Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 83 total)
  • I take it you you have to be fairly strong to ride SS???
  • tacopowell
    Free Member

    WARNING! Following post contains serious day dreaming!

    Just watched the Kunye video on MWM’s and it occurred to me that you’d have to be pretty strong to ride any reasonable distance on a singlespeed,

    What sort of ratio do people ride with? Where? and how far?

    I’ve only been mtb for 3 years, switched to 1×9 this past month, My thighs are pretty big to what they were 3 years ago, I reckon another 2 years before trying SS, another year and I’d give Chris Hoy’s hulk like legs a run for his money!

    😀 😐

    ojom
    Free Member

    No but you will need a beard and questionable personal hygiene.

    D0NK
    Full Member

    nope anyone can do it, technique is more important than power

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    you’d have to be pretty strong to ride any reasonable distance on a singlespeed,

    I think you just have to have a slightly different approach and really attack hills. If you normally sit and spin you’ll run out of momentum on a SS fairly quickly. Stand up and fight and you’ll surprise yourself what you can get up.

    It’s more technique and attitude than anything else.

    nbt
    Full Member

    on a more serious note, just try it. Riding in one gear is not the same as riding singlespeed mind you, but you will be surprised at just how mnuch you can ride without the gears you currently find essential

    no wondering if you;re in the right gear
    no desperatly going for one more gear to help you up that last bit

    either attack the hill all-out, or get off the bike and push

    either way, you’ll usually be at the top before your mates and be recovered by the time they arrive

    andrewh
    Free Member

    I’m a 10st weakling an have no issues at all.

    tacopowell
    Free Member

    OK, but what ratio are you all riding though?

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    32:17 on 26″
    32:20 on 29″

    Downs and woodland around Brighton.

    A lot on the gearing is down to where you ride. Anywhere flatter I’d probably drop a tooth at the back but the hills tend to become problematic after an hour two.

    onandon
    Free Member

    I ride a 32 – 14 on a 26er but I’m a MAN 🙂
    Some of the bigger hills are a killer but that’s why I single speed.

    DrP
    Full Member

    32:16 here (26″) – Sussex Downs/Worthing etc etc…

    I’ve legs like an excited gazelle though…..!!

    DrP

    ti_pin_man
    Free Member

    anybody can SS, MTFU… or at least choose the gear ratio for the type of riding you do.

    uselesshippy
    Free Member

    You need a drinking problem to singlespeed.
    Suits me fine. 😀

    nbt
    Full Member

    32:16 on a 26ss
    32:20 on the new 29er SS

    I ride on the edges of the peak district so not exactly flat.

    mattk
    Free Member

    Definitely technique over strength. Grind the hills and on technical climbs you’ll develop a kind of hip thrusty movement that adds momentum to pedal strokes. Gurning helps too

    psling
    Free Member

    Never mind all the above posts, they’re not really doing it properly; merely playing at it. To really ride singlespeed you need to be fitter, stronger, and more technically adept than a geared-bike rider.
    It annoys me on here that people don’t take singlespeeding seriously; they mess around at it and think they’re cool or something.
    In answer to your question, yes, you do have to be strong to do it properly and it takes years to get to the point where you can really shout out “Yes, I am a singlespeeder!”

    meehaja
    Free Member

    I am neither strong, fast or fit and I ride (rode) SS. 32×16 FWIW.

    I mostly ride alone, generally riding what used to be called XC or “dicking about in the woods”. Linking little bits of trail up I can about manage 25 miles from my house and back again. I tend to walk up steep hills with a geared bike and tend to wear myself out more by trying to be fast. I must confess to having gears on currently as trail centres with mates were getting a bit dull as I’d have to sprint past them on the climbs (you can’t just spin up) and they’d leave me standing on the long draggy fire roads.

    I still ride SS on the road and find that generally (top speed aside) I’m faster as I’m trying harder!

    Weirdly SS MTB reminds me of riding BMX, in the way we used to park on the industrial estates on the outskirts of nottingham and then slowly ride into the city, jumping, grinding, manualling off everything we could. Its kind of a fun way to ride, but I probably wouldn’t attempt an all day epic SS. (though I have done road sportives SS)

    skaifan
    Free Member

    The extra effor required on the hills is obvious. The thing that surprised me was how much it killed my arms and shoulders. Your whole body is more involved than with a geared bike. Makes you realise how much gears let you ease into a climb.

    khani
    Free Member

    You have to be bloody daft, and not take it too seriously..
    I’m enjoying it 😀

    D0NK
    Full Member

    Gurning helps too

    a good gurn can add anything up to 50W to your max power output, science FACT

    no desperatly going for one more gear to help you up that last bit

    after several years SSing I still get an itchy trigger finger atleast once a ride 🙂

    ton
    Full Member

    singlespeeding is a bit like bum sex…….so like it, some dont. 😀

    tacopowell
    Free Member

    Ok ok, I’m warming to the idea,

    Are we riding HT or FS?

    makeitorange
    Free Member

    Difficult to properly singlespeed an FS due to chain stretch issues, although I have seen spring loaded chain tensioners. It kind of takes away from the direct, simple feel that makes singlespeed appealing (to me at least).

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    I ran my Giant NRS SS with a Rohloff DH tensioner – was really nice to ride.

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    I ride either singlespeed or 2×9.

    Both are fine. I’d really struggle without a granny ring on gears though.

    Steve-Austin
    Free Member

    I wouldn’t say that SS riders are strong, they just ride really slow

    DrP
    Full Member

    Never mind all the above posts, they’re not really doing it properly; merely playing at it. To really ride singlespeed you need to be fitter, stronger, and more technically adept than a geared-bike rider.
    It annoys me on here that people don’t take singlespeeding seriously; they mess around at it and think they’re cool or something.
    In answer to your question, yes, you do have to be strong to do it properly and it takes years to get to the point where you can really shout out “Yes, I am a singlespeeder!”

    Oooh, get you… 😉

    DrP

    Rorschach
    Free Member

    Given the profusion of 9 stone shandy drinking girlpants who turn up to Ssuk every year I’d say not.

    Muke
    Free Member

    Given the profusion of 9 stone shandy drinking girlpants who turn up to Ssuk every year I’d say not

    Mmmm goes off to start diet so will not out of place on 3rd May 😉

    SprocketJockey
    Free Member

    32:18 on a 26er on Dartmoor.

    As above it’s a lot about technique – draggy climbs are the ones you’re going to wish for gears on. Short sharp, steep ups you just attack.

    You’ll spend a lot of time out of the saddle so a good upper body workout.

    I’m not sure whether singlespeeds are inherently slower – as above on a lot of climbs you’ll beat the pants off people with gears as you’re forced into attack mode. On techy stuff you’ll probably match them for speed. It’s the long flats or draggy climbs where you’ll struggle. Round here it’s pretty much either up or down so not really a disadvantage.

    Forget all the haterz who say it’s a fashion thing – what they don’t realise is that it’s basically just really good fun – like riding a big BMX bike. Riding my 1×1 always puts a grin on my face.

    MrSmith
    Free Member

    size of thighs has no bearing on suitability for single speed riding. general cardio fitness is going to be more indicative. most pumped up roid-rage gym pumpers wouldn’t last 5 min on a bicycle.

    IanW
    Free Member

    Naa!

    32 – 15 here..rode SS for a few years now CBA putting the gears back on.

    100kg @ 183cm 45yrs, mid table strava, ride 50 miles plus xc quite regular no more difficult than geared.

    Did I mention I live in Suffolk.

    theotherjonv
    Full Member

    I’m no athlete, trust me. I love it though, once you get the mindset that some hills can’t be done (by me at least) and that walking’s allowed it’s surprising what can be done, and the ones that can’t – meh.

    I actually find it OK for longer rides, particularly bridleway cruise types, because when you hit the flats and spin out (at maybe 15-17 mph on my 34:20 29er) you can’t go faster so you don’t try, you just sit back and enjoy the ride and save energy for the other bits.

    On the other hand – 90 mins of up-down-up-down at somewhere like swinley sees me breathing out of my arse and jelly legged!

    woody2000
    Full Member

    I’m not sure whether singlespeeds are inherently slower

    Due to the forecast, I did my normal commute today on the SnowRat-SS-SnowBike™ (36-18, 26″ wheels & studded tyres). Certainly felt[/i] much slower, but I was actually only marginally slower (approx 2 mins over the hour). I normally use a 1×9 (36 – 11/32) 700c wheeled Kaffenback.

    Take from that what you will! 🙂

    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    33:17 for me. Even sprocket and chain wear.

    As above with long draggy hills. Killers.

    SS really have 3 speeds. Sit down, stand up, and push.

    Oh, and MTFU. 😉

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    29erSS rigid here, ratio 32:17 but have recently changed cranks so now 37:20 (effectively the same) I have a 19 which I’ll try out, but I’ve yet to hammer the 37:20 so until thAt happens it’ll stay as is. Sth Downs bumps here.

    And I sport neatly trimmed goatee, and spectacular hair.

    You just have to modify technique, normal stuff, bit like riding a bike.

    Kato
    Full Member

    32:16 here, but i put a 17T sprocket on if i’m going anywhere near a hill

    dknwhy
    Full Member

    36-18 here on a 26. Recent convert. Like the simplicity of it. Most hills are ok but there’s no(t much) shame in walking.

    tazzymtb
    Full Member

    secret to ss riding..big guns, strong upper body and a gurn of power…. 😀

    (all 29er)34-19 for wales, lakes, the peak etc… 35-18 on the SS race bike and 34-20 on the fatty singlespeed

    terrahawk
    Free Member

    I did the Strathpuffer on a SS – 34:17 on a 29er 🙂

    bigdean
    Full Member

    Stubborness more than strength “i will bet to the top of this bloddy hill!”, at +50 miles get knee twinges but that happens on the full suss aswell. I’d recomend spd’s with some sort of platform to spread the pressure points on your feet (or better shoes but again stubborn).

    Ridgid 29er and run 34:18 i think.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 83 total)

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