Singlespeed – Anyone Do That Anymore?

Just had a look through my Flickr account.
Looks like last time a rode a singlespeed was around 7 years ago.
Maybe I should build up a singlespeed DH bike now I’m living in an area with some proper trails and an uplift service. 😀

Genesis IO ID hub-geared MTB as a happy median.

Mine is SS with a carbon rigid fork. I didn’t get on with the Alfine boat anchor. Replaced a stolen Kona Unit 29er.

Yep. V2 Scandal with a Reba fork and light wheels. Would swap the fork for a rigid carbon one if they weren’t so expensive.

Great to ride in the winter slop and the light weight plus steep geometry makes it more fun around trails that are pretty tame on something more capable.

Re-furbed Indy Fab steel deluxe frame re-built with all new components.

oh hi @ayjaydoubleyou

Last singlespeed thread I implied that I used to do it but I’m too old for it now.
That got me a telling off from a certain member who knows my age 🙂 Hi Andy

Gentle reproach more like 🙂 To be fair I was your age when I started riding a singlespeed 22 years ago and when I can actually ride a bike again I will still be riding one now and again

Sposeta, but my SS is now one of my blingest bikes!!!

This. I counted up what my SS owes me and it’s a bit embarrassing for a fully rigid steel 26er with no gears. I love it though.

Yep, still riding mine. I had a couple of Inbreds but moved on to an original Lurcher which is built up rigid and quite light. I love the direct feeling of it.

It’s my most ridden bike. Often get stick from those I ride with for bringing an inappropriate bike for group rides in the Peak but I just enjoy it and it does everything so well.

SS Switchback rider here!

That’s my old one, the current one is gunmetal 😎

Edit – why can’t I share an image from Instagram?!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZMHsuMsDUJ/?utm_medium=share_sheet

OP I was planning on finishing a Love/Hate singlespeed project but recent car MOT failure/fund-failure means it’s prob up for grabs/swaps whatever. PM’d

You are supposed to bodge one from a pre loved frame and the parts bin in the garage

That (until you run out of parts!)

I brought a Charge single speed 29er off the classifieds on here about 6 years ago and it’s been great for my local riding. I like to mix up my riding, fat bike on the beach, gravel bike for local bridleways as well as plenty of miles on the road. I believe that riding single speed makes you stronger and forces you to dig deep which you never do on a geared bike.

I take this old bugger for a rag every now & again

Great fun.

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the only bike i ride off road

though not bad in the winter but they have a few drawbacks so I think they make better summer bikes.

Bought a basic Orange P7 singlespeed hardtail from classifieds during a lull in my biking interest and it instantly turned me into a convert. Actually rode it 25 miles home from collection and it was the most fun I could remember having on a bike for ages. Discovered what I’d been missing. Just grab the bike pedal and smile. And then push it for a bit up that hill. Then try again. And again. Then nail it and smile through gasps. Just like being a kid again.

Hell yes. My hardtail (SC Chameleon) is exclusively singlespeed. Used to be a lot more off the shelf singlespeed frame options out there, less so these days unfortunately. Some example singlespeed bikes/frames:

Santacruz Chameleon
Brother Cycles Big Bro
Kona Unit
Salsa Timberjack
Trek Stache
Kona Honzo DL
Specialized Fuse
And if you are feeling flush, Starling Beady Little Eye

Pretty much had a singlespeed/fixed wheeled bike of some sort since 2005. It’ll be a sad day when I’m too old/fat/unfit to be able to ride it.

It’s just the purest form of cycling you can do, just like when you were a kid. You just ride your bike with no having to think about gearing.

Cheap too, which for a tight arse like me is perfect. 😜

The only new parts of my Stooge build back in 2016 was the frameset and tyres/tubes. Everything else was either sourced from my old Rock Lobster or was lying about in my part box. Just the way it should be. Until of course I start upgrading bits as the old ones break or wear out.

Can you get narrow/wide cogs for the back now? And if so would that mean (when combined with a N/W the front) you could run a chain that’s almost tight enough without a tensioner? Just random evening thoughts

If we’re doing pictures….

IMG_5550 by markwsf[/url], on Flickr

My mtb keeps switching between SS and geared. Been thinking of putting it back to single speed for a while

My commuter is a surly cross check, here in CX/gravel mode but now its got fancy wheels and is fixed with road tyres. Its not getting much love now i don’t commute so occasionally used to do short trips instead of a car

I have an io id and a charge skinny. both 26inch and both ridden the most out of all my bikes maybe.

Tweed valley is made for singlespeeding i reckon. atleast the mincy bits are.

Got my rigid 26″ inbred recoated last summer. Didn’t ride it much during covid but now I’m back to working regular hours on site I’m doing more night rides and it’s getting more use. Great for the easy but filthy trails I have available on an extended commute home.

My normal commuter is a Cotic Roadrat SS. Super reliable rarely needs maintenance so is ideal for a utility bike.

No its 1×9 now. Still fairly cheap and simple as its ridged as well. Too many flat gap between the small bits of interesting local stuff for SS.

inbred recoated last summer

@jonba That colour is ace. Custom or RAL etc?

Still riding my Surly 1×1, waiting for some mudguards for it to arrive.

I refurbed my ancient 26” singlespeed 853 inbred last summer with a rigid carbon fork, new tyres, and some oil on the chain. It’s ideal for the gentle hills round here in Oxford – I love it.

It was a “special” coating but one that could be chosen off the shelf – not RAL. Cosmic sparkle. A pearlescent pink base with a glitter gloss top coat.

If you are going to go custom, might as well go glittery and pink! £130 all in from BettaBlast in newcastle.

https://www.facebook.com/bettablast some great stuff on their page. They were building a new colour wall with loads of special options. I’ve had them do basic RAL stuff in the past as well

^ Nice! Thnks for the info. I had a (93?) Raleigh Apex, (stock) colour* similar to that but it sort of had a vivid magenta sheen to it also. I remembered being surprised at how much I liked it. The whole bike, in fact. (Rust In Pieces)

*eg:

It’s not been out for a while, but an old yellow Kilauea with Z1 BAM and magic ratio. Doesn’t feel as bad as I thought it would swapping back from modern geometry and bigger wheels.

Got a Cove Stiffee that is probably about to go SS as there are a few pump tracks popping up locally.

Yep, still riding SS. I’ve just recently evolved my SS build as I wasn’t really using the previous iteration. It was not quite capable enough to be fun for technical trails and it would only get ridden on one particular local xc route where it was absolutely perfect. That was a Solaris MK1 with 100mm travel forks.

I was tending to find the gravel bike was better for easier trails or in the winter (or go running)…For other stuff usually I’d end up taking the short travel FS.

Anyway

To try to get more use out of it I’ve just moved all the bits over onto a SolarisMax frame with 140mm pikes and gripper tyres. It is hugely more capable than the last version and no slower xc that I can notice.

Really looking forward to riding it over the coming months, it’s a bit of a weapon, locally.

I think the last one I ran singlespeed was a Trek Stache. I’m in the Surrey Hills, so the ups aren’t very long and it’s generally pretty top for singlespeeds.
However.
Either because I went to 29er or had kids and rode less as a result, I’ve struggled with getting the ‘right’ wrong gear. Also riding with mates who have gears can be a bit antisocial on the ups.
Still likely to singlespeed my Fuse at some point, though. It’d be rude not to.

Part of 10 singlespeeders that will be descending on the Welsh Valleys this weekend. Love it, you can’t be lazy on a singlespeed 🙂

Don’t forget “ascending the Welsh mountains”

Will miss the riding (and the pushing) and the bants – have some custard for me.

Part of 10 singlespeeders that will be descending on the Welsh Valleys this weekend. Love it, you can’t be lazy on a singlespeed 🙂

Don’t forget “ascending the Welsh mountains”

Will miss the riding (and the pushing) and the bants – have some custard for me.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYB_LCVMOuF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I think the last one I ran singlespeed was a Trek Stache. I’m in the Surrey Hills

I think areas like this are ideal as terrain. Constant short ups and downs, plenty to keep excited about either bombing down or sprinting up. Areas with large flat areas in-between suck for SS.

Areas with large flat areas in-between suck for SS.

They seem to manage ok in Holland 😉

Still, just about. Steeper hills round here than the Chilterns where I rode SS 95% of the time for my MTBing over the last 12 years. A move to the Stroud valleys had me swapping the cog for an extra 2 teeth within a few weeks, it’s still hard work but SS is about being stubborn and I’m not too old for it all yet. I am old enough to enjoy a walk with my bike here and there so all’s working out ok.

. I am old enough to enjoy a walk with my bike here and there so all’s working out ok.

First rule of singlespeed, eventually everyone walks