Bike rebuild - single speed?

Whitesnake
Whitesnake Posts: 16
edited August 2010 in MTB general
Hi all,

Having recently brought a fantastic Commencal Meta 5.5 team as an all rounder (sorry, "all mountain"), I have stripped my 10 year old Team Saracen Dirt trax ( with lots of upgrades but all old now) into the various components. I would like to rebuild this as an ongoing/winter project and am undecided to go for a single speed bike for riding around canal paths/bridleways with the wife (with rigid forks for that retro feel) or go the front suspension new group set route and have a second XC biased bike. Either way it would be built to a fairly low budget (max £200-£300) and I wonder what other forumites think regarding which path to follow?

Thanks for any opinions

Comments

  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Gears can be very useful! I think a lot of people go single speed because it has become the 'cool' thingto do lol. Sure, you get simplicity and lower weight, but less efficiency in many circumstances.

    Your budget is easily enough for some rigid forks and drivetrain parts.
  • northstar
    northstar Posts: 407
    Change to single speed, gears are overated for most mountain biking, maybe all.
    Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.
  • Kiblams
    Kiblams Posts: 2,423
    northstar wrote:
    Change to single speed, gears are overated for most mountain biking, maybe all.

    Sweeping statement of the day :shock:

    For canal paths you will only need a single gear really, canal paths tend to be flat by nature :wink:
  • northstar
    northstar Posts: 407
    A sweeping statement based on experience ;)
    Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.
  • Kiblams
    Kiblams Posts: 2,423
    Experience in Surrey :lol:
  • northstar
    northstar Posts: 407
    Surrey Hills ;)
    Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.
  • snotty badger
    snotty badger Posts: 1,593
    The average biker needs gearing- I've built a SS and its nigh on useless for 99% of the stuff I normally ride up here in the lakes. It is nice on the flatter stuff though, with slight inclines.
    08 Pitch Pro
    14 Kona Unit
    Kona Kula SS
    Trailstar SS
    94 Univega Alpina 5.3