Hi. Single speeding isn’t a road I’ve considered going down before but looking at the On-One website and reading reviews of the Inbred has certainly made me a bit singlespeed curious recently. Some of my friends are regular single speeders too and leave me for dust. I was going to go for the Inbred SLX but the singlespeed Inbred has a frame more suited to said usage and it’s cheaper. So I suppose my questions would be:

Is it easy to change the standard Inbred frame to single speed?

Do you need to be mega fit and powerful to go single speed?

Does it limit the kind of riding you do (like all day epics)?

Does it mess up your knees?

Thanks.

Yes
No
No
Sometimes

Silly question for the title, the majority of STW’er have had or have singlespeed bikes.

1) Not sure – never had an inbred frame

2) No, you can fit whatever ratio pleases you or makes most sense for your regular riding, so you can tune it to how fit you are and alter as needed. I’ve found I need more upper body strength to ride all day on the singlespeed as compared to the big bouncy bike.

3) I wouldn’t choose a singespeed if I rode mainly in big hills. It does take more determination to get up steeper inclines, and fast downhills are, as you’d expect, spinny.

4) Not mine 🙂

the majority of STW’er have had or have singlespeed bikes.

really?

well technically i suppose i have a bmx but thats not what hes talking about

id say the majority of stwers dont have a singlespeed

Is it easy to change the standard Inbred frame to single speed?

I would think so, I don’t even know without looking, what kind of dropouts are on it but if they are horizontal like many hardtails that are originally made for gears, then you’ll find the dropout itself is on enough of angle that a chain tensioning device should work well. Look at charliethebikemonger website for more info.

Do you need to be mega fit and powerful to go single speed?

Nope, you will simply notice over time that you get better at doing it, find it easier to stand for long periods of time, I even find it helps me stand for much longer and even pedal up hill on my full susser in pro pedal mode as a result.

Does it limit the kind of riding you do (like all day epics)?

This is a question terrain, all day epics can/will/are done, I often spend 8 hours or so SS’ing myself when the mood takes me, but I’d struggle on really really steep stuff regardless of time. You need the right amount of up & down, without it being excessively difficult stuff.

Does it mess up your knees?

If you are a big girls blouse with spindly sparrow legs then it might, just like those who complain about Spd’s doing that, it don’t knacker mine as I have powerful chunky man legs.

Best thing for you to do (especially if you have a hardtail already to practice with) select the middle crank ring, combined with 16 tooth cog on your rear cassette and keep it like that whenever you are on off road normal singletrack that your regularly ride, stick with it a few weeks, it’s not quite the same due to weight differences etc…but you’ll get the idea.

Best of luck in becoming a real man. 😉

Do it you will NOT regret it!!! I bought an on-one inbred ss 3 years ago and it very quickly became my favourite bike. Yes you have to work a bit harder on the hills but what a sense of satisfaction it gives you.
I ride mine with on one carbon rigid forks and gives such a “real” feel when riding trails and keeps the weight down. Never done all day epic but done a 3 laps (30mile) at 10 under the ben last year before changing to sus bike, what fun! i,m 46 so don,t need to be super powerful and knees still ok!
Now selling full sus bike and proud owner of 3 on one bikes.

Thanks everyone that’s really helpful.

spindly sparrow legs

It’s funny you should say that because I bumped into some friends recently whilst out cycling one of which said to me ‘The last time I saw legs like that they were hanging out of a nest’.

… ‘an even if you do find an incline just that bit too much, just push / carry the bike up it. There’s no shame in it.

If you are [only] SS-curious at this stage, go for a frame that’ll run gears, then you have the option to go back if you really don’t like it – anything (ok, almost anything 🙄 ) with vertical dropouts will be fine with a mech-hanger mounted tensioner pushing the chain upwards, and around the cog.

I’m 100% sure you’ve seen them and know exactly what I mean, but any excuse for a picture eh?. 😉

For the same (SS-curious) reason, I’d get a 9/10sp hub and run a SS kit on it, rather than a SS specific wheel. All that comes later, when you know it’s the right choice.

It’s worth go. You may, or may not, enjoy it.

Any single-speeders out there?

You’ll find none of that deviance here. Not now. Not ever.

😯 *looks at shoes, walks away, whistling*

do you have a beard?

if not you can’t be a single speeder 😀

Do it with a tensioner and a kit, they can be had for £25-£35 and you don’t have to change frames (assuming you have a hardtail).

It’s not perfect, but does allow an almost limitless choice of frames and getting the wheel out to fix a puncture is marginaly easier.

It’s what I did and short of saving up and buying someting fully custom or having horisontal dropouts brazed on I can’t see myslef swaping bikes. Real singlespeeders snear, but looking at their dropouts I sometimes think my setup might actualy be lighter than the slding ones, and the alternative is badly set up disk brakes with none slidey ones.

do you have a beard?

No but I’m going thin on top. 😕

Curiously, I could never really get on with the horizontal dropouts on my On-One, I dunno why, there was just something ‘not right’ about it …

That old Kona up there ^ with it’s vertical dropouts and tensioner works really well – it’s never been any trouble whatsoever. Likewise, tho’ (although almost completely irrelevantly in the context of GiantJaunt’s questions 🙄 ), the EBB / vertical dropout arrangement on the Singulars works flawlessly (in my experience), and is completely adaptable. I run one SS and one geared (gasp!), and both are frankly quite lovely.

… an’ yes, I forgot to mention the beard, but now that it has been mentioned, it’s beard and [normally] sandals with SS really … (that shot ^ was during the winter, and as much as I like riding in sandals (and I do), even I have my limits).

😉

Early On One Horizontal drop outs. My favourite bike (and I’ve had loads). Buy a cheap wheel and SS kit, 1 chain tug and jobs a good un.
We all raced SS at Bikefest, (except Canb on his fixed On One) we did well.
Yes
No
No
Sometimes but experiment on the gear and stick with what suits you and what you ride……….

Real singlespeeders snear

They even sneer at each other?

. an’ yes, I forgot to mention the beard, but now that it has been mentioned, it’s beard and [normally] sandals with SS really

Well that’s ok I saw some spd ones on the internet (or do they have to be purchased at a special shop?) 🙂

Interesting thoughts on the dropouts OCB. Maybe I’ll just go for the standard frame. I hadn’t thought of the disc brake set up issues with slot system either.

Is it easy to change the standard Inbred frame to single speed?

Assuming you are talking about the geared Inbred with vertical dropouts, I did this as my first single speeder. The standard SS ratio for gears is 2:1 with 32:16 being the most popular.

When converting a geared frame you need what is commonly known as a “magic gear” which is one that gives you the least amount of slack that needs to be taken up with a chain tensioner. I found that 36:18 was the best magic gear for my 20″ Inbred frame but you might need to experiment with various ratios if you have a different size frame with shorter chainstays.

It will need to be fairly tight when first fitted because the chain will stretch over time and eventually you may run out of adjustment with the tensioner. I used to keep two or three chains in various states of “slackness” to allow for this. It’s actually much easier if you get one of the horizontal dropout frames but you do need a chaintug on the drive side to prevent the wheel being pulled over under load.

You may find that if you are just starting single speeding that you will benefit from a lower ratio than 2:1 but after a while as your fitness and technique improve, you will begin to spin out on the lower ratio and a move up to the standard 2:1 will be beneficial.

I ride SS on and off road and the only time I have experienced knee problems is never to do with straining a big gear up a hill, it’s more to do with spinning too fast on the flat where my knees tend to bounce when pedalling too fast. I try to resist the urge to do that whenever possible now.

^ very funny

Try to source a frame with horizontal slot drop out, this will make things easy for a S/S. On One have the 26er Inbred frame for only £130.
Similar to this!

Well, almost like this! 😉

Bit of an update. I’ve borrowed a friends Cotic Soul single speed which I tried out today along with some SPD’s for the first time. I really enjoyed it and was surprised how much quicker I covered the ground. I didn’t tackle anything too steep but did struggle a bit going up some hills. I’m quite keen on the idea it just seems to make so much sense.

Now I just need to decide which frame or complete bike to get. Has anyone had any problems setting up the back brake on the slot dropout Inbred or isn’t it really an issue? Surely when you move the wheel in the dropouts it messes up the rotor/caliper spacing?

Proper horizontal SS frames will have elongated hole in which to set the caliper, I know my Genesis iO does, as dies my mates slot drop out Inbred

Surely when you move the wheel in the dropouts it messes up the rotor/caliper spacing?

Yes, but assuming you have a chaintug, every time you put the wheel in /out it goes to the same point so you won’t need to adjust the caliper every time you remove the wheel, only when you actually adjust the tug to change the chain tension (ie as it stretches). So once in a blue moon which isn’t that much hassle.

Your other option might be to seek out a second hand frame with a swapout dropout system, I don’t have an exhaustive list in my mind but I think Genesis, Voodoo, Orange P7 all have / had them at some time. On my P7 (which I run geared) the dropouts are vertical but can slide where they join to the frame to adjust the tension and the non-drive side dropout also moves so the caliper once fitted stays in the same alignment to the axle.

(My Tinbred SS has an EBB fwiw, which is in my opinion the best option but also is more expensive)

Watch out you don’t end up getting too into it and get a flipflop hub. If you’re not careful you’ll end up riding something like this:

Is it easy to change the standard Inbred frame to single speed?

Even if it’s not the slot dropout one it’d only need a tensioner.

Do you need to be mega fit and powerful to go single speed?

Depends on what you want to ride. I’m unfit and use a singlespeed occasionally, but usually for shorter rides (and with less climbing) than I’d do on a geared bike. Running 32:18 instead of 32:16 can help as well, if you live in a hilly area.

Does it limit the kind of riding you do (like all day epics)?

See above. I wouldn’t do an all-day ride on mine, but I’m not fit.

Does it mess up your knees?

Doesn’t seemed to have caused me a problem.

I don’t think long rides are as much of a step up as people would think. I’m not super fit either but can easily do 4+ hour rides on mine – I take it easier on hills than I would on a one hour blast (ie: walk some of them that you can get up but only at a grunt) and on the flats and downs you spin out anyway so there’s no chance to go faster. When I do 4 hour rides on the geared bike I still feel i have to clean every climb, and then on the flats you keep changing up to harder and harder gears so you don’t sit back and relax in the same way.

OK thanks. I would be using it mainly for getting to work and cycling less steep trails at first and see where it goes from there. It should take a huge workload off my FS bike which always seems to need something fixing on it.

It should take a huge workload off my FS bike which always seems to need something fixing on it.

the +1 fallacy 😉

I would be using it mainly for getting to work and cycling less steep trails at first and see where it goes from there. It should take a huge workload off my FS bike which always seems to need something fixing on it.

Ideal for this, my SS hasn’t even needed new pads this winter as I run tiny rotors (140/160 @15stone) which get very hot very quickly and keep the pads bedded in, downside is they boil fluid on anything other than singletrack.

Singlespeeding is as fun and as hard as you make it.

For the sake of a £20 conversion kit with a chain tensioner, cog and spacers. Give it a ago

my advice, buy a slot drop inbred. They are no problem to run geared at all due to the disc mounting. and better to run SS than faffing about with tensioners.

IMO all On Oone should be slotted as its no more problem getting the rear wheel out when running gears than it is with horizontal drops, I just think its down to marketing/perceptions.

Long epics: I have ridden from Dorset to Belgium (also aviemore a few years back). It’s not difficult. One speeds don’t limit the amount of time you can spend on the bike, but they do knock down the total miles you do in a day.

Welcome onboard.

Thanks I’m definitely going to go for it. Having difficulty deciding which frame to get though as some folk are saying get the slotted one while others say get a vertical drop out one 😕

I was going to buy the complete bike but now I’m tempted to buy the frame and build it myself which gives me the option of going for the 456. Anyone know if the Inbred is much nicer than the 456 when single speeded or is there little difference? Hmmm decisions decisions!