The Single Speed Thread

goobags

Likes Dirt
big climbs are where SS shines
Provided you're not in walk mode...

My fastest climbs are on my SS. Worst part of a SS is when you are racing and trying to keep up with geared bikes on the flat doing 130rpm


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boyracer

Likes Dirt
I am in Adelaide, and 193 cm, I ride a lage Comic Solaris
I have a generic XL alloy HT 29er frame you can have for a couple of longnecks if you're into building your own. 44mm head tube with vert dropouts so may need ENO/eccentric/ tensioner or magic gear. In Adelaide.
 

Peter650

Likes Dirt
Any of you guys doing this fixed. About 10 years ago, i use to ride fixed gear off road. I'm thinking about building up a flip flop wheel, & getting back into it.
 

Benny Storer

Likes Bikes
Any of you guys doing this fixed..
Fixed off road is insane! I've played about with fixed gear on a single speed cyclocross bike with a flip-flop, fixed-free hub.. Fixed was fun on easy-to-mild, non technical single track but as soon as the going got techy... bloody hell!
 

Benny Storer

Likes Bikes
15871507_10154634028731311_165381057240394631_n.jpg

Been riding my little Cotic Simple after work of late. Short jaunts through local haunts (pictured is Fletchers Eddy, Weld River, Tasmania). I like this bike so much that I hunted down a Mk3 Cotic Soul thinking I'd build a geared version.. ...but now that I have the new Soul frame I can't bear the thought of buying gears and suspension for a bike. Moving parts just aren't my jam. Think I'll move on the Soul and keep it simple with the Simple.
 

Benny Storer

Likes Bikes
I hope my rigid Charge Duster does the same for me.
single speeds are a slippery slope... off-road, I've ridden single speeds exclusively since 2008. Just can't cope with the sound of gears, the slightest bit of noise with a poor chain-line does my head in. Suspension was the next to go.. went rigid in 2010 and never really looked back. Have tried suspension three times in the past seven years and I just find it confusing.. where is the fork going to put the wheel through corners? The compression kills me. I like rigid and knowing just how your fork will track through corners. ....and I hate bike maintenance, there isn't much that needs doing on a rigid single speed. Hope you don't 'go the full retard' like me... ...but if you do make sure you track me down at the Australian Single Speed Nationals in Melrose this year :)
 

Peter650

Likes Dirt
Fixed off road is insane! I've played about with fixed gear on a single speed cyclocross bike with a flip-flop, fixed-free hub.. Fixed was fun on easy-to-mild, non technical single track but as soon as the going got techy... bloody hell!
Yep Benny i hear you. I reckon some 160 cranks to keep the pedal strikes to a minimum and it will be happy days
 

Peter650

Likes Dirt
I don't have a Speedo so this is all seat of the pants. I finally got to do a few ks with the new sprocket (28x15x26inch wheel) around 49 gear inch. Doing about 85 rpm feels about 20kph. I know that's f ing SLOW. But i can spin a lot faster than 85rpm, so the 20kph is somewhat irrelevant. That's my baseline cruising/resting speed. Which brings me to hills. Oh god it's so nice, to just sit there and spin up hills. Only really have to get out the saddle for technical climbing or when things get super steep.
 

goobags

Likes Dirt
I don't have a Speedo so this is all seat of the pants. I finally got to do a few ks with the new sprocket (28x15x26inch wheel) around 49 gear inch. Doing about 85 rpm feels about 20kph. I know that's f ing SLOW. But i can spin a lot faster than 85rpm, so the 20kph is somewhat irrelevant. That's my baseline cruising/resting speed. Which brings me to hills. Oh god it's so nice, to just sit there and spin up hills. Only really have to get out the saddle for technical climbing or when things get super steep.
About 110rpm sees me to 23kph on 32/19x29. Super annoying on the flats as I can't keep my heart rate low at 120rpm+ luckily I spend very little time on the flats and fire trails as it's all single track and climbing out of the saddle. Contemplating going to an 18t on the back but it will be hard work with where I ride. Can be done but need more legs. Started with a 20t many months ago which was good advice from another SSer.


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Peter650

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Gday Goobags you have basically the exact same gear inches that i do. You could split the difference of going to a 18 tooth sprocket, & instead get a 33 tooth sprocket. That would give you about 50.3 gear inches.
 

goobags

Likes Dirt
Gday Goobags you have basically the exact same gear inches that i do. You could split the difference of going to a 18 tooth sprocket, & instead get a 33 tooth sprocket. That would give you about 50.3 gear inches.
I have a few months left of riding before I kick it up a gear. We are starting to ride really pinchy climbs here and they're hard work. Some of the trails I ride when I go away could do with the 18t on the back though so I have one laying around


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goobags

Likes Dirt
Gday Goobags you have basically the exact same gear inches that i do. You could split the difference of going to a 18 tooth sprocket, & instead get a 33 tooth sprocket. That would give you about 50.3 gear inches.
So that couple of months of fitness before putting the 18t on was a lie. Did over 50ks mostly on the road and through some awesome single track that's heaps flatter than usual around here. 100rpm saw 24kph. Did some got stints at 120rpm excellent training but hard work.

Going to keep it on and give my usual trails a go, but it may kill me. I did notice how much slower acceleration was out of the corners and that wasn't even climbing steep stuff


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Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
This is my training hill. It's just as hard on the way down as on the way up. I do it 5 times then call it a day.
That looks familiar. Where is this training hill?

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Sent with added typos from a tiny mobile keyboard and spellchecker that makes a mess of everything.
 

Peter650

Likes Dirt
If you are on the m7 heading north up the hill to Elizabeth drive on the left hand side you will see a big billboard thats the hill. I have a bit of a loop that i do around there. It's a lot steeper than it looks in the pic.
 
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