SS for the fit or are they ok for cycling noobs?

leodis75

As the question asks, I've been looking at bikes for sometime for a 10 miles round trip commute and never really looked at SS bikes, I do have one large hill to cover when I first set off and its pretty much back over it on the way home but apart from that its pretty flatish.

So do you have to be super fit or are they ok for the unfit starting out?

ps. I tried a drop bar bike and didnt like it.

rick_chasey

Don't need to be super fit.

You'll go pretty slowly uphill, and it'll be an effort, but as long as it's not too steep you should be fine.

What didn't you like about the drop bar?

mudcow007

depends on the gearing i suppose?

dhope

Yeah you'll be fine. Hills can be a bit of a chore but they're quite doable (unless you live in Balham)
Buy now, think later.

Edit: Hmm, 'buy now think later' caused the credit crunch now I think of it.

SimonAH

Go for it! Light, inexpensive, easier to maintain and will force you to attack hills like the little bitches they are :-D

dhope

SimonAH wrote:

and will force you to attack hills like the little bitches they are :-D

And after a little while you'll coast past people while seated while everyone around fiddles to find the right gear and gets out the saddle. Just because you can.

rick_chasey

dhope wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

and will force you to attack hills like the little bitches they are :-D

And after a little while you'll coast past people while seated while everyone around fiddles to find the right gear and gets out the saddle. Just because you can.

Ha.

It will do you cool points a lot of good if you also work on keeping your upper body as still as anything, even when bottoming out at 20rpm (but still motoring...)

leodis75

What didn't you like about the drop bar?

Don't really get on with them, I just dont like the position I am in on them and the brakes scare the hell outta me.

Might give one a try then.

Thanks

EKE_38BPM

The BMXs of our youth were all SS and we all got used to them then. As has been said, get the gearing right and you can get over the hills, then as you get fitter you start to fly up them past noobs (which you will no longer be) as they fiddle with their gears.

You do know that SS is the ugly sister to FG, right?

rick_chasey

leodis75 wrote:

What didn't you like about the drop bar?

Don't really get on with them, I just dont like the position I am in on them and the brakes scare the hell outta me.

Might give one a try then.

Thanks

With positions, it's worth persevering.

When I first got my road bike, it was crazy. Felt like I was riding upside down - all the weight on my arms etc.

Just takes some getting used to. Now that bike (yet to lower the bars) feels like I'm riding a sit-up-and-beg.

Your lower back will also get stronger, so they'll be less force on your hands etc.

walkingbootweather

Without wishing to hijack thread, what are the views on SS for kids. The reason I ask is that my lad (nearly 7 but big for his age) has expressed a desire to have a 'racer' like his dad. I checked out Islabikes and they charge £400 for geared CX-style bikes with drops, but have reduced their SS 'track bikes' (Reis) from £400 to £225. When I was a kid we managed with SS monstrosities, but I wondered if he would want gears later and if so the SS could be converted?

Ben6899

OP, you'll be fine on a SS as long as you get the gearing right. I regularly take mine out on lumpy 50mile jaunts and I'm very much a spinner, preferring to use my aerobic capacity. But I find the SS absolutely fine. It's geared at 48x17 btw.

walkingbootweather, I think your lad will be fine on a SS. Like you say, we all were when we were lads! As for later converting a SS to geared, you need to pay attention to the spacing of the rear dropouts (to fit a 9,10sp cassette), the frame geometry around the BB and chainstays (for chainline and ring clearance) and also whether or not you'll be able to find a suitable rear mech hanger (a proper SS frame has rear-facing 'horizontal' dropouts).

EKE_38BPM

walkingbootweather wrote:

Without wishing to hijack thread, what are the views on SS for kids. The reason I ask is that my lad (nearly 7 but big for his age) has expressed a desire to have a 'racer' like his dad. I checked out Islabikes and they charge £400 for geared CX-style bikes with drops, but have reduced their SS 'track bikes' (Reis) from £400 to £225. When I was a kid we managed with SS monstrosities, but I wondered if he would want gears later and if so the SS could be converted?

I would say that SS is perfect for kids. Make getting a bike with multiple gears a goal and something to look forward to e.g. "For your 10th birthday", "When you go to big school", "When you can tell me what colour knickers that fit teacher of yours is wearing" etc.

I would also say that for the first geared bike, try to get a bike with a single chainring just to keep things simple. I see enough adults using their gears badly that keeping it simple for a kid makes sense. Again, make getting multiple chainrings another goal e.g. "For your 12th birthday", "When you get a B or better in Maths", "When you bring me that fit teachers knickers" etc

Is the Islabike track bike OK for off track use? Does it have brakes? Round forks can lead to flexing under braking. Is it FG or SS? Kids would be cool with either, but you can't (easily) add gears to fixie.

EKE_38BPM

Ben6899 wrote:

...(a proper SS frame has rear-facing 'horizontal' dropouts).

Called "Track ends"

OP, don't be afraid to go SS.
WBW, SS for the nipper will be fine, but will lead to junior n+1 when the urge to gears gets too much.

dhope

EKE_38BPM wrote:

walkingbootweather wrote:

Without wishing to hijack thread, what are the views on SS for kids. The reason I ask is that my lad (nearly 7 but big for his age) has expressed a desire to have a 'racer' like his dad. I checked out Islabikes and they charge £400 for geared CX-style bikes with drops, but have reduced their SS 'track bikes' (Reis) from £400 to £225. When I was a kid we managed with SS monstrosities, but I wondered if he would want gears later and if so the SS could be converted?

I would say that SS is perfect for kids. Make getting a bike with multiple gears a goal and something to look forward to e.g. "For your 10th birthday", "When you go to big school", "When you can tell me what colour knickers that fit teacher of yours is wearing" etc.

I would also say that for the first geared bike, try to get a bike with a single chainring just to keep things simple. I see enough adults using their gears badly that keeping it simple for a kid makes sense. Again, make getting multiple chainrings another goal e.g. "For your 12th birthday", "When you get a B or better in Maths", "When you bring me that fit teachers knickers" etc

Is the Islabike track bike OK for off track use? Does it have brakes? Round forks can lead to flexing under braking. Is it FG or SS? Kids would be cool with either, but you can't (easily) add gears to fixie.

What does the kid have to do to the fit teacher to get carbon rims? :shock:

walkingbootweather

Thanks guys. Looking at the Reis spec it is a FG not a SS. ie. no brakes. Not sure if this would turn him into a cycling god or put him off for life. He currently rides a 6-speed Specialised Hotrock, and I absolutely agree that fewer gears is better until he is older and more acomplished.

PS Eke - how did you know his teacher was pretty hot?

Ben6899

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

...(a proper SS frame has rear-facing 'horizontal' dropouts).

Called "Track ends"

That's the one! Mental blank!

Gussio

walkingbootweather wrote:

Thanks guys. Looking at the Reis spec it is a FG not a SS. ie. no brakes. Not sure if this would turn him into a cycling god or put him off for life. He currently rides a 6-speed Specialised Hotrock, and I absolutely agree that fewer gears is better until he is older and more acomplished.

PS Eke - how did you know his teacher was pretty hot?

The Reis will accept brakes. If you buy it for your son, would strongly recommend that you add some.

Looks like a nice bike.

walkingbootweather

Gussio wrote:

The Reis will accept brakes. If you buy it for your son, would strongly recommend that you add some.

Looks like a nice bike.

Thanks Gussio. Presumably converting to a SS from fixed would also be trivial if he failed to get on with having to pedal all the time?

dhope

walkingbootweather wrote:

Gussio wrote:

The Reis will accept brakes. If you buy it for your son, would strongly recommend that you add some.

Looks like a nice bike.

Thanks Gussio. Presumably converting to a SS from fixed would also be trivial if he failed to get on with having to pedal all the time?

Yep. But teach him how to no-handed, seated trackstand first eh?

clarkey cat

he'd have to start wearing skinny jeans and Ray-Bans.

dhope

clarkey cat wrote:

he'd have to start wearing skinny jeans and Ray-Bans.

Gussio

walkingbootweather wrote:

Gussio wrote:

The Reis will accept brakes. If you buy it for your son, would strongly recommend that you add some.

Looks like a nice bike.

Thanks Gussio. Presumably converting to a SS from fixed would also be trivial if he failed to get on with having to pedal all the time?

The hub on the Reis is fixed/fixed rather than flip-flop. I think that if you wanted to run the bike as a singlespeed then you would need to get a new hub or rear wheel (capable of taking a freewheel). Not 100% sure though.

EKE_38BPM

Teachers are supposed to be fit*.
Me and my school mates still go misty eyed at the mere mention of Miss Barker**.
@dhope: for carbon rims I think the little'un would have to bring video evidence of use of a 'personal massager'.

The Hotrock is a great bike and any kid riding one should be VERY happy indeed. If they are used to one at the front and x at the back, then its time to break out the calculator, a little bit of maths and teach the kid what the extra chainring means. A bit of education about not twisting the chain would be very useful too.

*Mrs EKE is a teacher
** When she came to my school for an interview (during a lunchbreak and while a game of lunchtime football was on-going) , she got out of her brown Mini in a miniskirt and stopped the game of football due to her lovely legs.

Oddjob62

Gussio wrote:

The hub on the Reis is fixed/fixed rather than flip-flop. I think that if you wanted to run the bike as a singlespeed then you would need to get a new hub or rear wheel (capable of taking a freewheel). Not 100% sure though.

No, a fixed hub will take a freewheel. There are a few people who say it shouldn't be done, but there are loads who do and i've not heard of anyone having an issue with it.