Not bothered whatsoever. I ride for my enjoyment and for social reasons not to prove a point.

Don’t really understand this….

I ride my shonky singlespeed so that I have an excuse when everyone overtakes me. Oh for the opportunity to overtake someone on something bling 😳

depends on the trail and the rider. For anything lasting more than an hour of hard pace, I am faster with gears.

Haldon Forest red trail is faster for me on the singlespeed because of the relatively short length, ok gradients and the way it seems to tempt you out the saddle as much as possible.

But then I did it once on a balmy summer evening with some ‘returners to mountain biking’, and the guy that hadn’t ridden his original orange clockwork (including rigid fork and 15″ bars) for 10 years nearly got away from me several times. 😳

I like to try to keep up with the people that I’m riding with so that they don’t have to wait around for too long..

that’s about the extent of my sporting endeavour..

I get that some people don’t like to admit they’re ever competitive, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a bit of competition out on the trails. If I see someone in front of me going up a hill, I’ll try and catch them. If I get overtaken (when I’m trying) I don’t particularly enjoy it. I’m not the fastest rider for sure but I’d aspire to be as quick as anyone up or down the hill.

druidh – Member

It’s riding bikes, not racing.

Except, I think, when there’s a race on.

I often wonder if a singlespeed perpetuates a stupid competitive thing in other riders.
My commuter does two speeds. stop or go. I always get some wassack does’nt quite understand i’m just cruising with my comfy ratio.. not chasing them down or any of that crap.

I get overtaken by allsorts, sometimes I overtake people. It doesnt have a massive effect on my emotional state or ego..

I’ve been overtaken by people on expensive single speed bikes and cheap ones. If I ever overtake someone I always try a cheery “Morning” or other such appropriate greeting. I can’t stand folk who overtake and don’t acknowledge your existence. How Rude!

Who hates the fact that some people dont hate being overtaken? Personaly I ride on my own , Im not a particularly skilled rider , and I find competition can push individuals beyond their capability. It happens on motorbikes too, hence floral tributes line most country roads around the country. Im comfortable with my limits and dont boast about my strengths. Anyone fancy a pie eating duel???

if you are being taken over (overtaken? owned?) by someone on a Singlespeed on a hill please consider:
– he might not want to show off or – for that matter – “own” you
– he might not even be faster or fitter than you
– BUT he quite possibly would stall if he would go your perfectly adequate geared (and seated) pace
– so he canes it up the hill beyond his fitness/competitive level to avoid walking

The later though might make him fitter over time.
Which is one of the great things of SSing!

😀

I ride at *my* speed

Sometimes thats faster than the person in front, sometimes its slower than the person behind, inevitably this means at some point one of us will pass the other, we will both be on bikes, the chances are one of us will have spent more than the other.

that’s all I have to say about that.

soulwood – Member

I’ve been overtaken by people on expensive single speed bikes and cheap ones. If I ever overtake someone I always try a cheery “Morning” or other such appropriate greeting. I can’t stand folk who overtake and don’t acknowledge your existence. How Rude!

If I’m riding fast enough to overtake someone, especially uphill, I’m probably deploying all available resources of lung capacity and oxygen, and can’t stretch to two syllable words such as “morning” and “hello”. Passing the time of day is a luxury I can’t afford. Please don’t be offended.

Well I’ll own up, I have quite expensive bikes but, unless you fitted a motor to them, I’m going to get ‘owned’ all day long.

I did consider giving up the beer, the takeaways, training religiously and somehow reversing the ravages of time…just so I could avoid being overtaken so much.

Raises hand. I hate it but then again I hate anyone passing me. I particularly hate the fact that some people can get off their bikes and walk difficult sections and still cane you overall. I hate it when I’m out with a singlespeeder who canes me on some hills but then refuses to be dropped on flat sections. I always cuff them where it hurts the most though – drinking beer.

I was once overtaken at the end of a long ride, by a bloke with an ASDA high vis jacket and his lunch hanging from his handlebars in a carrier bag. I overtook him again out of principal, only to spend the next 3 or so mile riding along the riverside into Sunderland, with this bloke not getting any further behind me, and not putting any effort in. I on the other hand, was blowing out of my arse.

I was chased down the final descent of Follow the Dog by a guy with a rigid single speed and I was on a skill compensator.

He never came past me but would have if the sections were wide enough.

We had a chat at the bottom and although rigid and single speed he still gave me brave points for trying to outrun him on a heavy full bouncer. Not all SS are complete arses 😉

soulwood – Member
…I can’t stand folk who overtake and don’t acknowledge your existence.

I like that. It proves they are gasping too much to speak.

Sometimes I do overtake people on hills but generally it’s because of this:

hock – Member
if you are being taken over (overtaken? owned?) by someone on a Singlespeed on a hill please consider:
…he quite possibly would stall if he would go your perfectly adequate geared (and seated) pace
– so he canes it up the hill beyond his fitness/competitive level to avoid walking

and I’m usually gasping too much to speak. 🙂

Had an arthroscopy 2 weeks ago so felt nice when I blasted past people on a big uphill today. 😆

My pet peeve is when people breeze past you saying something massively condescending like “Oooh, this is a difficult climb isn’t it?”

They’re probably trying to be friendly I suppose.

“Oooh, this is a difficult climb isn’t it?”

*holds hand up* sorry 😳

I also chat happily to the gearies on a climb to mess with their mind before grinding their puny geardanglerspinning legs in to the dust. The climb up carding mill valley is a good one for it as is the quick blast up from the leather smithy pub in macc forest 😛

The climb up carding mill valley is a good one for it

I’m almost sick half way up that one on my gearie with a granny ring 0_0

There are two possible answers here.

– get rid of the expensive bike and buy a shonky singlespeed better still get the base frame from the tip!
– get fitter and ride faster.

Or do both and own everyone – aside for those who ride nice bikes quickly. There is no substitute for a nice bike providing it has 29 inch wheels.

As said above, it’s about the rider not the bike most of the time.

Yes, I’ve overtaken people riding skill compensators wearing full on body armour on my rigid bike but then again I get my arse kicked XC racing every weekend in the summer by people on all sorts of different bikes…

I’ve found riding rigid again has really improved my skills and handling. When I ride the normal sus forked bike again I really feel a lot more confident and smooth.

GB

tazzy- you forgot to add the bit about chasing the gearie boys down first!

Anyway I have a quite expensive single speed and often get overtaken (owned) by people on cheap geared bikes- does this even it all out 😳