Single speed anyone?

[jeremyK]

After my accident and my bike being spanked, I'm looking at getting a new hard-tail commuter. One of my mates told me not to overlook single speed bikes. He told me the http://www.jamisbikes.com/jamiscanada/bikes/06_exiless.html are awesome, with a good geometry, steel frame and solid components.

Anyone else ridden one of these? I'm just worried about the whopping great hill I have to climb every morning!

- Jez

[fredrikw]

the good thing with a single speed commuter is that it's much easier to maintain due to the lack of gears that needs to be cleaned and lubed regularly to work properly, and they often are a little less eye catching for bike thieves.

the bike on the picture has a gear that's good on the trail, but I suspect you will get frustrated if you commute with it since you're top speed will be very low.

but singlespeeds are cool, and you will eventually conquer all hills on your way, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. on the other hand, it's quite nice to have gears as well

btw, I built a singlespeed road bike that I have for commuting (not that I have done that yet, but the plan is there )
http://www.veganfitness.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4611

[Dave Noisy]

hehe - i don't get it..i *race* single-speeds, but have little desire to ever ride one on the road. What's that all about? ;)

[bob_summers]

I'm just worried about the whopping great hill I have to climb every morning!

- Jez

i don't know about singlespeed, but certainly on a fixed gear, you can push a gear ratio up a bigger hill than you could on a geared bike. f'rinstance, i ride a 74" gear and can climb faster than i can on my geared bike with the same ratio selected.

i'm playing with the idea of a single speed myself, something like an orange p7 or an on-one inbred 29". bit of a distant dream at the moment tho'

[Dave Noisy]

i don't know about singlespeed, but certainly on a fixed gear, you can push a gear ratio up a bigger hill than you could on a geared bike. f'rinstance, i ride a 74" gear and can climb faster than i can on my geared bike with the same ratio selected.

hmmm..i wonder if it's because it forces you to actually spin circles? ;)

[fredrikw]

yeah, I guess the momentum could you get past the dead spots (12 and 6 o'clock)...

[bob_summers]

there's a few reasons i think, but the flywheel effect of the wheel must be the biggest factor.

sucks going down hill though

[jeremyK]

I ended up getting one of these suckers for a badass street machine. It's a gutter jumpin' death machine and I love it:

http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/product_detail.aspx?productid=329&parentid=253



Luckily as part of the insurance job I got on my old bike, I get to keep the mashed remains of my 2005 Kona Caldera which still has much salvage on it. I am very tempted in converting it to a single speed bike for kicking around on.

[fredrikw]

good choice, even though I would strongly argue that this bike wants to be on the trail and not on the streets

my first real MTB was a Kona Kula, I bought it in 2000, and everytime I use it I'm reminded about how good the geometry is and how great it deals with trail use.

[jeremyK]

good choice, even though I would strongly argue that this bike wants to be on the trail and not on the streets

Oh totally. The guy who sold it to me said "these bikes just don't look right unless they're covered in mud"

I'm a bit of a street stomper. If I had a road bike I'd ping the spokes and bend the frame in a day methinks

I need a bike that can be punished and still love me in the morning!

[Dave Noisy]

I dunno..road bikes are pretty tough as long as you aren't running into curbs or the back of trucks. ;)

[StevieP]

I single speed only when the tracks are mud thick. Other than that I hate single speed - all that over rivving on the flat and no fun down hills (unless they're really steep). I sometimes use it to get may cadence levels up.

Some of the guys I ride with are somewhat religious with their praise for the purity and simplistly of the single speed - the raw foodies of cycling perhaps.

Maybe I just don't have the grunt for it.

[Dave Noisy]

For sure! Like i said, i *love* racing these things on the velodrome...but have no interest away from the track tho. ;)

[fredrikw]

let's not mix things up here, a singlespeed is generally not the same thing as a fixie, the former is freewheeled and the latter is what Dave races on. there are some hardcore people riding fixies on trails, but most people think a singlespeed is sufficient

[jeremyK]

let's not mix things up here, a singlespeed is generally not the same thing as a fixie, the former is freewheeled and the latter is what Dave races on. there are some hardcore people riding fixies on trails, but most people think a singlespeed is sufficient

Yar, I was confused about this in the beginning. One of my mates explained the whole thing to me. Fixed gears riders on roads are insane. I would certainly give single speed a go on road or as a downhill bike, but certainly not a fixie.

That's just nutty