Who still rides singlespeed?

Still SS here.

Prepared by Greg.May[/url], on Flickr

I ride a 26″ alloy and steel singles peed all through winter and any very muddy conditions.

Yep, currently 29er Kona Unit, still got my old v-braked 26″ wheeled Kona that converted to SS with a tensioner too

Currently still got my boingy Kona Unit SS, but I’m going to swap the parts to a Solaris.

Hoping to swap from SS to geared as the mood takes me.

drivechain on my cx commuter died in Feb (lots of slippage) set it up SS until the commute dries out a bit. Done some xc rides on it, 63″ is hard work offroad. Anyway it’s spurred me to get my mtb ss out a bit more, it’s definitely been neglected the last 18months or so, only getting a few rides a year. Hoping 2016 will be a bit more singlespeedy, it is a lot of fun and with a dropper and some nice bouncy forks it’s even better.

🙁 Not any more. Was having problem with hurty knees, Doc said the problem was musculature (vastus medialis not holding the kneecap in place) and advised me to use gears until the knee stopped hurting. It hasn’t stopped hurting so the middleburn uno chainset and related stuff is resting in the bucket o’parts for the moment 🙁

Still riding rigid though. Have ridden a total of 58 miles on the suspension bike since July last year (from a total of over 1800 miles in the same timeframe – strava is good for that!)

Still have my 56cm 2010 Tricross Singlecross, but it has not been out for over two years, because it needs a few bits replacing (front wheel, stem, brake cables) to make it roadworthy.

Thinking about hooking it up to my turbo trainer, but really I should try and find it a new home.

Yes.
And it’s only got 26″ Wheels too..
Love it.

Erm…

looks in garage

1 x 1960’s steel frame town bike fixed gear
1 x langster summer commuter fixed gear
1 x genesis day one disc singlespeed cross bike commuter
1 x saracen bmx
1 x dmr jumpbike
1 x kona unit rigid 69er singlespeed

oh and the other two have gears, so are hidden

does that count?

Rigid SS makes otherwise boring after work trails fun.

I just built a SS Singular Swift up, and I can’t say that I’m feeling it.

The bike is a standard recent cream Swift, carbon bars, MAvic 719 rims. Put some Conti Protection Race king rear, X king front.

The gearing was inherited from dad, 32/20 and it was way to spinny for even the New Forest.

Even as a SS it’s heavier than my normal geared steed an OO 456 evo carbon, which can be felt over gates, and I wasn’t feeling the roll over of 29er’s either compatred to my 26 with latex tubes and Thunder burts, and a solid carbon OO fork.

My OO 456 felt both more comfortable, had 30 gears, was lighter and frankly more compliant over small bumps. It felt like it accelerated better too.

It’s difficult as these things are all subjective, and I’m aware that some SS’ing can help with cadence and pedalling dynamics accross the board.

I finished the ride, thinking it was transport, but I hadn’t been smiling, quite so much. I got back on my 26 456 on Sunday and straight off the bat I was smilling with it.

Not sure whether I should stick with it, and get a new 17 rear cog 32/17 seems about right I think, and if that will make it come to life or even put gears on it…

I’m not riding as much overall as I used to (small child) but singlespeed counts for a big chunk of it. Soul with 140mm forks and a dropper so it’s not much of a hardship and is probably not massively slower or harder to ride on my local trails than my full suss, although I struggle on bigger or more techy rides.

I see mine as just a fun, light and capable little bike for chucking about the woods. It almost never goes wrong and the reduced maintenance has been even more valuable with a small child around – the time I have for bike stuff needs to be spent riding them…

Milfordvet I’ll give you £50 for the frame if its a large, just to cheer you up

My singlespeed El Mariachi is my most ridden MTB – night rides with a mate and out with the dog in it.

Hardtail saved for bigger or better trips

Also have a singlespeed roadbike but I haven’t ridden it in over a year

I’d do Regular century rides(road) 46×17

Raced mtb ss and cx over last 5-6 years(done pretty well too)

Now taking things bit more leisurely I only have one ss left a fixed wheel roadie for shop/errand/commute duty ..

Ss will always play a part but my legs aren’t so keen these days 😆

I kinda agree with the OP.

I have ridden a SS on the HONC 3 times in the past 4 years (didn’t last year due to fitness issues after a winter off the bike).

First time I did it I was one of the many, this year one of few (think I saw 4 in total whilst I was riding around…..)

Fashion innit.

Following the arrival of young children and a different job, I did less weekend riding and less bike commuting -my fitness took a big hit. I mothballed and then dismantled the original singlespeed mtb.

Having re-gained my fitness, I returned to singlespeed for muddy night rides.

An unexplained shin injury resulted in me blaming singlespeeding, and re-fitting the gears. This may have been a bit premature and the gears may be removed again soon.

Singlespeed has its place.

there was a point where I had more SS bikes than I had gears on my geared bike, no longer that ridiculous but still have several SS’s that get regular use.

My one and only bike is a singlespeed, although I have a dodgy back which means it’s easier to climb standing up than hunched over the bars so I’m stuck with it really. Can be tough going here in the Tweed Valley where most rides seem to start with at least a half hour grind upwards.

Only on track. Kind of miss it, but kept snapping stuff on the commuter, and the MTB I sold the frame snapped in the same place as the commuter ended up doing… Ho hum. Kind of miss it but the spin to my local trails and climbs involved put me off at the moment.

I for one have gone the other way. Had three bikes, 2 geared and the SS for winter duties. Over 2 years Ive got rid or dismantled them and I’m now left with the SS only and plan on using it as my sole mtb this year (short evening blasts right through to marathon type “racing”). I’m really interested to see how I get on. My experience suggests that SS allows me to enjoy the ride rather than constantly searching for gears to eek out a little bit of extra speed. Ive really grasped the simplicity but up until now been nervous of using it exclusively – this year will be the tester.

SS = Old Niner Sir, LB Carbon wheels and either a Singular rigid fork or RS Reba depending on terrain.

and running it as 34-17 for EVERYTHING

Rocketdog,

It is a large.

I think I’ll give it a second ride with a 32-17 and then if I’m not feeling it, I’ll sell it and be n-1. (Hope headset, Knucleball (Chewy) bars, XT brakes 180/160, Atlas crank 32 ring, Spoon saddle and a KMC Inox stainless chain).

Although the new cluth derailleurs are quiet, I did like there being no clunk/ clank noises for the ride and looking down to see a perfect chainline.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127136791@N03/shares/h144YQ

kinda suits the terrain

climbs like a rat up drain pipe right up until my knees explode 30 seconds later 🙂 now has matching gold front hub (thanks to junky of this parish). So silent and so easy and cheap to maintain what’s not to like.

Road bike is SS, but admittedly doesn’t get ridden too much. Which reminds me, I have a new chain and freewheel for it in the garage…

Rigid steel (of course) Kona 29er SS is now a resident at my folks’ for use at Thetford when I’m over there. I occasionally miss it here (mainly for balls-out sort climb KOMs and quick lunch spins), but it saves a lot of faff getting off the island.

Commuting bike is a SS Paddy Wagon. Love the near maintenance free aspect to it.

853 SS inbred,on 26′ wheels and still loving it 🙂

About 8 years ago I had a Langster when they first came out and built up an old Pine Mountain frame from spare parts as a ss, used to use it all the time on local woodland rides with my sons especially when the weather was crap. I loved to psych them out by attempting stuff they felt was rad on it but used to break things on it lots, not least my knees which is why it had to be relegated to papershop bike eventually. The Langster had to go the same way, especially as riding it was seen as a challenge by my roadie pals to find hills that were beyond me. Happy days but now being in my 60’s I love my big travel full susser and techy rocky trails. Riding keeps evolving

Well, I’ve just riden my pompino back from work, and I’ll be out on my SS swift later in the week.

Spent the thick end of 10 years ss (and rigid for gnar points).Stuck some gears on for one xc race which then became a year of racing nationals.Followed by a Gnarpoon 1×11 (which I got bored of very quickly).Followed by a year of not riding anything….whilst I concentrated on finding the missing 15kg from my body,catching up on the alcohol I missed and remembering how to be unfit again.
Got an El Mariachi offa here a little ago (now with added front bounce as my thumbs hurt too much) and loving going slowly,looking at the scenery,breathing through my arse intermittently and being judgmentally righteous at every opportunity.

Yup 26 SS with rigid forks for town duties and down the promenade.

Yes still have one
Winter use mainly but i dio ride it in summer

All depends on the terrain locally and how hard/strong you are.

A couple of climbs locally I still cannot clean…so I avoid them

I ride a steel Love hat on 26 er wheels
KLunk glad it is getting some use

Salsa El Mariachi every time I ride it it moves closer to being my favourite bike ever, replaced the standard steel rigid forks with some of them there Chinese carbon thingy one’s.

Hangs his head in shame, still running vertical 2.3’s on mine too 🙁

(If anyone has any pro versions still hanging about give me a shout)

El Mariach is SO close to being ‘perfect’…..
Apart from not being ‘steel’ (twangy) enough.
And the BB being a little bit high.
And could do with a bit more reach (stood up a lot).
And maybe bit shorter cs.
Mmmmmm……..Shand maybe?

Still got 2 rigid ssers and a hardtail ss.
Only get used for local stuff and pub rides now. Long gone are my days of 100K marathons on them and I can’t cope with the attention any more either. 😛

Still SSing but was late to it in the first place, 2008 I think. Genesis iO. Just for the simple life and I like the constant, the measure of how fit / old I feel. Only one way that’ll go eh.

Hangs his head in shame, still running vertical 2.3’s on mine too

(If anyone has any pro versions still hanging about give me a shout)
26″? PM me if so, got a few you can have for post.

fin25

I own three bikes, two of them are single speed.

Me too 😛

Karate monkey, rigid singlespeed.
Kona honzo, long travel, singlespeed.

Singlespeed is for life, not just for being trendy.

My commute bike is a charge duster single speed and fully rigid, with Mary bars for added niche.

Single speed for life, apart from when I’m riding my geared bikes.

Yep.
29+ front, rigid, SS.
Ride it to work everyday and play at the weekend.

[/url]Project 417 by Andrew Eades[/url], on Flickr[/img]