[Closed] First ever singlespeed ride tonight – will I die?

No.
But your knees will explode.
And possible blind you.
And you'll grow a beard.

you won't die, but you;ll wish you had at one point. Your first pint won't touch the sides.

I ride 32:16 in the peaks (I'm in marple on the other side to you) and while it's bloody hard work, it's very satisfying, and in my local area there are very few climbs that I can clean on a geared bike that I can't clean SS.

You will hurt everywhere tomorrow - SS is a full body workout, as you will be out of the saddle and heaving on the bars.

Best tip - it's about momentum. Brake a little as possible, stay loose and let the bike float under you, attack the hills for as long as you can then get off and push

and remember at the end of the day it's just a bike, so smile and enjoy it

I had my first rigid SS ride yesterday. Started out with a 32-18, but the tensioner broke so I had to take out a link and ride 32-16. I was dreading it, but it was fine. I would definitely recommend riding clipless pedals if you don't already.

when you have to get off and walk on a particular hill remember where it was you stopped.

next time you do that hill make sure you do at least 2 pedal strokes further before you stop.

and repeat.

Eventually you'll a) get fitter and b) reach the top.

Love my singlespeed rides - it doesn't feel 'odd' any more to just have to stand up and gurn rather than sit and spin.

[quote=jimthelad ]I would definitely recommend riding clipless pedals if you don't already.

QFT, bro

Cheers. I always ride with spds anyway, and rarely use my granny ring so it should be an interesting night but I reckon I'll survive.

I wonder whether I'll miss the gears or the suspension more?

The bike kind of feels like a big bmx compared to my usual bike so I'm hoping it'll be a bit like that.

32:16 in the peaks here. I only ride it in the winter/muddy filth, but it's great fun, and a bit different/nice change to the geared bikes.

I find myslef reaching for higher gears* rather than lower ones as a rule .
you will be fine and either begin a love affair with simplicity or you will neve ruse ot again
* Not uphill just in general when i get close to spinning out

attack the hills for as long as you can then get off and push

Are bar ends useful, or essential even?

don't use them on either of my SS bikes - find I tend to spin out the rear tyre if I have weight any further forward on climbs.

On the contrary, you seem to be ideally suited for singlespeeding.

You havent ridden one yet, but you're already drawing attention to yourself.

Don't use bar ends personally

I've recently found that a great aid to climbing on my singlespeed is a 3 year old child. Sat on the back on his bike seat, giggling at me. Provides mega amounts of traction up climbs where I regularly wheel spin.

32:16 in the Peaks though - respect! I run 32:17 around Calderdale and wouldn't want to drop down any further - 17t cog is a nice compromise between knee popping climbing ability and being able to keep a nice turn of speed along swoopy, flattish stuff.

so how did it go?

nbt above is right.

I tighten my SPDs a little on the s/s as I really pull up on hills and definitely don't like them popping out (clips that is, not knees).

I rode my s/s in the Chilterns Challenge on Sunday, first ride for a while, I'd forgotten how much fun singlespeeding is. Until I get knackered I do reckon the s/s is faster than geared - partly because it's lighter and partly because I have to ride in a set rhythm which = momentum.

I ride 32:18 in the Peaks (Sheffield side) and I still struggle up most hills, 32:16 would be a step to far for me. It is good fun and back when I had more miles under my belt could do a 5/6 hour ride, now it is saved for shorter 1-2 hour evning and winter rides.

When's the funeral?

what a way to go . . . .

4-5 rides in on my rigid SS and love it. 32:16, Surrey Hills, it's OK but I think our climbs are lots shorter than yours in them there Peaks!

Trails I have been riding for years are fresh again and there is a definite payback in my geared riding. I am more agressive in the climbs and change down gear a lot less.

I'm just a normal mid-paced rider, no whippet. If I can do it anyone can.

A grippy tyre on the rear helps as you'll be putting a lot of torque through it.

Listen to your heart rate and take advantage of any plateaus on the climbs to recover, go as slow as possible while still keeping the cranks turning, then just balls-out at the steeps.

Have at it!

OP how did it go?

I would definitely recommend riding clipless pedals if you don't already.

A grippy tyre on the rear helps as you'll be putting a lot of torque through it.

Surely you can't get more torque with a single speed? (aasuming of course that your geared bike has lower gears...)

Or is it the spikey torque curve?

Or the standing up and unwaiting the rear wheel?

Cleats used to last yonks but SSing kills 'em

I'm in the Hope Valley and huff and puff about on 32:16 - run clips so you can pull up on the pedal as well as push, have bar ends as I need the leverage. Would not go back to gears - it's just a battle of wills. If only mine was a little tougher!

Would be fun to run a SS ride one weekend.

Higher gear = more torque at the wheel, no?

Its all the walking

class

I rode my full suss with gears today, after months of SS rigiding.
It felt wrong. I said to myself, it'll be fine on the way home.
Wrong.

I'll have to stick with it for the weekend, but its by far my favourite over the FS

BTW. You are now a god 😀

You body may protest after a few rides. You can but try.

I've been toying with the idea of running one of my 29ers SS, but seeing as the OP has obviously expired after his maiden voyage I don't think I'll bother... 😥

I use 32-18 on 26ers, i can ride most the hills in my local wood, if its dry weather that is.

Put a wide bar on, i like fleegles.

Grippy tyres, what are you using?

Mud X on the rear.

Its all the walking

😆

I ride with him , its not true.
That's me that is 😳

Higher gear = more torque at the wheel, no?

No the reverse.

Low gear uphill because you need large torque

down hill high gear, low torque, so you get more speed

[quote=fenred ]I've been toying with the idea of running one of my 29ers SS, but seeing as the OP has obviously expired after his maiden voyage I don't think I'll bother...

You know when I said I rode 32:16 in the peaks, up there ^^^?

Well, that's the 26er SS which will soon be sold. I just built a 29er Rigid SS. My but it's lovely (and slightly lower geared at 32:20 which us about the same as 32:18 on 26" wheels)

[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8446/7832716796_5525f6746f.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8446/7832716796_5525f6746f.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/n_b_t/7832716796/ ]ScandAl[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/n_b_t/ ]Notoriously Bad Typist[/url], on Flickr

No the reverse.

Low gear uphill because you need large torque

down hill high gear, low torque, so you get more speed

Fair enough. Anyway I still think a grippy tyre helps as it's being pushed harder than in a lower gear. For lack of a more scientific explanation. Aham.

mattjq

you can't argue with experience....

Its all the walking

😉

grippy rear tyre yep deffo a good shout, of course what's grippy in the mud is not neccessarily grippy in the dry. I mostly only SS when the trails are wet and muddy, happily this is 90% of the year. MudX works for me.

of course no matter what rubber you're running at some point up a really steep hill you'll be putting 100% of your weight through one pedal and accidentally slightly unweight the rear and all that earth wrenching torque will be suddenly unbound, it'll either result in OTB or ruining your manhood on the stem/top tube. Like falling over still clipped in, it'll happen, accept it and try to laugh it off when it does 🙂

I've been riding rigid SS for a couple of years or so now - 32:16, Mud X, etc. Don't have a beard but I am toying with the idea of a merkin. Do Rapha make them?

I have been riding SS for years now and I have grown a beard. I have not died yet but it comes to us all sooner or later.

I've got 36:16 on my 29er Swift. It's my first SS bike and I'm loving it. It makes every hill a challenge. The bike is fully rigid and my full suspension specialized hasn't been used in the past 6 months.

I've got 36:16 on my 29er Swift.

32:18 for the hills for me here.

No beard, but do use bar ends.

33:18 here, on a 29er, riding mostly Cannock area. New years resolution was a whole year in one gear, & its still going strong. Aside from a few times on Cannocks Monkey trail, I've not struggled too much. I've always preffered getting up out the saddle on climbs, & thats the thing I love about SS. I'm only 5'9" but swapping to a 29er felt so much better, the bike just seems so much better suited to SS. Going up steep & loose stuff is always a difficult one, constantly looking for the line that will give the best traction. The grippy rear tyre is a good call. Ive gone through three sets of pedals this year, latterly a set of DX 647's, with the plastic cage. Might try normal (non-caged) SPD's next. Currently on some flats but being fully rigid can end up getting bounced off the pedals on bumpy desents.
No beard but do don sandals sometimes.

I converted my P7 to SS a couple of weeks ago to give it a try and was suprised at the ache all over thing but after a few rides now feeling better.What I am struggling with still is not being able to cruise along in top gear.I used to go up through the gears as I came downhill and just power along when I got to the flat, now I have to coast more till my speed drops enough to be able to pedal again without spinning out. Maybe coasting is the reward for putting in more effort getting up the hill in the first place.

No beard or sandals yet though.

I haven't ridden my SS for ages. This thread has given me the desire again. I think I shall ride a lot of the winter on one.

while we're here, what front tyre for a rigid SS in the winter? needs to be ok in the slop, wet roots, fast rolling, have enough volume for a little suspension (2.2ish IMO), and be galvanised from the tears of orphaned kittens.

Thinking of converting a bike to singlespeed for winter for the simplicity, and it sounds like a fun challenge.
The thing is, I've got very attached to my flat pedals since I switched from spuds a couple of years back. I'd like to keep them on, even though it sounds like most singlespeeders benefit from spuds.
Does anyone ride a singlespeed on flats, is it ok or a waste of time?

Mattjg - I've just put a purgatory on mine in 2.2 flavour and ride round the surrey hills. Only had one ride on it but was pretty impressed with the grip. Hopefully they'll bring the 2.4 over here soon. Other than that the hans dampf in 2.4 blows up nice and big but i'm not convinced by the grip in wet mud, all seems a bit vague to me.

@gotama ta that's the kind of thing. Know if it'll fit OK on a Stans 355, ghetto tubeless?

(Me SH too).

@rocketdog. What's shocking about 36:16? 😀 I've never experimented with other ratios so have no idea what's good or bad. I'm just putting my 'walking up some hills' and 'almost dying from exhaustion' down to the fact I'm overweight, crap diet, unfit and relatively new to SS 😀

Well the OP hasn't bene back so maybe he didn't make it? ANyone know him? Any decent bikes going begging?

Singlespeeding is the future! You'll love it! 😀

I'm back out on my hardtail this eve for Dalby Full Red: 21 miles of fun, never done the full red on it before, but do it on other bikes and have ridden my SS up some of the hills in there before but Addersback climb might be the 'fun' one to beast myself up!!!

I ride 32:16 here on the Surrey hills. Had it at afan a couple of weeks ago, which was no real problem. The initial whites level climb makes me vomit with gears, so it was the same.

Frame geometry makes a big difference. I have found my heavier ns surge to climb better, and with less rear wheel spin than my previous inbred.

Well, thank you for your concerns about my welfare, and offers on my bikes.

I did survive, although I confess that I cheated a bit seeing as it was such a lovely evening and went for a proper ride first on my normal bike, followed by a short circuit on the ss.

The fully rigid felt strange, it's my first for about 12 years. The gearing seemed ok, strangely it felt different to the same ratio on a geared bike, but I can see some walking on long steep climbs.

I quite enjoyed it; I might do it again.

The gearing seemed ok, strangely it felt different to the same ratio on a geared bike

It's more efficient: straight chainline, no jockey wheels, no derailleur cage rub.

and picks up quicker if your chain is tight.

I also think my SS rolls better, it can't be the transmission because it's not being used at that time. So it's either the rigid forks, or I'm imagining it.

@rocketdog. What's shocking about 36:16?

@gotama ta that's the kind of thing. Know if it'll fit OK on a Stans 355, ghetto tubeless?

Not sure this is much help but the Hans Dampf blew up very easily onto my P35s and the Purgatory went up easily on some Flows. Can't help on the ghetto side of things though. The purgatorys are a tight fit when getting them onto the rim which i'd have thought bodes well for ghetto tubeless.

I'll be on a big purple canfield yelli or a swift singlespeed.

I think 36:16 on a 29er is the same ratio as my second highest gear on a 1x10 26er! That seems like very hard work indeed. Typical singlespeed starting point gearing is 32:16 on a 26er so 32:18 on a 29er.

32:19 on mine

Anyone selling a rigid ss? Sold mine a while back and I do miss it. Ho hum.

Glad the OP seemed to enjoy the experience. They are great for winter, from a maintenance point of view if nothing else.

Does anyone ride a singlespeed on flats, is it ok or a waste of time?

[quote=cupra ]Anyone selling a rigid ss? Sold mine a while back and I do miss it. Ho hum.
Glad the OP seemed to enjoy the experience. They are great for winter, from a maintenance point of view if nothing else.

will be selling an SS soon, not rigid but cheap enough to allow you to buy rigid forks...

Tell me more 🙂

Does anyone ride a singlespeed on flats, is it ok or a waste of time?

Yep, i ran my canfield singlespeed with flats for a while as i'm not comfortable with clips when doing more silly stuff. Works fine, bit harder up the hills as you can't pull up as hard but it's all perfectly acceptable. If i could find a decent tensioner that worked with the weird rear dropout weld on it then i'd be very tempted to leave it as a singlespeed.

I've ridden in flats for everything, always. Don't see the bog deal about riding a ss with flats 😕

Don't see the bog deal about riding a ss with flats

Foot slippage in the wet resulting in a family jewels / stem interface led me to only ride the ss I had at the time in spds 🙂

Thanks for the advice/encouragement DONK, gotama, SM2, and cupra.
I'm gonna go for it and convert the bike this week to ss, keeping the flats too but I'll be careful on the stem. Cheers all.

I bought some chunky DMR V8s and the pins are grippy, so far no foot slippage... However, if my foot does slip, my legs will get shredded :-O