i used to ride a single speed, it was 30 odd years ago, knobbly tyres, single rear brake and wide bars, we used to call them trackers, bmx hadn't been invented (in the uk at least) and if you had a tracker you were the coolest of cool! (though the phrase "cool" hadn't been invented either). so when mountain bikes arrived, with gears, it was a revelation, you could now go up hill as well!

anyway, i wouldn't buy a car now without electric windows, air con, 3 year warranty, cd player, power steering, non-vinyl seats, etc etc so why would i want to go back in time with my push bike?

am i missing the point?

probably.

Because it will survive the winter and rarely needs cleaning.
It makes your legs stronger
You like the colour ?
Honestly any pi55 weak argument will do toget another bike

anyway, i wouldn't buy a car now without electric windows, air con, 3 year warranty, cd player, power steering, non-vinyl seats, etc etc

Really?
My brother has just bought a 1959 Austin Healy 100/6 & I'm as envious as a envious thing

Luddites……

you could have a white on one to match your T4?

"Push bike"?

If you tried riding it, you might have more success 🙂

I to had one of those trackers, based on a Raleigh Jeep in metallic lime green! I to didn't see the point of SS, put it off for years and then the opportunity came up to build a really cheap one, lot of spare bits and a local cheap frame. It is now my most ridden bike – its out most days and every day for the last two weeks. I don't (didn't) see the point of 29" and now I think I need one of those……. 😳

There's a point ❓

My last three cars (VX220s) had no leccy windows, no air con, no power steering, no glove box etc. But then most people miss the point of those as well.

If you get it you get it, if you don't you don't, doesn't make either of you right or wrong.

It would be a very boring world if we all drove the same car and rode the same steed.

Diversity is important.

It's just a lot more fun.

While you're riding, you don't waste precious brainpower worrying about which gear you're in. Instead you can use that extra brain power to think about how much you're enjoying the ride.

When you get home there's just a whole load less cleaning to be done. You can either spend that extra time with your adoring family, or, more sensibly, by making your rides that bit longer.

And finally you end up spending a fortune on shiny SS kit spending a lot less money on drive train components.

anyway, i wouldn't buy a car now without electric windows, air con, 3 year warranty, cd player, power steering, non-vinyl seats, etc etc so why would i want to go back in time with my push bike?

Literal LOL – I'm not trolling here, this is quite genuine. Four none essential features of my otherwise solid car that either don't work or are in need of attention and are going to cost money to fix:

Electric windows
air con
CD player
power steering.

Nobody has to justify the bike they ride and the components they choose to fit or avoid. But I couldn't resist replying to the OP here 🙂

i wouldn't buy a car now without electric windows, air con, 3 year warranty, cd player, power steering, non-vinyl seats

Equally not trolling 😉

I drive a classic mini:

No electric windows
No air con
Possibly a 3 year warranty, but its over 30 years old now 😉
No radio, let alone CD player
No power steering
And some VERY expensive cream vinyl bucket seats
😀

Oh, and Im building up a rigid SS as we speak.

BL mini 3 year warranty? lol

(though the phrase "cool" hadn't been invented either

Er, "cool" as a slang word to denote approvasl of something was invented long enough ago for all bikes to be rigid signlespeeds.

Or have you never heard of jazz, preferring the post-modern strains of gabba?

😉

based on a Raleigh Jeep in metallic lime green

I had one of those!

Except mine was bronze-coloured with drop bars and a 3-speed hub.

That is all.

Boring! Another WUM with nothing better to do. Why do people continually rise to this.

Hang on a minute……..

anyway, i wouldn't buy a car now without electric windows, air con, 3 year warranty, cd player, power steering, non-vinyl seats, etc etc

really?

for arsing about at the weekends, you wouldnt choose a mini cooper or a lomax or something similar over a nice comfy modern repmobile?

am i missing the point?

evidently!

I love it, mine gets used far more than my geared (more expensive) bikes. If fact the others have not been ridden since October.

Don't knock it until you have tried it.

luke wrote
And finally you end up spending a fortune on shiny SS kit spending a lot less money on drive train components.

lol!

Makes most of my riding more fun. Our night rides are technically easy as we are limited to riding very near to where we all live so we actually spend time on the bikes and not in the car. Singlespeeding makes it harder and I find it more fun. The other advantage is it only takes about 2 minutes to thoroughly clean the drivechain, which is nice if you wan tto go to bed.

On longer rides it just makes it harder and if you like a challenge then that's good, especially if you're riding as a group and need to ride something everyone is capable of.

ourmaninthenorth did you watch qi over christmas too 😉

to the op there is no point to any of it . no point to my 5"full sus or my long travel hardtail or my cx or my ss29er or my roadie no point at all so move along nothing to see here

If you want fun at the weekends you want a two-stroke kart. It's even singlespeed 🙂

rides you thought you knew, you thought were easy, are new/ difficult on a singlespeed.

(my new singlespeed is a 24" bmx cruiser!)

the SS thing i'm trying to learn at the moment is finding grip – you'll be stood up for most climbs, which means less weight over the rear wheel, which means less grip, you have to learn to look at the trail ahead, and 'see' the grip – much more so than on a geared bike.

Stu – if you think you can ride a mountain bike, try singlespeeding…

ahwiles, momentum is your bestest buddy and you learn to stay off the brakes as much as you can

I like the lack of maintenance, lube the chain, occasionally check bolts, and change the disk pads.

Dallas News ran a decent piece on single speeds, Gary Fisher actually said something I agreed with 😯

As for the car reference, I have a 71 VW Beetle with 160bhp, it's not as nice as my BMW for daily use, it's actual very primal, but smiles per miles are way, way higher when I open the 48s 😆

The last time you rode single speed was when you were a kid messing about in the woods with a bunch of mates and you thought you were cool – why not try it again?

ourmaninthenorth did you watch qi over christmas too

No. Have I made an appalling faux pas? Oh the shame of it.

mr fry was chatting about the words cool and a number of other hip words (do you like what i did there) and jazz music

jesus… light the blue touch paper and run for your life! why is it that when you ask a question a lot of people think you're having a dig at them, i don't knock anyone or anything, it's each to their own, i was simply looking to be enlightened!

i've with junkyard, any piss week argument to get another bike or any other toy for that matter, you cannot have too many toys!

"ourmaninthenorth"… haven't got a clue what you're on about… wicked!

as for cars.. nope.. don't give a flying **** about what's essential, i want to be comfortable. old mini… been there… great introduction to (continual) car maintenance… why doesn't the haynes manual mention losing your knuckles when changing the clutch… no matter how many times you do it? vx220… like i said each to their own but if i was to do without cd player, carpets, heater etc i'd leave the doors and roof off as well and have a caterham.

anyway, thanks for all the responses… "riding a 29er but not blowing a trumpet about it" you might be right, been looking at orange p7, adjustable dropouts… perfect for a singlespeed… or even dare i say… rohloff!

Birth of the Cool

Miles rode a singlespeed, good enough for me

2\10….must try harder.

singlespeed takes away xmas excess guilt, due to high pain infliction (mediaeval flagellation ethic here), and provided new bike excuse. Double win!

vx220… like i said each to their own but if i was to do without cd player, carpets, heater etc i'd leave the doors and roof off as well and have a caterham

And get soaking wet on the way to work every day. Not a good look where I work unfortunately.

Orange P7 would be a wise choice, long travel forks on it too for fun times, still demoing in Feb?

i've had one for around 2 weeks, loving it so much i can't see my geared bikes getting much of a look in for a while.

Jase_MK –

caterham

And get soaking wet on the way to work every day.

two hopes there jase…. track days only

riding a 29er but not blowing a trumpet about it –
…still demoing in Feb?

seems not, leisure lakes say it has been moved back to march and they're waiting to confirm demos available though orange website still has it listed!

It's my next purchase as the 29er HT has made me a stronger & more "involved" rider.

Just waiting for one to come up on eBay that I want.