now as i live at the top of a hill gears are esintial but even if i lived in Norfolk i still cant see the point of a bike without gears.
I have ridden a couple and i am either pedeling like lance
or standing on the pedels to try and get them to turn
Am I missing something??
A bridge
That's a question that has always bothered me too. Do SSers have steam cars and valve radio and die of easily treated diseases before they are 35? OK I live at the top of a big hill but I can't see the point of rejecting technology for the sake of it [ I notice they don't reject disc brakes and carbon doodads!]
It's still a bit early in the evening for this question
If I lived at the top of a hill that would be even more reason for using SS.
-10 see me after the bell for a slap round the back of the head stupid boy.....
Depends what you ride and where you ride.
If you ride jump parks, dirt jumps trials, than SS is the way to go. Anything else use gears, the only disadvantage to gears is weight and cost. However the weight is easily overcome by the increase in power.
Because they are the race walkers of the mtb world
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What this ss?
Not sure about that oo00oo - always getting overtaken by them 🙁
it's a bit like rock-climbing; yes there may be an easier way to get from A to B, but sometimes i enjoy the challenge of doing it [i]this[/i] way.
why would anyone want to climb a rockface? - there's almost always an easier, faster, path that gets to the top.
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Am I missing something??
The correct ratio?
why???because i can and wanted to and i live in essex(all be it the hilly part)and in the end i'll be really fit and have legs of iron(i wish) 😀
That's not a climb it's a Mincy boulder problem
What's with all the pro, there is a cam placement after the overhang, then a thrutch to the top and he is sorted...
Bumblie
Sorry what was the question?
It gets you to the pub on the other side of the village, and you don't have to worry about all that complicated gear malarkey on the way home, when pedalling and holding on is just about manageable.
i only ride SS to work, so apart from chain adjust and a new chain every year i dont have to bugger around with
gear cables and put up with poor shifting etc etc, (previous bike have always been a faff, 75 miles a week every week rain or shine and deep snow)
wouldn't ride ss up the woods though,but i can see why some people would,
i have to say upper body strength is massively improved riding a ss
i run a singlespeed in the winter, stops all the mechanicals and costing a fortune in chains, cassettes, jockey wheels, bottom bracket. the first rule of singlespeed is never wash it, just throw it in the garage covered in sh*t and leave it, then get it out the next ride and just ride. 😀
No faff of having to piss around with gear maintenance. Cheaper. Looks better. Lighter (marginal). Feels good - hard to explain until you try it, just feels more "connected" or something. Forces you to climb quicker and put in more effort everywhere. Gives you a thick, luxurious beard...
Saying that I ride a geared mountain bike because I'm unfit. Finally decided to go the SS route when I get a road bike though, as it's a lot cheaper and it's mainly for fitness so it makes sense to get something that forces me to work harder.
Lighter (marginal)
I'd hardly call the weight saving marginal, no shifters, no mechs, no cassette, lose a ring or two, the only penalty is a slightly heavier chain.
I don't get all this 'you need a special chain' stuff. A nine speed chain is strong enough to take all your force, cross chained. Why would you need something else?
now as i live at the top of a hill gears are esintial but even if i lived in Norfolk i still cant see the point of a bike without gears.I have ridden a couple and i am either pedeling like lance
or standing on the pedels to try and get them to turnAm I missing something??
There speaks someone who's either had his arse kicked by a SSer, or who hasn't given it a proper try.
Once upon a time I couldn't see the point either. But people kept saying I should. So I did, and I loved it. 🙂
Actually Science Officer you've made a bloody good point, more weight savings coming my way.
lol! Weenie!
cheaper, although many like the 'niche' aspect (and because it makes it harder-by default making them 'harder' too...) i have one but only as i don't want to trash my decent bike riding local mundane trails!
Scienceofficer - Memberlol! Weenie!
Guilty as charged.
Ss gives me uber jizz
I ride SS because I choose to, no other reason at all.
I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions now, so there ! 😉
Simple really. Gears (and suspension) are mobility aids for old or frail bicyclists.
Single speeders are decent people - which is why we don't take the piss out of those with gears and suspension, because they are obviously old or frail.
It's also just a reason to have another bike, or keep the old one.
No, this one is completely different to that one. look, it's got no gears, see! different bike.
Why do people who dont do some aspect of cycling feel the need to slag it off/quetion those who do it?
Survives winter and extra effort compensate for fewer miles in winter. Makes you stronger etc -try cycing uphill in 32-16 if you dont believe me. Something to do with all your old bike bits you have lying around
Thought it might be different, it was.
Thought it might be harder going up hills, so make me work harder, it did.
Thought it would make for some really mellow recovery rides after illness, it did.
...and yea, on exactly the same bike, with the same rear wheel and freehub it somehow manages to feel more direct/connected/some spiritual bollox...
No idea how, but it does, and I quite like it. But I love every one of the gears on my EX9 🙂
Definitely an excuse for another bike!
I tried SS in rigid 29er form, so it was 3 new things at once, absolutely loved it (having been fairly sceptical) also gives you a reason to look forward to winter, and the only bike I bother changing tyres on as it's also good fun in the summer!
Cheaper. New drive train for £30 or less. No shifters or cables to wear out either. Less faffage.
i supose anyone could ride ss if they could be arsed but whats the point! id rather enjoy the ride ' i think its more a " look at me with only single speed" " ive got something to prove bullshit thing" but thats my opinion!
"I'd rather enjoy the ride"- that's the point. No unenjoyableness, just pedal and brake. simple fun. What's there to prove?? Obviously you've gotta try harder on hills and get used to a certain speed going down, gravity. It's a compromise. sounds like You've got sommat stuck in yer trumpet though shaggmeister?
' i think its more a " look at me with only single speed" " ive got something to prove bullshit thing" but thats my opinion!
I think with some people that is the only reason they do it,but you normally find they are the fat buggers who are slow as hell & can't ride for sh!t.The quicker ones normally dont make such a big thing about it.....
from the wise Sheldon Brown, I have not seen anyone put it across better:
[b]Why ride a Singlespeed?[/b]
Modern 24-27 speed bikes are marvels of technology, and allow a cyclist to select the gear ratio that will make the most efficient use of his/her energy. If what you're after is getting the maximum possible speed/distance for the minimum effort (and there's nothing wrong with that!) a multi-speed bike is what you need...but, efficiency isn't everything!
If you're riding for sheer pleasure, or for exercise, you don't necessarily place that high a premium on output results, as measured in speed, distance or vertical climb. Instead, you may care more about the actual experience of riding your bike. In this case, you may be a candidate for a singlespeed bike.
Riding a singlespeed can help bring back the unfettered joy you experienced riding your bike as a child. You don't realize how much mental energy you devote to shifting until you relinquish your derailers, and discover that a whole corner of your brain that was formerly wondering when to shift is now free to enjoy your surroundings and sensations.
Paradoxically, a singlespeed is, in another sense more efficient than a multispeed bike! While the single gear ratio will not be the "perfect" gear ratio for all conditions, in the conditions which fit the single gear, it is considerably more efficient mechanically than the drive train of a derailer bike.
A singlespeed bike dispenses with the weight of the derailers, shifters, cables, extra sprockets and longer chain. In addition, a singlespeed gear train runs the chain in a perfectly straight line from sprocket to chainwheel, and avoids the serpentine wind through the pullies of a derailer. You can really feel the difference! A singlespeed is noticeably quicker and easier to pedal than a multispeed bike in the same gain ratio.
Singlespeed bikes are also considerably more sturdy and reliable than multispeed bikes. There's no derailer to catch on the underbrush or to get overshifted into the spokes. The rear wheel itself is a lot stronger than one made with off-center (dished) spoking to make room for a whole bunch of sprockets on one side.
There are certainly plenty of "look at me" types but there are more "I can live without gears so I'll take the ease of cleaning, longevity and reliability improvements particularly through winter/mud"
Besides it's a silly question anyway, motorbikes are available so why would anyone ride bikes (geared or ss)?
I looked into it last year, never did it. Then this year for my Birthday got a Genesis iO, it's awesome.
Makes riding my local wood a great laugh when after a while it can become a bit samey on a geared bike.
Also makes you look at routes and trails in a different way, momentum is now a massive consideration as is how the **** am I going to get up there without dying 😆
I've a fancy that this thred might take on a different flavour when the hair shirt brigade return from SSUK 😉
that rockclimb earlier in the thread looks like flying buttress direct (stanage) to me 🙂
For me my SS inbred brought back the joy of simply riding my bike. Never looked back although i may be getting two geared bikes setup soon (road + FS) although the road bike is free and the FS bike should be ultra cheap.
Wow, I didn't realize so many people struggled with gears
Can't believe no-one's done this one yet:
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It's funny because it's true.
Some people like the simplicity the quietness of riding one, trying to make their local trails a bit more challenging/interesting and not being bothered about wether it gets cleaned or chucked back in to storage all dirty and know it still be okay for its next ride.
Others just like it so they can shout about it.
Wow, I didn't realize so many people struggled with gears
You've never done a very muddy MM have you?
I think hte only answer to the OP question is: why not?
Not to sound snobby but...allow me to quote some mountaineer..."If you have the ask the question, you won't have a hope of understanding the answer."
Personally I ignored single speed for years, until flipping through a Kona Catalogue I saw the Kona Unit...20 minutes of staring at it later I suddenly announced "I want one." So eventually I got one...and haven't looked back. I just enjoy riding it. Simple as that.
Daddy tell me all about girls
Surely fixed gear riders are the most popular with the ladies?
[i]You've never done a very muddy MM have you?[/i]
Yes and guess what they still worked fine.
Yes, gears are actually pretty good these days.
Easy, having spent years riding full sus, six inches of travel front and back, massive disc brakes and being gnarly to the power of rad all over Wales/France/Switzerland/England I'm a bit more sedate. I still enjoy riding in those places but the people I used to ride with are now much more extreme than I want to be. The places that I ride are a bit dull on a massive;y advanced bike and having loads of gears makes it a bit easy. Gears off and back on a hardtail, suddenly my local woods are fun to ride again, and I can pootle along at my own pace without feeling like I'm constantly in a race.
Interestingly I got a new P7 yesterday, and despite planning to take the gears off, I though I'd give it a ride with the gears on, see what I was missing out on. The ride to the trail was very easy, I could ride up that killer climb that gets me every time whilst sitting down and every time I approached a jump/drop/rooty bit I was in the wrong gear.
There is a place for gears I'm sure, just not on my bike.
Yep, the quietness/solidity/unflappability of a singlespeed has made riding a lot of trails far more fun, I doubt its a co-incidence I'm now flying through rooty singletrack a lot faster, and having a lot mor fun doing it.
Plus I've gone through a long spell of bikes breaking/malfunctioning, so ss is just one less thing. If I could go back to Vs right now I would...
(this is not an admission of mechanical incompetence, this is an admission of not having the time/space/inclination to be constantly fixing bikes)
Right, it,s just this simple for me....I ride only single speed because I dont go to Scotland or welsh big trails all that much so round the local woods, on the street and even places like Cannock it's really not an inconvenience and as I seem to do more street and dirt tracks these days it works really well for me. I,m quite happy coasting down hill and only find I get left for dead on really long sections which is why i prefer techy twist down hill (where no one really pedals much). Riding back up a decent hill can be a struggle and yes I occasionally have to get off but only very occasionally.
Singlespeed makes perfect sense on my commuter, as I have no real hills to climb and the drivetrain lasts through all the worst weather with little more than a bit of oil and a rub down with a rag now and then. Far cheaper to replace the drivetrain too, as above. On my mtb, SS suits the trails I ride mostly, and I can just ride along at a decent pace which suits me. Never had trouble keeping up with people with gears at all.
Yes - im too stupid to use gears. huurr duuurrrr
Also ive ridden south wales trail centres on a 32:18 inbred. Worked out fine. MTFU is the phrase.
I would like someone to explain how singlespeeding gets you strong and or fiter please?
The reason being I don't believe that to be true at all. The reason being someone mentioned trying to go up a hill in 32:16. What if someone with 27 gears decides **** it lets try that in any one my many lower gears. Do they not get stronger or fitter just as quick or infact quicker?
32:18 - oh the girl or small childs ratio.... 8)
Dirtynap - Member
I would like someone to explain how singlespeeding gets you strong and or fiter please?
The reason being I don't believe that to be true at all. The reason being someone mentioned trying to go up a hill in 32:16. [b]What if someone with 27 gears decides **** it lets try that in any one my many lower gears. [/b]Do they not get stronger or fitter just as quick or infact quicker?
Point is, 97.2% of stw fatties don't.
cynic-al
Thats not actually a point now is it. The fact is any geared rider can if they wish choose during a ride to pick whatever gear they wish and therefore, if they so choose run a much lower gear than a singlespeed rider. So they get stronger and fitter quicker if the wish too. I do believe the get fitter stronger agruement or point can therefore be disgarded becuase it simply is not true.
You don't believe something therefore it is not true?
Don't bother responding, I don't care.
i supose anyone could ride ss if they could be arsed but whats the point! id rather enjoy the ride ' i think its more a " look at me with only single speed" " ive got something to prove bullshit thing" but thats my opinion!
Yes anyone who rides different bikes from you is just an attention seeker. EVERYONE knows you are the yardstick by which all riders and bikes should be judged.
I would like someone to explain how singlespeeding gets you strong and or fiter please?
A bike with no gears is harder in general terms than a bike with gears or why would we have and use gears on bikes?. Harder = more effort = fitter. Yes you could train as hard on a geared bike but not by using a lower gear as ou would just be spinning and not producing enough watts.
[i]So they get stronger and fitter quicker if the wish too. I do believe the get fitter stronger agruement or point can therefore be disgarded becuase it simply is not true. [/i]
If you're looking at things from a purely physiological perspective, maybe. But in my experience the psychological component is just as important. You (at least I) get fitter on a SS because I [i]have[/i] to ride up in that gear. If I have other gears available I'll use them..
So riding an easier gear is the way to strenght and fitness then ...excellent news for granny ring spinners everywhere they will be ripping the legs off middle ring riders this time next year thennusing yur excellent lower power training schedule to highr strength. You are describing base training here really not strenght/fitness per se.if they so choose run a much lower gear than a singlespeed rider. So they get stronger and fitter quicker if the wish too
if you had turned up to ssuk at the weekend no further reasons would be required, what a great event,, just a shame i could only take one bike and Preston had to be locked in the garage
Gear works nowdays. Yes, but not when clogged with mud. During my last MM (2007) I have seen plenty of "geared" bike pushing uphill (inspite of a very very low 22/34), or running with the bike on the shoulders the broken mech hanging off the chain. I have not seen a SS bike in such position...
emac65 - Member32:18 - oh the girl or small childs ratio
i prefer to call it 'yorkshire gearing' thankyou.
consider 'lodge lane' in sheffield, i can just about get up it in 32:18, but i find it fairly painful, and jolly hard work, and i have to keep the gear turning over, so i go up it very quickly. Consequently my arms and legs and heart get a strenuous workout.
i'm far too lazy to inflict that much pain on myself on a geared bike, i just drop it into granny gear and twiddle my way up. s'easy.
SS'ing is a good way to get fit for lazy people like me.
So the Yorkshire hills are too mich for it's inhabitants?
Junkyard - Member
...A bike with no gears is harder in general terms than a bike with gears or why would we have and use gears on bikes?...
Sucked in by techno-bling marketing?
Or maybe old or frail.
I ride a singlespeed cos I've started riding around Delamere, and it's flat..
So felt massively overbiked when on my Heckler..
Having said that, the amount of Woolybacks(?) I saw today riding 6" full sussers and wearing body armour, I did wonder if I'd made the right choice...
The singlespeed riders I sometimes ride with are much fitter than the geared bike riders.
why have a girlfriend when a tug results in the same affect?
Like using a love toy, when technology is there at your disposal and doesn't make it hard for you to enjoy fully..
Hmmm! perhaps it's because we want to ride without gears as much as you [b]may[/b] want to cuddle up to mrs inflatable for your nights of passion..
Mrs inflatable isn't appreciative and has a permanently shocked look on her face. Puts you off your stride don't it. 😉
Surely you can't call yourself a proper mtbiker unless you;ve got a SS in the shed?
Great fun bike, just serviced and cleaned mine up for winter mud plugging duties. Rode it for week day night rides last winter when previously I would have only gone out at the weekend when it was sunny, so encouraged more riding.
Also found I got much better at climbing due to not having the luxury of a granny ring to bail me out.
All in all it definitely has made me a better and fitter rider.
I wouldn't have one as my only bike though, too limited.
I haven't grown a silly beard yet though.
I ride a singlespeed only and purely to annoy people.
Ss shep-lol!
Little known fact and one ss'ers like to keep quiet "single speeding is easier than riding with gears".yeah some of the time it's a bit harder but the rest of the time I'm cruzing along (north Wales,peaks,mid Wales) on 32/18 (29er).My Heart rate moniter usually only shows me over zone about 25% of the time. Wasn't too much of a handicap at the dyfi.
sshhh!
(some of the steeper hills are bloody hard work, but if it gets too much, you just walk. and flat bits are easy too - once you've span out you just coast slowly along, and as for downhills...)
ahwiles - Member
....but if it gets too much, you just walk...
And you'll be going the same speed as riding on really steep bits.
It's not a race though.
This concept is too much for many...
Having just got back from my first (and defineatley not last SSUK) all I will say to answer the OP's question is 'If I had to explain you wouldn't understand'
and for those of you who were there I'm one of the guys who won the prize for drinking beer whilst signing on/registration in the morning, new Surly Jethro Tule, why thank you..
Here here, my first SSUK too, I also won a prize, mine is made of something a little bit special