When you are out on a group ride and you are the only one on a single speed, in terms of gearing do you:
– pick a ratio so you can keep up with the group on the flats but struggle on the hills (i.e. walk) or
– pick a ratio so you spin out on the flat but can get up the hills

Or should I just MTFU….

Is this an issue? I’ve been riding in mixed groups for years and it’s never come up once.

not really an issue, just wondering how people select a ratio in general

I ride the ratio I like to ride. There’s one long road section on a regular route we use, if we use that route then I make sure that I’m near the front on the section before it, and while they regroup I set off up the road on my own. They then catch me up and i spin like a monkey having tinsel pulled out of my arse for the rest of the section so that they don’t wait too long for me at the next bit.

Seems to work….

Same ratio for group or solo , never had a problem or felt a need too change .

I’d go for climbing.

Riding along at the back with legs going like a demented hamster on a wheel is less humiliating than getting off to push every time it gets a bit uphill…

Plus there’s not that much actual ‘flat’ on my rides and as soon as it get’s a bit downhill you can keep up by pumping and draughting.

Compromise!

I can’t ride up the reeeeaaaaalllllly steep stuff but I also can’t quite keep up on really fast pedally bits.

Lose-Lose 🙂

Your normal ratio. I’d go for a gear that gets me up most hills. Furious spinning on the flat then tucking in behind the biggest rider is fine.

what most everyone else said, its not an issue, ride the gear you have

it’s only really a problem when the geared group can’t keep up with you

I used to do a lot of winter training rides with the local road race team, used 8:3 as the ratio (48:18) – which worked fine except on massive downhills where anyone on SS would spin out and be dropped.

it’s only really a problem when the geared group can’t keep up with you

Boom!

Yup, you’re out of the saddle and attacking uphill 20 yards before they trundle in and start clicking down. You just need to start choosing the routes to suit your gear!

as others have said, pick the gear that suits you best and ride smart (which you have to anyway as a SSer)

it’s only a problem if every other member of the group is an animal on a bike, and lets face it if they are the type of group that drops riders then they aren’t worth riding with anyway

meh, ride the gear you ride, on a hilly ride there will be times youre ahead and some where you might not keep up, usually I’m about storming past on the hills as they scream: burn the witch. very self satisfying until you run out of a gear on a flat descent or spin out.

52″, what was the question?*

You will always be compromised I find that If I have to get off then a large number of geared riders would too. On the flat I just spin away, most of the group don’t blast along so it is fine.

In faster group rides I take gears.

*I think I actually run 53.625 but only because 33t chainrings were cheaper than 32.

I’ve ridden 32:18 where hilly and 32:16 where not so hilly

Never had a problem keeping up – normally waiting for the rest as has been mentioned.

32:16 and tease your friends about their wimp-sprockets

32:18, but I live in the hills. Generally I pull away when climbing but can suffer on the quick flat stuff.

48:17 on the road. Never had any problems.
First time I turned up with that on a group ride, everyone was moaning about how they’d have to wait for me on the climbs.
By the third hill, everyone had worked out that the only way to climb on SS is simply to hit the hill hard and that actually I was the one waiting for them.

It took them a lot longer to work out that the only time I did have trouble keeping up was if they were caning it downhill.

I’ve found the same off-road – on the occasions that we’ve been a mixed group of geared & SS, the SS riders are usually first to the top of the hill. Speed on off-road downhill is far more a function of the terrain than max gear size.

The only issue I’ve had is climbing narrow single track and one needs to pass geared folk in order get up the hill – I think some think your trying to race them – when the reality is its just a pain trying to climb at the same slow pace as those who’ve shifted to a spinny gear ..

I think the best group rides are when everyone is on a ss. Flat easy bits are for chatting and everyone is caning every climb like there’s free beer at the top. Social and hard, all in the same ride. 🙂

Your normal ratio.

this, one of the points of singlespeed is not fannying around with ratios. TBH I wouldn’t consider mixing ss and gears very sociable, chances are you’ll be climbing faster than geared riders, but aslong as everyone is chilled it’s no different than the gnar-isters waiting at the bottom of the hills for the mincers and the race whippets waiting at the top for the pie eaters.
Carefully positioning yourself for the climbs would be advisable for reasons noltae gives.

Thanks for all the replies, At the moment I am killing myself to get up the hills (as I don’t like walking) so I think I’ll lower the gearing a bit.

…and i spin like a monkey having tinsel pulled out of my arse…

😯

never really caused an issue in our group.

I even took my SS mtb on a road ride once, by accident. kept up pretty well too. until the really long gradual descent off the downs!

I’m about storming past on the hills as they scream: burn the witch. very self satisfying until you run out of a gear on a flat descent or spin out.

This. Choose a gear that allow you you to do this.

First few rides I did in a SS with a mate on a geared bike I stormed up the hills leaving him crying into his gear shifters (and died at the top but he never saw that)

When you spin out on the flat it’s the gear, when you fly up the hills you’re a riding God.

SSing: “Pick a gear, doesn’t matter which one, it will always be the wrong one”.

Or: “SSing is really 3speeding, sit down, stand up, walk”

Just pick your ratio and ride. Don’t worry about it.