that you cant go as fast down hills.

Positives:
life becomes binary, you can either get up a hill or you cant, if you can get up it then you'll be faster up it on the ss as there is no slowing down, ever.

The aforementioned sexiness

You never get headwind again

it never rains on you

the bike is lighter for it

attica

spen666 wrote:

go fixed instead

no point in going half way- IMHO single speed gives you the negatives of going fixed without the benefits

I disagree completely:-

SS will improve your cadence, climbing and fitness (either fixed or SS)
Fixed needs more skill, not necessarily a skill you'd want to learn in rush hour traffic.
Fixed slows you down on descents and in extremis can actually cause muscle damage.

Get a bike with a flip flop hub(double sided - fixed and freewheel) to start with use the freewheel to work and build up to going fixed by practicing fixed riding on quiet roads until you're comfortable with it.

Even if you ride with a freewheel, pedal all the time if you can, it's good practice.

lost_in_thought

Attica wrote:

spen666 wrote:

go fixed instead

no point in going half way- IMHO single speed gives you the negatives of going fixed without the benefits

Fixed needs more skill, not necessarily a skill you'd want to learn in rush hour traffic.
Fixed slows you down on descents and in extremis can actually cause muscle damage.

Get a bike with a flip flop hub(double sided - fixed and freewheel) to start with use the freewheel to work and build up to going fixed by practicing fixed riding on quiet roads until you're comfortable with it.

Actually, I don't think riding fixed is a real skill, you only forget to keep pedalling once or twice, and other than that it's pretty much the same as riding with a freewheel, just a bit more tiring. I don't think it can cause muscle damage unless you're trying to brake with your legs, but as ever feel free to set me straight on that one!

My advice for anyone would be just try it! It's no harder, apart from the above. And once you get it sorted (took me about 2 rides) it's great. I would advise SPDs.

I do agree with you about downhill speed, although being a bit of a sissy I don't like to go too fast down hills. An argument with a blunt object at the bottom can be more easily avoided at lower speed!

Littigator

I bought a flip flop hubbed bike and so far have kept it on the singlie side as I havemnt' had a chance other than commuting to try out the fixed.

I've been doing what Attica said about pretending it's a fixed and always pedalling but do feel like a bit of a fraud :oops: but it does work i think.

I'll let you know how I got on with the switch as and when I finally take the plunge. Probably before next weeks beers.

attica

lost_in_thought wrote:

you only forget to keep pedalling once or twice

I rest my case

The muscle damage comes with the braking and when going downhill at speed (AFIK)
I doubt it's a huge problem though, especially if you've got and use brakes!

lost_in_thought

Attica wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

you only forget to keep pedalling once or twice

I rest my case

The muscle damage comes with the braking and when going downhill at speed (AFIK)
I doubt it's a huge problem though, especially if you've got and use brakes!

OK, ok, so you do forget to keep pedaling, but it's not like it's the end of the world! It just pushes your back foot up and you ascend out of your seat by 6 inches then remember to keep pedaling!

And you're right about the muscle damage on trying to brake with legs, I eschewed a brake for the first 2 weeks and regretted it. However, I don't see it from going downhill.

I've been doing what Attica said about pretending it's a fixed and always pedalling but do feel like a bit of a fraud Embarassed but it does work i think.

I'll let you know how I got on with the switch as and when I finally take the plunge. Probably before next weeks beers.

Man up and pedal properly!

pst88

Fixed slows you down on descents...

Well I can hit the same speed downhill on fixed as I can singlespeed (same gearing). The only difference is my legs are spinning at 140rpm. It's not really that hard, just takes some getting used to. You've just gotta relax your legs and let it roll. I probably wouldn't want to do that for miles on end but short downhills are fine.

As LiT says riding fixed isn't really that hard, it just comes second nature after a few rides. In fact it feels like you have a lot more control over the bike. My bike felt a lot more stable after I switched from SS to fixed.

The real benefit is being able to control your speed with your legs. Plus you never have that annoying delay when you stomp on the pedal but takes half a turn for the freewheel to engage.

Greg T

Riding fixed is significantly different from having a freewheel.....

Tight gaps - you can't always squueze tight gaps as your cranks are always turning and your pedals may catch the kerb / Jaguar.....

You have to think about stopping and where your feet are in the stroke - I slow down earlier and "creep" longer - wish I could do stock still as long as I'd like track stands

Tight corners - you can't edge round tight corners in standing traffic as your still clipped in foot is describing big arcs as you try to do it....

I think riding fixed takes a fair bit of specific skill.

attica

I agree I agree.

But I have had a really nasty "forgot to keep pedalling moment" when I was making a right turn and a car nearly pulled out on me.

Instinct took over, I found myself about a foot in the air and the momentum of the bike meant that it came up, slapped me on the ar5e and then we both landed together, and as a result nearly wobbled into a ditch.

I just wouldn't want that to happen to someone in rush hour traffic.

lost_in_thought

You make a fair point. I've only ever had one 'forgot to keep pedalling' moment, which was literally just relaxing as if coasting and getting kicked up a bit.

TBH I think it depends on the roads you're on. I'm lucky in that until I get to shebu they're not very treacherous at all.

And greg, you're right on every count on the difficulties of fixed, but you can get round almost all of the problems either just by waiting or if that's not logical then walking around or squeezing through if it's safe. Mind you, saying that I'm not worried about scuffing my pedals so a low-speed strike doesn't worry me.

As for the lights, yep, you're right again, but I found I got used to being able to visually judge whether or not I can fit another revolution in in a certain amount of space...

And my trackstands are improving!

Greg T

I'm not saying it's impossible or hard just something you've got to get the hang of.

My trackstands are improving also - well I'm going forward slower anyway.....

lost_in_thought

Mine are lasting for a few seconds before I get the wobbles...

And you're right you do have to get the hang of it a bit.

Also you have to get gused to being smacked in the heels/shins by the ever-rotating pedals when you're pushing the bike...

jedster

my only real worry is the pedal strike on tight turns business. I've been known to do this on my SS (doh!) but the consequences would be messier fixed...

lost_in_thought

I've never managed it at speed, sneaking down the side of stopped buses, that's a different story, but at low speed it's not too bad if you're prepared.

veryslowtwitch

To the OP:

SS/fixed is fun and challenging. I find the main problem with fixed is steep descents on bumpy roads which are simply not fun and quite tedious. Steep climbs are hard work but do-able and interesting. I initially undergeared my bike but soon needed a smaller rear cog because I couldn't pedal safely downhill on bumpy roads.

If you have a flat commute then I would highly recommend a SS/fixed for a new experience. But I would certainly want two brakes. Brakeless, or front wheel only, is quite brave.

Regards

Alan

will lea

Thanks for all the advice and thoughts on this - much appreciated.
Time to start looking for a new bike...

ride_whenever

I'd add i never use my rear brake at all (although it is rubbing at the moment 'cos I've bent the wheel a bit dropping a curb) you can get up most hills on a ss. In fact I upped my gearing last night to 46:16 and the steep hill on my route was actually easier! I'm currently ignoring the non-sensical nature of that...

Clever Pun

quick question chain sizes
3/32 or 1/8 which is which????

lost_in_thought

Bike shop guy told me I should get a 1/8"...

3/32" is the 'narrow' width.

I don't know, but I trust bike shop guy...

Clever Pun

lost_in_thought wrote:

Bike shop guy told me I should get a 1/8"...

3/32" is the 'narrow' width.

I don't know, but I trust bike shop guy...

thanks

I think 3/32 is the more common one you see on road bikes and I think Sheldon said there's no difference except in weight...

lost_in_thought

I guess if you have gears it would be more of a concern, but on a SS it just has to go round!

ride_whenever

Get a half link, they look cool...

lost_in_thought

ride_whenever wrote:

Get a half link, they look cool...

It's on its way...

Clever Pun

ride_whenever wrote:

Get a half link, they look cool...

It's not the chain I'm worries about right now it's the size of this cog that's important

lost_in_thought

Maybe that's a clue.... :P