now as i live at the top of a hill gears are esintial but even if i lived in Norfolk i still cant see the point of a bike without gears.

I have ridden a couple and i am either pedeling like lance
or standing on the pedels to try and get them to turn

Am I missing something??

A bridge

That's a question that has always bothered me too. Do SSers have steam cars and valve radio and die of easily treated diseases before they are 35? OK I live at the top of a big hill but I can't see the point of rejecting technology for the sake of it [ I notice they don't reject disc brakes and carbon doodads!]

It's still a bit early in the evening for this question

If I lived at the top of a hill that would be even more reason for using SS.

-10 see me after the bell for a slap round the back of the head stupid boy…..

Depends what you ride and where you ride.

If you ride jump parks, dirt jumps trials, than SS is the way to go. Anything else use gears, the only disadvantage to gears is weight and cost. However the weight is easily overcome by the increase in power.

Because they are the race walkers of the mtb world

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://i17.tinypic.com/2enyjdd.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php%3F4433-The-German-SS-Waffen-SS-in-WWII&h=501&w=640&sz=86&tbnid=K1YE764Rcq7yBM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3DSS%2BWAFFEN&usg=__yzGTPTK5uMsFC0mlTB0aODAyeck=&sa=X&ei=VdZmTMHDHoqRjAe-lJnUBA&ved=0CDIQ9QEwAw

What this ss?

Not sure about that oo00oo – always getting overtaken by them 🙁

it's a bit like rock-climbing; yes there may be an easier way to get from A to B, but sometimes i enjoy the challenge of doing it this way.

why would anyone want to climb a rockface? – there's almost always an easier, faster, path that gets to the top.

Am I missing something??

The correct ratio?

why???because i can and wanted to and i live in essex(all be it the hilly part)and in the end i'll be really fit and have legs of iron(i wish) 😀

That's not a climb it's a Mincy boulder problem
What's with all the pro, there is a cam placement after the overhang, then a thrutch to the top and he is sorted…
Bumblie

Sorry what was the question?

It gets you to the pub on the other side of the village, and you don't have to worry about all that complicated gear malarkey on the way home, when pedalling and holding on is just about manageable.

i only ride SS to work, so apart from chain adjust and a new chain every year i dont have to bugger around with
gear cables and put up with poor shifting etc etc, (previous bike have always been a faff, 75 miles a week every week rain or shine and deep snow)

wouldn't ride ss up the woods though,but i can see why some people would,

i have to say upper body strength is massively improved riding a ss

i run a singlespeed in the winter, stops all the mechanicals and costing a fortune in chains, cassettes, jockey wheels, bottom bracket. the first rule of singlespeed is never wash it, just throw it in the garage covered in sh*t and leave it, then get it out the next ride and just ride. 😀

No faff of having to piss around with gear maintenance. Cheaper. Looks better. Lighter (marginal). Feels good – hard to explain until you try it, just feels more "connected" or something. Forces you to climb quicker and put in more effort everywhere. Gives you a thick, luxurious beard…

Saying that I ride a geared mountain bike because I'm unfit. Finally decided to go the SS route when I get a road bike though, as it's a lot cheaper and it's mainly for fitness so it makes sense to get something that forces me to work harder.

Lighter (marginal)

I'd hardly call the weight saving marginal, no shifters, no mechs, no cassette, lose a ring or two, the only penalty is a slightly heavier chain.

I don't get all this 'you need a special chain' stuff. A nine speed chain is strong enough to take all your force, cross chained. Why would you need something else?

now as i live at the top of a hill gears are esintial but even if i lived in Norfolk i still cant see the point of a bike without gears.

I have ridden a couple and i am either pedeling like lance
or standing on the pedels to try and get them to turn

Am I missing something??

There speaks someone who's either had his arse kicked by a SSer, or who hasn't given it a proper try.

Once upon a time I couldn't see the point either. But people kept saying I should. So I did, and I loved it. 🙂

Actually Science Officer you've made a bloody good point, more weight savings coming my way.

lol! Weenie!

cheaper, although many like the 'niche' aspect (and because it makes it harder-by default making them 'harder' too…) i have one but only as i don't want to trash my decent bike riding local mundane trails!

Scienceofficer – Member

lol! Weenie!

Guilty as charged.

Ss gives me uber jizz

I ride SS because I choose to, no other reason at all.
I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions now, so there ! 😉

Simple really. Gears (and suspension) are mobility aids for old or frail bicyclists.

Single speeders are decent people – which is why we don't take the piss out of those with gears and suspension, because they are obviously old or frail.

It's also just a reason to have another bike, or keep the old one.

No, this one is completely different to that one. look, it's got no gears, see! different bike.

Why do people who dont do some aspect of cycling feel the need to slag it off/quetion those who do it?
Survives winter and extra effort compensate for fewer miles in winter. Makes you stronger etc -try cycing uphill in 32-16 if you dont believe me. Something to do with all your old bike bits you have lying around

Thought it might be different, it was.
Thought it might be harder going up hills, so make me work harder, it did.
Thought it would make for some really mellow recovery rides after illness, it did.

…and yea, on exactly the same bike, with the same rear wheel and freehub it somehow manages to feel more direct/connected/some spiritual bollox…

No idea how, but it does, and I quite like it. But I love every one of the gears on my EX9 🙂

Definitely an excuse for another bike!

I tried SS in rigid 29er form, so it was 3 new things at once, absolutely loved it (having been fairly sceptical) also gives you a reason to look forward to winter, and the only bike I bother changing tyres on as it's also good fun in the summer!

Cheaper. New drive train for £30 or less. No shifters or cables to wear out either. Less faffage.

i supose anyone could ride ss if they could be arsed but whats the point! id rather enjoy the ride ' i think its more a " look at me with only single speed" " ive got something to prove bullshit thing" but thats my opinion!

"I'd rather enjoy the ride"- that's the point. No unenjoyableness, just pedal and brake. simple fun. What's there to prove?? Obviously you've gotta try harder on hills and get used to a certain speed going down, gravity. It's a compromise. sounds like You've got sommat stuck in yer trumpet though shaggmeister?

' i think its more a " look at me with only single speed" " ive got something to prove bullshit thing" but thats my opinion!

I think with some people that is the only reason they do it,but you normally find they are the fat buggers who are slow as hell & can't ride for sh!t.The quicker ones normally dont make such a big thing about it…..

from the wise Sheldon Brown, I have not seen anyone put it across better:

Why ride a Singlespeed?

Modern 24-27 speed bikes are marvels of technology, and allow a cyclist to select the gear ratio that will make the most efficient use of his/her energy. If what you're after is getting the maximum possible speed/distance for the minimum effort (and there's nothing wrong with that!) a multi-speed bike is what you need…but, efficiency isn't everything!
If you're riding for sheer pleasure, or for exercise, you don't necessarily place that high a premium on output results, as measured in speed, distance or vertical climb. Instead, you may care more about the actual experience of riding your bike. In this case, you may be a candidate for a singlespeed bike.

Riding a singlespeed can help bring back the unfettered joy you experienced riding your bike as a child. You don't realize how much mental energy you devote to shifting until you relinquish your derailers, and discover that a whole corner of your brain that was formerly wondering when to shift is now free to enjoy your surroundings and sensations.

Paradoxically, a singlespeed is, in another sense more efficient than a multispeed bike! While the single gear ratio will not be the "perfect" gear ratio for all conditions, in the conditions which fit the single gear, it is considerably more efficient mechanically than the drive train of a derailer bike.

A singlespeed bike dispenses with the weight of the derailers, shifters, cables, extra sprockets and longer chain. In addition, a singlespeed gear train runs the chain in a perfectly straight line from sprocket to chainwheel, and avoids the serpentine wind through the pullies of a derailer. You can really feel the difference! A singlespeed is noticeably quicker and easier to pedal than a multispeed bike in the same gain ratio.

Singlespeed bikes are also considerably more sturdy and reliable than multispeed bikes. There's no derailer to catch on the underbrush or to get overshifted into the spokes. The rear wheel itself is a lot stronger than one made with off-center (dished) spoking to make room for a whole bunch of sprockets on one side.

There are certainly plenty of "look at me" types but there are more "I can live without gears so I'll take the ease of cleaning, longevity and reliability improvements particularly through winter/mud"

Besides it's a silly question anyway, motorbikes are available so why would anyone ride bikes (geared or ss)?

I looked into it last year, never did it. Then this year for my Birthday got a Genesis iO, it's awesome.

Makes riding my local wood a great laugh when after a while it can become a bit samey on a geared bike.

Also makes you look at routes and trails in a different way, momentum is now a massive consideration as is how the **** am I going to get up there without dying 😆

I've a fancy that this thred might take on a different flavour when the hair shirt brigade return from SSUK 😉