why make it single speed?

[callum1]

hey all. iv been riding a dual suspension mtb in the single track bush for a few months now, and was looking at getting just a cruiser for street duties. i was looking at a few different 'dirt jumper' style mountain bikes with street tyres, and was wondering why so many are single speed. all i could think of is to save wieght? or maybe "if you dont need it, take it off" mindset. so why?

 

[Live2DieTrying]

Saves weight, chain is silenced (practically no chain noise) and simplicity. No more broken derailleurs or cleaning chains and cassettes. or bending hangers. And your chain never falls off if it's tensioned correctly.
After a bit of fiddling to find the gear you like, it pretty much becomes a permanent affair.

 

[Dj Boi]

Because some people use there dirtjumpers for bigger jumps then gutter and they break easily when you spin.

 

[callum1]

i see, is it simply a matter of putting that gear back on (derailer, cassete, etc ) to bring it back to a geared bike?

 

[Sethius]

i see, is it simply a matter of putting that gear back on (derailer, cassete, etc ) to bring it back to a geared bike?

Depends if you choose to run a SS dedicated hub or a cassette hub with a SS kit.

I'm assuming you mean the later:

• 1x RH shifter, or both depending on your gearing setup.
• 1x inner and outer cable
• 1x geared chain (SS chains tend to be a different thickness.)
• 1x gear based chain ring (again, these tend to be different to your SS ones.)
• 1x derailleur
• 1x cassette
• chainguide and/or front derailleur.

And most SS bikes run bmx cranks now, which means you'd need a spider to run a 4 bolt 104bcd chain ring for gears.

 

[CGR]

Single speed often accelerates better than gears, which is good for skate parks and tight jumps.
Also if your riding street your going to need some cred, without this you will be murderously attacked and robbed on the mean Aussie streets of any given city; the ratio of cred to cable is in direct relation.
Other cred builders include; ghetto/gritty styles, low seats for that laid-back lean and baseball caps instead of helmets, among others.

Of course being a good rider is often far more effective in building cred, but that takes time.

 

[Pebble]

If you buy a geared bike, you can convert it by getting something like the DMR SS Kit (comes with a sprocket and spacers to go on your hub, well that's the cheaper option compared to buying a new hub etc.

If you just unbolt your derailleur / shifter and take it straight off as it is and keep everything, then it would be a matter of just putting it all back on.

If you plan to use your bike on the single track as well then you might consider keeping the gears on it, but if it's just for cruising around the streets and skate park etc then SS is just simpler, less to break and maintain, all the kids on BMXes seem to manage without the gears.

I tried it for a while on my bike, it was doable even for some trail riding / commuting etc, but you notice every little hill that's for sure, and bigger hills ended up giving me sore knees. Riding is funny though, if you know you have the option to shift into an easier gear it generally happens, if you don't have the option I guess the mental barrier isn't there and you kind of get used to it, probably pedal up something in one gear that you would have shifted down when you had the rest of the gears on the bike.

 

[getbackup]

Maybe use the gears now to find the ratio you would be happy with as SS

 

[callum1]

Single speed often accelerates better than gears, which is good for skate parks and tight jumps.
Also if your riding street your going to need some cred, without this you will be murderously attacked and robbed on the mean Aussie streets of any given city; the ratio of cred to cable is in direct relation.
Other cred builders include; ghetto/gritty styles, low seats for that laid-back lean and baseball caps instead of helmets, among others.

Of course being a good rider is often far more effective in building cred, but that takes time.

that was my upmost concern...