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singlespeed vs gears

66 posts & 42 voices | Started 6 months ago by aw | Latest reply from Bez

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aw - Member

Polarised debate I know but some of us do and enjoy both...

I had a difficult decision recently whether to spend my £1000 Evans bike to work voucher on a SS or a geared bike? I already had a boardman team carbon from the previous scheme and a converted crosser as a SS.

I really SS but my commute route is a little hilly so slightly painful on the SS.

I wondered if many have both or some I completely converted to SS? Any tried SS but returned to conventional gears?

BTW I bought a Genesis Flyer for £699 with a load of cycling gear to get up to £1000!

Posted 6 months ago #
aw - Member

which do people prefer?

Posted 6 months ago #
davidtaylforth - Member

Obviously gears, SS is pointless, especially for road riding.

Posted 6 months ago #
aw - Member

when I said polarised....

Posted 6 months ago #
emanuel - Member

both.
built a pompino 3sp.seemed the perfect commute bike to me.
not available in evans though.

ss commuting makes loadsa sense.as do 3sp nexus/SA.

Posted 6 months ago #
Elfinsafety - Member

Have both, for road and mtb use. SS is more tiring offroad, but I've found it good for developing a good pedalling rhythm, as well as improving my climbing technique. For long and/or very hilly rides I'll ride gears though, don't see the point of suffering!

Round London; SS ftw. Don't really need gears; I've even climbed Swains Lane on a SS*.

*I woon't want to repeat that too soon, mind...

Posted 6 months ago #
johnikgriff - Member

Had one, was fine when I went out with family. But tried riding with my mates at a trail center and it was a nightmare, have to ride really hard up hill cos you cant go slow so ended up at the top of every hill on my own. Mine was a fully ridged so I got left for dead on the downs. On top of that I felt like I had been in a fight the next day (one I'd lost badly).

I am however over 40 and a would appear to be a wimp, I like my "loads of gears skill compensater". There where 3 guys on them at landegla this morning and seemed to be having loads of fun and also they appeared to be way way fitter that I have been (or would want to be.)

I'd have another one in heart beat, but only to be used when out with my lad or for days when I'm feeling god like

Posted 6 months ago #
samuri - Member

I have been completely SS in the past for a few years. Didn't really miss gears for a while. Road, cross and mountain bike. No problem.

I have a geared road bike now which I ride a lot. I think for proper road riding it's a bit silly not to. For mountain biking SS is just fine, maybe when I get past 50 or 60 I'll go back to gears there. Cross riding is all done on a fixie at the moment. Again I'm quite happy with that at the moment.

Posted 6 months ago #
_tom_ - Member

I kind of go through phases of loving SS then hating it. I've currently got one of each which is nice. I like the no hassle maintenance of it and it's silent all the time. As I only really ride dh and jumpy stuff now I might just ss the main bike in a hard gear as well.

Posted 6 months ago #
tazzymtb - Member

sold all my geared bikes and now have a couple of 29er Single speeds that quite happily get used for race/event duties and big days out in the peak district, long mynd and North wales.

They tend to be much quicker over a lot of stuff than most of the geariedearies as well

Posted 6 months ago #
Surrounded By Zulus - Member

I ride singlespeed purely for reduced maintenance/cost reasons. No point in wasting hundreds of pounds per year that I dont have on maintaining geared bits.

Posted 6 months ago #
bullheart - Member

Gears are for the weak. Singlespeed is Bullheart™ endorsed...

Posted 6 months ago #
davidtaylforth - Member

Obviously it depends where you ride. Lake District road rides are a no go on an SS (unless you miss out all of the hills)

Posted 6 months ago #
davesmate - Member

I've just bought a really old diamond back that I'm going to SS as a pub/rat bike. Can't think of anything worse for proper mtb'ing though, mtb's come with gears for a reason!

Posted 6 months ago #
tazzymtb - Member

mtb's come with gears for a reason!

yep, to enable the weak and feeble to be nearly as good as a single speeder

Posted 6 months ago #
epicyclo - Member

I don't get this business of needing gears to get up hills. People were riding up steep hills on worse surfaces over 100 years ago without any gears.

I've ridden over most of the Northern Highlands on SS - I did stop a few times on the Bealach though (purely to take pics of course).

But I won't knock gears because when I'm old and frail I'm going to get a set...

Posted 6 months ago #
1freezingpenguin - Member

Done the ss thing years ago road and mtb, back to enjoying gears but thinking of turning the cross bike to ss.

Posted 6 months ago #
muddydwarf - Member

I've never 'got' the idea of SS but three weeks ago i went to Spain with Ciclo Montana. Those who know the Alpujarras region will know its incredibly steep and rocky.
One chap turned up on a SS hardtail - apparently the first CM had ever had in 21yrs of business.

You know what? That fella was a demon on that terrain, fast enough on the climbs and much faster than me on the descents (and i was riding a 140mm full suss) much to my eternal shame!
Don't know what that proves about SS except this fella was a really skilled rider....

Posted 6 months ago #
rp16v - Member

i ride ss 30 mile round trip and have a ss mtb and a geard mtb,the ss mainley comes out in the rain/snow and the gears for dry/races nice to change it up now and then

Posted 6 months ago #
gingerss - Member

Both. SS hardtail for most rides and geared bouncer for bigger rides or when i'm feeling a bit wussy.

Posted 6 months ago #
djaustin - Member

Commute - fixed
Mountain bike - SS
Road bike - geared
They are all good

On the road, most of my riding is fixed, but I don't have big hills. Off road, I only have a SS. But would like a 29er FS alfine eventually.

Posted 6 months ago #
SprocketJockey - Member

I rode exclusively singlespeed for about 3 years before moving from Kent to Devon back in May. We live on Dartmoor where there are some madly steep hills. Still got one SS, which I use for commuting and shorter blasts, but also have geared bike for bigger days out.

Weirdly I'm still learning to use gears..... still doing contant mis-shifts and sometimes struggle to find the right gear for the conditions. I rode a hill earlier today on the gearie which although really horrible I've cleared a few times on the singlespeed and was genuinely struggling by about 3/4s of the way up.

I still much prefer the "feel" and directness of a singlespeed bike, but sadly local terrain makes it impractical (for me at least) as the only option.

Posted 6 months ago #
cynic-al - Member

road - gears, but it's hilly round here and my main (non race) road steed has to deal with supermarket trips and training.

I rode fixed one winter, it was fun, and I'd have a ss road bike as bike no. 8, but I'm prob sticking with 7.

Posted 6 months ago #
samuri - Member

Lake District road rides are a no go on an SS (unless you miss out all of the hills)

Or you're strong.

Posted 6 months ago #
GW - Member

it's hilly round here

Posted 6 months ago #
flow - Member

Gears every time

Posted 6 months ago #
Singlespeed_Shep - Member

As the name says.

Ditched gears when I had no money. Never looked back,

If you try to ride a single speed like a geared bike you'll hate it. If you have an open mind try different things till it works then it will work for you regardless of where or what style you do.

You could run single cog at the rear and a double at the front to get you up the hills if needed, for a lightweight simple bike.

Posted 6 months ago #
Northwind - Member

It is perfectly possible to have gears and not use them. And once you realise that, you realise that the only benefit of singlespeed is that you've got slightly less parts to fill with mud/whack off rocks/weigh a paltry number of grams. If that's enough for you, then go for it.

Posted 6 months ago #
GW - Member

SS also gives you massive confidence that your chain will still be where it should be ready to take your full power output out of rough corners with almost zero chance of slipping, much more so than even the most secure chain device set-up. the silent chain of a SS set-up also allows you to ride better too. IMHO
Now, if only every descent/jump needed exactly the same gearing
(and I had the knees/physique/youth to ride uphill in that high a gear )

I def need gears (sometimes just one a day)

Posted 6 months ago #
GW - Member

You could run single cog at the rear and a double at the front to get you up the hills if needed, for a lightweight simple bike.
giving you almost none of the advantages of either SS or gears, yay!!

Posted 6 months ago #
Northwind - Member

Fair dos GW.

Posted 6 months ago #
Mugboo - Member

I've built up a slotted SS Inbred with Pikes for winter and it's like riding a big BMX. Weird how just losing gears can change how it feels.
I tried 32/16 but have swapped the back to an 18, much better.

My other HT is a summer season and I don't seem to be missing the slacker headangle or the extra fork travel..

Posted 6 months ago #
bullheart - Member

It is perfectly possible to have gears and not use them. And once you realise that, you realise that the only benefit of singlespeed is that you've got slightly less parts to fill with mud/whack off rocks/weigh a paltry number of grams. If that's enough for you, then go for it.

But if you don't have gears, then you don't have the 'bottle it' option when doing something tough. Like a hill.

Having said all of this, I've no doubt I'd have been faster at Mayhem or 24/12 this year. Although it would have made my entry to SSUK a little trickier...

Posted 6 months ago #
takisawa2 - Member

If its got 2 wheels its fine by me.

Posted 6 months ago #
boxelder - Member

Both. Haven't ss'd with a group yet and only up to 2 hrs. It does make whinlatter more interesting and only 5% slower

or you're strong

However strong you are, you'll either walk the hills or hate the flatter bits.

Posted 6 months ago #

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