[Closed] Singlespeed...

Just try it.

Why? Why spend the money?

I have SSed the El Mar on a ride when I broke my mech hanger. Yes, I was surprised that I got up some stuff, but I did have to walk, and I did find it slow on the downs. What I (re)learned was that standing up to pedal hard at low cadence is fun, and I do that much more now on the road and rigid bike, but I still use gears to do it.

I can ride it like an SS but I can change between 32:16, 32:18 or 32:14 on the fly 🙂

People talk bollocks about SS because it is bollocks. Gears should be faster - cadence, effort, watts, efficiency, etc.

Most people who come to SS as a "why not?" whim after riding a "normal" bike. They expect what you should rationally expect: that it's going to be all sorts of work and no types of fun, but find the opposite, the work parts are fun and the fun parts are also fun. Most stick with it or at least keep coming back to it.

Then they come up with all sorts of reasons why it's fun, from the sublime to the ridiculous, mostly bollocks, or rationalised bollocks at a push. It's just more "bikes!" than a ride with gears. There's always the comeback of "But it's not as efficient." to which a perfectly valid response is two fingers and a "Thhhhppppbb!!".

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Your mate on the TCW [b]was[/b] Ian Barrington though! There's some nasty climbs on that towards the end - let's avoid this ridge and drop into the valley then back up again.

My SS is just making use of an old unused frame, it's not a statement or anything fancy. It cost £10 for the singlespeed kit; £7 for the chain and £9 for some new brake cabling and outers as the old cables had seized. £26 for something to play about on isn't bad.

bugger. I really miss my SS now 🙁

Anyone got an 18" / large frame either set up for ss (got chaintugs and kit already) or ss-able with a tensioner that Molgrips has convinced them they don't need now? Not fancy, just functional......

This thread has inspired me to dust off my old rigid 29er Inbred SS that has been sat in the shed unused since SSUK 2015 in Yorkshire.

Swapped brakes to some old SLX ones that have found their way in to the parts bin in the last two years. Have ordered a 27.2 dropper as I can do without gears and suspension, but can't imagine riding without a dropper these days.

Hopefully will be sorted for a night ride this week.

Bring on the slop.

Cheers Molgrips and Tazzy!

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 riding a hill regularly on my SS to see if I can hit the PB I got on my geared bike. Still off but getting closer. When I do then I'll go ride it on my geared bike to see what the difference is.

Well that has been an entertaining time whilst enjoying my soup at work! thought i would put my point in as well!
my name is chalky and i am a singlespeeder! so what no one really cares! i was signed up with a coach last year sticking to training plans and now after 12months off the bike i am getting back out there and do you know what matters now is just the fact i am outside and on my bike, i may be wheezing and putting my lungs back in at the top of climbs but who cares! i don't care if you are on the most expensive all carbon FS or on a cheap secondhand hand me down, if you are on a bike then that ultimately makes the world a better place! to quote “Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the human race.”. HG Wells.

Your mate on the TCW was Ian Barrington though!

Yep and even he walked 🙂 Foel Fadian IIRC.

theotherjonv - Member
bugger. I really miss my SS now

Anyone got an 18" / large frame either set up for ss (got chaintugs and kit already) or ss-able with a tensioner that Molgrips has convinced them they don't need now? Not fancy, just functional......

Actually!

I've got my Sanderson Soloist that's about to be put up for sale. Frame is an 18", ecentric BB, will include the Hope headset. Also a set of straight steerer Rockshox Revs, dual air, set at 120mm, 20mm axle with a long steerer tube. The frame has paint chips, the fork is still in good nick.

EDIT: Also a set of Hope Pro2 hubbed SS wheels to fit the F&F, if the price is right. 20mm front, SS / Trials rear, both with Sun Singletrack rims.

Hills and singlespeeds:

I'm old, bald, tending to a potbelly, but I have ridden my singlespeed Pompino up the Bealach na Bah. I admit to walking in the same places the geared folk were walking (it was the first Bealach sportive - about 90 miles).

I have ridden a 1935 upright gents rod braked roadster (4 to the ton) on a day ride round Wester Ross (Dingwall, Ullapool, Ledmore, up the Struie), a total of just under 125 miles.

If I can do it, any of you young guys should have no problem. Take 2 weeks to get used to a singlespeed and then It's really all about the attitude of don't stop until it's time to walk. *

Plus you get to talk bollocks about geared bikes. 🙂
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*Guideline: once it's below walking pace.

How do you know you have it right? Engage the gearie puffing away up the hill beside you in an interesting technical discussion about the differences between tooth profiles on his cassette.

If he can't talk in coherent sentences as you amble up alongside him, you have it right. 🙂

Some of those weights seem incredible! My Ti road bike weighs more than 8kg. How hard would it be to get a Singular Swift (large) down to about 20lbs? I guess it would have to have some carbon on there, which is of course another controversial topic where sides are taken, and weapons are drawn. I'm not worried though, as the carbon weapons will just shatter into tiny splinters and the steel weapons will prevail, despite their heft! Discuss.

Oh, and hills, I said it before and it's scientific fact as my FIL is a trained scientist and I've got a physics A-level, that it takes the same energy to move the mass of bike up the same slope, irrespective of what gear you are in. Conservation of energy and all that. Yes, the human body maybe works more efficiently in certain circumstances, but standing up and using more muscles to offload the energy requirement of the legs balances it out.

bbs - thanks but that'll be a 26er, won't it? I'm all tolled and rubbered up for bigboy wheels I'm afraid.

If I can do it, any of you young guys should have no problem.

Age has nothing to do with it - it's about fitness. Not all young people are fit.

It's really all about the attitude of don't stop until it's time to walk

Seriously though - why can't a geared rider have that attitude?

I've got a physics A-level, that it takes the same energy to move the mass of bike up the same slope, irrespective of what gear you are in.

Shame you haven't got a corresponding A-level in biology. Try standing still holding a bag of cement under each arm. Total work done will be zero, but see what happens to your arms after a while 🙂 If it made no difference it wouldn't matter what gear SSers used would it?

but standing up and using more muscles to offload the energy requirement of the legs balances it out.

Yes but [i]you can still do that on a geared bike[/i].

Cement under arm is quite a lot of work done - gravity is a constant force. Quite strong too.

I wasn't really comparing it with geared bikes, as of course the same physics apply, just commenting on the hills posts really. I often get the same thing, where I think I can't get up a hill, and it just disappears after a bit of grimacing. I could do it if I changed down on a geared, or just blasted up - same energy used, just over a different time frame and using different technique. I like the geared fat bike as it can do that spinny, crawl up vertical cliff face thing, but really enjoy the rip-it-up nature of SS!

Once things get past a certain gradient it's easier to stand up than sit and spin. Alpine style climbs that are a constant 8% or so are, for me, sit and spin but hit the steep stuff in the Dales and it's time to stand. This is regardless of how the bike's geared. There's no way I could sit and spin up Park Rash or Fleet Moss for example.

Anyway this is STW, when folk on here get to a hill they just call out the uplift company 😆

If I had room for [s]one more[/s] two more bikes, one would definitely be a singlespeed for local winter slop low-maintenance purposes.

Rode my 29er hardtail as singlespeed for a couple of weeks and loved it, but now converted back to 1 x 10 as I didn't fancy taking it anywhere with proper hills - my skateboarding-destroyed 44-year old knees really did feel like they were going to pop out of their sockets!

Cement under arm is quite a lot of work done

Work done = force x distance moved. Force is constant, distance moved is zero, work done is zero. So how come your arms get tired?

If you leave the bags of cement on a table for 100 years, how much work does the table have to do to hold them up? Where would the energy come from?

Once things get past a certain gradient it's easier to stand up than sit and spin.

To an extent. I've read before that standing up delivers more power but is less biomechanically efficient. However I've discovered that it uses somewhat different muscles, so I sometimes like to stand up and mash a big gear for a while then shift down three or four gears and sit and spin for a bit, whilst going at constant speed. The change seems to help keep going for longer.

molgrips - Member
'If I can do it, any of you young guys should have no problem.'
Age has nothing to do with it - it's about fitness. Not all young people are fit.

'It's really all about the attitude of don't stop until it's time to walk'
Seriously though - why can't a geared rider have that attitude?

When are you getting your singlespeed? We can't keep meeting like this... 🙂

Ok, so "work done" is to do with distance, but I did use the term "energy" in my post. It might not be mechanical energy to hold the bags, but chemical energy is used to stop them falling to the ground due to gravity - it's not free. It's still energy being used and it hurts. Jeez, why am I arguing about something I studied 25 years ago, and I never, ever, ever ride with bags of concrete under my arms - that would be mad.

Its fun, I like it. 9.81m/s2 is great on geared or SS. Wish was a little less sometimes though, but then we'd get giant insects!

I got a strava KOM at mountain mayhem this year on my singlespeed 😀

Don't think Princess Anne will be beating it!

OK, stealth advert time…..

no, wait, it's not stealthy at all!!

I've got a nice Pace 104 853 bike for sale in the classifieds at the moment, with a SS build option - it's got slidey dropouts and the SS kit includes a v nice Boone Ti cog to make it even more niche….. 😀

I'm selling it to fund an even more niche build!!!

(I wish I hadn't sold my Curtis 29er singlespeed last year BTW - it was a very high-end sub 19lb build and absolutely beautiful - I've already tried to buy it back but the new owner won't budge!)

I've wondered about that Pace myself but its a bit not a 29er for me.

A gear low enough to get up the steep bits would leave me spinning like a lunatic going nowhere on road

The road sections when running a 32:16 on 26" wheels are a complete drag which led me to just ride as few road sections as possible which turns out a positive.
Moved back to fixed gear a few years ago and running a higher gear than I would a single speed but still low enough for off road hills and it is much less frustrating on the road sections but still not fast.
Having one gear is clearly a compromise and if you don't want to make the compromise then don't ride single speed...

It's still energy being used and it hurts.

The point I am trying to make is that you can't say it makes no difference what gear you're in because the energy output is constant. The way your body works has a massive effect - as demonstrated by the bags of cement thought experiment.

Wish was a little less sometimes though, but then we'd get giant insects!

No, insect size is limited by how much oxygen they can get into their bodies which is dependent on oxygen concentration in the air. Because they don't have blood.

That's usually enough for a regular cyclist to get the basics sorted unless they are morbidly obese or have other problems.

I'll take some photos of my local trails. There's no way anyone other than an absolute hero is clearing them on an SS. And I'm not that hero. Maybe I'll try leaving my bike in 32:18 and see how I get on.

Incidentally, since you can choose different gears on an SS in the workshop, does it matter what ratio you choose? Do you have more fun in 32:16 than 32:18?

Seriously though - why can't a geared rider have that attitude?

They can, but the temptation to just change down a gear is always there and they take it. I would probably be the same myself if I ever rode gears.

They can, but the temptation to just change down a gear is always there and they take it.

You what? Every geared rider is weak willed?

What about the SSers who get off and push? How is that different?

Hmmm, my science fiction books were wrong about insects then. So, less gravity, thinner air, less oxygen, smaller insects. It's a win for everyone. Let's do it!

I was wondering the other day what cycling would be like on Mars.

Incidentally, since you can choose different gears on an SS in the workshop, does it matter what ratio you choose? Do you have more fun in 32:16 than 32:18?

Just pick a gear and stick to it...F changing in the workshop!
I'm 32:18 (wonky ring) on my 29er.
Not much I can't get up on that, TBH... Probably a few of the tough climbs on the Ard Rock would have had me walking on bits, but most trails/hills etc are fine...

It's an agile beast, my SS...

DrP

The one person [b]I know[/b] who rides exclusively singlespeed on all his bikes does vary his chosen ratio depending on the expected terrain but it's usually within a fairly small range. He's pretty handy though and can get up stuff on his SS that I struggle on with gears.

Doesn't prove anything other than one individual being better than me. No news there then.

Every geared rider is weak willed

No, think the fact you are still here trolling/trying to convert single speedy folk shows that you at least have epic staying power and tenacity. I think I'm developing a bit of crush to be honest. Maybe we get married and have beautiful children who will heal the rift of the ss and Geary tribes, by riding 1 x 10 as an agreed compromise. Call me, I'm wearing my special pants just for you

The way your body works has a massive effect - as demonstrated by the bags of cement thought experiment

I was wondering the other day what cycling would be like on Mars.

Some long descents off the north side of Olympus Mons, but even singlespeeders have to walk some of the climbs (average 8.75% for 300km)

Cheers Molgrips and Tazzy!

My pleasure, we are actually 2 log-ins for the same person.

You what? Every geared rider is weak willed?

When it comes to hills and the option to change down a gear then yes most of them are in my experience. In the same way I probably would be.

- Note, I am talking about people riding road bikes around recreationally (not people racing or training for racing) and there are rather a lot where I live.

Oh.. so you are comparing hardcore SSers to recreational riders, and not hardcore geared riders. Okay. Committed riders are more committed than less committed riders. Yes, I agree.

No, think the fact you are still here trolling/trying to convert single speedy folk shows that you at least have epic staying power and tenacity.

🙂

Not trying to convert anyone's bike. Trying to convert people into not being smug SSers 🙂

beautiful children who will heal the rift of the ss and Geary tribes, by riding 1 x 10 as an agreed compromise.

I seriously think 1x2 would be a great option. I've been working on a twin chain design to create two ratios both with direct drive i.e. no planetary gears.

Direct drive? What are the chains for, then? yanking? 😀

Oh.. so you are comparing hardcore SSers to recreational riders,

Incorrect as I am not a hardcore SSer, I am a recreational SSer.

Trying to convert people into not being smug SSers

Who is a smug SSer and why are you so bothered about it ?

Molly and Tazzy sitting in a tree,
K I S S, having a dirty reach round.....,

😉

molgrips - Member
...I seriously think 1x2 would be a great option. I've been working on a twin chain design to create two ratios both with direct drive i.e. no planetary gears.

Twin chains? Been there... 🙂

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SS or not, I don't think I'd get up a 17% without something prolapsing, I'm 18 bloody stone and my bikes aren't much lighter.

To be fair though, I did convert to SS precisely because I was that guy who just kept picking a lower gear on big hills.

I find a 40/16 works on my commuting bike (rigid inbred 29er) and 32/18 on my MTB will get me up pretty much anything I'd get up with gears.

But that's just me, molgrips, you can use gears if you like, I'm not saying gears aren't quicker, just that I'm shit at using them, I always seemed to be picking the wrong ones. Figured I might as well be in the wrong one all the time. 😉

And I'm a smug ****.

Standing up pedalling is much worse on an FS. But FS is much nicer on rocky trails. Therefore gears are good.

Mmm?

Rode one many years ago.
Really did enjoy it.
Rode fixed on my road bike too.
But had a few knee issues so went back to a geared bike.
Most recently been doing a lot of Cx and been ripping off a lot of rear mechs so thinking the singlespeed might be a good choice?
Anyone riding or racing Cx on singlespeed?
Doesn’t seem to slow down Isla Rowntree or a lot of the Islabike team!
Max

Going to convert my Genesis CdA to single speed. Think I've got most of the parts and it's going flat bar and 650b at the same time!

Might be a fun bike, might be a pig. Suppose we'll see 🙂

Just done the annual maintenance on my SS.

Oiled the chain.

🙂