[Closed] why singlespeed

If I was going SS now I'd definately go 29er (I did have one of the 1st Inbred 29ers for all of 3 weeks before it was nicked, even though I had my VooDoo Wanga SS at the time). I'm even condiering if I get the cash to buy a Swift and have my hubs rebuilt on to 29er rims (as they are surly SS hubs with WI freewheel) and convert my Wanga to geared with front suss (currently rigid).

I started on 32/18 as I am a fatty and was a little worried about hills, though Stoke is nowt compared to Kirklees. I now use 34/18 and am fine. I'm amazed at what I can get up on it. I usually find small hills in quick succession are what give me problems (BPM/breathing) big hills just grind up generally.

Do it!

I can remember when i was a young lad on my brian curtis bmx riding up the steepest of hills running a 44/16. 😯
Couldnt do that now.
But i am tempet by SS and also how light it will make my bike.Which is currently about 18.5 pounds rigid HT.

I have thought about this so much but just can't bring myself to convert my MTB to ss. My commuter is ss and is great fun I just need some convincing to convert the MTB 😯

where full speed = 8 mph

In addition to learning to grunt your way up hills you'll learn to spin like a hamster in a wheel. 25mph is perfectly achievable in a sprint.

I can remember when i was a young lad on my brian curtis bmx riding up the steepest of hills running a 44/16

That's about the same as a 26" MTB with 32:16.

I think 34:16 for 26" wheels is the same as the standard bmx ratio. Feels better than 32 which is a bit spinny for riding here.

it's not maintenance free as anyone who's been to an SS event will tell you, faffathon, but there is less maintenance.

Vertical dropouts with a tensioner are least faff IME.

Woodland singletrack is spot on for SS riding I reckon, hilly stuff that isn't silly steep is fine, flat tarmac is waytoohighRPMrubbish.

Genuinely can't ride as far on gears any more.

me fixyd DONKses quoter

Vertical dropouts with a WI Eccentric Eric hub are least faff IME.

ah but you have to manually adjust chain tension as chain wears/stretches qwerty, that's faff right there 🙂

I think the lack of maintenance vs gears is a complete myth. Every single speed tensioner I've seen seems more trouble than a derailleur (and few people seem to have horizontal drop outs to avoid this?). Riding through winters of sh*te there's not much gear maintenance with a decent shimano set up? They just seem to keep on working even when covered in crap.

The rest of the bike needs the same maintenance....

[img] [/img]

Personally, I ride a singlespeed cos its got a belt-drive.

Weird thing is though.. with ref to the cartoon above..

I started riding a SS because my knee is knackered and epic days out in the hills are a no-no for the minute.. gentle pootles around the woods being more the order of the day..

my knee feels a lot better since ditching the gears, and I'm quicker up hills..

Because after a short while, once you have outgrown every pair of jeans you own, your legs can produce acceleration speeds beyond the dreams of poor gears.
Spectacular uptake in pace. Beard included.

nick3216 Genuinely can't ride as far on gears any more

You are currently riding LEJOG ss though you nutter!

3 years of ss and I loved it but recently I've taken to doing more up and downy trails as opposed to commuting and xc stuff and a result of that has been a whole lot of pushing so I'm going to stick the gears back on and see if it makes a whole lot of difference....might still be pushing? I only have a ss bike as well so I was finding the different riding environments a bit of a struggle so maybe gears will mean I can ride more terrains again?

After a while you get stupider too.
I have lots of geared bikes but I'm now too thick to change gear on them.
Imagine going for a hilly road ride and never changing gear...

Dumb as f...

nick3216 Genuinely can't ride as far on gears any more
You are currently riding LEJOG ss though you nutter!

www.flickr.com/photos/nickw3216

I've had a SS hack for a few years now, but i've never done any proper riding on it. This thread has just inspired me to get out there and see if i get on with this SS thing...

I've just been out and thrown some decent wheels on it, and i'll be taking it out in the morning!

Agree with cheezybeanz in that ss 29 er stylee seems easier than 26

Weirdly it feels easier to get out of the saddle and wrestle up the hills

32:16
It's the law.

It certainly is... Deuteronomy 32:16 "They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols" 😆

Seriously, Today I rode Whites Level at Afan for the first time with the kids on my rigid 29er SS, and the need for suspension was greater than the need for gears. Good workout for the arms too.

Mad Pierre - Member

I think the lack of maintenance vs gears is a complete myth. Every single speed tensioner I've seen seems more trouble than a derailleur (and few people seem to have horizontal drop outs to avoid this?). Riding through winters of sh*te there's not much gear maintenance with a decent shimano set up? They just seem to keep on working even when covered in crap.

The rest of the bike needs the same maintenance....

Yup gears in winter for me.
Wouldn't want to damage the best bike in winter.

As for speeds 17mph average on an offroad downhill tonight.
32:16 Fixed.
Waves willy

;0)

Ok, I'm now using my Soul for my commute and I want to go single speed. I have spacers and a sprocket - what else do I need? How do I know if I need a tensioner? Total SS noob here.... Do I need a new chain?

I believe it can be done with standard size bits with a single speed sprocket at the back but the recommendation is to use bits designed for ss.

I started off with a horizontal dropout frame with chain tugs but the system I was using didn't work for me and was frightfully fiddly. I've since converted to vertical dropouts with a tensioner which I've found to be far better. Get the chain roughly the right length and the tensioner does the rest.

I got my sprockets and stuff from On one and Charlie the Bikemonger. Charlie has set up videos on youtube. Singlespeed sprockets and chains are beefier. I have a KMC chain which is lasting well. You will need to get your chainline right so having lots of small spacers is better than having a couple of big ones. You'll probably need singlespeed chainring bolts which are shorter than those used for 2 or 3 ring set ups. Charlie the bikemonger has these. You can get single speed specific wheels too but a normal one can be converted ok.

Why singlespeed?

Fitness plenty covered above; I'd add (assuming a non-ghetto SS) you can fearlessly ride though brambles, mud, long grass, the zombie apocalypse etc without having to worry about bike breakage. It's nice and reassuring to know you can push the pedals as hard as you want without having to worry about pedallibng air or getting that sickening crunch from the back end.

Thank you GiantJaunt

[i]32:16 Fixed.
Waves willy

;0) [/i]

It's a bit small. Come back when you're waving a proper sized one. 😉

Despite my nom de plume and website I must now confess that I've run 34:17 for years now.

I ran 34x17 for years after being sent the wrong size chainring and not being arsed to send it back.

34:16 fixed on my 29er = 62"
32:17 free on my 26er = 49"

32:16 Fixed.
Waves willy

;0)

It's a bit small. Come back when you're waving a proper sized one.

So you like to make it easy for yourself downhill.
Pah

I can now confirm having ridden the length of Britain that 2:1 will get you everywhere except that climb out of Lynmouth. Mind, if you're not carrying 10 days of kit in a Revelate seat pack you might make it.

Chapeau Nick

Congrats Nick!

hazeii - Member

It's nice and reassuring to know you can push the pedals as hard as you want without having to worry about pedallibng air or getting that sickening crunch from the back end.

Hmm. I never worry about that with gears either- but I do dislike the way with singlespeed I can't push the pedals as hard as I want, as the gearing is too low 😉 Gears are useful if you want to do that.

Why SS?
Just went out to remind meself. Local loop towards Buttermere. When it's uphill, you're looking ahead picking lines and judging when to pedal hard - not fannying with shifters. Rode all of a trail that I'm chuffed to ride with gears - usually lose it on a loose rocky climb, in two minds over which gear to be in. Downhill, you're looking for keeping momentum going - riding smoothly. No mech to worry about when a branch gets stuck back there. Had to go a bit slower along the road coming back, so enjoyed the sunset. An hours ride felt like proper exercise.
Didn't bother cleaning the bike.

I've also found it's improved my running speed! 😀

Help! I didn't have myself down as mathematically challenged but...

1) Aren't 32/16 and 34/17 exactly the same?

2) My Alfine 8-speed is on 32/20, and I believe 5th gear is the 1:1 ratio, so roughly speaking 32/18 SS is equivalent to 6th gear and 32/16 SS to 7th, which seems insanely high to me. Are you SSers really that hairy-chested or is my maths wrong here?

Aren't 32/16 and 34/17 exactly the same?

Yes.

My Alfine 8-speed is on 32/20, and I believe 5th gear is the 1:1 ratio, so roughly speaking 32/18 SS is equivalent to 6th gear and 32/16 SS to 7th, which seems insanely high to me.

[url= http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/ ]Sheldon Brown's calculator[/url] has the gear inches of your set-up down as

1 - 20.6"
2 - 25.2"
3 - 29.3"
4 - 33.3"
5 - 39.2"
6 - 47.9"
7 - 55.6"
8 - 63.2"

32:16 on a 26" wheel is 48.9", so just a little bit harder than 6th gear.

Are you SSers really that hairy-chested or is my maths wrong here?

🙂

I ran a simple Dual speed for a while. Bigger ring to commute to work and flat and a smaller ring for lazy offroad

[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5253/5522599678_b427e4298b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5253/5522599678_b427e4298b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/51529898@N08/5522599678/ ]IMAG0098[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/51529898@N08/ ]Dancake2010[/url], on Flickr

For the record, the Alfine Dérailleur type tensioner was the best I found for converted SS, even if it looses some of the elegance. The "push down"
type tensioners were ok but if you were in between chain lengths (ie a little long), I would get the odd slip when really pushing

[img] [/img]

I've actually taken a link out since taking that photo.

It's my ride to work it's 34:16 I spin a little on one long flat but it get's me comfortably up the hills and through the bridleways I tackle on way to work.

I really enjoy it compared to my geared bike, I don't get to work knackered (I have a habit of getting the hardest gear and going as fast as possible), easy to clean, fun to ride in fact different style of riding its also helped my fitness on ups and I now use my brakes less because I'm trying to not lose speed.

It was also a fairly cheap build. Frame and forks off ebay the handle bar, stem and seat was bargains during January sales. Got a deal on brakes, wheels and cranks. I only spent £360, only luxury item was thomson seat post (factored in I'm 6ft 5 and 17 stone no point buying cheap seat post)

Oh Go on then here's another one from more affluent times

[url= http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1355/4730982095_48889d3261.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1355/4730982095_48889d3261.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/51529898@N08/4730982095/ ]Single Speed 456[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/51529898@N08/ ]Dancake2010[/url], on Flickr

The 140mm fork and 2.5 minions probably didnt make sense but it was awfully good. You will hear it time and again but because you are keeping momentum up, you are forced into starting sections faster and getting air when you previously had not etc etc. Sounds like a cliche but true

I dont run SS now of course - it was a fad

Tried a 47" gear at the weekend (32/20*29er) and it was a bit too spinny arround Dalby on the flat ish sections, nice on the hills though, I need to get out more so I can get back to 52", which seems to spin out less (top speed = the speed youd stop pedaling and start pumping anyway).

I'll be sticking with the fad for a while yet.

Invested heavilly in a Robin Mather custom frame with trackends several years ago now. It's sprouted a big front wheel and lost the suspension forks but it's still the quickest bike I have for climbing and most fun through tight twisty singletrack.

Finished building up a Carver 96er yesterday with Midge flared bars running 34:17 and carbon rigids. Time for a SS comeback perhaps.

White industries freewheels and 2:1 ratio the way to go unless you live somewhere very flat. It's all about the climbing and the last thing you want is an unreliable hub/freewheel.

chrispo - Member

Help! I didn't have myself down as mathematically challenged but...

1) Aren't 32/16 and 34/17 exactly the same?

Mathematically yes.
In the eyes of the zealot No.

32:16 on a 26" wheel is 48.9", so just a little bit harder than 6th gear.

52" gear Surly

Mathematically yes.
In the eyes of the zealot No.

I'm sure track cyclists make a case for different chainring/cog sizes with the same ratio feeling different.