single speed why?

I like how an innocent and genuine question attracts such hostility. How hard would it have been to try and explain the virtues of SS rather than treating the question like an attack or a pisstake?

I've wondered the same about SS myself. After reading this thread, I'm thinking now that I don't care, if some of the responses here are indicative of the general attitude of SS riders then it's not a clique I have any desire to find out any more about.

Surely you can't call yourself a proper mtbiker unless you;ve got a SS in the shed?

😆

My first SSUK too. … but not my last!

Before hand I just used to single-speed to avoid breaking things in crashes. But the people who do it are just, more relaxed and generally cooler. It seem to me to be more like a way of thinking than a mechanical oddity.

On that note can I just give a shout to the organisers for a top event! Cheers peeps!

But the people who do it are just, more relaxed and generally cooler.

😆

🙄

bman which frame did you get?

they're only cooler cos thay are'nt wearing knee guards and shin guards and ankle braces and elbow pads and wrist supports and neck braces and full face helmets….and cos they're riding so slowly 😀

bman which frame did you get?

the Lynskey

I was wearing my bestest dress shirt for the riding part of the event ,

b man good work, nice frame, roll on next year!!

I can see the attraction of ss, especially as i am becoming lazy and only seem to use about 3 gears on my HT anyway. Question is, should an SS have suspension and how much is acceptable?

Yep, I'm pretty stoked… but I suspect that I am going to have to spend a fair bit of cash on decent shiny bits to adorn it with

ivantate – Member
should an SS have suspension and how much is acceptable?

there really aren't any rules…

back to the OP; singlespeeding is a good way to remind yourself just how simple a pleasure it is to ride a bike. you don't need gears, you don't need rear suspension, you don't need a bike that's new, expensive, well maintained, fashionable, you really are a good rider without all that stuff, you're awesome!.

(and also it teaches you how to look after disc brakes; don't let any oil get anywhere near your bike – the deores on my single speed are frighteningly bitey, i swear they're trying to kill me)

Now don’t get me wrong – I love my yeti – I love the it move through the suspension travel – I love the awesome power and control of the hydraulic brakes – it has a whole 27 gears that I can use maintain my cadence and get me up big hills – I can huck it of stuff and hammer the descents in a riding like I stole it fashion
But the biggest fun is taking my now ridged single speed Clockwork out for a sound thrashing its simple to ride – it makes you think about lines and momentum – where to brake (V brakes) and where to carry the speed – I find it more challenging to ride but more rewarding
The stuff I learn on the single speed translates to the FS – which means I now ride my Yeti faster & harder
Whether you get SS or not its all riding bikes – all my bike give me a big smile at the end of the day – and that what count

Bought a Genesis IO on Friday, and I'm already a convert, its great! Echoing all of the points above really, simple, efficient, easy to maintain, light, durable, cheap, looks nice (subjective), reliable.

Ever pulled a muscle or cramped on a bike?

Gears will let you pedal lightly home!

Also look after your knees too.

ade ward – Member
I was wearing my bestest dress shirt for the riding part of the event ,
POSTED 1 HOUR AGO # REPORT-POST

If you were the dude in the frock I followed you up 'that' climb..

…great legs by the way!!

no Ron I was wearing a dress shirt with frily front and cuffs not a dress , I repeat I didnt wear a dress!

Frankenstein I thought I had heard all arguments against singlespeeding but the pedaling lightly home after pulling a muscle or cramping is new one on me and also a total load of bollocks of course.

The knee thing is a more common antisinglespeed argument but also bollocks in my opinion. If anything singlespeeding strenghtens knees just as long as you build up carefully and dont go crazy hard on your first few rides.

Being both lazy and fat, converting to SS was an eye-opener for me.

After riding my fav trails for 2 years with gears and spinning most of it, it became a revelation that I could actually go fast up stuff . (its either stomp on the pedals or get off. Dont get me wrong, this kind of behaviour leaves the lungs bruised but it is ace fun and brings a new dimension to your standard ride.

I am putting the gears back on now as I am going down to one bike and it has to do it all. My riding style has changed though and the little ring has gone forever I think…

riding a single speed is (should be) fun. like riding any other bike it should make you smile,brighten your day, enhance your fitness (anything is better than sitting on your bum doing nowt)and improve your skills/flow.

It certainly makes my local riding more fun than booting around on one of my other bikes with gears and suspension. (Those are for big days out)

unfortunately it does get rather cliquey and hi-jaked by abject cockendishness at times by the "look at me, look at me, my bike is so special it's the cycling equivalent of joey deacon"

all the "aren't we wacky brigade" can detract from what is for me, another great way to enjoy the trails.

abject cockendishness

😆

cynic-al – Member
It's not a race though.

This concept is too much for many…

Every hill's a race when I go out with my mates – but for solo rides I reckon a SS would be ideal.

Just need a) the money and b) the cojones to get another bike and survive the wrath of the wife 🙂

It certainly makes my local riding more fun than booting around on one of my other bikes with gears and suspension. (Those are for big days out)

So the terrain around you isn't particularly challenging

unfortunately it does get rather cliquey and hi-jaked by abject cockendishness at times by the "look at me, look at me, my bike is so special it's the cycling equivalent of joey deacon"

I think that's what puts most of us off. I'm sure lots of poeple rarely change gear on their mountain bikes, but they wouldn't go on about it.

These theoretical arguments about the disadvantages of single speeding are amusing.

1. Assumption that if

the terrain around you isn't particularly challenging

it can't be done. Bollocks. Tell that to the winners of the Strathpuffer (2 out of 5). There's lots of single speed riders living in mountain country.

2. Knees will blow. A gearie myth. I don't know any SS rider who had wrecked his knees from riding. It would be interesting if a medical opinion chimed in on this.

3. Our bikes are special 🙂

Most threads like this are started by geared riders not SS attention whores – I assumed it was a troll because it is fairly well known that many SS enthusiasts were away at the SSUK this last weekend.

Knees will blow. A gearie myth. I don't know any SS rider who had wrecked his knees from riding. It would be interesting if a medical opinion chimed in on this.

I do know that pushing higher gears worsens the tendon problem I've got in my left knee – which would seem to indicate that SS could be more problematic as you don't have the option of changing down and spinning up the steeper bits. No idea whether it would be enough to actually cause the problem, though.

I did my knee in doing the Bristol 12 solo ss – chose too high a gear which meant overloading my knee as I didn't want to stand out of the saddle all the time, particularly as I got tired.

BUT arguably it's just as easy to do on a geared bike and you see plenty of people pushing big gears (thinking their Jan Ullrich probably) when they could easily shift to easier ones.

Tazzy summed it up best though.

unfortunately it does get rather cliquey and hi-jaked by abject cockendishness at times by the "look at me, look at me, my bike is so special it's the cycling equivalent of joey deacon"

Which is why I avoid SS specific races.

To be fair, it is the exception and they are quite good entertainment to laugh at.

I think that's what puts most of us off. I'm sure lots of poeple rarely change gear on their mountain bikes, but they wouldn't go on about it.

I guess there are plenty (like me) who just ride ss bikes, as opposed to the "proud singlespeeders".

Spot on Al.

Ditto that,some of us just like to ride bikes regardless of what they have or haven't got on them…..

When the climbs are too slippery to pedal up, and the gears won't work properly because they're clogged with mud, single-speed makes a lot of sense!

the terrain around you isn't particularly challenging

nope you are quite correct, the peak district is flatter than a kippers nadgers

all I can say is that you sir and the other "single speeds are crap" trolls are a complete

Lol
Well if you like ren & stimpy, you can't be a complete asshat.

big kisses back at ya and extends the monocog of welcome to the gearie boys* 😀

*well a select few, who don't think I'm a cock and vice versa 😉
I can't stand all this "we all ride mountain bikes, let's all like each other solidarity crap"

I'm very interested in having a go for my commute of 27 miles round trip.
There are several hills along the way, infact it is rarely flat. Sometimes I will take all climbs in a higher gear whilst standing up, which is quicker, but more tiring. My average time is 53 minutes each way, will I get faster or slower if I singlespeed? I know I could just not change gear to find out, but I think I will struggle to resist.

For some people it seems to be part of a desperate desire to prove how 'different' and 'individual' they are. For some people it's just a bit of fun/something different, or a means of saving money/kit in the winter.

If it isn't fun, just stop doing it 🙂

If it's for pose value, getting your willy extended will impress more women.

If it's to impress other bike riders, then it's too old hat.

Horses for courses.

SITS 2008 was such a course, requiring such a horse… a team of us in SITS '08 all with singlespeeds and mud tyres could carry on while many of those with Britneys had to resort to carrying their broken steeds round the course over their shoulder- by far the best example of SSing positives.

Other than that, it's fun. What's the harm in a bit of variety? 🙂