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 👍
Fixed is an odd one, I should like it but it was step too far : ) Had one of my own for a short while (Genesis Flyer with nice wheels and D-A Track cranks) but after the novelty period I didn't like it and went back to SS on it. As much as I like simple bikes I also like to be able to freewheel and flow, descend fast or corner properly, to just be able to ride.
Maybe as a touring or winter road bike. I do get the urge to go touring in the Alps on a road SS. Road SS is hard to get right though, more variation in speed than off-road.
Pipedream Moxie HT, Genesis Day One Gravel/commuter
Good picks. My town bike is an old Day One SS and I keep seeing a pink Moxie SS on here and thinking how good that could be locally. I had a quick tarmac spin on a Starling Beady Little Eye not long ago - that would be the ultimate 'loads of garage space why not' fun bike, I loved it. Felt great to pedal and would be so good to do laps of the local DHs on. Pure flow bike.
the massive hoops are faster with gears, like really mind alteringly fast, but seems to have lost some of the joy and silliness.
Slight tangent, ok massive tangent, but why do you think 36 never caught on? I'm intrigued now there's this hype around 32, surely if 32 is better than 29 then 36 must be better than 32, so why don't see more 36s?
because not everyone is 8 ft tall (i'm 5ft 5 1/2 and 29 is big enough) actually i still miss 26" and 27.5" thanks bike industry for making them obsolete 🙁the massive hoops are faster with gears, like really mind alteringly fast, but seems to have lost some of the joy and silliness.
Slight tangent, ok massive tangent, but why do you think 36 never caught on? I'm intrigued now there's this hype around 32, surely if 32 is better than 29 then 36 must be better than 32, so why don't see more 36s?
I've always gone back and forth between geared and SS. Up until 10spd and narrow/wide I always had problems with my gears, SLX 1x10 was the first time I had a reliable geared drivetrain! I came to MTB from BMX so have always preferred simpler bikes and have been partial to fully rigid in the past!
My MTB is currently 1x11, but when the drivetrain wears out I'll probably go back to SS for a bit. Love the simplicity and as someone who tends to overthink and over-analyse everything in life, it makes riding more enjoyable. No worrying about maintaining a cadence, just thinking about turning the pedals over and it makes me more engaged to attack the climbs more which makes them more fun. Also the bike feels great without a massive heavy cassette on the back of it.
My previous road bike was SS and wish I'd kept it for similar reasons. With gears it all feels like it becomes too serious for some reason!
My SS is an old 26in Kona MTB converted to road - 1.5ins road tyres, Pace RC31 carbon forks and OnOne Mary bars! It gets ridden everyday pretty much, certainly to work and back Mon-Fri. Once or twice a week I'll do a longer ride home of appx 18-22miles and 1000ft of climbing, with the rucksack adds about half a stone of extra weight to carry. During the winter months when the ground is too wet for mtb I'll take it out on Sunday rides for a bit of a longer stint. Keep thinking of upgrading to a proper SS gravel bike.
Slight tangent, ok massive tangent, but why do you think 36 never caught on? I'm intrigued now there's this hype around 32, surely if 32 is better than 29 then 36 must be better than 32, so why don't see more 36s?
36 is, and will always be niche as it's pushing things a wee bit far for most folk. They roll like you wouldn't believe and the speed and stability is unreal, but they excel in fast open terrain, (i.e. gravel, ultra distance stuff) and can be a bit of handful in tight and twisty stuff. Its no longer than my pole Evolink super long low slack enduro bike, but you do have to adjust on how you ride.
It's a bit like the day of 10" travel full sussers, great for launching of a cliff, bit limited for pedalling in the woods!
to make a 36er handle well takes some serious geometry black magic.
32 has been around for over a decade and is easy as it's only a minor tweak to 29+ geometry, the biggest stumbling block was always getting tyres and boingy bits if you're that way inclined and now that the more mainstream brands have got onboard it's the next new thing
Love my massive wheels, but also I'm a lucky nichewhore in that I have many different bikes to play on and I design bits with various folks as well as doing my own sideline in titanium stuff, so I can be a daft bugger and push things to see if its possible purely from a personal perspective without having to worry it's commercially viable
Last year I spent a ridiculous amount of money on having a bespoke singlespeed built for me. I haven't regretted it for a second.
If I'm riding on my own, I'll always take my ss. I take it most of the time riding with mates, but there's a definite over exertion trying to keep up with them on it. It doesn't help they're all really competitive with eachother!
Bikes are great.
Coincidentally, I went for my first SS ride for ages last week. Having moved from Bedfordshire to the Cotswolds I will admit to being afraid of the local hills, they are steeper and longer than I am used but I just stopped when I needed to, let the HR drop and got back on. It wasn't quick but thats not the point of SS so I'll keep using it now and again when I'm not riding with geared friends and maybe by the end of summer I'll be making that first climb without stopping.
I've got a rigid Inbred 26er I keep thinking of either getting rid of, or packing away until my daughter is big enough for it. But, this has got me thinking that it wouldn't take much to SS it.
Not sure what I'd use it for, as my Sonder Camino does pretty much everything the Inbred does but that's probably not the point.
@Colin-T I know that feeling. I like how SS is a constant, you know it when you feel good on a local hill or another hill becomes do-able. I've never been very competitive Vs others on a bike but being better against my past self feels good.
Last year I spent a ridiculous amount of money on having a bespoke singlespeed built for me. I haven't regretted it for a second.
I think it's the purity of it. It's just essence of bike.
Was preparing to sell this (stealth ad!) but now I've discovered I can shoehorn 45mm tyres into it am tempted to keep it as a back-up gravel bike...
for me you just can't beat a well sorted blinglespeed, yeah you can make one cheap as chips and it'll still be a hoot to ride, but something that's got bits of lovely shiny things, made by an artisan, in a shed, with a natty beard, who may also be a wizard that talks to trees is just ace.
I'll go ages without riding SS and then get back into it, as I've been over the past few months.
There's just some magic to it, I'd hate to not have it there as an option.
Traditionally a winter thing, that's when I never really use mine though. Wet slippy climbs are just filled with so much failure and bollock related jeopardy when attacked SS.
With unlimited shed space if like a dedicated whippy rigid SS, maybe one day.
For the time being though, I'm quite happy with my 140 forked Ti machine.
@Colin-T I know that feeling. I like how SS is a constant, you know it when you feel good on a local hill or another hill becomes do-able. I've never been very competitive Vs others on a bike but being better against my past self feels good.
Yeah I found it was a good way of tracking and challenging myself/my fitness at least on the road bike. If I was faster up hills then I was getting fitter and stronger rather than relying on gears. I've still got some PR strava segments that I can't seem to beat on the geared bike as well!
I keep seeing a pink Moxie SS on here
That'll be mine ...
Starling Beady Little Eye not long ago - that would be the ultimate 'loads of garage space why not' fun bike, I loved it
This is my current dream/obsession ... I need to find some cash down the back of the sofa though ...
For some unknown reason I have b3en thinking about this for a while.
I have a Sonder Broken Road so it has a tensioner setup already on the backend, i run it rigid with a travers carbon fork. I just can't convince myself or find a right time to do it. I also struggle with the thought of speed.
I'm also getting older, ride with the wife who rides slow so the speed isn't to much of a concern maybe, but I am also a brain out the box rider who loves being flat out on the bike.
I live in Norfolk. It's flat. Ride thetford loads and someone said its like riding a new area all over. We do travel to the Peaks and Yorkshire for off road a bit and also tour to Holland. All pretty varied and think I will probably take a chance and do it.
What is the best setup to go with, chain, sprocket type? Rear end? Pricing seems very cheap to do.
I do love an SS 😎 even more so a rigid SS. Makes the trails come alive maaaan!
One of mine...
And another...
And another...
Is 3 enough? 😁
Tries again. 
I do love an SS 😎 even more so a rigid SS. Makes the trails come alive maaaan!
One of mine...
And another...
And another...
Is 3 enough? 😁
Nearly enough, maybe 1 or 2 more? Can't play it too safe!
i built up a Sonder Frontier, rigid, SS (magic ratio, not sure if the chain will stay on) mostly out of spare parts, except the frameset itself, a crank i had to buy, and some grips..
So far, i haven't ridden it.. i need to go on an adventure up the disused railway near me.. see how it feels.. and work out why i might ride it over the gravel bike lol
For some unknown reason I have b3en thinking about this for a while.
I have a Sonder Broken Road so it has a tensioner setup already on the backend, i run it rigid with a travers carbon fork. I just can't convince myself or find a right time to do it. I also struggle with the thought of speed.
I'm also getting older, ride with the wife who rides slow so the speed isn't to much of a concern maybe, but I am also a brain out the box rider who loves being flat out on the bike.
I live in Norfolk. It's flat. Ride thetford loads and someone said its like riding a new area all over. We do travel to the Peaks and Yorkshire for off road a bit and also tour to Holland. All pretty varied and think I will probably take a chance and do it.
What is the best setup to go with, chain, sprocket type? Rear end? Pricing seems very cheap to do.
Set-up, you just need a rear sprocket, spacers to take up the space of the rest of the cassette, and a chain - you could cut down the chain you're using, but safer/cheaper overall to put it in a bag with the cassette you take off.
- Sprocket*: find a compromise ratio that you like for your local trails, note the tooth number, buy that. See how you get on. get a wide-foot one rather than a cheapy stamped steel disc as it will spread the load on your cassette better. Stick with 3/32in rather than 1/8in - you don't need the extra beef or weight, and also means you don't need a new chainring as well.
- Chain: 8 speed, or single speed specific with a colour/rust-prevention coating to suit your preferences. 3/32in as above.
-Spacers: get a set with lots of adjustment like the bottom 3 on this page, rather than a 2-spacer kit like some of the ones at the top, which might not give the adjustment you need for a straight chain. https://www.bikemonger.co.uk/single-speed-kits-228-c.asp
You could get a front chainring as well, but only if yours is on the way out.
In terms of when, only takes a little bit of money and a little bit of faff. Just try it, you might like it. And if you don't like it, try it again, you might like it!
Just a note of caution (from experience) in terms of speed-leveller with wife rides: It works well on flatter trails, but less so on hills where you have to maintain a certain speed to stay on top of the gear. You'll be standing up and cranking (on a lighter bike) while she's clicking down and spinning, watching you disappear!
*Sprockets mesh with chains, cogs mesh with cogs! It may be that "everyone" says cog, plus it's quicker, but it's WRONG!
sorry ned, you are wrong, sprocket was the dog from fraggle rock and although he rides a jones spaceframe SS in one episode where he goes on adventures with Doc, you cant wrap him in chains as that is muppet abuse and possibly something Depeche mode would sing about.
oh and even the bike companies call them cassette cogs.
And this is the sort of thing you're up against, nowad.
You can just roll with it as part of linguistic change and call them cogs, you can call them sprockets cos that's what they are and leave it there, or you can make it your life's work to correct people and be a prick about it at every opportunity.
Lol yeah I get it. Thanks all. Valid point on the wife side and suspect I will be disappearing off on the hills.
Gonna give this a go I think and the price is **** all.
Gosh you're a wee grumpy sausage today Ed, go and take the old SS puffin out for a potter and do some breathing exercises n that. 😆
On the riding with the wife front, I do this too but you need to watch out, when it gets a bit steeper and she drops to a low gearing it's actually hard to ride that slow and I end up stomping to the top which doesn't always go down well.
Gosh you're a wee grumpy sausage today Ed, go and take the old SS puffin out for a potter and do some breathing exercises n that.
Ha! Puffin's in the loft at the mo. Hubs stopped playing. Need to sort it out at some point. I went out on my SSed Signal at lunch time though, and just come back from an evening ride as well. I've been away for a bit and need to catch up. It's too good out there at the moment! 😀
I wasn’t planning to try singlespeeding, I think I only tried it because the frame I’d chosen had sliding dropouts and whilst I was waiting for it I talked myself into an SS experiment. That was 4 years ago this week! It just feels so right.
It's just a lovely thing to look at! (From this evenings ride)
