... or am I googling the wrong thing?
I'm just daydreaming about a shorter, flatter commute and was wondering what bike I would use to do it. Started trying to window shop for singlespeed road bikes with disc brakes and can only really find one by pinnacle and one by genesis.
Is there really no market for this kind of bike or am I looking in the wrong places?
Is it the eccentric BB thing?
Id day you should be looking at building your own from scratch, or get a geared road bike and ss it yourself?
There needs be no more choice than the Genesis DayOne, (I may be biased) 🙂
That doesn't have an eccentric bottom bracket, has traditional track drop-outs. There are a few single speed cyclocross bikes from some niche, mainly American brands, (All City Cycles for example). I wish Condor would make a disk version of the Tempo, I'd be all over that.
Because on the road a geared bike is generally quicker and easier and puts less strain on things like knees. Plus gears really don’t take that much more maintenance than a singlespeed drivetrain. A singlespeed is fairly niche so I guess most big manufacturers don’t see it as a big enough market either.
I've been riding a "Mullet" fixie for the last couple of years (Disc up front, barely used rim caliper at the back)...
I did look for an old pompetamine a while back and also toyed with the ide of just fitting a tensioner to a 135mm spaced frame, There was (still is?) an EBB version of the Pinncle Arkose intended for SS/Alfine duties which I looked at, ultimately none of these options was quite worth it (for me) cost wise...
I'll be replacing the fixie with a fully geared disc commuter frame some time soonish, keeping the disc fork and a few other bits, more to extend the usefulness/applications of my commuter than as a measure to get me discs...
On a road singlespeed is horrible.
A fixed gear disk braked though... i'm in
Is there really no market for this kind of bike
Is that a rhetorical question?
I'd agree, I want one too. Preferably fixed gear and hydraulic discs.
Tempted by the Genesis Day One 10, though I'd rather have an alu frame. And seems a bit expensive, maybe I can find one reduced.
The Charge Plug Grinduro looked good, but now seems to have disappeared.
A fixed gear disk braked though… i’m in
I run my DayOne fixed, just have the cog on without a lock ring. As it's got 2 brakes, and I don't use the gear to slow down I've never unscrewed it yet.
most single-speed bikes for short flat commutes have drum brakes as they're better sealed against the weather
There's far too small a market IMO. Also once you're in to that territory your consumer might be too discerning and capable of building their own. i.e. on my commuter I absolutely did not want horizontal (track) drop-outs, I wanted sliding dropouts to work well with mudguards and the Alfine.
Simple answer - niche market.
Track ends are a PITA enough even before mudguards!
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On a road singlespeed is horrible.
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That's....just like.....your opinion, man.
Fixed, for instance, is pointless. In my opinion.
And JoB that's got a coaster brake 😛
Track ends are a PITA enough even before mudguards!
It's not THAT difficult. Just take out the bolts at the eyelets and the wheel comes out dead easy. And if you have decent puncture proof tyres, there's very few times you'll need to do it.
And JoB that’s got a coaster brake
And a V-brake on the front.
Added to the fact that it's a niche market, it's also a niche split by various methods of tensioning the chain and keeping the discs aligned. Some people hate track ends, some people hate sliding drop-outs, some people hate EBBs.
couple more suggestions: Surly Straggler, s/h Singular Peregrine if you can find one.
I had one of the Grinduro, was a nice bike to ride in terms of ratio and the geometry, and the supplied TRP Hylex brakes and Nano tyres were great for the price, but the drivetrain and the hubs were made of cheese, one winter and i had killed it completely.
Mine got replaced with a Singular Peregrine which i love but are scarce to find.
Other option is to find any road disc frame with a BB30 bottom bracket and install one of these to use as an EBB with threaded BB?
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Onza-PF30-Eccentric-Press-Fit-Bottom-Bracket_91303.htm
Or you could use any 68/73 threaded BB shell disc frame with one of these (but not cheap)
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bottom-brackets/trickstuff-excentriker/
I have one of the Onza BB new in box if any good to you?
As above, a very niche market and anyone who wants one will more than likely repurpose an old frame which is what I did with my Pompetamine when the Alfine hub died. Buy an SS kit for £25 or so and a bit of work removing the paraphernalia associated with gearing and you are good to go. I found with track ends that I needed a tug-nut otherwise the rear wheel would slip due to my awsumz power 🙂
I wouldn't just have a single speed - it's just too hilly round here for that - but it's a useful bike to have and gives a different workout.
It’s not THAT difficult. Just take out the bolts at the eyelets and the wheel comes out dead easy. And if you have decent puncture proof tyres, there’s very few times you’ll need to do it.
I know it's not difficut, but it is a PITA, and I wouldn't want to run daft near-solid tyres.
Singlespeeds are pointless, fixed gear is great. Who needs discs when you can stop a 3 braked 'fixed' very quickly.
As Scud says any PF30 frame with an adaptor or a threaded BB with an Excentrikker bottom bracket. Other options -
Pinnacle Arkose SS is a great bike, but not sure if discontinued, Evans do have the Alfine framesets though.
All City Nature Boy Disc
Salsa Fargo or Marrakesh
The new Treks have adjustable bottom brackets.
Older Cotic escapades?
Loved my Arkose SS and commuted on it for 5 years, but then no hills in the Thames Valley
.... daft near-solid tyres.
Continental Sport Contact. Roll like a race tyre, and the last set I had nearly 2 years and c. 6000 miles came out with the original tubes unpatched. Bit off topic, but useful info for you SS commuters.
IME of commuting on a flat route with a SS, you either end up spinning like ****, or you end up pushing a huge gear, which is a pure bastard trying to get out of junctions etc safely.
I reckon SS is far more suited to hillier riding.
just fit the mudguards right and theres no need to be removing the eyelet bolts at all.
but then some folk value fashion and lines over functionality.
Singlespeeds are pointless, fixed gear is great.
Singlespeeds are great, fixed gear is horrible.
Maybe it's subjective?
Roll like a race tyre*, and the last set I had nearly 2 years and c. 6000 miles came out with the original tubes unpatched**
*How did you measure them? **Anecdote.
Is there a reliable evidence-based resource for testing of tyres?
Outside a lab all bets are off! Tyre wear on road is highly variable - ride mainly on fresh tarmac (or the continent) and you'll get a lot more out of a set of tyres than on roads that have been surface dressed in the last year or so.
Roll like a race tyre*, and the last set I had nearly 2 years and c. 6000 miles came out with the original tubes unpatched**
*How did you measure them? **Anecdote.
Ooh, you old cynic. 🙂 I've got a race bike and the DayOne used to have Schwalbe Marathons of some flavour on it. The Continentals rolled like the race tyres, (maybe not quite the same) and miles, (per hour) better than the Schwalbes. Definitely no punctures, mileage recorded on Strava.
I can't deal with riding fixed gears it does my knees in.
I think an ideal commuter would have 3-5 internal hub gears with disc brakes.
such a lovely looking frame right down till they fitted those awful looking sliders
theres neat ways to do sliders - that is not it.
^ i own one, and agree, fits like a glove though. Used for SS CX racing, 100-150 mile road rides with gears, 3 Peaks, 50 mile winter mud fest slogs. I love mine. ❤
An updated Pompino with disc mounts and the space for wider tyres would be an ideal choice for me.
I rode a fixed Pompino for a few years, eventually went over to just singlespeed as weekend rides started getting longer and its nice to give your legs a break on a downhill.
I've had those Sport Contacts too, they're pretty much an offshore manufactured GP4000 and available in more sizes, they're ridiculously good VFM. Even the 32c version still feels zippy. I got hem to replace GP4'seasons, which people raved about but were utterly horrible to ride IMO. The only tyre I've hated more were some £5 michelin's which I actually binned as they were lethal.
I think an ideal commuter would have 3-5 internal hub gears with disc brakes.
Agreed. I grew to love the simplicity of a Nexus 3 speed for instance. 1st for accelerating, 2nd for transition, 3rd for cruise speed.
I also grew to prefer roller brakes for flatter commuting. Cheaper, super reliable in all weather and less maintenance than discs. Their mild manners encourage a smoother style of riding and mindfulness when in unpredictable traffic 😬
Was going to recommend the Charge Plug 1 Disc, basically a Grinduro in roadie guise, but it's been discontinued, weird.
I have the rim brake Plug 1, only thing I'd change is the dropouts, some nice neat sliders would be lovely.
As a happy owner I would say a road singlespeed is the perfect n+1, I only bought mine because it was on sale cheap and was a ludicrous colour (the two may be related) but it's now my most ridden bike.
I'd just trot out my usual advice, forget disc brakes, get a rim brake model, replace the brakes if they're cheap units, replace the pads with Swisstop BXPs, enjoy all the benefits of singlespeed and also a lighter, cheaper bike. Problem is there doesn't seem to be many rim brake road singlespeeds left on the market either...
I got hem to replace GP4’seasons, which people raved about but were utterly horrible to ride IMO
Wow, just shows how people's experiences can differ, I replaced my GP4000s for 4 Seasons last autumn, then just continued riding them all the way through summer and back into Autumn again, barely noticed a difference. I've yet to try the fancy 300TPI tyres on the market though...
There are a few out there, but on top of that if you run it fixed (and why not on the road?) you'll get to avoid using your brakes most of the time, and rim wear stops being a real issue.
I stopped running a fixed wheel due to many components breaking (not my knees...), and while it was probably less expensive as you can run chains, chainrings etc. into the ground, it was certainly more concerning to be cracking things and fairly often having them snap completely (hard to see a crack in a BB or even a crank before it's big enough to go pop - and impossible to see the ones in the stem bolts that put me in a ditch) than to be wearing out gear cables and mechs.
My old (2009?) black Specialized Tricross Singlecross was a great commuter, until that fateful day almost five years ago, it was a bargain buy at £350 IIRC. It didn't need a lot doing to make it roadworthy again after my RTA, but my confidence in rim brakes was shot.
I still can't believe I misread the spec of those Charge Grinduro that Wiggle were selling ~12 months ago for ~£500, with a pair of Hylex hydraulic brakes they were a steal!
IMO Evans make a pricing blunder with their Arkose SS, it was only £50 cheaper than the 1x10 Arkose X and had worse spec such as non-tubeless ready rims.
IME of commuting on a flat route with a SS, you either end up spinning like ****, or you end up pushing a huge gear, which is a pure bastard trying to get out of junctions etc safely.
Or you find the correct gear for your cadence. I ride fixed rather than SS as SS doesn't feel the same but I run a relatively low gear for fixed at 61 gear inches but can sit at 18mph on the flat while, accelerate quickly from standstill, get up all the hills where I live and also go downhill at 35mph. I also use it off road and the gearing works great. My maintenance is pretty much lubing the chain each week.
IME of commuting on a flat route with a SS, you either end up spinning like ****, or you end up pushing a huge gear, which is a pure bastard trying to get out of junctions etc safely.
My commutes 25miles with about 1000ft climbing and I manage alright in 32-14 on a 29er with 2.2 tyres.
The ability to drag it out the shed and it just work day after day with no maintenance trumps the extra speed of gears.
"The ability to drag it out the shed and it just work day after day with no maintenance trumps the extra speed of gears."
I give my claris a scrape once a year or there abouts and it just keeps working with the addition of oil.
I do think the lower end gruppos although not as cool are much more tollerant of neglect.
The gears trump the lack of speed in my case. I do 20km. 15km of which is flat and with steep prolonged hills at either end.
I give my claris a scrape once a year or there abouts and it just keeps working with the addition of oil.
That's interesting, the same conditions that my SS just trundled through effectively paralysed my SRAM GX drivetrain, resulted in such a badly rusted chain that I had to replace it, seized jockey wheels (a common GX trait I'm learning) and subsequently a new cassette as I'd obviously passed the point of no return with chain wear...
61 gear inches ... also go downhill at 35mph
I remember getting that sort of cadence once on a 72in fixed. You must have fast legs!
This looked good to me, but discontinued I think:
https://www.marinbikes.com/gb/bike-archive/bikes/2017-nicasio-ss
BMC Mass Challenge 01 works for me, but on the flat you always are in just the wrong gear.
To be honest 13thfloormonk.
I don't trust Sram gears or brakes to go to the shops never mind rely on them.
And every time someone near me does. It lets them down badly.
you can't blame a chain rusting solid on anything other than lack of maintenance!
So in answer to my original question, it seems that there were quite a few of them but now there aren't.
Sure if I magically change jobs to make such a bike feasible then I'll be able to find something though. Thanks for all the input!
there's loads here in copenhagen but with what looks like drum brakes or something, maybe look at non uk manufacturers
Fixed gear is best for commuting on flatter terrain but hillier needs a freewheel
I've had loads of success with crud roadguards on my dolan precursa because they are away from the track ends
Gatorskin rear only and run at bottom of the pressure range
SS commuter should be home built 🙂
Oh and KMC chains every time
I'm eyeing up the Pinnacle Dolomite singlespeed. Stealthy - until my breathing gives me away.
I saw one of these for sale for £400 (new) on eBay and was very tempted for bombing around London.
Would have needed to fly to the US to pick it up, but still a pretty good deal!
I’m eyeing up the Pinnacle Dolomite singlespeed. Stealthy – until my breathing gives me away.
I’ve got one of the 2016/2017 blue ones (bought just before the black was annnounced - boo!) and it’s been awesome.
daily commuter, 15-20 miles a day depending on route. fitted some of the full length dolomite mudguards and managed to sell the spyres for virtually the cost of a set of 2nd hand hylex hydraulics on eBay.
Tempted to try a singlespeed imperial century on it next year......
A
I remember getting that sort of cadence once on a 72in fixed. You must have fast legs!
Yep, 180rpm (although have hit 200rpm) - riding pretty much only fixed for the last 17 years helps. Although can't keep it up for more than a minute though so the hills have to be short.
If I rode just road I would up the gearing a bit but I ride more than 50% gravel and off road so it works out about right.
you can’t blame a chain rusting solid on anything other than lack of maintenance!
Well no, but that was sort of my point, the SS survived the exact same negligent maintenance regime (functionally) unscathed, the orange chain eventually embarrassed me enough to do something about it.
I run mudguards with an alfine hub and horizontal dropouts. Just extend the back of the mudguard a bit further to give you clearance to get the wheel out..?
I've got a hilly commute (5-600m over about 24 miles daily) so can't easily get away with SS. I'm never going back to deraileurs on a commuter it's just shit and far too much faff. I'd also run a mile from cable discs or rim brakes.
My current bike is a Genesis day one drop bar with alfine 8, trp hylex hydraulics, microshift bar end shifters. I run schwalbe marathons and have full length mudguards. While there are ways it could be minorly improved it's basically perfect and I'd buy another if I had to, over pretty much all other commuter bikes out there.
As some others have suggested, I'd say you need to get creative and go 'home-made', assuming you have the time and inclination. I have a Dialled Love/Hate converted to run a belt drive and although it's a 26" frame it fits 700 x 38c and mudguards. Whether the terrain is too hilly/flat for SS is pretty subjective. It works for me in Edinburgh and the low/lack of maintenance for daily commuting in all weathers is a real plus:
I've been commuting on a Day One Disc in London for the past 4 years, around 20K km in total.
In that time I've only had to replace chain and chainring once (at around 16K km), brakepads and tires (oh, and the rubish rear hub).
The greatest advantage of a SS is simplicity, I've seen a few commuters wrecking they RD, and TBH London is pretty flat so I don't miss gears.
So much clearance I could get 2" MTB tyres in there. Eyetted for mudguards. Heavy wheels. I may make them light by putting Enve stickers on....
I rode fixed whilst commuting in London, 20 miles or so each way. Did it for a couple of years and enjoyed it by the end, although going back to a geared bike was a strange experience. I did try it a couple of times with a freewheel but I preferred the feel of fixed so soon swapped it back. It certainly makes you fit, especially when you're a bit over-geared like I was.
All City Nature boy would be my choice, there's a chap on LFGSS called Hoke who had a lovely one built up with carbon rims and guards - looked a proper bit of kit and ideal for commuting.