The argument for singlespeed

[droctagon]

The only way to fully understand something, one must experience it for themselves. Too often people form strange and negative opinions about the choices others make. If you never intend to try SS, that's fine. There is no need to find negatives and look for reasons to discredit a certain style or method that is different.
There is no "argument for singlespeed" You either try it out and like it or stay with gears. If you have to seriously ask why SS, followed by a long list of imagined cons, after having never given it a real go, then you will probably never "get" it.
xenophobia amongst the mountainbike community?

 

[jbro24]

Riding SS has three gears; sitting and pedalling, standing and pedalling and finally walking.

I thought running was the third gear!!

 

[Moggio]

Oh the one thing I have come across with single speeding is in races is the back pain. Being in single speed teams at the Mont and talking to other single speeders there is a lot of talk of pain killers.

I never worked out whether that was the hardtail aspect, getting tired and not standing over all the bumps or from the type of extra pushing on the single speed.

Anyone else experienced this back pain on long rides and races?

 

[casnell]

I thought xenophobia ran my local fish and chip shop , but he's not on this forum at all...

Spent 4 hours on the SS yesterday (my first long ride on one) and my back is quite sore today, I thought it was just me.

 

[atschool]

The only way to fully understand something, one must experience it for themselves. Too often people form strange and negative opinions about the choices others make. If you never intend to try SS, that's fine. There is no need to find negatives and look for reasons to discredit a certain style or method that is different.
There is no "argument for singlespeed" You either try it out and like it or stay with gears. If you have to seriously ask why SS, followed by a long list of imagined cons, after having never given it a real go, then you will probably never "get" it.
xenophobia amongst the mountainbike community?

Well, here are the "imagined cons" that have popped up in this thread so far:

So basically with SS its only really steep hill climbs that there could be extra force put on the knees...

Just to break the trend. I recently started riding SS after a long shoulder injury layoff. I started with a 32:16 setup & found quickly that although I could grind my way up many short hills, the following days I could barely walk up or down stairs with knee pain.

I used to ride around town on a single speed. and i used fairly low gearing it meant i never got anywhere super quick

if you're on SS then surely you are using high cadence a lot, coz you need a lower gear for going up or you'll be walking.

I love my single speed because I can get off and walk up hills based on the fact that I don't have a low gear. Good excuse for my laziness.

though there is much more pain to be had on the SS. I'm not entirely sure what it is about the SS bike that I like, but it is a lot of fun. Is it more fun? That depends on how many hills I have to walk on the ride

Oh the one thing I have come across with single speeding is in races is the back pain. Being in single speed teams at the Mont and talking to other single speeders there is a lot of talk of pain killers.

I basically started this thread because I have some friends who speak of SS with an almost religious zeal which I don't get. So I was interested to find out what the greater mountain biking community thought of SS. I used the title "the argument for single speed" because I reckon derailleurs and drivetrains in general have come a long way; they are relatively cheap and require little maintenance (full length cable housing FTW!) so there needs to be some sort of justification or explanation for essentially compromising your bike. At the end of the day, you ride what you ride. Each to their own.

And for the record droctagon, I do have a SS commuter bike. Got it from a friend for a carton of beer. Can't say I like it much. Gears will be going on when I'm gainfully employed. If you're going to jump, like your amphibious avatar, to conclusions or onto bandwagons, always look before you leap.

 

[Tacky Monster]

I'm going to give it a go. See what it is all about. I am over riding in mud and worrying about my presious bikes.

 

[Moggio]

I'm going to give it a go. See what it is all about. I am over riding in mud and worrying about my presious bikes.

Single speeds need work too.. today I had to add 8psi to a tyre.

I actually spend much more time working on other peopls bikes with gears that mine.


The one point I would also mention about single speeding is that pedalling becomes interesting. On a geared bike you can tend to be a motor spinning your 90 revs a minute or whatever so it is not realy part of most riding. On a SS pedalling is a major feature of the ride as it is so varied in many ways on all types of rides. A nice flowy single track with some technical features really becomes and interesting and enjoyable experience just from the pedalling perspective.

 

[atschool]

Oh the one thing I have come across with single speeding is in races is the back pain. Being in single speed teams at the Mont and talking to other single speeders there is a lot of talk of pain killers.

I never worked out whether that was the hardtail aspect, getting tired and not standing over all the bumps or from the type of extra pushing on the single speed.

Anyone else experienced this back pain on long rides and races?

I thought xenophobia ran my local fish and chip shop , but he's not on this forum at all...

Spent 4 hours on the SS yesterday (my first long ride on one) and my back is quite sore today, I thought it was just me.

I'd recommend doing some yoga after your ride. I used to get a sore back the day after riding street (lots of bunnyhopping, manualling etc.) but since I've started doing a bit of yoga after the ride, no problems. Rodney Yee - Yoga for athletes is pretty good; has a small workout designed specifically to help cyclists. Torrents can be found for those with internet savvy and loose morals.

 

[cramhobart]

A long time ago, man lived in caves, or tents, wore only what they could make themselves, and ate only what they could obtain with there own hands.
They were fitter stronger and had larger brains than todays humans.
Riding a single speed may make me fitter, stronger or even smarter,
but you know what, my house is pretty comfy (and so's my dually with GEARS).

 

[FR Drew]

It either floats your boat, or it doesn't.

I'm not riding to be fast, I'm riding to enjoy myself and get some clear headspace away from the day to day clutter.

SS gives me that clear headspace more than geared riding does.

I know I'm slower on a hardtail than on a duallie, I know that steep hills will be a challenge (however I usually find myself passing a good number of gearies on the way up), I know that my maximum speed is limited. As I'm just there for me and my own personal recreational needs, not to impress anyone else, I really don't care.

If we were all interested in absolute minimum effort and highest speed, we'd stick to tarmac not mountain biking, it's smoother, easier, quicker. Hey, why pedal at all when you can buy a motorbike? Why have to learn to balance on two wheels when you could just sit in a car?

A straight chainline with horizontal dropouts or an eccentric bottom bracket is more efficient than an off centre chainline and sprung idler pulleys. This is not conjecture, it's fact. It also requires less maintaining.

So:

• clear head space
• quietness
• improved efficiency
• better workout
• reduced maintenance

Your mileage may vary.

 

[floody]

I basically started this thread because I have some friends who speak of SS with an almost religious zeal which I don't get.

Its pretty much just their (singlespeeders - ones who feel a need to label and proclaim themselves as such) way of trying to justify what is really a bit of a crap idea with a silly 'different is better' argument.

 

[macca21]

Agree^^^
SS is definitely a case in which less is, well.... LESS!

 

[g-fish]

I have been riding SS for two and half years now, i went back to gears for a few weeks until I snapped my (v/ expensive) derailleur.

Discarding my bmx I have 3 SS bikes.

Floody: I'm not riding single speed because I think i'm more alternative, if I wanted that i'd listen to the decemberists it's because I like riding single speed. It's far more enjoyable FOR ME.

I'd say that 99% of this forum aren't competitive to the point where they make serious money out of riding. Therefore, we ride because we like it.

I like riding single speed more than geared bikes. You may not, but I do.

FixieHipsters crap on about being in a zen state with their bike. That's complete shit, but you are more connected to your bike and the trail than on a 6'' geared monster, there is no doubt about that.

And if you want a solid benefit: It really teaches you to look at the trail and lines differently, which benefits (as previous posters have said) your riding on aforementioned 6' geared monster.

 

[floody]

Of course, if you actually pay attention and pick lines on a bike with good suspension, put in the same effort up the hills on a geared bike etc the benefits are even more glaringly obvious. Crap bikes aren't the only ones which go faster when you ride better/harder!

What I am saying is most of the guff put forward as a for argument for singlespeeding is just garbage. As with most things, generally when people feel the need to justify, you know they aren't being honest with themselves or you.

If people just said 'because I want to' or 'for something different', instead of harping on crap about simplicity, reliability, meditative states, how they went 19x quicker on their fixlespeed than on their geared carbon xc bike etc then I wouldn't hold the cynical attitude about it that I do.

 

[fairy1]

I'm with Floody, a SS bike is only really better if you ride everywhere at a constant speed. I run a SS hardtail because I'm lazy and forgetful, I think a SS bike does teach you to maintain your momentum but after you learn to do it there is no real point in staying SS.
I run 36-14 but my bike only sees flat and downhill trails and I find the ratio pretty well spot on.

 

[g-fish]

Yes single speeds (both mtb and road)/fixies have become quite high fashion recently. And yes, many people have jumped on the band wagon to keep up with trends. These are the people who will crap on about it being 'zen'.

Simplicity and reliability are both very valid arguments though. There is no arguing that single speeds are more simple/reliable than their geared counter parts. However much more reliable/simple is up for debate.

I don't think anyone seriously thinks that single speeds are faster than geared bikes. 95% of the time their not. But that's not why I ride, to be faster than the next guy. I ride because it's fun, and single speeds are more fun.

 

[harmonix1234]

I tried singlespeed. I really gave it a good crack but my riding is so diverse I just need my gears, and in Hobart you have ups and downs, big ones, and almost no flat riding and I just don't have the legs for it. Ever tried riding a 6000ft climb in 20kms straight up on a 44/15?

I tried to run a good gear for the hills but on the down hills I'd just spin like a demon and I felt like the guy from GOONIES who steals the little girls pink fixie with the basket and gets dragged down the hill by the jock in the car, sparks flying off as the training wheels shred off.

I'm just not hip enough to lose my gears yet.

And I'm not taking the piss out of fixie/ss riders here, serious respect to those who can ride them. Really, I take my hat off.
However, if I lived in Melbourne or Canberra I'd whip up a Single Speed in a flash.

*edit* I did like the silence of it though. That was nice. maybe a rohlhoff speedhub in the back with a hammershcmidt up front 'somehow' made compatible with a gates carbon drive belt would be the best of both worlds haha

 

[cramhobart]

Where in aus is there a 6000ft climb?

 

[normdouglas]

It's funny... seems to me that often I see people with "ride ending" mechanicals, is very often people on SS who's tensioning device fails to well tension. Of course this isn't the case with some frames with horizontal drop outs (the only true way to do SS IMO), however is the case with most.
Whilst I fully endorse the benefits to ones rhythm and momentum of riding in one gear, this can also be achieved by "stickin in the big dog".
Every single so-called benefit of SS can also be achieved with Gears, but the benefit of gears cannot be replicated with a SS.
I'm forever hearing SS riders discussing what the best ratio is for area A or race B... which suggests to me that they are changing gears all the time, just not whilst they are riding.
When conducting "Enduro Camps" we often discuss the benefits of a constant cadence and maintaining a powerful pedal stroke, this can only possibly be achieved with a geared bike. Also I've never understood the argument that says "I don't need to think about changing gears"... because I never have to think about changing gears either... I just do it, and the more I've done it, the more natural it becomes.

I'm all for people riding SS's, and for that matter, having more than one bike. However I also think that more SS riders should just admit that they enjoy the "look at me" factor, and that they just like a SS.
Get out and ride your bike.

 

[harmonix1234]

Where in aus is there a 6000ft climb?

Mt. Wellington from sea level to summit. Start at the Casino, up to Hobart CBD and head on up to the summit via strickland avenue, and by the time you have reached the summit and its 1700 Metres, which equals 5577 feet. Not exactly 6000. My bad.