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I've enjoyed the experience of singlespeeding my HT over the autumn and winter. I picked a gear ratio I could manage and it's been simple fun, esp. with flat pedals, it's just like riding the bike I had as a kid, but light, lively and with great handling.
But the nagging discomforts in my left knee and ankle have been a worry and Wednesday night's outing was a turning point. So with regret, I put 9 gears back on today.
Being positive, I definitely feel the experience has had a good effect on my riding style, being more prepared to attack climbs, knowing how to lever the bike when standing climbing, a better eye for making and preserving speed.
Sorry to hear that. It's odd from my perspective though. I never got a bad knee/ankle fropm singlespeeding, I've been doing it a very long time. Fixed too.
The only time I've experienced joint pains from cycling is when I was riding a geared bike. Must be a position thing, for me and you.
Yeah, candodavid said much the same thing. My left-side is weaker and I think it's the sheer pressure through the leg when climbing steeps. I expect I get out of shape a bit and it causes friction under the kneecap. I've been hoping it goes away and had a layoff etc. But Wed night was a short muddy ride with a lot of effort and it kicked off again.
I'm trying to sell my Cotic Simple for just this reason. I had bad knees before I rode singlespeed though. I too was drawn to singlespeed because of the simplicity, and my ongoing hatred of the derailleur. I loved it, and rode that way for about 4 years. I found it pushed me up the hills, my speed increased massively. I used to sit and spin slowly uphill, but it taught me the joy of really going for it, the importance of momentum.
I found though that the twinges through my knees were getting more regular, I just love cycling far too much to risk doing my knees in through SSing....
😥
Patella supporting knee brace?
That's interesting I get the same especially when cycling between trails, 32 X 16 really makes my left knee hurt over longer distances.
I've never really ridden gears, so will keep trying. Wierdly fixed and running a higer ss works better..
I used a gear bike today and it was no faster than my ss. If you want to look after your knee just walk some of the tougher climbs. No shame in strolling.
Over the years I have dropped my gearing. Can always find a few more revs of cadence when you can't find another ounce of push.
Hmm, I've just been discovering the joys of longer distance singlespeed on the 'cross bike, but my knees really packed in on me this weekend.
I think my problem was sitting too long and pushing up hills, instead of standing. I'm going to lower the gearing a little, put on some 175mm cranks instead of 170mm, and stand up more often!
I really hope this sorts it, it was such a revelation how much fun you could have on such a basic bike over longer distances.