Singlespeed newbie advice.

Having never riden a singlespeed before im contemplating giving it a try through December 😐 to see how it feels and maybe give it a pop at the Puffer in January (quad entry i should add).
What gearing do folk suggest? 32 x 16 seems to be the norm but is it worth going for more teeth on the back and just spinning abit more. Singlespeed advice in general welcome eg cog suggestions, chains, tensioners etc. The bike I’m gonna be singlespeeding an 08 stumpy HT. Cheers in advance

Don’t do it.

Way to compromised IME too hard up hill and too slow on the fun dh stuff. But then I’m not the strongest climber and do like thrashing it going down.

Go for it.

36:18 is the same ratio but more reliable and durable.

Kmc z610hx is a great chain.

4jeri tensioners are super reliable.

Email me if you need any advice. You will also find a YouTube how to set up a single speed movie on the website

have a friend to help you use gears ..
If u want to struggle on hills …knock it up 2 or 3
if you want to spin out on descents and flat bits …knock it down 2 or 3

Singlespeeding is so 2002..

I have been riding SS for a few years now mostly in the winter, its simple , reliable, looks better and allows you to get on with riding the bike not thinking about all those gears cables etc. Its easier for me though cos I live in Suffolk :).

Yesterday myself and a buddy went to the chilterns to try SSing a few hill, after much delberation I put three sprockets on the hub a 15, 17 and 19 with 32 on the front because it works with bash plate.

After starting on 17 and finding it hard going I swapped to 19 but found it little easier than 17 and lost out on momentum on the flats so went back to the 17. I normally have 32 15 in Suffolk and reckon that would still be ok. My mate rode 32 17 all day and only had to get of twice on bits that would probably had us off with a full set of gears.
We are both over 40 and Im certainly more into beer and pies than cycling so no whippet.
Conclusion is, we decided, singlespeed is fine in the hills and just ride what you brung.

Dont use it anywhere too hilly and it makes sense.

Dont use it anywhere too hilly and it makes sense.

❓

I ride SS all the time here on the malverns. I think they count as hills.
I love SS. Simple, quiet, doesnt go wrong. The only time I ride gears is when I go to welsh mountains for big days out. Although I took my SS to Real Ale Wobble the other weekend.

The general just im getting so far is give it a try, but avoid hills. maybe not ideal when i live in the Scottish Borders/Tweed Valley. Keep the advice coming

Hills are fine as long as your gearing is ok for them

Its the flat you need to avoid

I live and ride on the edge of the peaks. I ride 32:16. There are very few hills that I can clean on my geared bike that I cannot clean on my SS. It’s hard work, but very fulfilling. It also teaches you how to be a better rider on a geared bike as you learn a lot about line choice and conservation of momentum – you can’t just put in a few pedal strokes to regain the speed you lose when you brake or hit a rock garden, so you learn to stay off the brakes and ride the smoothest line, using your body to let the bike float underneath you

it’s also a good full body workout as you tend to be standing on the pedals, heaving on the bars for the bigger climbs

oh and women find you more manly and attractive too, and some men

+1 for Llama, it’s the flats you have to avoid. Get the gearing right for the ups and roll the down bits.

+1 for nbt, it promotes smoother riding and certainly gives you a great workout.

BUT. Not sure I’d want my only bike to be SS, will you still have a geared bike?

APF

For the puffer I would be looking at 32:18 – you’ll want to gear down for an enduro race. I did relentless 24hr on 32:20 (29er) this autumn, and it was about right. Should Have used that ratio for tour de Ben Nevis too… Depends on the length and where you ride.

T’is all good fun

The nature of SS will mean you do alot more out-of-the-saddle pedal stomping. Becasue of this I found I was going through BBs at an alarming rate. To be fair they were ISIS so have well documented bearing issues. Eventually bought a SKF and it’s been on there for 3 years now!

I also find my average speed is quicker on the SS ‘cos you need to attack everything in order to keep the momentum going.

Not having to think about gears is rather liberating and can make the ride more enjoyable.

Happy SSing.

For the puffer? Very low or you will be walking lots unless you are uber fit and like grinding a really low cadence. Its a rather different proposition to the hills down south to do the puffer

For me for the puffer alfine is the winner -I did it solo and slowly on a very low geared alfine bike ( my top gear was around 2:1)- you can never have too low a gear for ploughing thru deep snow / mud / slush at 3 am

Its the flat you need to avoid

laughs to self 😆

I tried 32/16 but have settled on 32/18

Either way you’ll spin out going down but the 18 means I can climb most stuff.

As above, flat stuff is the worst.

It’s very liberating as an extra bike…. Wouldn’t have it as my only bike though.

Thanks for all the info folks. i think ill definately give it a try (gotta try everything once eh), whether i do the puffer singlespeed remains to be seen. thankfully i have other bikes with the option of gearing, the singlespeed is just an idea for an old frame i have in the garage.

I live in Yorkshire and ride 32:18 Its a bit spinny on the flat but does mean I can do hills a bit better.

Buy everything as cheap as you can, if it breaks you can then replace it with expensive fancy SS only stuff. EG, run a 9 speed chain. You probably need a new one anyway, so rag this one until it breaks. Charlie the bike monger sells some good kits, but you can find a good tensioner for about £15 (or lock out a rear mech by putting the cable through backwards). I used a DMR spacer and 16 tooth ring set before going over to SS specific rear wheel. I run a bash guard where the big ring was and the granny ring is still in place as I can’t be bothered taking the crank off just to get it out!

flat’s fine, you just need to learn how to keep a high cadence.

Personally I swear by elliptical front rings for SS as they help keep a really smooth spin.

got rid of all my geared bikes for now and just have a couple of single speeds, they cope fine with north wales, peak district etc..

It just makes you strong like a gorilla.

the silence over rocky stuff is lovely, no clattering or banging anymore, just silent ghost like floating rather than the full on poltergeist tantrum that my geared full sus used to make

catfood – Member
Dont use it anywhere too hilly and it makes sense.

I live in the Highlands and singlespeed works well for me – there are a few wee hills around here. 🙂

SS is good for the ‘Puffer too – you won’t wreck your transmission that way. 32/18 seems reasonable for the ‘Puffer or 32/20 if there’s snow to ride through. If you get off and walk on the steepest bits, you’ll be fresher at the top than the guy struggling alongside you in his granny gear.

Hills are fine as long as your gearing is ok for them

Its the flat you need to avoid.

🙂 very good advice! (36:18 Spinbred here)

Dont use it anywhere too hilly and it makes sense.

I find the opposite is true, ss when it’s flat is a bit dull imho

After 4 rides on the SS, I used my geared HT last week but ended up hardly changing gear…

Hardest part was the fact that my SS had Spd’s and the geared bike has flats. In 4 rides I had lost the ability to climb really steep stuff on flats!

32:17 FTW!
although I am now waiting on a 34 tooth elliptical ring from BETD..

my advice is,gear for the climbs,spin/chill on the flat.Use quality kit,don’t do it on the cheap.Give it a month,if you don’t like it,don’t do it no more.
PS,it is far more manly than gears an suspension,so don’t forget your sh1tty stick to beat all the totty off with.

I’m on 32:17 here. That’s fine for long distances and hills; if it’s too steep you’d be at walking speed anyway.

If I rode more, I’d probably gear higher; I managed on 32:15 equivalent (34:18 on a 29er) just fine a year or so ago.

start here Link

and also try this other thread

Thread

The best thing you can do when you start riding singlespeed is to stop expecting you’ll be going particularly fast.

I liken it to a VW camper experience. You’ve made this choice for reasons other than speed.

As long as you keep that thought in your head then you’ll be fine (There are of course some individuals who are very fast on a singlespeed, which is fine too)

For a long time i was a gears only guy.. 2 of my three bikes are now singlespeed.

I like the time you save on fine tuning gears..
and also the fact that the bits are going to last ages!

samuri – i am def not fast, but over a 20 – 25 mile XC ride the average speed between the SS and HD is pretty much the same!!

32×17, is my compromise, but awaiting a 19t from Homebrewed to go with a 34t front, as the winter gear and bikepacking choice. Get the on one singlespeed with a 16t gear and see how you get on, easy enough to play with gearing after you have a reference point to work from.

I’ve a couple of tensioners for sale if you’re looking (On-one Doofer and Gusset Bachelor ‘push up’ job) both hardly used. Also, a wide base 16t cog.

Go for it, it’s great. Wouldn’t have it as an only bike (not in The Lakes anyway), but good training and feels ‘simple’

Megalolz at the manly/totty/shitty stick comments
I’m thinking it’s an elitist cult, this SS thing…..I’m getting “vinyl over CD or digital” vibes from it. It’s just better, just cos it is…….you and your downloads….thats not real music…..pah!
My bike has gears AND bouncy bits. They work really well, dont make any kind of “poltergiest tantrum” type noises. It’s never broken on me and I dont really have to put too much thought into changing gear. I prefer a nice steady cadence up the mountains other than looking like I’m wrestling a horned creature while trying to rip the headtube from its welds with the bars……also instead of having spanners and tools to change gearing theres these handy levers, right there on the bars!!….Its really good!
Each to their own I guess……..seems pointless to me 🙂 🙂

Don’t worry about hills as you still have three speeds on a single speed:
Sit n pedals
Stand n pedal
Get off and walk.

No shame in walking a single speed, andl it also helps confirms the pernicious doubts of geared fairies, which keeps them happy. 🙂

I’ve got a bike with gears and bouncy bits

I’ve also got an SS. That even has bouncy bits too

It’s not a “one or the other” thing. You can have both.

One will make you manlier than the other though

I ride a single speed around the South downs during the winter months, if i have to walk a hill the geared bikes are travelling no faster.

I rode with Aidan Harding in the Pyrennes a few years back. I ride about 200 miles a week, mix of road and off road, so considered myself reasonably fit. He turned up on a single speed, which i though was ambitious to say the least. He then procedded to open a 6 pack of whoop ass on every climb. It was rather humbling. I ride single speed because of that, Aidain pretty much blew out any reservations i had about single speeding in one fell swoop.

Gear wise, its set up as 32/18 but thats with a 29er which is similar to a 32/16 on a 26er. Its rigid too, proper retro-niche me. Its proabably one of my favourite bikes (out of a choice of 14 or so), purely for simplicity.

It’s not a “one or the other” thing. You can have both.

One will make you manlier than the other though

This is true. I have just singlespeeded my hardtail and I grew a full, bushy beard overnight. I also have an overwhelming urge to go out and find some grizzly bears to punch in the face, but I can’t get through the crowd of beautiful women clamouring outside my front door.

32/18 but it is quite hilly round my way.

mintimperial – Member
…but I can’t get through the crowd of beautiful women clamouring outside my front door.

You’ve been singlespeeding too long – those are the grizzly bears… 😆