Ultimately, will I need a geared bike in order to be truly competitive xc racing?

I’ve been riding my single speed for just over 6 months now and am starting to wonder…

depends if you can spin fast enough to keep up with someone with gears, really

what he said – if there’s riders pulling away from you over the course of a lap and you feel you’d have gone faster with a higher/lower gear at some point then try gears?

You could pick a course and do two laps on the same day, one SS and one geared and see weather you’re quicker with one?

I did the Ruthin “100K” mtb marathon on a singlespeed a few years ago. I was reasonably fit then.

I was probably almost as quick as I would have been on a geared bike, but did walk a couple of short steep bits and spun out at other times.

Was I competitive? No. I was quite a bit quicker than most, but well down the field.

Other people can be very quick on singlespeeds though.

Terrahawk and shaggy dont think so……

Neither do i actually. 🙂

SS riders do seem to do proportionally better in endurance rather than sprint type races though?

A lack of gears doesn’t seem to affect this guy in the races!

http://40psi.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/strathpuffer-2013/

Aidan harding and mark goldie also seem to be able to handle them selves on ss

If you do the miles doesnt matter all that much what your on !

when was the last worldcup won on a single speed?

IMO it will always be a hindrance. That’s not to say you can’t be competitive, but I don’t think any individual will ever be quicker on SS than they would with gears.

That’s not to say that you can’t do very well indeed on SS if you’re a strong enough rider.

Yes, but only if you start at the front.

I did the Cannock winter classic on my ss and the course consisted of short, sharp climbs which should have been perfect for a single speed. Thing that killed me was I constantly got stuck behind geared riders slowly spinning up the hills with no room to get past, and ever-so-slowly turning the pedals with a 32:16 up steep inclines battered my legs.

But on the few fire road climbs I powered past the ‘spinners, and made up loads of places and did quite well.

So I reckon on the right course single speeds can be great – just get out in front quick!

If you want to get the best possible results – you’ll generally be quicker on a geared bike. If you ride nothing but single speed over a long period and have adapted to it, then there won’t be much in it, but you’ll still be marginally quicker with gears I reckon.

There are very few riders at the front in proper xc races.

i do remember once turning up to a race at evanton in the scottish highlands.

hills so steep that they were murdering me on 29:34 lowest gear – think it was nick craig that once told the BC riders to get real and get the granny ring back on when they complained that some of the hills in races were too steep !

those races might be hard on an SS 😉

@Mattk – Out of interest what category did you ride and what position did you finish?

Thanks for all the replies people.

i remember Rik from Riks bike shed at drumlanrig absolutely MURDERING the vets field on a single speed with a v brake and nothing particularly posh at all. Was an old giant commuter bike IIRC

was funny as hell – from where i was standing on the sport line up !

Jon Webb did well in masters at an NPS level on SS. Was before masters got quite as stupid as it is now with elites that happen to have hit 30, but very impressive none the less.

Thing that killed me was I constantly got stuck behind geared riders slowly spinning up the hills

killer.

there was a chap who got on the gorrick sport podium on SS – was blisteringly quick.

You will only win at XC on a single speed if you are massively fitter than the rest of the field. Depends a lot on the course too. If it’s Big Up Big Down then you are stuffed as can’t pedal the descents. Flattish uppy/downy you might have a fighting chance.

As for Rik, and I have nothing but respect for the man, but he did build the trails with SS in mind, design the course and rides there most days, so I am not sure the unigear was the advantage….

I sat at the front of one of the Thetford Winter rounds with a lassie on a single speed, knew I could pick her off when I wanted too with a big ring sprint, and I did, so stayed for the chat.

But you would never beat a rider of equivalent fitness on a geared bike.

Anyway, I thought Single Speeding was about the beards and the beers, not the podium babes ?

Frosty – it was the fun category. It was my first proper race but I didn’t want to enter the first timers category.

I expected to be really slow, so when I got to the start line I went to the very back so I wouldn’t get in anyone’s way. I actually finished 18 out of 53. I’ve entered the next one in July, and if I get a top 5 finish I’ll enter the enthusiast category next year.

Saying that I’m actually considering changing this summers entry to enthusiast as there might be less ‘spinners’ to get stuck behind

It was my first event too, same start-line tactic, rigid single speed in the enthusiast category, got a similar finish to you as well.

I passed plenty on the flat and out of corners but I got stuck behind folk on some climbs too, this is my main concern.

this is my main concern.

as above, start at the front and then you won’t have that problem until/if you start lapping people.

also, going up a category might get you in with some more consistent riders who don’t slow down so much for hills.

Depends on the race and the competition.
A decent rider could win a Gorrick Fun/Open category race on a singlespeed. He might struggle more against the Elites at the Nationals…
At the Strathpuffer an SS may be considered an advantage, far less to go wrong.

Ha – what Hels said !!

Although I’ve never been that fit, I was fit enough to beast the field on the second climb (perfect gradient for a SS stomp) , just before 3k of wet, rooty singletrack – tee hee!!!!! It was a shockingly wet day so I maybe had an advantage in ‘knowing’ the trail. The bike was an old XTC SS frame with a recycled xt v on the back and a hope open pro on the front, none of which worked by the last lap.

The point about the Puffer is also valid, about less to go wrong.

Big hills are good – faster up (if you get the gear right) and I’ve never missed pedalling a high gear on the DH sections as you can pump most technical trails quicker than pedalling anyhoo -but flat bits are a pain – the end of the Kirro lap is a killer and you could lose a place there just spinning to get nowhere 🙁

fr0sty – Member
Ultimately, will I need a geared bike in order to be truly competitive xc racing?…

I think Lance should have asked himself a similar question about his choice of performance enhancer.

Don’t use Lance’s excuse that everyone else is doing it, you’ll know in your heart you’re cheating… 🙂

Depends on you and the race, if the event plays to your strengths then the SS will work, if not it wont 🙂 Seen plenty doing exceptionally well in longer 50km+ events but they do seem to get out and get clear of the field, in shorted lap events your in the mix with everyone else so you will require a different approach to make progress.