After an age of not riding (too many commitments to spend entire days riding, working too late too much to do much on evening and preferring the gym when I do have time) I have finally got back on a bike – bought myself a second-hand Charge Plug and I love it! Not tried much more than local cycle paths to get to and from work but what a revelation – the gearing just seems to work so after a couple of hard strokes I am up to speed and cruising along.

Can’t wait till I can get on it again already!

Yup, there’s something strangely satisfying about singlespeed (& rigid) bikes. I think it’s the silence and simplicity. I love my Stooge (singlespeed and rigid). I’ve been grabbing it more despite the weather being so nice and having N+lots to pick from.

Re single speeded my el-mariachi last night. After a year on the geared fat bike suddenly halving the rotating weight and removing gears feels very weird.

Unsurprisingly it’s a lack of leg speed holding me back rather than anything else, gurning up hills at 60rpm is the easy bit, it’s singletrack at 120rpm that I struggle with!

Re. the silence – that is one of the things I love about it. I need to have a fettle though as there is some sound suggesting the chain isn’t right for the chainring (worn or wrong size perhaps?) but other than that it’s great – and for less £££s than a half decent pair of cycling shorts!

Next stop is a belt-driven Butnitz… 🙂

Silence?

None of you use a hope hub clearly!

…or have a huge chainring that is a bit offset and so you can’t tension the chain properly :(.

I do! I just pack it with grease. Tends to silence it for a good while. I also find that I’m freewheeling less on the singlspeed.

Freewheel? I am tempted to try it out on the fixed wheel 🙂

…or have a huge chainring that is a bit offset and so you can’t tension the chain properly

Yeah I think it might need fettling a bit – I thought the chain was too slack when I got it but now I have tensioned it a bit it is making the noise (it might have been doing it before but I didn’t ride it much before tweaking it).

Time for some spannering.

still love it years after getting a set of forks as a prize through STW and ending with a bike to match … the feeling of just going at a regulated pace – or honking up short climbs – keeps me smiling. sure there are bits where it’s not the right bike, but steel frame, carbon forks and 32:16 is great IMO..