hi,thinking about going single speed with my new build,is it worth it for how hard it is or would it be better to go 1x9? i live in huddersfield so it's reasonably hilly and recovering from broken arm so fitness won't be 100% for a while.
How hard is cycling?
If you have to ask its not worth doing. 😉
Its as hard as you make it, I wasn't fit when i started riding but am now, i'm not anti-gears just can't afford them and all the riding I do mainly dalby, yorks moors and dales i'm fine with my SS bike.
Easier than you think - do most of my flatter rides on a 32 / 14t cog.
You have to grow a beard first.
Riding a SS is easy, making sure everyone knows you are on a SS is the hard part 🙂
girls can do it, how hard can it be?
Chuck Norris rides single speed.
The worst thing about riding a singlspeed is that people keep asking you if you know anyone that knows the Ayatollah.
It's just like riding a bike.
convinced then,been looking for some ss kit on classifieds,has anyone got any up for grabs?
go for it, and it costs naff all to try with the DMR kit.
myself and two friends are all recent converts and truely enjoy the freedom it gives - you have to try it see what I mean.
I ride a 32*16 in the West Pennine Moors so not that different to your good self.
convinced then,been looking for some ss kit on classifieds,has anyone got any up for grabs?
What do you need? I've got some spacers and an 18t cog. Might also have a spare tensioner - can check this evening.
crispedwheel-would be good if you can,have got crank arms so everything apart from that,cheers.
crispedwheel
have got crank arms so everything apart from that
Not asking much then. Just a complete bike with no cranks. 😉
negative,just stuff to convert to ss.
some ss kit on classifieds
So you [url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-bontrager-rxl-shoes-giro-ionos-helmet-white ]missed this[/url] then?
It's about as hard as you want it to be.
Obi_Twa - MemberIt's just like riding a bike.
Reply of the year contender there. Well done that man/woman.
My commuter has been s/s for a couple of years but I recently swapped my Stiffee from an Alfine to a s/s (34/18). I found it is completely different riding offroad s/s than it is onroad. The first ride was very hard but I got used to it over the next couple of rides. I'm thinking of putting a 16T on the back.
I found I'm out of the saddle a lot so this might be very hard on your recovering broken arm.
it's not hard. Most of the time it's easier than riding with gears. Plus it gives you a ready-made excuse for being a bit slow 😉
its apparently harder than telling your parents you are Gay!
I don't really get the whole single speed thing, unless it's on relatively flat ground.
I always feel that I might as well just get my Raleigh Grifter out of storage and ride that again.
Physically its easy but boy, is it boring.
I love it on road/smoother stuff, manage to get up climbs a lot quicker when you're forced to put the power down rather than sit and spin in the granny ring. For off road I'm not convinced yet but as my current drivetran is a bit nackered and I've got no money I'm tempted to try SS properly rather than just sticking in one gear and trying not to change.
What do you need? I've got some spacers and an 18t cog. Might also have a spare tensioner - can check this evening.
If he doesn't want the spacers/18t cog I'll take that if its going for cheap enough and will fit on a Shimano XT hub 🙂
I don't really get the whole single speed thing, unless it's on relatively flat ground.I always feel that I might as well just get my Raleigh Grifter out of storage and ride that again.
Seems a little strange you even bothered to open the thread to share that nugget of wisdom with us. What I "don't really get" is people's propensity to open and reply to threads and decry something which they have no direct experience with.
Seems a little strange you even bothered to open the thread to share that nugget of wisdom with us. What I "don't really get" is people's propensity to open and reply to threads and decry something which they have no direct experience with.
Maybe you can share some wisdom rather than jumping around on your single speed high horse.
I run 1x9 but I can see the arguments for s/s Quirrel.
a) less to go wrong/break.
b) less maintenance/no cables to stretch.
c) different riding experience (are you a spinner or a grinder?)
would sir like a coffee to finish?
Seems a little strange you even bothered to open the thread to share that nugget of wisdom with us. What I "don't really get" is people's propensity to open and reply to threads and decry something which they have no direct experience with.Maybe you can share some wisdom rather than jumping around on your single speed high horse.
Singlespeeding on flat ground is the most boring thing - hills is where it's at 😀
the hardest bit about singlespeeding is the wierd antisinglespeed reactions you get on here. Build one and don't tell anyone.
I run 1x9 but I can see the arguments for s/s Quirrel.a) less to go wrong/break.
b) less maintenance/no cables to stretch.
c) different riding experience (are you a spinner or a grinder?)would sir like a coffee to finish?
I see the benefit of a 1x9 or a 1x10. You have a chance to get up those hills, but SS, either legs of steel and tungsten or not bothered about pushing up them.
However on a flat city street, then it would be pretty good, or a dirt track, but then it that just saying ss are glorified BMX's. If that is the case, then I see the point, BMX's are great fun, even though I look like a clown riding one with my long legs.
Maybe you can share some wisdom rather than jumping around on your single speed high horse.
Well if you 'don't get it', do you really expect to be enlightened by barging in on a thread asking advice of singlespeeders? Perhaps start (yet another) 'why SS?' topic? Or even do a search.
I offer no wisdom, just a response to the question, which was more than you managed. I enjoy riding singlespeeds because it makes me think about my riding more - maintaining momentum and metering your effort is essential.
Quirrel, most single speeders don't dump on gearies.
It's poor form to mock people who need a mobility aid designed to allow the old and frail to continue using their bikes...
🙂
Oh no! i just read [url= http://trianglemtb.com/whyss.php ]this[/url]
I was intrigued before and I fancied an Alfine instead.. Now I want to SS again. Do I do it on my Work bike / occasional offorad 456 or go for it on my Main Off roader?
Is 32/ 16 a good starting point for a fatty? was probably going to go for the tension seeker route...Is 140mm forks ott for ss?
It's poor form to mock people who need a mobility aid designed to allow the old and frail to continue using their bikes...
It's as bad as the Apple fan boys jumping up and down every time a Mac is questioned.
Sod it just got a cheapo superstar converstion/ tensioner 20 quid (dmr didnt come in an 18T and I currently run a 36 Chainring ) let you know how it goes.
It's surprising what you can climb with a bit of determination, and surprisingly its more about balance than sheer power. SS on the flat is dull.
downhill SS = fun
uphill SS = fun
flat roads between trails = frustrating unless you can whirl your legs like a windmill
flat roads between trails = you're doing it wrong.
obi_twa wrote [i]blah blah blah [/i]
I find steep hills that i can ride up I get up quicker than my mate on his geared bike. On a SS your lowest speed is the slowest you can turn your chosen ratio over. On a geared bike you find hills "easier" cos you are riding up slower. You still expend the same energy (all other things being equal) you just get to do it more slowly.
If I was commuting more than about 6 miles at a time I'd get a geared bike to save time, but for 6 miles or less I'd be happy to SS (and have done).
If I lived in Huddersfield I wouldn't SS if it was my only bike.
cheers all for that.
Single speed is fun for a while and helps to get you fitter.Great for the winter as well. However once you have a level of fitness you get more out of a geared bike.BTW a geared bike is quicker up a hill than a SS with a reasonable level of fitness. Its also quicker on the flat and downhill 😆
Singlespeeds look cooler.
I singlespeed.
And clearly I am the hardest bastard here.
I don't even use gears during chemo.
Any of my geared brethren fancy a slice of MTFU?
Singlespeeds look cooler.
True.
All the single speeders I know also wear wooly hats inside as fashion statements and have bead bracelets.
I don't even use gears during chemo.Any of my geared brethren fancy a slice of MTFU?
Petesgaff has just won the ss/gearie argument in one post.
Well that's ****ed about 70% of all anti ss posts for the future 😀
singlespeed [i]doesn't[/i] make you fitter.
it makes you stronger.
a geared bike will make you fitter.
petesgaff FTW
singlespeed make you strong like bear
Can I set up a full sus slopestyle bike as SS?
Heres my experience of riding singlespeed. First ride your legs and lungs are shagged - you blame poor gear choice - and you find out just how unfit you are. When you get to your first descent you spin out but brake lots because thats what you are used to doing. Couple of weeks go by and your legs have got a wee bit stronger, but your lungs are like those of a 100 a day smoker, your descending is a wee bit better and you have had to learn how to conserve speed. Couple of months go by your legs have got a lot stronger and your lungs are finally starting to catch up and you are flying down descents because your technique and line choice have had to improve out of necessity - you are quicker than you were on a geared bike because you are trying harder. Couple of years go by your legs are like high revving pistons and your lungs can handle it pretty well - your descending hasn't changed because you have got lazy and stopped trying.
singlespeed is great, 27 speed is great, it's 1x9 I don't understand - 70% of the downside of gears with 30% of the advantages...
Just did two laps this evening of a local trail. One on a geared HT, one on a fully rigid SS (rigid because my new faulty Rebas have gone back) . Main differences were on flat bits.
For me probably as someone new to SS - there seems a bigger difference between geared HT and geared FS, than SS HT and Geared HT.
If you ride singlespeed, which gear, on average, is the single speed most equivalent to?
Middle ring front and rear? Is it just the gear you would spend the most time in anyway in a geared set-up?
Mine is normally a middle ring up front and 1/3rd of the way up the block on the back. Which is roughly the gear I would spend most time in anyway.
32-16 seems to be quite popular for 26" wheels. If I can't get my gears sorted by completely re-setting all the cable tension, limit screws etc I shall give SS a proper go (about bloody time)!
[i] terrahawk - Member
Plus it gives you a ready-made excuse for being a bit slow [/i]
Modesty...FAIL! 😉
nice smooth fairly flat road, slicks -peasy!
offroad, lumpy bumpy, climbs, fat tyres -****'hard!
depends on your gear, but above applies!
A lot of the places I like to ride would rip the derailleur off in no time.
I was wandering if its possible to have a 2/3 x 1 setup. I.e. a double chain ring with a single cog on the back.
Havent yet decided if its a good idea, but i would think its possible with the right chain tensioner. Any experiences?
SS in winter - gears in summer or the bad weather
Commuting = SS because you can just dump the bike after a shift and go to bed 😉
road - fixed or gears but SS on the road SUCKS
as obitwa says - flat road sections between trails and your doing it wrong !
i remember obi twa tried to take me round his local trails and reduce me to pushing ..... i may have had a cadence of 1 or 2 riding the natural stuff to minch moor but i was damned if i was getting off .... legs hurt for days after but it was gooooood - the look of dissapointment on his face !
I SS'd for about 2 years, I love it, really enjoy the simplicity blah blah blah.. I've just swapped back to gears for the simple reason that SS was no longer practical for the people I ride with, it was ok on the hills but any flat section would see me trailing behind.. that doesn't mean I'm anti singlespeed though, nor will I never consider it again, but maybe as another bike, not my only one.
Give it a go, you'll undoubtedly love it!
I've been riding SS for a good while now, and when I go back to riding my geared MTB I can't seem to find the right gear, it just doesn't feel right. I've gone back to rigid forks on my SS MTB too, having suspension on there didn't feel right either.
The hardest thing I'd found about singlespeeding, is that it kinda makes your other, geared bikes feel redundant, and a bit unloved ... 🙁
Growing a beard isn't hard tho'.
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Your arm is going to be your biggest problem.
When I first started singlespeeding I found my whole upper body ached, and I'm a regular windsurfer, so I should be used to that sort of effort.
Now I find that when I go back to sailing after a few weeks off, I don't get crampy arms like I used to because the constant mauling the singlespeeding gives them.
I recently switched to flat pedals, and that's giving me a whole lot of new muscles to break in.
Been singlespeeding for about 18months. Its done wonders for my strength and fitness, but I started from a pretty low baseline TBH.
Whilst I like the fitness benefits, I think I would have got them on a geary too.
The thing I like the most and has already be alluded to is the change in riding style and the different demeands it makes - conservation of momentum and energy, attacking climbs you otherwise wouldn't etc...
Its so different from my other bike which is a 5 inch travel geared trail gobbler.
Variety is good.
on the road, on a road bike it is great - not had a proper go on a SS mountain bike though..
Single speed is RAD.
gears are fun too.
1x9 strikes me a as bit daft unless your on a DH bike
crap chain line, so wears it all out quicker, and will run noiseier and rougher?
why not just have 3 x 9?
If you ride singlespeed, which gear, on average, is the single speed most equivalent to?Middle ring front and rear? Is it just the gear you would spend the most time in anyway in a geared set-up?
Most SSers are on the equivalent of a middle ring and a couple of gears higher than middle sprocket.
1x9 strikes me a as bit daft unless your on a DH bikecrap chain line, so wears it all out quicker, and will run noiseier and rougher?
? most people seem to ride in the middle chainring even when they have a triple so just the same
As you have no bridleways in Uddersfield, it shouldn't be a problem.
In Alifax I use a SS for making "social" rides a bit more interesting.
Hmm, don't understand the 'crap chainline' arguement on 1x9 at all - it's just the same as riding in the middle ring of a 3x9 set up. Then again, my only bikes are a SS and a 1x9, so maybe I'm just a bit odd.
c9tin - ygm re ss kit btw.
crispedwheel-have sent payment mate.
Its all your fault. All off you
look what I have done...
before
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...after
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how hard is it..dunno , Ill find out tomorrow morning with the dogs..!
Better to run the tensioner pushing up, as it engages more teeth and looks nicer.
Good man!
Looks so much better with one gear 🙂
Anyone know if the on-one SS kits are any good? I can get one for a fiver posted, the spacer options don't look very flexible though.
Better to run the tensioner pushing up, as it engages more teeth and looks nicer.
the tensioner shaft would hit the chainstay, i think. There is a pin on it which falls against the flat of the hanger and the natural spring position leads you to this arrangement. I know what you mean though and to be fair, If I get on with it, a new slow dropout frame and some smaller sprockets may be in order 🙂
Well I am back after my first go.
Initial thoughts on the road outside my house; This is going to be silly. (spinning after a few strokes)
On the trail however, it immidiately made perfect sense. I can already see where i was stop/ starting before; basically I have been lazy on any hint of a gradient which means I was slower into the next bits. Now, to keep the RPM up, you cant do that. This much was ace fun and enjoyed it a lot
What I didnt enjoy was the first climb. It wasnt steep, or indeed long, but I found myself pushing the first bit. On the next bit, I attacked. I made it to the top (just). My heart was trying to jump out of my chest, my lungs were burning and I had to sit down for 5 minutes 🙂
Its almost enough to put me off.
but im not beaten yet...
NB The Cheap superstar kit performed faultlessly. Quiet and no hint of a slip or dropped chain. For 20 quid I cant complain
[i]My heart was trying to jump out of my chest, my lungs were burning and I had to sit down for 5 minutes[/i]
try and make the sit down 4 minutes next time, then 3, then 2...
you do get used to the climbs and, tbh, because you don't push a big gear as much on the flat bits overall on a ride the effort is about the same.
Fairly recent convert here. It definately does increase fitness and the difference when you get back on a geared bike is amazing!
Sounds very much like my experiences with running "singlespeed" (just trying not to change gears) 🙂 On road there's only been one climb I haven't got up so far. Off-road I rely on my granny ring still.
Gears in winter.
SS in summer.
It carn't be that hard, the knights of niche do it. 8)