shame just sold mine on fleabay for £190.

But you can get them for around £300 new.

Thanks oldgit…interesting that you raced a SCR. I thought it was Giant’s sport or race bike but there might be others more suitable?

I do really fancy cyclocross and yes it might only be an hour but it does look quite painful.

I have tried trail quest or at least a minor one but I was crap…my sense of navigation is bad 🙁

Any one know the best MTB races to enter in the Kent area?

Or even this…

man dies after police ‘push’ at G20 summit

yeah the police can be really rude!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8006544.stm

G20 summit police violence

I think SS is the way to go, you soon get used to it and if the hill is too steep then get off and walk and if the down is too fast – coast 😉

MY work only do vouchers for Evans and Halfords up to £1k. However apparently at Evans at least you can pay over the top.

I like the sound of the Boardman team carbon (any pics)?

Rode a Giant SCR 1.0 today for 45 miles on a charity bike ride and it was sweet enough. I am not sure how much one of those would be?

Halfords would be easier for me as I have quite a few local stores. The nearest Evans to me (Kent – chatham) is Waterloo in London.

yes I think you are right…road racing seems too serious (wait for darkside roadies to come on here and disagree).

I will look for a MTB race locally (kent) and enter a crosser race in the autumn/winter.

Thanks Zaskar and others…I found it on here!

Yes it is a stonking deal.

I do not fancy selling the frame (but if I did how much would you give me – everyone has his price?).

I will start a ‘classic’ bike thread … show me yours! Tonight 😉

Still have not got the rear hanger sorted yet 🙁

I went out on a 45 mile charity ride today and borrowed my mate’s Giant SCR as an experiment to see if I liked the fears. First half was getting used to the bike and gear changing. I was faster in the second half using the much higher gears to blast hills etc. The Giant was sweet however near the end the chain falling off when I changed the front mech (finished the event exclusively in the big ring for this reason). I did it in just under 3 hours so about 15 mph. I would say for shorter rides I can just about average 15 mph on my SS but I don’t think I could have done the ride today as fast on the SS.

Did confirm I am not up to the pace for racing as my mate on his plastic Viner was always outpacing me (he is cat 3 racer). So I am left with the thought that I would of preferred to use my SS but I would have been slower.

muddypuddle – this is what MTB is all about. Sounds like you had a great time!

I second the Fuji. you can get a SE Lager (Fuji) for about £300. The frame is steel and gives a very positive power transfer plus the steel takes a little of the buzz out of the road. It is a little heavy at 21.5 pounds but this Ok on fairly flat ground. The 48 x 16 ratio is quite to push up very steep hills (so get off and walk). I prefer my other SS which is an alu framed crosser self build. The ratio on that one is only 42 x 16 which is better where I live (Kent – north downs).

I heard things about the giant Bowery and the Cotic Road rat. The Cotic might be a little bit expensive if you are looking for true budget however.

my crosser SS

Lager shots…

Bull horn bars

I can see the reasons for SS off road. How much do you change gear when you are off road? Your typical MTB gearing is not geared for off road if we are honest. It is geared for off and on road. Therefore SS seems entirely logical for off road applications. However in sunny Kent there is rarely any continuous off road riding without some tarmac linking it and when someone else organizes the ride do not necessarily know the route in advance 🙂

On road is different and the route will dictate how fast or how competitive you are with geared road bikes. I would suggest (expects to get shot down in flames here) that even if you are STRONGER and FITTER it very hard for a SS to keep up with a good geared road bike.

I have just sold one of my single speed road bikes for £180 tonight. I still have my crosser SS that I use mainly on the road but it is a great all rounder.

I have a geared Klein V attitude, a kona cindercone SS and a kona unit 29er.

I am borrowing my mates Giant SCR for a charity ride (45 miles) on Sunday so that will clinch it or not for the geared road bike purchase 🙂

I am only 5 10 with 31 inch inside leg and I found 16′” too small.

An 18′ frame fits me perfectly!

I commuted for years once, twice and three times a week (15 miles) but never all five days until one week I tried it. I was on my knees by Friday but eventually I worked back to a full week and was ok. I find I need my sleep and cannot go without 7-8 hours or I suffer. I needed to eat the right food not just quantity.

Commuting is different from leisure cycling at weekends because you are working in between and even if you feel you do not have a physical difficult job it still takes it toll physically and mentally.

My routine is similar to BoardinBob – tea before I leave then a Muller Rice at work with coffee. Lunch was loaded with carbs and then an afternoon snack about an hour before I leave work such as a banana or muesli bar. And oh yeah, the water intake is important during the day and on the commute.

thats a tall ask! 😉

yes I am having a lazy one today…both my boys said those sinking words…can we play a board game!

Wished I got out earlier but it has been so wet here in the south east that it would have been a mud bath!

I wonder …darkside ride later?

nice idea…are women intimidated or is just a male oriented sport?

you do see more women roadies as a proportion so I am unsure why there seems to be less MTBers?

I think unless you are proper racing hen £1k on a road bike is moe than enough!

ask yourself what am I going to use this bike for? We have the law of diminishing returns as regards money vs performance is play here!

thanks (jam bo) I think?

Didn’t expect abuse but maybe I would like SSers to respond because I think only they understand the ‘SS expereince’. actually you have reminded me of one more advantage of singlespeed that I forgot – saving money!

however I did not want this to turn into a massive SS debate or SS slagging match.

are you very short ianpinder? that seat is awfully low 🙂

thanks druid and righty…gives me some options

Is carbon a good buy at this price point? I know a mate who has a cheapish carbon bike (just over a grand I think) but prefers his alu framed bike although he does says his carbon climbs better (lighter).

When I first got my cyclo cross single speed I hated the drop bars being a dedicated MTBer. I stuck with them and now I love the numerous different hand positions with drops. The speed difference when going down hill if you drop to the bottom of the bar is quite surprising!

I agree with the less knickable comment as well as drops are not seen as fashionable or expensive (unless it a very shiny road bike).

Thanks chaps – It weighs almost nothing compared to my kona cindercone and unit and that includes front suspension fork and gears and stuff!

I would say it rides quite relaxed and upright and not very racey but seems like you go on an all day ride on it no problem.

Hydraulic brakes are amazing!

Front fork is pretty good so far too (for someone not used to suspension)

I am currently studying energy for my masters at city university (London – islington).

The zero carbon homes ploicy stems from a commitment the chancellor (then Gordon Brown) made in 2006 for ‘zero carbon’ homes within ten years (i.e. by 2016). At the time this was far away enough to be Ok and is what is called an ‘aspirational target’ i.e. know one how on earth we are going to do it but the very act of setting it inspires everyone to somehow find a way of meeting it. It is true to say the building trade still have not got a clue of how they are going to do it.

single speed improves cadence 😉

didnt look too bad but probably much worse than it looked on video. I bet standing over your bike at the top you all thought ‘oh my god!”

Does your hot water feed the taps as well? And if so are they hot and do they have a good flow. For a mixing shower (not electric shower) then the flows of cold and hot are critical. If the cold is at a higher flow and pressure than the hot then it may struggle to mix to give a ‘warm’ temperature out of the nozzle.

wind up!

I have ridden both and I can confirm and agree with the ‘commitment’ thing with being clipped in!

you can position the bike easier when you are clipped in and are less prone to dab down. This changes your riding style on fast single track I find.

Thanks for all the advice…someone said brave to post on here (probably stupid) but I think you do illogical things sometimes when you are under stress.

Saying that I do appreciate all the comments and advice.

I have recently discovered more stuff (evidence) that there is a current one (affair) so sort of made my mind up.

Regards

Andy

flat pedal suggestions…yeah don’t!

I believe that on ones get a good following on here because they are cheap, trendy and steel.

Steel fell out of favour with the big bike manufacturers and I truly believe that people have forgotten the wonder properties of steel. It has flex and at the same time incredibly strong. It is not as brittle as alu and has those sleek thin tube looks. Therefore it rides nice 🙂

Of course there are much better steel frames out there but a little more expensive (especially if you go 853).

I don’t know what your commute is like but I would seriously consider single speed. The ease of maintenance and operation does out way the inconvenience of not having the ‘ideal’ gear depending on your route of course. They are considerably cheaper and much more robust.

I have a SE Lager with 48 x 16 gearing and bull horn bars which is a great commuter (steel equals robust).

I also use a lower geared (41 x 16) cyclo cross alu framed bike (old Alan top cross) with drops (which I can recommend).

tensioners are a nightmare…puts me off a SS without horizontal drop outs or EBB

Thanks zaskar!

Rear gear hanger got a bash when I came off on the road so needs sorting but soon as it is done I will be out there!

Cy…slightly off thread but if I want to build a Soul or Bfe single speed would I need a chain tensioner (never a good outcome) or could I get a horizontal option (or a EBB)?

Regards

Andy

loving that on-one!

nice answer Bez…for road frames carbon better than alu?

I have proof…emails and evidence of a site she was using called illicit encounters!