[Closed] Singlespeeding in the mud isn't easy. What to do....

FAIL!!

put gears on it, or walk. 😛

I'd have said it's not the weight that's a factor, just the extra effort to trudge through the slop. Get an easier gear & see how you get on.

I reckon if you replaced the fork you'd still get knackered from the resistance of the mud, the slipping about etc.
The first 'wet' ride of the year at Thetford always shocks me as to how much slower you can go in the mud & how tiring it is compared to nice, dry conditions.

I gear down from 34-16 to 34-18 for winter. Rigid forks do kick ass but you might ride some place lumpier than Oxfordshire.

34:18 and skinny tyres.

That's what I spent yesterday afternoon doing anyway after a draggy morning ride over Cannock Chase. I kept my 130mm Magura Menja fork.

I did have some 2.35s on, which were a pig in the mud. I've now got 1.8 Mud Mads which I'm looking forward to trying out tomorrow evening.

Its almost always Epping Forest in the winter.....no big hills clearly, but lots of streams and big roots to catch you out. Ride Nevegal 1.95 in the winter which cut in just fine, pretty happy with them.

had a similarly galling experience yesterday morning. Last ss ride 10 days ago was a dry, firm 25 milers up and down all of the 3 main Surrey Hills at least once eac, with minimal walking due only to steepness / tiredness.

Went out on Tunnel Hill yesterday am for 90 mins and was off and walking time and again....

I think ss is great for mud on the flat, where the equation of torque vs revs seems to suit perfectly (like driving in snow) but up sloppy hills, where keeping momentum is key, as soon as you start to lose traction not only do you have to regain it but then you're practically at stalling point anyway and you've lost all the momentum too.

go back & ride the same track on a geared bike in similar conditions and then you'll know.

The other night me and a mate swapped, me to ride his geared trance and him on my SS explosif. Each was going along thinking 'this is hard, wish I was on the other'. We stopped at a gate and waited for another mate but turned out he had a broken chain so we popped back to meet him. We then swapped bikes back again and rode the same gloop.

Very interesting, not something you do too often.
And the conclusion, the SS was easier.

mud riding?

32:18
1.5" mud cutter tyres.

zoom!

The old singlespeed is great for the mud isn't true for everywhere. We have had a big singlespeed contingent for a decade now, and we've used singlespeeds up and down the country for everything from Xc races to 24 hour solos, BUT round here the clay and chalk makes singlespeeding in some places a big no no of course I'm talking about hills here. Now most of us have gone back to geared hardtails and just take more care of them.
In fact I became singlespeedless for the first time in a decade only last month.

Get a 29er ss.....

I'm sorry I don't get ot

If people prefer to have one gear thats fine live and let live

But then you complain that you've only got on gear, or its the wrong one gear

You clearly have some money to spend on cycling

fit gears, when it all wears out buy new stuff

I think my bike is Alivio and Deore. It still works in winter......

OK the middle ring has a few teeth wripped off and that can catch form time to time. But at no point do I think hmmm I'd rather have no gears

yeah but if they put gears on they would be ostracised by their fellow nichecore comrades
heads shaved and left to starve like a vichy collaborator

ampthill - Member
I'm sorry I don't get ot

Sorry mate I don't get your point either. No complaining here, just looking for some advice from the friendly denizens of STW.......

I've found moving the saddle forward an inch helps on my singlespeed when riding in the mud....
May just be me though,

For SS 32-17 is my all year round gear, but tend to do less SS in the summer

Sorry I realised after I posted I was way too grumpy

my advice still stands, go for more ratios

Saving wait doesn't really work for me, particularly at this time of year

I'm 95kg, spread over a long frame, but still 95kg. I peaked at 103kg I think

well I reckon by the end of my ride on saturday I was back at 103 kg, just through absorbing water into cloths, shoes etc.

Its a shame no one makes a nice old wide space 6 speed block (with cheap winterised shifter to match...)

32:16 its the law in SS land and mud is just a trainning aid, wahahar wahhahar.....

Thank you all, will post back after the night ride on Weds. Stirling wins for uber-niche top-tip of the day. Saddle position indeed you tart.....

Come on guys, this is STW. Let's preserve the standards. The only advice needed is

MTFU

Beat me to it!

just remeber the single speed chant "when i :Dt's hard, I stand up" 😀
I use a 32:18, bonty mud x's tubeless and low pressure, wizzes through and up everything

You clearly need a different SS for each type of terrain/condition you intend to ride in.

Some riders combine these in a selection at the rear of the bike and fit a gear change thing to make it eaiser.

if the STW awards include a funnist thread title i'll be voting for this one

and i liked this

with minimal walking due only to steepness / tiredness.

keep it coming 😛

So no surprises, easier gear (34-18) makes it easier to get around on SS. Went out last night with a mate, him an experienced SSer, did fine. Think you have to ride smart, not just put the power down. Got into a nice rythm sitting behind, tried to stay off the brakes, just try and trust the bike through the corners. Liked it.

it is definately easier in the early days when you are among other people on 1 gear or even on your own.

riding among gearies is hard work at first.

I'm happy to admit that Riding SS on Mendip has got harder sinc the slop has arrived. Actually, the hardest thing is rooty/rocky climbs. where the combination of high torque and poor traction is causing me a problem at the moment. Still, I'll keep bashing at it and my skills and fitness will increase.

I agree appropriate tyres and a bit less weight would be nice.

where the combination of high torque and poor traction is causing me a problem

I'm having a go at ss in the forest of new this winter. It's made me faster up hills* (because I'm fundamentally lazy & just spin a little gear when I can) and OK down them, but sooo much slower than my mate when we come to a flat dry bit. (mind, we stopped about 5 times in 2hrs to clear shrubbery out of his gears last time out, so it evens up)

*longest new forest hill I know is about quarter of a mile and hardly any are steep

I'm 34:18. Mendip gradient and clay mud is the most prominent issue, that and I'm still used to finding grip that was present 3 weeks ago. Finesse is yet to develop!

32:16 here and some decent mud tyres. Never had a problem. I did a 36 mile charity thing last year round sherwood pines/clumber park in mud up to your knees in places and I didn't push once. I suprised myself as I ain't a great rider!

The right tyres on a SS are vital in my opinion.

32:18 - anyone that says 32:16 is law can chuff off, I always ride a smaller gear/higher cadence than most people when I have gears, why would I not run a slightly smaller gear on the singlespeed?

Keep the fork, if you're stood up grunting away and struggling for rear grip, not having to worry about the front end as well can be a bonus!

32:15 all year round is perfect for me. I'm on carbon bars, forks and seat post, with tyre pressures just under 30psi on 2.1 trailrakers. All that combined gives enough absorbtion to take the real harsh shock out of bumps imo.

34:18 here with carbon rigids. I was surrised at how comfy the forks are when it's damp as I was expecting to be rattled all over.

34:17 all year round, 115mm Reba fork, Medusa 2.0 tyres for winter semi slicks for summer.

Not much on Mendip I can't get over

Oooh - my 1.8 Mud Mads were a dream last night.

Just MTFU

Epping forest is flat surfaces that don't beat you up. Fuly rigid SS, salsa cro moto forks, Alu frame and 32:16 work fine for me and get me over all streams, logs, fallen tree trunks etc.

ha ha ha.

Dropping all your gears make bike harder to ride.

Why not ditch the forks too? get some nice rigids...
still crap to ride? get some nice 1" tyres for the gloop.
still crap to ride? probably ditch the disc brakes?
still crap to ride?

hmm i wonder if its because all the things you whipped off your bike were actually designed to make your bike faster/better after all?

!!! Cycling is more difficult than shoveling pies into your face in front of the X Factor Shocker !!!

32x16 & trailraker tyres.

It's pretty simple, pedal bike, if you lack the lungs and legs to enjoy it and aren't bothered about getting them, put the gears back on?