[Closed] Singlespeed...

Well given the limit in available leg power, the limit in cadence, the compromises that come with adding more torque and the different training effect, I'd say there is a range of 'right' gears for the circumstances.

The money that would have got wasted on maintaining gears and suspension instead gets spent on going to events like the SSUK, SSEC, etc and more beer.

What the hell do you think gears are made of? Gold?

I'm running 10 year old mechs and shifters, I've maybe changed cables once or twice in that time. So I change a chain and cassette every so often. That's about ooh, £100 a year absolute maximum? Oh, I also changed two sets of jockey wheels on separate bikes in that 10 year period.

Oh and my rigid bike is geared.

Then they want to go faster so they get gears and suspension, but now they have to go even faster to get the same sensations.

The fact that you write that demonstrates you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about or (more likely) are trolling. The sensation of oofing down a rocky trail on a rigid bike at 10mph is absolutely nothing like the sensation of carving it up at 20mph. Not remotely the same sensation or even the same skill set.

Speaking as someone who owns a rigid bike, an XC FS and a long travel FS. I like the benefits of each type of bike.

Anytime you want to enjoy the sensation of speed, you don't need a specially groomed playground, you just find a bumpy track.

Again total bollocks spouted by the kind of person who likes teasing others on the internet. Which is a bit crap. I've been there on bumpy trails on rigid bikes, been doing this for long enough; I still own a rigid bike. I know what it's like to ride both.

The other nice thing is a top rate SS bike costs about the same as a top rate front fork

Eh? A top rate SS would be what, Shand Bahookie? £1300 frame only - there aren't many suspension forks for that price, and nice ones abound for half that. And that's before you've added 'top rate' wheels and those ****ing £350 Jones bars.

Troll.

Doing zone 1 or zone 2 rides is always pleasant at this time of year.

Put your willy away - Z1 on a SS is entirely terrain dependent.

When all the local trails are slow sloppy mess the full suss geared bike becomes much less fun. You just basically sit and grind away waiting for the ride to be over. Single speed comes out and it is fun again.

It's all in your head. Just as you like SSing, I am quite able to have a fun ride in the mud on a FS. In fact, owning both rigid and FS, I don't think there's much difference on muddy trails. Where rigid is good is on the long rides with road and big climbs on tracks.

When did this become an argument about FS versus rigid?

Why are half of SSers such annoying bell-ends?

Molly old dear.We get it.Now fekk off.

Epicyclo doesn't.

So I'll stay til he does 🙂

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Top bloke, singlespeed legend, now retired. I'm in the video too 🙂

molgrips - Member
Epicyclo doesn't.

So I'll stay til he does

I've bought one of those Sturmey-Archer 3 speed things so I'll soon be experiencing all that flow and gnarr I've been missing..

But hey, this is a thread about single speeds. Surely you didn't expect anything but absolute bollocks on here?

Because the reality is single speeds are total bollocks and cannot be justified except with some heavy-duty rationalisation by their deluded owners.

But they're a damn sight more fun. (Owners and bikes)

And I hate maintenance. 🙂

I'll happily take 50% of single speeders being "annoying bellends" over 100% molgimps being a whining little princess in need of a safe space, or preferably a quick shovel to the windpipe before burying him in a shallow roadside grave. 🙂

Mind you to keep posting in a thread about single speeds about how crap they are and how much you hate single speeders for not having fun in the molgrips prescribed manner and then to moan about it on other threads as well.....? Either being a dull little trolgrips or just totally lacking in self awareness. Either way, you've been about as useful and pleasant an experience as sucking on a week old cum sponge from a sexytime club

Tit

Molly old dear.We get it.Now fekk off.

+1. Why so keen on telling us what you think is wrong with single speeds ?

You are wasting you breath with me as I gave up gears 17 years ago and have no intention of using them ago.

My zone 1 & 2 comment was about geared bikes not singlespeeds but given the way I wrote it I can see how you came to that conclusion.

As for riding it to the exclusion of geared bikes. Looking at my Strava stats for this year, I've ridden just shy of 10,000Km of which 770Km have been on the singlespeed. My geared bikes must be feeling so left out and lonely and unloved.

What the hell do you think gears are made of? Gold?.... That's about ooh, £100 a year absolute maximum?

Use them dont its your choice. Mine comes out for SSUK and then gets used till I take the FS out in spring time

You are the biggest zealot on here and that is some crown you just claimed considering the disciples of the one gear are all here 😉

tazzymtb - Member
I'll happily take 50% of single speeders being "annoying bellends" over 100% molgimps being a whining little princess in need of a safe space, or preferably a quick shovel to the windpipe before burying him in a shallow roadside grave.

Mind you to keep posting in a thread about single speeds about how crap they are and how much you hate single speeders for not having fun in the molgrips prescribed manner and then to moan about it on other threads as well.....?

If we're allowed to talk bollocks about single speed, then the same applies to Molgrips.

Once he masters the art, who knows? He may be ready to make the next move and get a proper bike*.

The beauty about riding singlespeed is it's fun, and fun is not something to take seriously.
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*for the benefit of bollocks deficient gearies, that statement is bollocks too. 🙂

I was always very sceptical of SS riding but I thought I would give it a go. I had been getting bored of Glentress having been a few times in a short time so for variation I thought I would build myself up a single speed for a change. I really rather enjoyed it and I was no slower on the climbs. What I ended up doing was attacking the hills hard ( cos I needed the cadence to get enough power) until I ran out of puff then walking the rest. Turns out this is about the same speed (compared to the mates I was riding with) as my usual technique of sitting and spinning away in a low gear at a pace I can complete the entire climb. Coming back down again the silence of lack of chainslap was nice and not having a tall gear meant conserving momentum and pumping the track which helps develop my meagre skills. I don't actually have an SS MTB now - the bike got its alfine back for commuting on but I do have an SS road bike which I also enjoy for its lighter weight and completely silent running. I once took it out and back ride in a really strong wind. Its geared low so at 70ish rpm I am doing 15 ish mph. I actually hit 35 mph coming back downwind at a totally silly cadence. It amused me.

Its all just messing about on bikes and I was surprised that I enjoyed riding the SS on and off road as much as I did. I wouldn't do it for "natural" rides or touring as then I really do want a low gear for the big climbs but for "dicking about" it was surprisingly fun

I think a lot of it is dependent on the local terrain - I cannot imagine taking mine to the lake district for example - though I did but only for SSUK [ and I did take my FS geared with me anyway .......shhhh i got away with it

FWIW i was slower up Garburn on it than I was on the SS but i cleared everything.

You are the biggest zealot on here and that is some crown you just claimed considering the disciples of the one gear are all here

Single speeders- putting the Fun into fundamentalism.

Molgripes is more Church of england though, sort of desperately trying to convert people to his beliefs, whilst being all beige and dull. He'll break out a guitar soon and start with the happy clappy songs about idle thumbs being the work of the devil and how a 9spd jesus saves our souls

There's a bit of confusion in this thread. Singlespeeds don't have to be austerity mobiles- my bike's not, it's got big brakes and nice forks and a dropper on it, but just the one gear. It's fun and works for most of the stuff around here. It's more difficult to wheelie with the one gear though 😕

@kayla1 oh gods no, definitely not, my ss fleet is worth the economy of a small island republic. But you can still have an amazeballs time on an old 26" surly 1x1 if you want and no ss rider will sneer at your out of fashion bike. But that's because single speedy folk are a much nicer tribe than "mountain bikers" who are dicks 🙂

tazzymtb - Member
@kayla1 oh gods no, definitely not, my ss fleet is worth the economy of a small island republic. But you can still have an amazeballs time on an old 26" surly 1x1 if you want and no ss rider will sneer at your out of fashion bike. But that's because single speedy folk are a much nicer tribe than "mountain bikers" who are dicks

To be fair, we'd probably assume the 1x1 rider was being deliberately niche with with their little wheels and funny brakes.

Right - let's just clear something up.

I have nothing against singlespeeding. I've seriously considered it myself, for quite a while, but I just don't think it'd fit for me and my riding. If I lived somewhere else then yeah maybe I would.

What I object to is SSers with a superiority complex talking bollocks about the rest of us. Epicyclo's post suggesting that going slower on a rigid bike (nothing to do with SS mind) is the same as going faster on a FS, for example. Or suggesting that geared FS riders are miserably grinding along because they are victims of fashion where SSers are having a great time - that's just shite.

And yes I know it was probably a wind up.

And saying 'yer but suchandsuch an event was won on an SS and I regularly pass people on my SS so that means they're faster' well, no it doesn't. That's crap reasoning of the highest order.

But that's because single speedy folk are a much nicer tribe than "mountain bikers" who are dicks

Isn't this thread full of SSers doing the sneering?

I'm going to spend all winter riding a single speed. Two reasons:

1. maintenance
2. I'm hoping it will make me faster on my geared bikes.

No snobbery here

I found riding the fixie on the roads and hills was a great training aid...I MUST get out more on that heap of junk...

DrP

I'm going to buy one today just to freak Molly out when i tell him the trails come alive at 5mph slower 🙂

It's as much something different for me. It suits some rides/routes but not others.

Would I have a singlespeed as my only bike? No way! Too many steep hills round here.

I've found that I'm faster than some people but slower than others regardless of whether either party is on SS or geared.

I'm going to ride mine tonight because it's awesome (and I'm bidding on a fixie on ebay).

The problem with geared bikes is they have n-1 wrong gears, where n is the number of gears SRAM/Shimano have decided is optimum this year.

Isn't this thread full of SSers doing the sneering?

Sneering? No, that's just the funny face we make when our knees have exploded and we've prolapsed on that impossibly steep climb we just cleared. (Whilst overtaking the miserable gearies)

😉

Sneering? No, that's just the funny face we make when our knees have exploded and we've prolapsed on that impossibly steep climb we just cleared. (Whilst overtaking the miserable gearies)

The best bit it pretending to not be out of breath/prolapsing and casually offering a jelly baby.

I didn't mean to start a sneery thread, I was just excited about getting out on a bike again after ours were nicked. I could just as easily have started a 'Aren't steel hardtails brilliant?' thread or, more broadly, a 'aren't bikes ace?' thread!

So then, pissing about on bikes in the dirt eh? Ace or what?

The best bit it pretending to not be out of breath/prolapsing and casually offering a jelly baby.

😆 My other half, yesterday, as he breezed up to me after gearing up a hill-

"You ok love?"

Me-

"<wheeze> I'm fine. Smashing. Never better in fact. You? </wheeze>"

I love riding my 26" rigid steel singlespeed, and I love riding my 27.5" 2x10 carbon hardtail and my 29er 1x11 carbon FS. I even love riding my 700c carbon road bike. They are all bikes, and bikes are great.

But if I was forced to keep only one of those bikes, it would be the SS.

There's a 17% climb on the local road loop I've found from Swindon. I can do it at a reasonable cadence out of the saddle if I smash it in 34/28, or I can do it at about 40rpm if I try to take it easy. I think I will go round this time. 17% hills aren't really base training.

I'd be walking that on an SS no question. I reckon SS makes even less sense (to me) on road.

[url= https://cyclinguphill.com/combe-gibbet/ ]Coombe Gibbet[/url] hits 16%. Get up that fixed no problem.

Well not exactly no problem, but i got up it 😉

you should try it molly; you'll be amazed what you can get you can get up.

17% is about the limit on the road SS for me (39:16 ratio) but it does depend on the length of the climb, how far into the ride it is, road surface, day of the week, phase of the moon and a myriad other factors. 20% is definitely too much though, I'm off and walking.

No sneering at all, its what happens when folks all have shared passion, you get a whole load of tongue in cheek (even better if it's in someone else's) comments. Some folks would find offence at anything and to be fair you did come stomping in like a giant fun vacuum to tell everyone how wrong they were and pulled the "oh no, everyone is mean and stinky and didn't agree with me" routine.

Just chill old bean ,there is plenty of stuff out there in the real world to get all angsty at. The paucity of gears of some folks bikes really isn't one of them xx

Actually having read molgripes posts, I suppose its a bit like tattoos. Folks without them are desperate to tell how much they don't like them and what they think of you and how stupid you are for doing it etc... Folks with tattoos could give a flying toss about the un-inked and just carry on happily existing.

But then Mrgrips does keep coming to a thread he doesn't like with people he doesn't agree with, to shout into a void, so actually with that high a tolerance for pain, repetitive humiliation and boredom, singlespeeding would be perfect for him 🙂

I have nothing against singlespeeding. I've seriously considered it myself, for quite a while, but I just don't think it'd fit for me and my riding.

Don't consider it - just do it! Then you'll know. It's not a logic problem you can apply your brain to - it's actually fairly irrational, but it can be mighty good fun.

You'd be surprised what you can make yourself climb when the alternative is the walk of shame

Ok, to move the thread in different direction, what would people consider a light SS build? What's the lightest steel build that you have?

Think the talk of going up that 17% hill kind of sums up peoples fears over singlespeed, the though you won't be able to make it up it without stopping. If you do not make it up so what, try to get up further than you did next time and you might just do it some day.

I was put off for ages getting a ss mtb though I wanted one, for fear of not getting up hills, my local trails at the time were up the top of a 700 feet road climb and even after I bought a cheap one off this forum the first 8 - 10 times I used it I just farted about a few local bits and pieces before I plucked up the courage to go up the road hill to my proper trails.
Was delighted with myself when I go to the top of the road climb and have loved my ss mtb ever since.

ps, don't think I could get up a 17% hill but I would give it a go.

I like having two different MTBs for different purposes

Rigid SS for local stuff. Makes tame stuff more interesting and also makes my local, very flat area a bit more fun. It's used for local rides with the dog and it is completely maintenance free

Geared hardtail is used for everything else

I took my rigid SS for a ride with a mate as I had the wrong tyres (at the time) on my gear bike, it didn't necessarily feel quicker or slower, just different. And I walked a couple of bits that were too steep or slow (clay like mud and couldn't turn the pedals). Still good. No washing afterwards!

The problem was that I couldn't slowly spin up the climbs chatting, if it was either stand and pedal or walk

what would people consider a light SS build

Under 8kg is a good target.

Lightest ss I've had was a 16lb scandium and carbon 29er. Climbed like it had a rocket strapped to it. Was a bit "flighty" in the peak district as it was well outside its design, but still great fun.

Lightest steel I've had was just under 20lbs. Depends very much on the bike though as something like a singular will always be a lighter starting point than a surly or on one

Well, about the only thing that I’m looking forward to, when I get back from Greece in about ten days, is getting out on my Ti Hummingbird. I’m certainly not looking forward to the cold and wet, that’s for certain.
My singlespeed is about the only thing that I miss when I’m here.

Right - let's just clear something up.

I have nothing against singlespeeding

The amount and length of your posts suggests you are spending quite a bit of time having nothing against them.

federalski - Member

Think the talk of going up that 17% hill kind of sums up peoples fears over singlespeed, the though you won't be able to make it up it without stopping. If you do not make it up so what, try to get up further than you did next time and you might just do it some day.

There's 17% and there's 17%. An isolated 50-100 metres of 17% isn't that bad especially if you can carry some momentum into it but several hundred metres of 17% or a ramp at the end of a long gradual climb and it's a different matter.

The surface matters too: really easy to put too much power down and have the back wheel spin out and you head for an OTB moment - uphill!

I find I brake a lot less as well as carrying momentum becomes much more important especially on rolling terrain, trying to kick on a short steep ramp is just hard work!

Weight wise my SS is embarrassing! It's an old On-One Pompetamine steel frame and it's in the 10.8Kg range.

This one's short:

I have nothing against singlespeeding.

Don't consider it - just do it! Then you'll know.

A more on-topic and constructive post:

My rides are lots of steep tricky rocky climbs, and/or lots of road. A gear low enough to get up the steep bits would leave me spinning like a lunatic going nowhere on road. I like to put the hammers down on road flats, surely this isn't possible in 32:16? You lazy SSers must all be taking a rest on the flats unlike us hard working geared riders 😉

^^ winky smiley

you ride as far as you can at a higher speed than on a geared bike then get off and walk the rest.

Yeah fair enough, but I come out to ride not walk. Especially on road, when I am wearing road shoes. I hate pushing my bike. Personal preference, of course.

When I did Trans Cambrian way with a much fitter rider I was glad when he got off to walk, cos that meant I did too (even though often I didn't actually need to). Gave me a breather.

Moly - I had my road SS on 40/17 gearing at over 35 mph once. spinning like a tory PR flack tho

I like to put the hammers down on road flats, surely this isn't possible in 32:16? You lazy SSers must all be taking a rest on the flats unlike us hard working geared riders

Just try it.

People borrow them and seem surprised that the pedals actually turn, it's as if they expect them to be 44:11 or something. Or that there'll be some sort of back to the future moment as their legs disappear into trails of flames when they hit 120rpm on the road and find that actually it's not much harder to maintain than 60-90.

You'll be amazed how quickly your legs will spin and how slowly they can push when there isn't a little button under your finger screaming 'push me'.