Converted my hardtail to singlespeed and first ride tomorrow – any advice beyond 'just pedal'. Seemed really alien cycling round the block today in terms of no gears to fiddle with, and trying to get a sensible cadence.

Ta

You need to learn how to tell everyone how much better it is than riding with gears.

Enjoy!
Don't kill yourself on the climbs. Especially, your knees will get stronger, but if you overdo it, you can do damage to yourself.

I had to grow a special beard to go with my 1er.

Is single-speed niche anymore? If it's not, is there actually any point?

don't try to change gear

learn to use momentum and keep off the brakes

Stand up early and attack the bottom of the hills. Keep yor speed up for as long as possible!

Don't kill yourself on the climbs. Especially, your knees will get stronger, but if you overdo it, you can do damage

knees are just a joint, leg muscles will get stronger though

It's like riding a bike, it's fun.

ROkcEtDoG you know what I mean

You'll either like it or not, if you do then only after time will you start to develop technique and strength to enjoy it further.

Put in the effort and a single speed isn't any slower than a bike with gears , it only means you've a better excuse to get off and walk, and you'll generally be walking faster than someone spinning there legs off in granny..

Put in the effort and a single speed isn't any slower than a bike with gears

Hmmmmm.

cover your face lose your dignaty

Put in the effort and a single speed isn't any slower than a bike with gears

Noticeably quicker on climbs, I'd say.

You'll try to use your thumbs to shift gear – I still do it (as I have both geared and a singlespeed) and it always makes me laugh; there's nothing there. Or maybe it's just me. 😳

Enjoy the silence. Well – the silence that's only broken by your rasping breath and pounding heart!

But like DaveF2 says – it's like riding a bike. I totally agree. It's like riding a bike; therefore it's fun.

he he

I just did the same – after my last night ride nearly shagged my BB and gears. 1st ride, really short, was this morning

… and it is remarkably like riding a bike

It is quiet – now I'm going to have to sort loads of creaky bits on the bike. I think I'm going to find it hard, but I'm partly doing it to make myself try harder as I'm a lazy git at heart

I'm looking forward to smearing the chain in some sort of evil grease & not cleaning the bike for ages over winter (and getting some silly facial hair, tats & branding etc 😉 )

Personally (though apparently a common experience):

Hmm, let's try this SS-thing once, for a laugh.

Decide never to do it again.

Sometime later, give it another chance (actually, it wasn't that hard, thinking back).

Start to ride SS a fair bit. Stop mentioning it, leave it to others to spot they've just been beaten up the hill by someone with 27 times fewer gears.

Discover that on hills too steep to ride, SS-fitness means you can run the rest of it faster than others can ride.

Finally, go back to gears, and find that riding up the steepest, nastiest bit of local upwardness has suddenly become amazingly easy.

don't expect to do anything quickly at first. if you stick with it you will start to climb as fast and then faster than people with gears, you will be able to match them on the flats and you will watch them all hoon off on the downhills.

Try just pedalling along and enjoying a bike ride for what it is.

Ride every hill like its your last and get used to running out of steam just as an unforeseen ramp up in the gradient appears!

To be honest though after a while you will forget you're riding a SSer and just settle into a more natural pace on your rides.

SPDs not flats.

second the spd's. Also wiiiiide bars, and if you are really feeling spendy, lock on grips with flanges. All helps with gurning up the steep bits. Have fun!

The point of singlespeeds is nothing to do with (perceived…) nicheness. They should probably be called simplespeeds instead, because that's the big win… now't to go wrong, nothing to get clogged up with mud, no need for regular maintentance! They're also much, much lighter.

Wouldn't want a SSer as my only bike tho'

I only have a SS for the road but for those reasons. Less to mess up, less to break on my commute, less for me to have to faf with at weekends as there's enough bike maintenance for the 3 geared bikes in the house.

What is with people and ss? Why do people who ride gears alway try to knock SS down.
Is it because they are too fat to have one? Are they got their butt kicked by a sser?
It's a bike it has two 26" wheels and can pretty much do anything a geared bike can do.

Hills:

Steep ones, pedal at your usual cadence till your heart rate gets dangerously high then get off and walk a bit.

Very steep ones, concentrate on one pedal stroke at a time, just put your weight through the pedal and pull up with the other foot and row the bars side to side. Then get off and walk a bit.

Long shallow draggy ones, get out of the saddle but lean forwards and support your weight through the bars. This relieves your legs and means you can pedal for longer. Then get off and walk a bit.

Shoulders:

They will ache like buggery.

Other riders:

Make sure you tear off up the hill before walking a bit. Then get back on and tear off again just before the last but one rider gets past. This gives maximum demoralisation to him. Make sure you're first to the top so you will have got your breath back by the time the gearies get there, and just before the last rider makes it say "right – let's go" and pedal off. Swallowing your sick as you go.

CaptainFlashheart – Member

Put in the effort and a single speed isn't any slower than a bike with gears

Hmmmmm.

So I take it you have never ridden with Sharki

CFH do not ride bikes lol, he only posts about how left wing and fixies are shite…

Ah so CFH has all the gears and no ideas

I have trounced geared folk on my rigid ss, but I put that down to fitness. I am by no means a riding god or uber fit.

saladdodger – Member

CaptainFlashheart – Member

Put in the effort and a single speed isn't any slower than a bike with gears

Hmmmmm.

So I take it you have never ridden with Sharki

Exactly! You could put him on a kiddies bike with 12 inch wheels and tassles off the handlebars and he'd still pummel most people – up, down or along.

Make sure you go out with a group and stall on all the techy climbs just to screw up their ride to :p