Singlespeed vs Gears!

but that’s only because I haven’t evolved opposable thumbs yet

) Now I get it .. this explains why ssers are a more basic form of life.

this explains why ssers are a more basic form of life.

and the diet of cheese and beer, both can be eaten using paws only

mmmmcheesy beeeer

I have a ss rigid 69er which is ridden 90% of the time. I also have a geared 26″ full suss for the day I eventually get to go to the Alps.
It all depends where you ride ultimately, but for local stuff and trail centres such as Cannock, Swinley, llandegla FOD there is nothing better than a singlespeed. All IMO of course

Riding a singlespeed also allows entry to uber niche events 😉

There’s no one “best”. SS can be great fun, maintenance free, and people are surprised at what can be climbed.

But gears are always going to allow you to ride more.

I like variety, so I have both.

Clink – Member
So what do you ride?

This is my current garage build – Kinesis frame and bits of several other bikes.
Now have front boingy bits, which is a bit of a novelty.

EDIT: it now has bar ends too.

I’ve ridden the Merida/Crc’s on 26″ geared fs,29er geared ht,29er ss and ss and geared cyclocross bikes.
It made very little difference to either my finishing position or how much fun I had.This makes me suspect that it’s probably more to do with the rider than the bike.
However my 2 speed schlumpf is going to be teh AWESOMEST.

Ss is the most fun and rewarding, super in the summertime when there is lot of traction.
The bike is quiet and simple, but now that it rains all the time, and there are mud everywhere , i use a geared mtb.

And i agree on the group think, can be difficult if your not in front on every climb.

Remember the 1+ rule 😀

I have both. Mostly been riding the SS this year, but also haven’t done so much in the bigger hills. SS is great on moderately flat stuff – quiet, feels direct, less cleaning and maintenance required, cheaper. If I was fitter I’d probably use it on more mountainous stuff more often. Gears are nice too though – better going up steeper/longer hills, less spinney on road sections, you can keep going longer when you’re tired or having an off day etc.

Its even harder the mud :-/

I’m not disillusioned though. I was motivationally challenged by the cold this morning, and the SS was the get up an go bike. I did stop to rest at the top of one of the hills at the mid point, but now I’m back and showered I do have a “glad I did that” feeling. 😈

Cleaning = spray with Fenwicks, hose off, put away 😀

This is my current garage build – Kinesis frame and bits of several other bikes.

Please put some bar end plugs in. You’re making me worry

The bike is quiet and simple, but now that it rains all the time, and there are mud everywhere , i use a geared mtb.

I’m completely the opposite to you. I tend to ride geared on dry trails when they’re fast, and switch to singlespeed for the winter clag. The mud round here (Reading) just kills gears, and I can’t be arsed with all the cleaning.

Wet and shitty on Mendip this morning, don’t need anything more than one gear, the grin and gurn factor is as high as normal.

gurn factor

That’s what you were doing! 😀

so i want to see what people think about riding SS, but have also riden with gears.
what worked best?

How steep is the hill I am trying to get up?

Gears clearly work better as they give a range that a SS dies not have.No XC racers on SS and winning now is there 😉

TBH it depends where you live and what you want to ride
I use mine locally but would not want to go to the lakes or Wales on it but i would not be without it either

SS is great for the Surrey hills. So are gears. It’s all good.

I enjoy my SS more when I’ve been riding it a lot and my fitness is good. If I’m not riding a lot then I find it a bit of a pain and would rather have the option of gears. Also if I’m not riding much then when I do go out it is with friends and I find the geared bike better as I think it is better for more sociable rides. If I’m on a group ride on my SS I end up sprinting off to try and get up the climbs. When I’m SS fit I can ride up most hills and if not then I’ll be walking up at the same sort of speed as those that are riding up anyway. So it’s both for me. Oh and another thing. I think if you are going to ride SS then make it a nice light one.

No XC racers on SS and winning now is there

Depends on how long the race is ) But yeah, I know what you mean. NPS-style races of a few hours, no contest.

I think if you are going to ride SS then make it a nicHe light one.

I like gears personally, but I know quite a few lads who ride ss and are pretty quick.
They’re all weirdos and perverts though…

there’s no “vs” here, go with what suits

my experience: I bought a 2nd hand SS (in July, after several months continuous rain) because one of my riding buddies uses one in the wet, and it seemed like a good idea not to be punishing my expensive drivetrain in all that muck.

and what I’m finding is the more I ride it the more I enjoy it, to the point where I’m waiting for bad weather so I can ride it (which is a bit silly, I can ride it whenever I want). Actually the first build of my new 29er is SS, I’ll put gears on later if I don’t get on with it.

the other turning point, and the myth I want to dispel, is when someone said in the pub “to ride SS you have to be tall and fast”. That’s nonsense, I’m a mid-paced middle aged rider and can get most places on it enjoyably.

minor caveat: I ride hilly XC but around here the steep climbs are short and the long climbs aren’t steep.

I ride both, usually the Singlespeed is for winter though. I used to think it was daft until a rode with aidain Harding in the Pyrenees. I looked at him thinking no way is he going to get up those mountains on that. Biggest piece of humble pie I’ve had to eat. After seeing that I just started riding mine more and it’s just awesome. I’d be hard pressed to chose between the Singlespeed and the geared bike if I had have just one bike.

from yesterday:

TBH what I want is 3-speed… I want a low one, something not far off 1/1, for draggy climbing. I want something sort of in the middle, like a 2/1. And I want something a fair bit higher for descending. But there’s no one gear that does it all.

this is spot on

but it would have to be some kind of gearbox arrangement, at the BB. I won’t sacrifice my straight chainline, won’t run a chain tensioner, and don’t want the weight of an Alfine/Rohloff on the rear axle. It has to be sweet and pure, and probably fit in an existing EBB shell.

edit: double post

FS with gears, and hardtail without. Love them both but the SS is so easy, just lube and ride.
Oddly I found after illness the SS was the best bike to ride on an easy ride as it was simply impossible to kill myself trying. Where on a geared bike I would be constantly sneaking up and gear and cracking on an old railway line and SS was about as leisurely as exercise gets! Bloody hilly round these parts generally though, and which adds to the fun 🙂

TBH what I want is 3-speed

Not EBB but worth a look. Sturmey Archer

I’m with Tracker1972 on this, my fully rigid SS is a wonderfully simple machine and I’m sure its made me a better rider. I also have geared bikes, but if I just go into the shed and grab one for a ride, more often that not it’s the SS. I’m not young, light or very fit but I have a great time.

I tend to ride geared on dry trails when they’re fast,
and switch to singlespeed for the winter clag. The mud round here (Reading) just kills
gears, and I can’t be arsed with all the cleaning.

same here I was out for a solo night spin last night round sulham, whitchurch, mapledurham ways. claggy trails meant SS was the only way to go…

I ride both but SS is more fun more of the time for me

good answers to my original question. SS seems to come out on top!

does any one recomend a good SS frame? ive been looking at the Singular Swift. its expencive but looks good.

my requirements are that i can have rigid or suspension forks.
that i can ride it with gears or ss
it looks like a real nice simple design steel frame
it has an EBB

Obviously gears are more efficient but there’s so much more to riding than mere efficiency.

Geared riders think SS is limiting and they’d be right but the limit is only tiny, your legs soon get used to gurning up hills and pretty soon you’ll get up 99% of the stuff you can clean with gears. Trouble is there is no easy option, if you go somewhere new and ride much steeper/technical stuff you’ll be expending loads of energy, for the first couple of hours you’ll be fine but after that your legs will be wrecked and there’s no granny ring to save you, simple solution tho, MTFU 🙂

I’ve ridden both regularly for a few years now and predictably there are times when you think “that would have been easier with gears” but more confusingly there are times when you think “that would have been much more fun on a singlespeed”

SS teaches you some good techniques that transfer to geared riding, bit doubtful of fixie skills, how much use is being able to bunnyhop whilst pedalling at full tilt?
Actually thinking about it that might be quite useful, hmm, any screw on hubs with disk tabs on the classifieds?

I started SS for the same reason a few years back, ie, I was curious. I also got fed up with destroying geartrains in mud.

I ride both now but a lot of riding is on SS, I really enjoy it. As above, terrain is very important – around my way there are (sadly) no really long hills to climb, which does mean that it is very well suited to SS. Surprisingly, I am often faster on any given stretch on the SS, partly I think because it makes me ride with much more momentum.

I found that I took to it from the word go, I think because my riding style has always been out of the saddle. Like someone above, I can’t stand spinning away.

Give it a go.

Ive riden geared for years have had a few go on ss but never bought one. I am about to however, for training purposes. A lot of friends ride SS, but plan their rides around the bike they are using. Where I live the hills are pretty hardcore, and even for mates that do very well SS in enduro against other SS and geared bikes, they still say there are places that push it. (Im talking 3000 foot climbs in under 4 miles, etc.

I cant see me ever not owning geared bikes, but well see!

I’ve just bought a giant anthem, to go with my Dialled love/hate SS. My mate told me he reckons i’m slower on the full suss round our loop than i was on the SS. I find myself thinking of what gear i need to be in to get the most speed out of the current trail, whereas on the Ss it was all about pedalling till you span out and then pumping the trail for all it’s worth. Definately two very different riding styles!

I used the SS for about a year straight, and for where i live it’s perfec’, but sometimes it’s nice to have gears!

I’m lucky to be able to have 2 bikes, but if i only had to have one, it’d be a SS.