Decision – Singlespeed MB

Hey.

I am looking for a single speed mountain bike, which will be used to commute (about 10 miles 1 way, sometimes through rough pavement and offroad) and to go to the forest.

Any advices? I have been looking at Cotic (i already have a Soul though), Orange P7, Genesis, Charger Duster and On One (not the Ti…).

I have a Cannondale Bad Boy and i never had any problems with the eccentric bottom braket but a lot of people seem to complain about them…

Anyway, what do you guys think?

why not fit some cyclocross tyres to your badboy?

Could do. But i am after something a bit tougher, that can handle rides in a muddy forest and can handle the icy roads in Gloucester. 2 years of commuting in London and never had a fall – excluding when a **** on a Porsche knock me down. Few months in Gloucester, and i hit the pavement already twice!

TBH then one of the pleasures of SS is to build up something yourself from s/h classifieds/eBay parts. For the cleanest look a SS capable frame is preferable to using a tenioner, prob a s/h on-one slotted drop out will be the cheapest, then raid your parts bin or the classifieds.

Orange P7one

Why not look for a Kona Explosif with sliding drop-outs. They can be geared or single speed depending on your plans at the time.

Love mine 🙂 Has been run geared but spent most of its life as a SS.

Otherwise look for a GF Rig – they seem to go fairly cheap.

So, you already have the ideal frame, which is built for urban commuting, but you want something else? The Bad Boys are tough bikes, and light. SSing one of those is easy, as you already have the EBB, and will save you a fair few quid.

Plus, I’m assuming it already looks a bit ‘used’, which is a bonus, for locking up in town. The tattier the better. Bionickev off here had an old tatty RM Blizzard for round London; looked sh1t, but was a really nice bike.

So, as above, fit some chunkier tyres to your Bad Boy (26 or 700c?), and then you’ve got the perfect machine.

Or, do you just want another bike? 😉

Well…there is no “just want another bike”. I may REALLY want another bike, which is a different matter!

Bad Boy is 700c, with a Shimano Alfine. I love the bike: very responsive, very light and i have done miles and miles. Still looks very well.

I have been thinking about a SS for awhile and i guess i can do my commute in Gloucester pretty much Off Road, if i have the bike. The Bad Boy just feels too fragile for it.

Anyone tried the Charge Duster? I like the looks.

Another vote for the Explosif with slidy dropouts/disc mount.

Its an old pic, now XT/Rebas/Hope Minis etc etc

The Bad Boys are pretty tough, you know. Designed for blatting around town, and dealing with potholes, kerbs, etc. I’ve seen a few kitted out for off-road duties, and they’ve stood up to it.

What you doing with your Alfine? Can I have it please? 🙂

Nai, na, nai. Bad Boy is staying as it is. I need it for my occasional road trips and when commuting in London.

Kona looks good. I have a friend with one and i like the looks. The only thing is: Being portuguese, Kona has quite an interesting translation. If you add explosif…it´s just bizarre. Will look at it.

that would be cona and they pretty much all explode one a month…. 😉

Ah Kona lisa is the one for the translation I thought !

Shaven……..

….Haven?

Got a santa cruz chameleon ,large ,white for sale great single speed or geared bike 😉

Are those ones that explode in a month the multi geared ones?

Reminds me of a young lad we knew from playing footy in the park. we were all about 18-19, he and his mates about 13-14. One day, he comes out with all sorts of filth. Turns out, he nicked a copy of ‘Shaven Ravers’ from the newsagents,and had learned loads of new words!

This has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with this thread. I am aware of this.

How about one of these if you’re not over 6ft Clicky It’s nice and simple/rugged and if you want to speed it up a bit you could get some thinner Hybrid tyres and gear it up so it’ll fly along without being flimsy. Loads of room for mudguards too if you use the smaller tyres.

For those Kona fans out there: They don´t do the explosif anymore, correct? The only frame with horizontal drop outs seems to be the 2-9 unit. Looks very good, but it´s 29er.

I have never tried 29ers, but it´s probably the best choice given i want to use the bike to commute as well… don´t know.

I am but shorter than 6ft..would that be a problem?

Not sure whether they are doing an Explosif in 26″ this year or not.

As mentioned above Chameleon is also a good choice that I also have in my garage. Much more hardcore and unforgiving compared to the Kona but more capable of the big stuff. Not tried running the Chameleon as a SS yet so difficult to compare. Certainly not one to run fully rigid.

Just checked – they did an Explosif last year – Wiggle have the details but sold out – maybe some around somewhere. Looks nice in that green.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/-_-/5360037333/

Oh – forgot to add – the Explsof doesn’t have horizontal drop-out – they are standard vertical drop-out but they slide so you adjust chain tension. They work really well and never had a problem with them.

I only mention your height as they only have small and Medium sizes left in the GT Peace (16in and 18in I believe) A mate of mine bought the last 18in 07 Kona Unit (non-disc) from JE James but if you’d fit a 16in try here Cheaper non-disc 16in frame Or The same bike with discs in 18in The Kona is a lovely frame, and the spec, besides the fact that it doesn’t have discs as standard is pretty good (at this sale price, RRP was a bit steep IMO) but for my money the GT seems better value, so much so, that if they still have any left in a month or so, I’ll have one 😀

All the best,

TR

Friend in a shop got a GT Peace in as he fancied it for himself, but it turned out to be a rather chunky monkey not far off the weight of his geared bike.

Timber, would you know if the weight is in the frame or the budget components? I’ve heard a few people comment on the GT’s Lardiness and others just like it as it’s a nice simple bit of kit. Worth pimping?

Here’s a 16″ kona unit 2-9…

or a kona cindercone SS conversion 97 (18″)…

But I would go cyclo cross such as this old alu Topcross…

Bike Radar rates On One as the best SS you can get. And it works out cheaper than most. That is good. On the downside, no idea when they will have the In Bred in or..what the hell is going to happen to On One.

Speculation says i may just be able to go down to Halfords (argghh) and get a On One from there!

gt’s a good bike cheap too
yup its no light weight but is fun to ride in a sort of bulldozer way

Andrewmoke – did you ride a Cotic Simple? If so, what did you think?

ononeorange – I have a Soul, which is the same frame but geared. Love it. The only reason why i am not getting a Simple is because i would like to try something else. But they are good. The only thing against it is that silly sticker. They could paint it in the frame.

Just picked up a ’09 Genesis iO – getting good reviews and it’s a lovely bike!

Its simple, get a Simple. They look good and ride well, so what if you have a Soul, if you like that then have 2 Cotic’s. I like mine and I’m new to SS.

Gary – Go and ride it! And let us know!

Ta andrewmoke. I’m trying very hard to resist a Simple!