Quite sad really.

lol, should have know that would generate this sort of reaction, I think most people like to be first occasionaly, when you do it on a £200 piece of shit rather than a £2k dream machine it's quite nice, I'm only gloating on here because its anonymous, I didn't wait at the bottom and laugh at them.

Why do people run Ultra Marathons (or just marathons for that matter) do the Iditabike/RAAM etc? It can rarely be considered fun (apart from the warm glow of having done such) and done more as a challenge of the self.

So why not do CyB on a rigid SS? May be a challenge/may be fun! I might be quicker round on my FS but I'll be mincing almost as much as on my rigid SS. Bike type makes no difference to cowardice!

There's an odd idea on this thread that one has several bikes, including a rigid singlespeed and a geared full-sus, and you select the "right" bike for the trail in question from among the selection available based on their performance.

That is insane. Almost invariably, the geared FS is going to be quicker (in the hands of the same rider) over almost any rough trail than the SS and the rider of the SS is going to get beaten up more and have more sketchy moments, more stalls, more refusals and quite possibly more scuffing, bruising and bleeding going on.

There is probably never a right situation or a perfect trail for which to pull out a rigid singlespeed on performance grounds. (although in reallty clarty mud when you don't have time to do any maintenance you can make something resembling a case for it).

If you like riding a singlespeed bike without any suspension then it is appropriate whenever you fancy, and if it's the only bike you've got then you don't get the choice anyway.

What is it that meerkat says? 🙂

I think a lot of mountain bikers have a fantasy of a Batcave-style hideout, equipped with every possible permutation of bike, and a supercomputer to tell them which trail to use it for.

Still waiting for video or photographic evidence of this Nick bloke handing full suss riders their asses. I have a crappy £200 rigid SS, I've ridden it in a race and a Merida this year (podiuming in the former, thanks mainly to strategic picking of categories), and I'm sure I overtook a few riders on bouncy bikes at some point.

However at no point did I think "Wow, this is amazing, I am like a killer whale chasing down a bloated fat sealion". To be honest my thoughts were more along the lines of "Wow, my wrists hurt, and I wonder if the next climb is going to be gentle enough for me to take my hands off the bars and stuff my eyeballs back into my head". 🙂

Why do people run Ultra Marathons (or just marathons for that matter) do the Iditabike/RAAM etc?

Do you get people running them wearing uncomfortable, stiff-soled shoes, just for the challenge?

All I wanted to do was wind up the 'ss is stupid' brigade and I've gone and tried to bloody justify it, when it doesn't need justifying, arse.

Grumm, a better metaphor would be two pairs of shoes – one are uncomfortable, but very efficient and easy to look after. The others are more comfortable but worse at going uphill and 5lbs heavier. 😉

I'm going to Manchester Velodrome next week. Should I take my full suspension bike or go the the full hog and take my rigid ss fixed wheel track bike with no brakes.

Serious suggestions only, please! 8)

Ooerr! coleman, I don't think you're taking this seriously! 😯

Well, just got back. It was a blast.

I'm not going to get into a rigid SS/FS comparison as that is an empty and hollow debate. But it was a lot of fun, and almost all of CyB was rideable on that bike, albeit a bit slower and a bit more sketchy than on an FS. And you need lots of malt loaf.

Woudl they let you on the velodrome track on a full suspension bike? Would be funny if you got dressed up in body armour and full-face helmet etc too – I'd love to see the look on people's faces.

Back under your bridge Grumm, there's a good chap. 🙂