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SS thoughts

34 posts & 23 voices | Started 3 years ago by aw | Latest reply from aw

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aw - Member

I have been single speeding exclusively for quite some time now and really enjoy the simplicity, mind freeing gear change decision making, strength building and kudos with my mates...;-)

However...there always is one! I recently got a Klein V Attitude with gears and now contemplating a fully geared serious road bike (see other post on plastic bike).

It seems to me that I cannot keep my speed up on the road on my SS road bike (48 x 16 I think) or my crosser (42 x 16 I think). This restricts me on social rides and club runs (potentially not a member yet). when I am on my own i love the SS experience; when I am with others when I 'spin out' they piss all over me and have to wait up the road

how do I square this circle?

Should i stick to SS and look for my cycling enjoyment in those areas or compromise and get a mixture (I already have five bikes so must go, anyone want a kona unit?)

How do other SSers get on with this type paradox?

sorry for the long post!

Posted 3 years ago #
jam bo - Member

wtf is the SS experience?

the only person who rides singlespeed who I have any respect for is sharki. he does it cos he's skint, and he'll beast most people uphill and down.

stop agonising about it and get the most appropriate bike for the job or get the legs to do it on a SS.

Posted 3 years ago #
aw - Member

thanks (jam bo) I think?

Didn't expect abuse but maybe I would like SSers to respond because I think only they understand the 'SS expereince'. actually you have reminded me of one more advantage of singlespeed that I forgot - saving money!

however I did not want this to turn into a massive SS debate or SS slagging match.

Posted 3 years ago #
RDL-82 - Member

Why can't you have both, I love my ss and use it more than the geared but for the big days out or for the daft stuff the ss stays in. If you enjoy It, do it don't change for others.

Posted 3 years ago #
Dibbs - Member

he'll beast most people uphill and down.

He won't beat me (at the moment)

Posted 3 years ago #
Sam - Member

Geared road bikes are great - I like fixies on the road when riding solo but find a singlespeed (with freewheel) road bike just boring. I ride singlespeeds off road pretty much exclusively though. I don't see any dilemma, get a nice fast geared road bike.

Posted 3 years ago #
zaskar - Inactive

I think Single speed is fun but I've had restrictions by riding 3 miles to the trail and spinning out etc till I get to the trail.

I've gone back to gears to make more use of the bike.

The other option is to have a wheel with 2 gears (one on each side or parallel). And you either swap the wheel round or have another device etc.

I think it's a fun toy and I'll use it during winter deffo but for now I'll stick to gears.

Jam Bo-calm down mate. But then again you'll get someone having ago at anyone on this forum. He's probably having a bad day but no excuse-just ignore him and others like him.

I await to be abused-but I never read or check my posts and I never take it personally or seriously-forum ffs.

I'm off for a road recovery ride. With gears sorry SS peeps but with hills and descents, varied levels of inclines for 28 miles I'm sticking with 70-80 rpm cadence.

Posted 3 years ago #
Bez - Member

how do I square this circle?

Easy: Don't do club runs or ride with miserable sods who have to go at full speed everywhere. Works for me.

Posted 3 years ago #
epicyclo - Member

Bez - Member
how do I square this circle?

Easy: Don't do club runs or ride with miserable sods who have to go at full speed everywhere. Works for me.

Yeah, why go on a club run when all you're doing is staring at (sniffing?) at the lycra clad bum in front of you.

Go solo and single speed and enjoy the scenery. Plus you can save the money you would have spent on an extra bike.

Posted 3 years ago #
crikey - Member

how do I square this circle?

Get a geared bike and stop being a Luddite.

Posted 3 years ago #
Rex - Member

Should i stick to SS and look for my cycling enjoyment in those areas or compromise and get a mixture

i think restricting yourself to one or the other would be more of a compromise. it's not like you're making some kind of moral choice eg omnivore vs vegetarian. get both, get a geared roadbike, horses for courses etc.

jambo - you cocking your cap at sharki or something?

Posted 3 years ago #
crikey - Member

Riding a ss is always a compromise; it seems to be a way of allowing the bike to be the limiting factor, rather than you. Get some gears and ride whatever you want as fast or as slow as you want.

Posted 3 years ago #
saladdodger - Member

the only person who rides singlespeed who I have any respect for is sharki. he does it cos he's skint, and he'll beast most people uphill and down

Yes I agree the git

btw i still like riding mine

Posted 3 years ago #
bassspine - Member

There's no contradiction...
Each of my bikes is my favourite when I'm on it I love riding my SS, I never feel restricted by it, I usually feel a sense of freedom when I get on it. I love my Enduro too, it makes me feel like a tank, I also love my shiny new hardtail and my old steel larkspur, different reasons each time.

Posted 3 years ago #
aw - Member

I have just sold one of my single speed road bikes for £180 tonight. I still have my crosser SS that I use mainly on the road but it is a great all rounder.

I have a geared Klein V attitude, a kona cindercone SS and a kona unit 29er.

I am borrowing my mates Giant SCR for a charity ride (45 miles) on Sunday so that will clinch it or not for the geared road bike purchase

Posted 3 years ago #
sharki - Member

I think jambo means don't just ride ss for the niche, but as a means to ride.

If it's not your only option then run gears, with ss you'll only get out what you put in.

If that means going out with you road group and having to put in more effort then your willing ar capable then get fitter or stronger..or get more realistic and get gears.....

In my experience, ss riders either ride alone or are the sort that don't moan about the rate at which the group they ride with....

So my simple advice is....decide how important social riding is and how much effort you're willing to put into it is.

Be thankful and consider how lucky you are to have the option of having so many bikes to ride.

My five bike choice would be.

LW ss HT
hub geared HT
long travel full suss
LW road bike
commute/ss/hack bike

Posted 3 years ago #
cynic-al - Member

riding a ss road bike in a group seems stupid to me, selfish even, if you expect to dictate the pace or have folk wait.

Ss on mtb in groups? It shouldn't slow you down apart from on roads or fire road descents, so should be fine

Posted 3 years ago #
cynic-al - Member

Oops double post!

Posted 3 years ago #
gil_ - Member

3 months of the year ~ dry dusty conditions ~ gears
9 months of the year ~ mud and plother ~ SS

simple really...

Posted 3 years ago #
aw - Member

I can see the reasons for SS off road. How much do you change gear when you are off road? Your typical MTB gearing is not geared for off road if we are honest. It is geared for off and on road. Therefore SS seems entirely logical for off road applications. However in sunny Kent there is rarely any continuous off road riding without some tarmac linking it and when someone else organizes the ride do not necessarily know the route in advance

On road is different and the route will dictate how fast or how competitive you are with geared road bikes. I would suggest (expects to get shot down in flames here) that even if you are STRONGER and FITTER it very hard for a SS to keep up with a good geared road bike.

Posted 3 years ago #
crikey - Member

How much do you change gear when you are off road?
Lots and lots; that's the idea of gears, they allow you to go as fast as you can..

Your typical MTB gearing is not geared for off road
Er, yes it is actually..

Therefore SS seems entirely logical for off road applications.
For a given value of logical; I really can't see the point myself..

SS is a niche for a good reason; it doesn't work everywhere, and certainly where I ride in the Pennines it would see you way off the back all day long.

Posted 3 years ago #
oldgit - Member

I'm a bit OCD when it comes to singlespeeding. The singlespeed is used exclusively when the clocks go back, then stipped down and put away when they go forward again.
That's because the trails are generally drier and faster from then on ad warrants the use of a nice fast geared xc bike.

On road I don't think the singlespeed arguement holds up. Road to me means speed, distance, pace and efficiency and wihout gears all of those are hard to achieve. And I think the cost savings of singlespeeding on road must be minimal.

I won't argue against a fixed being of use to someone in training. But no the thought of keeping up in a road group without gears!

Posted 3 years ago #
silverpigeon - Member

Arrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Just stop 'contemplating'/tarting about on this forum and buy the geared road bike. You know you want to and you don't need affirmation from anyone on here.

Just make sure it's red 'coz they are the fastest. Fact!

Oh, and wtf is this?

mind freeing gear change decision making,

**Has a deep breath and goes for a little lie down**

Posted 3 years ago #
aw - Member

I went out on a 45 mile charity ride today and borrowed my mate's Giant SCR as an experiment to see if I liked the fears. First half was getting used to the bike and gear changing. I was faster in the second half using the much higher gears to blast hills etc. The Giant was sweet however near the end the chain falling off when I changed the front mech (finished the event exclusively in the big ring for this reason). I did it in just under 3 hours so about 15 mph. I would say for shorter rides I can just about average 15 mph on my SS but I don't think I could have done the ride today as fast on the SS.

Did confirm I am not up to the pace for racing as my mate on his plastic Viner was always outpacing me (he is cat 3 racer). So I am left with the thought that I would of preferred to use my SS but I would have been slower.

Posted 3 years ago #
aw - Member

I think I might stick with the SS because I love it and it is sort of different and defining if that makes sense...if I cannot be the fastest what is the point, might as well be different and quirky

I do love the freedom of SS and the drive just feels so positive. I hate the mash ,or chain slip, of ghost shifting, or when mud plugs your gears and it continually clonks away under you...arrrgh...

Posted 3 years ago #
aw - Member

I like your attitude Bez!

how do I square this circle?

Easy: Don't do club runs or ride with miserable sods who have to go at full speed everywhere. Works for me.

Posted 3 years ago #
chewkw - Member

Get a Rohloff instead if you want geared.

Posted 3 years ago #
CountZero - Member

I really love my SS, it's probably my favourite bike. It's light, nimble, fun to ride, almost zero maintenance, quiet. However, there are places I ride that would be a drag on the SS, so I have geared bikes with lots of suspension travel as well that makes climbing more palatable and ragging it down the rocky bits more fun than the rigid forks on the SS would allow. If I had to have only one bike, then it would be a difficult choice, but I've got four...

Posted 3 years ago #
darkeneddreams - Member

I have the 48x16t like you, though the only thing I hate is hxc hills, why is there always a need to go fast, chill Winston and take it easy, enjoy the SS and the biking for that matter.

Posted 3 years ago #
lady_luck - Member

aw - still trying to shift the unit? interested...

Posted 3 years ago #
Mister P - Member

I had been riding SS road for a few weeks then I built a geared road bike and thought "wow, I like this so much more". Then last night and this morning I got back on the SS and thought "wow, I had forgotten how much I love this". So I guess the only option is having both.

Posted 3 years ago #
redthunder - Member

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schutzstaffel

Posted 3 years ago #
aw - Member

lady luck...yes I am email me please at

wheelnut64@googlemail.com

Posted 3 years ago #
aw - Member

I bought a Klein Attitude V with gears. Very nice spec, hyd discs, rebas, etc but I really am not sure about it.

yes I could change for the faster bits and grind away for the big hills but the first ghost shift and gear 'crunch' got me thinking why oh why did I go back to gears!

I am going to do a three way trial between my existing MTBS...

1. Kona cindercone SS converted 1997
2. Kona unit 29er 2007
3. Klein V Attitude 2003 (geared)

To see which is faster and also HR...and of course 'smile factor'

I will report back here shortly

Posted 3 years ago #

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