Did you check the sizing for the large Stooge mk3? I think the mk3 came in two sizes, and it’s also the only one that would also take a tapered 100m fork (mk 1 and 2 are 1 1/8 I think, and mk3 has non-sus corrected forks).

You’re right, it’s not light, but I can’t think of much else that would suit otherwise, unless you move on the dropouts: Soma Juice? And the Pace frames have adjustable dropouts too I think?

Dropouts are probably the one thing I don’t want to shift on!

The juice looks good.

So far I think the list looks like:
– Soma Juice
– Brother Big Bro
– Pivot Les

I’ve been toying with the idea of a single speed to replace my fixie. Wife has said no though currently as the small people both need new bikes plus some nonsense about needing a holiday.

What I have never figured out is why all the single speeds I’ve seen on eBay seem to be up north in very hilly areas or Cornwall. No one seems to ride single speed round Anglia were it’s flat and ideal for a single speed!

That’ll be cos flat is the most annoying terrain for SS.

Going downhill you spin out then can cruise, going up hill you crank harder, get up faster – it’s fine. Long flat stretches you either go real slow (and fall behind on group rides) or maintain a punishing high cadence that kills you.

Aye, long flat rides are worst on SS.

Nothing to add to this except I have a Broken Road and a Stanton Sherpa. Both XL and in Berkshire if you want to try them. The Sherpa is the best steel hardtail I have ridden for fit and ride quality. Sadly its a mk1 so vertical drop outs only and I cant abide tensioners personally and havent used a tensioner for over 10 years. Shame as if it was a mk2 I would run it singlespeed. I’d not let a couple of chain tugs get in the way of a better riding bike than most. I did mull over getting sliding drop outs fitted but will revive my old Ti29er if need a singlespeed again.

Agree with last couple of comments, singlespeed is great as long as you are not riding up cliffs (or the North face of the South Downs) but I would only ride it on a ‘flat’ ride if it was mainly wiggly singletrack. Flat bridleways and especially road sections are hell on a low geared singlespeed, and I think sustained high cadence light load is also the worst for starting to get knee pain.

P.S remember to look at PF30 frames if you are happy using the problem solvers/wheel components/niner biocentric 30 BB’s, not heard any bad reports.

I nearly bought a secondhand Production Privee OKA which might be worth looking at, until I realised the seller had it down as the wrong size (lesson, always send off the frame number to the manufacturer!)

Singlespeeds are fine on the flat if the whole area is flat as you just run a higher gear. When geared for hills the gearing is so low that it becomes a chore on the flat bits.

So far I think the list looks like:
– Soma Juice
– Brother Big Bro
– Pivot Les

The dropouts on the Soma are smart, better design than the generic type many bikes use that put a fair bit of leverage on the SS and CS join. Whole frame looks good actually.

When I’d decided I wanted a single speed, before I realised I’m fat, unfit and need gears, I bought a 2017 Kona Unit.

The 2018/9 ones have larger seat post tubes so you can run a dropper.

They’re not boost spacing, they have replaceable sliding dropouts that are also tensioned in place by means of a bolt/nut arrangement, and because it’s a Kona in unfashionable steel without gears or forks, they didn’t sell them all, so there are loads floating around still, they’ll take a taper fork with a different BB bottom cup.

Mines now geared, still rigid, running 27+ tyres again, but I go 29 sometimes with it too.

There’s also the Big Unit if that normal one doesn’t float your boat.

Cogwomble up there just mentioned something that’s worth bearing in mind; last time I checked (which was two years ago) no-one was making Boost singlespeed-specific hubs. I’ve always happily taken the weight penalty of a steel freehub on my Hopes so I can run geared or single without worrying too much about either cheap steel cassettes or single cogs biting into the splines (and shouldered singlespeed cogs are peanuts these days anyway), but might be worth considering when looking around – if you’re going for something with boost spacing, you’ll probably have to use a 10/11/12sp hub of some sort.

I meant headset bottom cup, not BB, it’s before I’ve had my daily caffeine dose..

PF30 frames – good idea, but hard to search by BB standard, any recommendations here? Some sort of spanky XC race thing might float my boat.

Boost etc – my preferred SS setup is normal free hub and spacers, I have some very nice wheels on american classics, normal spacing, so ideally I’ll keep using those. That said, if I need to go boost then just means new hub(s). Sadly you can’t get ACs any more, would probably go for some 240s or something.

Until very recently I only had singlespeed MTBs for well over 10 years.

For the last 4 or 5 years I’ve raced XC on exactly what you’ve described – a ‘spanky fast’ XC singlespeed. I went east for the frame and bought an unbranded Chinese import 29er carbon frame with a PF30 BB shell and regular vertical dropouts. Cost about 300 quid or so. Wheels Manufacturing EBB cups slot in and give a wide range of adjustment.

In a money-no-object world I’d have a Pivot Les, as they’re lovely, but could neither find a used one in my size nor justify the cost of a new one and figured a Chinese import would be a low-risk way of seeing if this would work. Prior to that, I had a Gary Fisher Rig which had a Bushnell EBB, which was the first 29er I’d had. It instantly replaced all the 26ers – wow, a bike that fits properly! (I’m 6’1″)

Aside from racing and training I probably spend most of my time on a MTB coaching and a light, fast SS has rarely been a barrier to any of that. 32:17 is my preferred ratio (I’m in Scotland, where there’s hills).

My thoughts on the various chain tensioning options, having used pretty much all of them – tensioners may be effective but they’re ugly (too ugly for me); slot dropouts (or track-ends, such as Inbreds have) are neater but you need at least a drive side chaintug and attending to rear punctures are a PITA; Bushnell-type EBBs are ace if you look after them but they weigh a ton and having to take a hammer to your bike to remove a component in a key area is unsettling, making small adjustments onerous; press-fit EBB cups (both PF30 and BB30 are available, I have both) are my clear favourite – they’re light, you can fit decent bearings really easily, minor adjustment is easy without removing anything (you need a hex key and a track lockring remover) and they don’t need much maintenance.

You can build a stupidly light bike this way for not a lot of money!

For wheels, I’ve a couple of sets of Stans Crest built on their 3.30 SS hub and another set built on a Hope trials hub. Both of these use a micro-cassette freehub body, onto which I use Gusset double-six sprockets and a couple of spacers to get the chainline spot on. Neater than a conventional freehub setup but 135QR.

The Hope hub feels (and sounds) amazing, as it has six pawls rather than three, but the Stans ones are WAY lighter and short of normal bearing replacement, need no special attention.

Hmm Chinese carbon is an interesting option – do you have a link to what you have, or where you got it?

I get the attraction of SS cassette hubs, if I need to go boost I’d try find one. If I can stay 135 I’ll keep with my american classics – nice and light and I find them very reliable. I think the big flanges build a nice stiff/strong wheel too, especially on a 29er.

I’ve had SS bikes about 16 years or so now, so I have tried most of the tensioning options (though admittedly not the EBB in a PF30 shell, so I’d consider it).