Should i buy a singlepeed?

I’m talking rigid SS at that.

I live in Bradford so my riding involves steeper shorter hills and i like techy stuff.

I own 2 bikes which are both slack trail/all mountain, 1 full suss, 1 HT.

None of my mates ride SS.

Will i hate it when riding with my mates? (although i ride plenty on my own).

Is it a BS that they improve your riding due to having to think more about line choice?

What about my legs? Will they end up huge and cartoon like.. 😯

there is only one way to find out.

2nd hand might be cheaper.

you could convert your HT to SS and try that first?

depends if you have tolerant mates who are happy to wait and chat for the bits you HAVE to walk 😉
they are great when you are on your own, as you can take your time!
I only take my SS when i ride on my own, and find my mind really wanders off.
very relaxing.

never tried a rigid one myself, but enjoy a hack on mine 🙂

You could go rigid and still have gears. I really don’t see the point in SS other than lower maintenance. Oh, and thinking you’re really cool and crazy.

If your mates don’t have SS you will hate it.

You’ll be forever standing around at the top of each hill waiting for them.

I really enjoyed my SS. Can only afford one bike though, so I’ve got gears again now. It’s not so much line choice as picking ways to conserve momentum – can be quite a different way of riding. Adding rigid forks into the mix makes a big difference again – can really liven up some otherwise mundane trails. Give it a bash – lots of fun, and your fitness might well improve if you ride enough.

Also, I never found that my mates were waiting for me at the top of climbs, but I must just be a mega singlespeed trail weapon or something… 🙂

assuming you dont have a soft as cheese pro2 freehub on the back:

&

&

to pull your gears off with 🙂

you can always put them back on again!

assuming you dont have a soft as cheese pro2 freehub on the back:

Which will be fine if you use a cog with a wide base.

if you fancy the idea i’d say go for it. i’d recommend a sliding dropout frame rather than other methods of tensioning, but others have different opinions. ebbs are ok, but i have seen people have problems with them. slideys are simple, easy to get wheel in and out, and it goes back in the same place it came out too. you can usually get gear hangers for them should you want later on.

Cheep kit and a tensioner as he said, I’ve done it on my sanderson and its ace, wouldn’t want to do it near nay proper hills though, although I do know plenty of people who do.

Good for turning gentle inclines into long slogging workouts as you can’t just click down a gear.

why not test it by just not changing gear for a few rides before splashing the cash? means you can try different ratios too…

Yes. Get one with big wheels too.

It does no harm to try SS, esp. for solo riding. Folk recommend 32:16, but I got nowhere with that and have 32:20 so I can climb most of my usual climbs (with rests). I find it harder overall, but interesting and worthwhile, though my left knee and ankle tend to protest so I may have to give it up.

I suggest you try adapting your HT first with a kit – spacers, 18t 3/32 cog robbed from an old cassette, tensioner, unramped chainring (not essential), short chainring bolts. Shorten your existing chain and keep the bit you removed in case you want to put it back.

If you hate it, sell the kit on classifieds – there will be plenty of buyers. If you get it, then consider buying a dedicated SS bike.

Make sure you buy a frame that comes with either EBB or sliding dropout (Track dropout I think) just in case you want to change the gearing system.

EBB or sliding dropout (Track dropout I think)

don’t confuse a sliding drop-out with a horizontal drop-out.

fwiw – easiest i’ve found is sliding drop-out.

Look Here

I’ll do the wheels & chainset for £100 collected (Tadcaster or M62 J31)

(Wheels have 6 bolt hubs & take a standard cassette)

I only ride SS. I don’t think I am cool or crazy. I just cannot be arsed with fettling with gears all of the time. I worked in the cycle trade for to long and got fed up with fixing everybody elses gears to want to sort mine for riding.
SS will make you more fluant in your pedaling, rigid wil mean that you pick better lines. You’ll have fun just riding with out the worry of bike for conditions etc and what gear up this hill.
Give it a go. Try a few rides on your own first then join your mates and see if you can keep up.

simple answer. No, you shouldn’t!

Go ahead and do it. What’s the worst that can happen?

Re the EBB/sliding debate, I would go for a good EBB every time as there are no hassles with brake adjustment and generally less faffing about.

If it’s of any interest I’ll be selling my large Love/Hate soon only because it’s a little too big for me. It also has the major advantage of having a r/mech hanger so dead simple if you want to go 1 x 9 sometimes.

assuming you dont have a soft as cheese pro2 freehub on the back:

Oh heck does that mean the SS I have built using some pro 2 wheels I had is going to be crap 🙁

or get something like this, and then you have ALL the options.

add a fork, add gears, etc etc

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOO26IN1SG/on-one-inbred-26er-1sg

not in rubbish green and white.

red and black looks smart.

Oh heck does that mean the SS I have built using some pro 2 wheels I had is going to be crap

Just buy a wider cog once you have decided on your gearing. They are a bit more (£10-£15), but saves it digging in.

Normal cogs can munch at the freehub body, more so than with a whole cassette because you are using that cog all the time. If you can add/remove a BB spacer, you can adjust the cog position too. A wide-base cog helps.

or hope do a steel version of the freehub body, but it aint cheap (nor as pretty)

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/30810/Hope_Pro2_Steel_Freehub_Body

wide based cog is your best bet

Here’s a simple way to try SSing

1. Select a gear ratio on your existing setup that roughly works out to 32:16 or if you’re a female 32:18 😀

2. Go ride, but keep your hands away from the shifters.

3. If you forget about the shifting ban, get back into 32:16/18 gearing, stop and do 20 press ups 😈

Got a couple of SS-ready frames for sale if that’s any use
Both 20″, Reynolds 853

Thorn Raven Enduro (with EBB) currently built up wioth Rohloff etc on it, but will be available next week

On-One Slidey-dropout inbred (blue)

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The bike I was watching on eBay has gone(charge duster Ss), you snooze, you lose!

Got a mate who will lend me one To try if I want and another mate threatening to build one.

I’ll keep my eye out for a cheap project as I have a few spares hanging around.

Thanks for all the advice.

If you can add/remove a BB spacer, you can adjust the cog position too

Or even just shift the chainring between the middle and outer positions if you are concerned about digging into the freehub body. If you get a wide cog, it isn’t an issue though.

floyd_england: it doesn’t feel the same, possibly because one is not benefiting from the weight loss and reduced drag.

I appreciate what you’re saying Buzz, but the SS approach to riding would still be there.

OK it may not be as ‘clean’, but the fundamentals would still remain, keep it spinning, on a hill don’t bottle it and look for help from a derailleur, MTFU and attack the thing……etc

Naaaa, when I went SS I was constantly flicking my thumbs at imaginary shifters, theres no way it would have worked out doing it half heartedly.

Also bikes feel completely different when you remove ~1lb from the rear axel! I really struggle to understand Rolhof/alfine hubs and their weight.