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I had to give up SSing about 18 months ago after 10+ years of it, just couldn't do high HR work when I started riding again after a sudden fairly serious but thankfully fully-recoverable condition. So I put gears back on my MTB and enjoyed it. Gears are good for longer rides and faster singletracks, no doubt. The Cotswolds are not short of steep climbs that are pretty much impossible on a SS so it's not really a place for SSing anyway, not like the Chilterns where I lived before. The gears stayed on, though I've been feeling fine on the bike since last summer.
Out of curiosity and fear of waning fitness I put the bike into the SS ratio at the start of a ride this morning and went for it up the hill. Left it there at the top, carried on. Made it round the whole loop that I used to SS a couple of times a week, felt ok. It's hard work but I'd forgotten how much I liked the simple 'pedal or don't, just ride' kind of feeling. And I'm drawn to simpler bikes, for some reason I enjoy the ride more overall when there's less to adjust, select or think about. I was just suprised earlier by how good it was to be riding that way again.
Maybe I'm getting old and I need something to rely on..
Single speeds rule. I'm going to set the bike back up as a SS and get something a bit more all-round capable for geared rides.
(I don't mind admitting it, I like that first album of theirs)
The Lily Allen version makes the room very dusty - was a John Lewis Christmas advert song around the time we lost our dog and the words were so poignant 😢
I love the simplicity of a singlespeed but at the same time I like new tech on bikes.
As such my hardtail is singlespeed and the full sus has AXS gears and dropper etc.
Switching between the two is an eye-opener in many ways but it just shows how enjoyable all riding is.
i think in the current world of rebound this, high speed click there, battery on that, titanium buttercup DuB wide range SL ultimate radial sindles.... less is more! I am currently trimming down my bike collection, as i want to go back to the 'old days' of one bike to do it all. Less maintenance, less 'which bike today' and more riding.
Hiya!
I love SS-ing, and been doing it off & on for 15+ years. Two out of my 5 bikes are SS (Pipedream Moxie HT, Genesis Day One Gravel/commuter). Moxie is currently my most ridden bike, I've put 900km on it since I built it up in November! Moxie has a nice fork and a dropper (I'm not completely averse to technology) but it's a nice balance between being both a simple yet capable bike.
I'm currently 58 - hoping my knees and health allow me to continue SS-ing for many years yet.
I'm having weird vibes the other way, where I've stuck gears on the 36er for the Dirty Reiver this year ( the rest of the fleet of niche machines are still SS).
It's odd, as I've ridden the event single speed every year, but thought I'd gear it for my last Reiver just for the novelty of having hills that don't make me gurn like a I'm pooing a pineapple.
the massive hoops are faster with gears, like really mind alteringly fast, but seems to have lost some of the joy and silliness.
I’m with you on simplicity, however I do like gears! I started off on a rigid Saracen and had great fun round all the classic Peak District routes, I can’t remember it getting significantly better on my second ATB when I got front suspension. I’m now back to a rigid fatbike, it’s got gears but all I need to do is wipe and lube the chain after every ride and I’m good to go again!
Real simplicity is fixed gear brakeless which is even better off road than on. I ride solely fixed/brakeless for a few years then a geared bike comes into my mind so I get one (beat all my current times that were on fixed and think it is great) and then 6 months later, or less, the geared bike has gone and back to fixed gear thinking what was I doing with a geared bike.
I have been doing that for 25 years now...
Despite being a pretty terrible SS rider I do love it.
In the flatlands of East Anglia, amongst the false flats and mediocre hills, it's a case of pedal, pedal, pedal.
Riding with geared riders and eBikes you certainly feel that you've had a workout at the end of the ride!
For covering decent distance a geared bike is nice but 30k in the woods on a SS is just 👍