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Never tried it, but it's flat where I ride. Got 2 bikes. One a 100mm soul and a 140mm kingdom vendetta for when I go 'proper' riding. Drivetrain on soul is shot so I'm considering going SS.
What are the benefits? Low maintenance, weight, better for fitness?
Also any recommendations on what the best kit is please? Cheers.
something like this may work on your current freehub/wheel
https://www.merlincycles.com/dmr-single-speed-conversion-kit-45104.html
Best tensioner is a bb mounted one. I’ve a proper singlespeed with sliding drop outs which I lent out for a bit.
I missed it so I built one up using a stinger type tensioner that I made and it was easier to live with than the proper singlespeed.
You will get stronger, not necessarily fitter. The lack of modern massive cassette weight and friction is quite noticeable.
Also much easier to have a silent bike, ideal for the current weather, it might not be raining but the trails are filthy type riding.
Put it away wet, next ride kick the mud off, lube the chain and crack on
i do like riding ss round my way, it's perfect for it.
no massive hills.
sticky mud of it's wet
etc.
i love the simplicity of it and just having to push the gear you have.
I got one 5 years ago now with he possibility of adding gears later but never did as I ended up loving it so much. It's a mixture of all of the things that you said but mainly it always works and it changes the way you ride so stuff you are tired of becomes new again.
The Rohloff tensioner, if you can find one SH, is excellent. As it’s sprung it’s very forgiving on chain ring and sprocket swapping - especially useful if you are new to SS.
Singlespeeding is just different to geared riding, it is more physical all over, in that climbing out of saddle you tend to use arms and shoulders more, you need to learn to look ahead more and carry momentum, so rather than getting to climb and just dropping down gears, you need to see ahead and carry momentum.
It can be good for fitness, you'll get stronger on the climbs, and learn to spin a higher cadence on the flats.
I used to do it a lot but knee pain made me stop. Its a lot, lot, harder on steep tech climbs but if you are happy getting off on those then the benefits are great.. simple set up is really quite cathartic when you ride, its one less thing to think about, you get a really nice direct feel, your legs will become more powerful.
Plus you get "hero points" when you meet other riders 😉
what @scud said. It' a really good full body workout, i've never been so fit as when I rode SS. I remember being really chuffed when I rode one on a group ride and someone said afterwards it was an education following me as I just seemd to glide along without really moving my body whiole my bike went up, down and all around below me. Had to admit defeat eventually, just not MTB riding enough so I now have gears (and dodgy knees)
People always say a bb tensioner is best but I have got on really well with the Surly singleator on my old Soul conversion.. I actually prefer using it over the sliding dropouts on my "proper" ss frame. Self adjusts for chain stretch, makes removing the back wheel simple and just doesn't give me any problems. Only downside is that it doesn't look as clean.
Just go ride one of your bikes and leave it in a single gear for the whole ride?
Might be a daft question but is a single speed chain crucial?
Also, is this the kind of bb tensioner you recommend....
I have the ztto tensioner on my ss inbred, as it comes the tension is too weak but it can be taken apart and increased. I did have a proper ss inbred but really dont miss it, wheel changes are quicker on the geared one with a tensioner.
I love single speed. I recently got gears on my main mtb but only because I'm moving to Switzerland nexzt month
It's cheap, light, low faff, and I like the predictability and directness of it. It can also be as fast or faster than riding with gears, which I still find confusing (and it's not like I don't know how to use gears -- I had them on my mtb's for 20 years). I'm also still amazed how much can be ridden with a single gear. I did the South Downs Way single speed a few weeks back, for example, and managed most of the hills
As for fitness, it seems to build strength but not neccessarily stamina. That's perhaps also why it suits me, as I'm relatively strong but not paticular fit on long days out
I've got far too many single speed cogs laying around and a couple of basic tensioners. Happy to do a couple of cogs and a tensioner for £15 or something so drop me a message if that's any use
Always in the wrong gear but so perfectly freeing
My most ridden bike and the only one I'm keeping into retirement
YGM legometeorology
Love my SSMTB, easily my most used bike. 
"Might be a daft question but is a single speed chain crucial?"
No. But it may be worthwhile getting one for which half links are available.
<p>If you have a threaded BB and a 24mm chainset axle then the Trickstuff Exzentriker works a treat. I believe there was a a cheaper alternative too. Next best thing was a BB mounted tensioner that I made out of a generic tensioner and some ally plate. Worst was hanger mounted tensioners, all this is in terms of noise, be that the extra buzz of a jockey wheel or chain slap. <br /><br /></p>
Singlespeed is ace - I prefer riding singlespeed on the road these days rather than off road.
Got a 42:16 set up on an old converted Kona mtb frame running Pace RC31s and 1.5 slicks. Love it.
I’ve just recently bought a Chameleon frame specifically to build up SS. It works a treat around me as the climbs are relatively short but steep.
The winter bike is a SSCX bike and is just as much fun.
jree
Free Member
Also, is this the kind of bb tensioner you recommend….Something like that, yes. The one I made has a jockey wheel and is unnoticeable.
10 years riding this....
to start off they are great.... but think there are some misconceptions. They aren't a panacea for winter riding, even with the grippiest tyre in the world you are going to lose traction on any climbs remotely muddy/wet (you'll end up doing routes with gravely or fireroad climbs or else your off and pushing). You'll get better and longer out of the saddle but after a while your legs get used to the grind and if you are not racing or giving it the beans it no more an energetic upper body workout than any other bike. they are generally reliable (though I found rear tensioners worse than a rear mech :/ ) and cheap to run. Gear for your climbs, no matter what gear you have it will be spinning on the flat and freewheeling downhill.
even with the grippiest tyre in the world you are going to lose traction on any climbs remotely muddy/wet
That's a good point that I've not thought of before. Probably as even on my single speed I tend to avoid hilly and muddy stuff in winter just because I don't really enjoy it
they are generally reliable (though I found rear tensioners worse than a rear mech :/ )
What tensioner were you running? I never had any problems with sprung tensioners (although I eventually just ended up with single speed specific frames)
I actually figured that a tensioner is as reliable as single speed frames, as the tensioner adapts to chain stretch and avoids the potential problem of slipping dropouts or a slipping EBB (although I've not had issues on that front either)
I prefer single speed frames for the clean lines and quieter drivechain; not convinced it's more reliable
Never tried it, but it’s flat where I ride
counter-intuitively, it might not be the best terrain for SS. If it's proper flat you'll be spinning like a washing machine, SS is best in places like the Chilterns or North Downs where the hills are rolling, or longish with not much gradient. You can grunt up some proper steep pitches, but it gets a bit much after a while.
Might be a daft question but is a single speed chain crucial?
I never found it was, used a SRAM 9 speed IIRC and it was fine.
various I did a year with my Soul as a singlespeed before getting the Simple I got through 3 tensioners in that year (probably closer to 9 month IIRC).
If it's really flat you may find yourself spinning out all the time, if it's a bit up and down you might get on better. I really like SS, for me it forces me to put in more effort and power up the climbs rather than sit and spin.
Depending on your dropouts a White Industries hub can solve the tensioner "issue". And you can have a flip flop so can go fixed.
“Might be a daft question but is a single speed chain crucial?”
No. But it may be worthwhile getting one for which half links are available.
...unless you're running a narrow/wide chainring
I'm currently running the on one jobsworth ss chain (after a couple of nut crunching failures of my go to sram offering) so far so good though it looks abit "adrift" on some random race face 9 speed 3 by center rings 🙂
I have a wheels manufacturing eccentric bb on a carbon cx bike. Worked flawlessly for over 2 years. Just done 120miles on it today! Looks nice too
I like the shimano alfine mechs as SS tensioner
Different people have different reasons for going ss.
I ride ss a lot, but only when the weather is crap, because it's less hassle and cheaper to maintain. Not exactly maintenance-free but usually its fine to dump a mud covered ss in the shed one week and then pull it out the next week and ride.
Plus there is a certain masochistic pleasure (very much type 2 pleasure) in plugging through 25 miles of chiltern mud in sub zero temperatures.
I wouldn't be without an ss in the uk, but if i was lucky enough to live somewhere with dusty trails all year round, the ss would never be ridden.
Best ss set-up I've had is on the kona unit. The dropouts are easy to adjust but very solid and never slip, as the frame has built in tugnuts.
And of course the best thing about riding ss is the constant stream of chicks throwing themselves at your feet.
Reading this has made me think about rebuilding my Gary Fisher rig that I rode for several years. That said I think I'll aim to ride the gravel bike and enjoy the Fuse instead for the time being. When it's muddy on the moors I'll hit the tow paths and old railways. 🤔
Tried to SS various bikes that were getting towards the end of their useful life. Always had minor niggles that made me finally move on. Saw a Kona Unit one day in a bike shop and just thought wow, that is stunning and affordable. That was six years ago I think. Simple lines and comfortable ride. I mainly use it in the winter or to go to the shops or errands. If I ride with people I find myself at the top of the climbs first. Not because I want to show off but because there is no sit and spin option. I love having a dedicated SS.
Might be a daft question but is a single speed chain crucial?
You need a chain that matches your cogs. So 3/32" (8/9speed etc) chainring/cog/chain, or 1/8" (singlespeed/BMX).
Some reckon 1/8th is stronger as its fatter, but I don't think that's necessarily true, especially as the 3/32 chain is built to put up with ham fisted riders dropping a several cogs at once and mashing the chain across several cogs on climbs, it gets a very easy life on singlespeed in comparison and both types are way stronger than human can physically snap.
I love singlespeed. Most can't get the idea but it really resonated with me.
My Surrey Hills commuter/gravel bike:
counter-intuitively, it might not be the best terrain for SS.
Agree with this. I adore single speeds and fixed gears but if it's flat single speeds suck balls, you notice the lack of correct gear more when sitting, on hills you get out the saddle or freewheel down so you don't notice it as much.
I ride geared hardtail MTB but a ss gravel/xc/utility bike.
As well as the fitness benefits mentioned above, I'm sure being on the ss has helped strengthen my core, as I never get back ache on longer mtb rides like I used to.
One very niche con: the rocking side to side motion when pedalling out of the saddle when climbing is not conducive to towing a heavy cargo trailer.
Surly singleator on my Cotic Soda ss doesn’t look as clean but I’ve found it far more reliable than years ago when I ran ss on a frame with horizontal drop outs. Great for winter (and current summer) riding. Make sure you buy a decent quality ss cog for the rear with a wide base otherwise you risk damaging the freehub splines.
Wheels manufacturing eccentric BB.
40/19
Perfect for canals but also ride over rivington (on the road) to work most days.
Ive come to love the way you have to ride a ss bike.
https://flic.kr/p/2oTNfCy
https://flic.kr/p/2oTPoaG
What are those frames? Look ace