Will I be quicker with gears??

pompy

I currently ride a SS Pompino built up to a decent spec with Miche Primato hubs and drivetrain, open pro rims, 8kg etc and I am thinking about investing in a 'normal' geared bike too.
I borrowed a mate's geared Claud Butler recently for a comparison on a local route (fairly flat) of about 17 miles and it took me exactly the same time (about 18.5mph av).

Is it worth the investment? It would definately help on long hills and allow me to go further but if it isn't going to make too much difference then it probably isn't worth the dosh!

Love the simplicity and light weight of my SS but also enjoy tinkering on geared bikes!

Pokerface

If all you ride is flat, and you have the right hear on your SS, then gearing won't help much as you've already discovered but on longer rides with varied terrain then of course gearing will help.

edhornby

you want another bike, this is ok 8)

the reason the times for that ride time being roughly similar is that you did a relatively short ride on a flat course on the bike where you have the optimal gear size, so you'll probably use a similar gear most of the time on the geared bike for the same ride and the bike weights are similar also

where you will notice the bonus is long rides and hills - do a comparison ride on a hilly course and see the time difference

Zachariah

I'm about to take delivery of a geared racer, having spent a year on a singlespeed, commuting. I'll let you know if it makes me any faster on my normal routes (which are pretty hilly). I'm certainly hoping so!.

danlikesbikes

Plus looking at it from a different angle the SS will help you with training as its just like doing big ring hill training.

markos1963

I swap to S/S in the winter to help me with my hill training! I find that I wimp out with gears and spin up whereas on the S/S I have to power up. On our 50 miles club run I only lose out on the downhills and if the pace goes over 25mph i don't have enough gearing to keep up.

rnath

I rode a SS bike for years before getting a geared bike - I find the two complement each other nicely. As you say, because you spin out at higher speeds on SS, you'll find yourself pedalling more on a geared bike - so you'll make faster times over the same distance and improve endurance. After a training ride on the geared bike I always feel stronger on the SS. However, hill training on the SS helps me climb better on the geared bike as I haven't got the option of gearing down so have to pay more attention to my technique.

I tend to ride the SS more over winter (mostly so my "posh" bike doesn't get covered in cr@p - and I like the simplicity of it). But during the season I'll alternate between the two - weekend distance rides on the geared bike with midweek Richmond Park laps on the SS. Apart from anything else, I find the variation keeps me fresh.

vorsprung

I was using a SS as my commute bike. My commute is in Devon and has a reasonable amount of ascent. Last winter I got a geared bike (alfine with drops) to replace the SS, which was clapped out.

The Geared bike was a similar weight and had the same wheels /tyres as on the SS - except for the hub gear at the back.

I was expecting the geared bike to be easier when I felt a bit crap but faster when I was on form

What actually happened is that the geared bike was slower all the time. All I can assume is that when I was faced with a hill on the SS I stood on the pedals and monstered over it at speed, whereas on the geared bike I flicked down a few notches and spun up slower

But using the geared bike is possible when ill / hung over / tired. Using the SS wasn't under these circumstances

A year on I have had similar times for the geared bike to those on the SS, sometimes even beating the SS time. But generally it is slower (and easier) because it can be

I do also have a racing bike that I use for summer commuting. That is faster than both the old SS and the geared Alfine bike.