I’ve never tried it

I understand that it totally changes how you ride, so that would be the biggest appeal for me

I live in the Peak though, and while I do know people around here that singlespeed, my skinny spaghetti legs would be of no use whatsoever

Sorry I havent got space for it, house is already full monogeared niche attention tat. Swap you for a pack of black jack chews and a copy of the beano?

On my group rides there is always one ‘zany’ dude on an SS . Usually works in accounts and has stinking fish sandwiches at the halfway break.

If it’s a mint condition first edition of the beano, you’re on. Otherwise, shove it up your attention mongering pipe 😉

Ok, final offer…some lightly used grot that I found in a hedge (thats right, vintage hedge pron) and a signed picture of helen daniels from neighbours, when she had her stroke and went all wonky mouthed as it was truly an epic of antipodean acting….for a manky old on one…can’t say fairer than that!

How can you tell it’s manky?

(it is, hence cheap)

Currently trying to work out if I’ll have a sufficient range of gears going to a 1×10, speccing a ss mtb which covers enough bases to be generally rideable at trail centres must be challenging.

There are a couple of short climbs at the local trail centre (Llandegla) which are over 10%, can’t see gearing which would allow those to be tackled being much use on the rest of the place, and I don’t buy the idea that pushing the bike up is the same pace as riding it on a 22/34 or whatever the lowest gear on my current triple setup is.

Seems the options are either push, melt your knees or spin out in many other areas.

Guess it’ll force you to “take it until you can’t” on the steep bits but I’m not sure that’s helpful either. Seems like a recipe for knee injuries if you are unlucky.

The simplicity is appealing but the practicalities seem a bit of a non-starter (for me).

1×10 isn’t too bad: you just have to decide where you want to lose the ratios. On a 30/40 ratio by the time I get to struggling I don’t want another gear – I want to get off and walk.

Singlespeed is just more compromise.

Ss is easy. You pedal you gurn you get to use your massive guns and power up stuff…if you cant happily haul a singlespeed around any trail centre of pretty much any natural stuff in the uk, then you are a massivly effete lady garden and need to get some power rather than spinning on massive dinnerplate rear cog like a derranged hamster

I ran 34/17 round Llandegla a while ago, it was tough in places but certainly rideable.

.. the terrain’s boring

Impossible.. Terrain cannot be boring.

Guess it’ll force you to “take it until you can’t” on the steep bits but I’m not sure that’s helpful either.

It’s hugely helpful because your ‘can’t’ will become ‘can’ if you force your limits a few times each ride. It’s good to fail on stuff that’s only just out of your reach.

@jameso

+1

I think you need to ease in to reduced gearing, whether that’s a 1x system or SS, trying to ride your normal rides with a large range of gradients is going to end in frustration. In the year that I’ve been riding 1×10 I’ve gone from struggling in bottom gear to being comfortable a couple of gears higher. No knee problems as I’ve taken my time building up the effort.

It seems that on the steeper stuff most SSers are stood up so there’s less strain on the knees anyway.

Most of the roadies that I know who have a SS bike say it improves their pedalling massively, fixed gear even more so, there’s no hiding place 😳

Be great to see pictures of all these ss bikes

Any excuse to turn the niche factor up to 11 (I’m thinking of changing the front wheel for 650b+)

34/17 is very impressive at Llandegla schmiken, especially on the steeper parts. I’d have no chance of doing that in many parts of the trails-my lowest is 24/32! I think I’m in the small ring for parts of the initial 3 mile climb too. Looking at the Strava segments- I’m a bit under 18 mins for the initial climb which is faster than most, although the weather has a lot to do with that.

I’ve ridden ss on roads and thoroughly enjoyed it btw, just can’t see how to make it work on a mtb.

There are a couple of short climbs at the local trail centre (Llandegla) which are over 10%, can’t see gearing which would allow those to be tackled being much use on the rest of the place, and I don’t buy the idea that pushing the bike up is the same pace as riding it on a 22/34 or whatever the lowest gear on my current triple setup is.

Seems the options are either push, melt your knees or spin out in many other areas.

Guess it’ll force you to “take it until you can’t” on the steep bits but I’m not sure that’s helpful either. Seems like a recipe for knee injuries if you are unlucky.

The simplicity is appealing but the practicalities seem a bit of a non-starter (for me).

I don’t travel with mine just use it locally for mud/fitness

Guess it’ll force you to “take it until you can’t” on the steep bits but I’m not sure that’s helpful either.
It’s hugely helpful because your ‘can’t’ will become ‘can’ if you force your limits a few times each ride. It’s good to fail on stuff that’s only just out of your reach.

This – you’ll be amazed what you can get up and how much mental strength you gain. Realising I can just get up something on 32/19 that I normaly spin up in 24/36 makes 1×10 seem a breeze!

my tiny mrs can hustle an SS fat bike around deggy quite cheerfully and romps up the happy little climb from the carpark to the top. If she can manage it after only riding for a year, then any burly bloke who rides a geary should be doing it backwards on a unicycle with ease or else hanging their heads in shame for being weaker than a kitten that’s had a bit of a sniffle

I’ve been thinking about this lately. I built up a rigid SS two years ago as a “winter hack” but I’ve just fallen for the simplicity. With only 1 set of wheels to share between the SS and my geared bike Ive found that so far this year Ive just not gone back to gears. Managed a 115km, 2000m climbing ride last weekend and it was surprisingly fun. There are compromises for sure but I think I fall into the camp of the guys who just “get it”. The guys I ride with don’t but hey that’s ok – none so queer as folk right!?!?!

A couple of pints nicely loosens the legs for a bit of ‘hamster on steroids’ spinning action.
Last night: Out of the pub, up the hill and into a 0.4 mile gently downhill segment. Result riding 29er on 34:18, new KOM a couple of seconds better than the previous time I set on my geared cross bike, average 21.1mph. Willy waving linky

With 27 gears I was the middle of my mates riding pack

With an Alfine 8 I was middle of my mates riding pack

With SS I’m middle of my mates riding pack

Can’t really see me going back to gears

I rode my SS for the first time in about 8 months the other night. It was hard work (to be expected) but got PBs up two of the biggest climbs in the area which I usually just knock the gears down to the lowest and spin up. I really do need to get some bigger tyres on it – thin Bonty Mud-X with zero cushioning was an experience I don’t want to go through again in a hurry!

When you have gears you tend to use them. Once they are removed you soon realise you can actually get up things in a gear you would not have used if you could have chosen a lower one.

The fact you have to get on with it is why I am generally faster uphills than people on geared bikes (road and off road) although this is after 13 years without using gears.

Rigid ss here. Great in town, winter night rides when can’t be arsed cleaning bike getting in late. Good for fitness and fun. Other opinions are available but they will be incorrect.