Why single speed for XC and trail riding - what am I missing?

[Boxer]

Before I get all the 'do a search' responses and 'not another SS thread'

I have sifted through 6 pages from a search and found most threads discuss how to convert, what parts and discuss mainly SS for STP's etc

But what I want to know is - what are the advantages and attractions of having your XC rig setup as SS? I see quite a few for sale and wonder why riders remove their gears in favour of a simple SS setup? Also many manufacturers building SS specific frames, I cant help but be curious about them.

Ok so they are more simple, less stuff to break and misshift during a ride, but aside from those obvious differences, what attracts those on SS for tail riding and XC? How do you negotiate climbs and obstacles on SS?

I am not new to MTB, but never tried SS and as such am completely reliant on shifting cogs according to terrain and inclines/declines.

But I but wonder if I'm missing something by not considering/trying SS

 

[ntj]

As much as evangelical SS riders can be annoying, a lot of what they say is true. SS forces you to look further ahead and get more out of the trail, descend faster, pump, brake less and corner better to maintain momentum. I find it a more intense immersion in the ride, I get in a more meditative state (wishing for a less wanky way of saying that) and forget about the rest of the world. Then again, you may think it plain sucks as results may vary.

I once was a skeptic. I just sold my last geared mtb. Yep, it got me.

 

[akashra]

I rode a singlespeed for about 6 months during one winter and found it made me much smoother through corners and forced me to maintain more momentum. Overall it made me a better rider.

 

[m_g]

There are a few posts around here about the 'vibe' of SS...I too was very skeptical (why would I want to work harder??!!) but I bought a cheap steel SS with cable brakes to travel with, as I was so sick of my dual suspension bike and the maintenance/things going wrong with it....

The best thing I like about SS, is the "instant power transfer" (thats the best phrase I have to describe it). When I want to go faster, I just pedal faster, and there's a "positive"(strong?) connection between your legs and the wheel. I'm not a physicist, but it feels like there is very minimal power loss unlike the crazy pulley, derailleur, spring loaded systems we normally ride with (probably also a function of the hardtail)...

Theres something quite different (and boring?) about a geared bike, that when you want to go faster, you shift gears, but it all feels like you're pedalling "the same"...I dont know, it's hard to describe, have a try, they're easy to resell...

Dont get me wrong, its not a zen experience, its just fun and different!

 

[Big JD]

Hi Boxer,
less weight, more simplicity, makes you a stronger and more aware rider (looking ahead), gets you out of the saddle more often, ideal for muddy conditions, you get used to the one gear and your focus on the trail and maintaining momentum rather than changing gears. I also like gears but they do make me very lazy but mean I can ride a bit further. Put gears on a hardtail and I find I sit and spin more often which means I get more beaten up (sitting rather than standing over small bumps). My ideal stable would always include a HT 29er SS, a geared FS and a rigid SS commuter.
I SS to work and find pushing a hard gear adds conditioning to off road. My off road bike is also SS at the moment. I highly recogmend SSing as it is a great leveler but dont start too hard as it can be a real turn off. It doesnt take long to get into it and get heaps out of SSIng

 

[Big JD]

oh and I forgot - SSer make better lovers - it has been proven










and bigger tossers

 

[mtb101]

if you think about it an important part of mtbing is being one with terrain, flow, etc; SS (and rigid as well!!!) puts you in touch with the terra firma in a way that suspension and gears may not. Now after a while one realizes it aren't all about being the fastest; it's more about going or the journey, and the SS puts you into that mode.

 

[Boxer]

Many thanks Chaps,

Making sense now I guess, so I'm likely not to like it initially

But appreciate it later as i improve. I do get the muddy conditions advantage as well - have experienced drive train wear on previous bikes due to riding in mud. (My poor Trance) and haven't ridden mud since.

John,
Interesting feedback thanks - particularly the HT SS comments about being out of the saddle more and not getting as beaten up. This was the main reason behind me deciding I could not change my current Anthem 29er as my only bike to a HT 29er without still owning a FS 29er - the getting beaten up bit when sitting on small bumps. I actually got sore kidneys from a decent stint on a demo HT through my favourite single tracks. This was mainly due to the end of the ride fatigue where you become lazy and sit and spin.

So it was then I decided I either needed to go with one exotic 29er FS build as a do it all bike, or have 2 bikes of lesser spec. (29er HT and a FS 29er or maybe 650b FS)

 

[Big JD]

Boxer if you can swing it I would suggest two bikes and one a 29er SS and the other a FS geared. The SS doesnt have to be super flash mate - keep it simple and low fuss - run it rigid for starters.
Keep your Anthem 29er FS and perhaps change it up a bit to be more trail orientated (short stem - wide bars - more aggressive set up - longer forks, beefie tyres, dropper post - make it fun) and pick up a secondhand 29er HT to convert to SS. There are heaps around on ebay and here on RB (depending on your size). I personally perfer a SS specific frame as i dislike chain tensioners and being tied to a "magic" gear - but fine for starters. I also like 2 x 2 - so two chainrings up front and two out back evenly spaced to give you two options depending on where you are riding (not as improtant if you have a second bike). There are a few frames for sale here - Specialised Carve, Ventana El Com and my Slingshot which would make great SS build projects - on the cheap.
You might not enjoy it initially depending on where you live/ride. Just remember it isnt about being the fastest rather the experience/journey as another person mentioned. Take your time and enjoy it and you will be SSing for life.
Let me know if you want a hand peicing something together or want to borrow a bike for a spin (if in Melbourne)

 

[Anarchist]

I am a part time dirt SSer and roadie SSer (not fixed, thanks!). All of the above points are great and I agree. My thoughts are if you want to improve your form on the bike (both position and speed) then SSing is one good tool to do so. MTBing is a lot about muscular endurance, especially the quads and hips. With a SS you have no choice but to push on, usually in a bigger gear than is appropriate. Ultimately doing this for a while builds your strength (especially your quads) and changes your perception on what is possible and what is fast. Quad strength is just one aspect of it but, when you are fatigued some of that is due to your "legs" being tired, you get lazy, sit down too much, get banged up and in the worst cases crash because your body position is AFU. Leg strength is not a bad thing to develop and SSing is not a bad way of doing it. IMO, riding a SS make you aware of the terrain more, how to attack and how best to cope with a bit of discomfort. There is no other option = no laziness. When you get on to a geared bike see what happens. It will be positive. Two caveats: 1) Start off with easy gears for a while - it puts some stress on your knees and other vulnerable bits 2) You may enjoy it and devolve your bike, people look at you a bit funny, that sort of thing.

 

[thecat]

But what I want to know is - what are the advantages and attractions of having your XC rig setup as SS?

Makes you seem like or cycling god when you go well or, as is more often the case, gives you an excuse when you don't. "I would have went better but... you know, single speed, rigid..."

 

[Ackland]

Last year I was offered the opportunity to get in on a group buy of Ti 29er frames.
I was riding a 2x9 26" FS and a 1x9 26" HT at the time and decided that a 1x10 Ti 29er floated my boat.....
I started down the road of budgetting for this machine and didn't want to sacrifice too much on build spec to make it a thing of beauty....
Long story short..... I ended up with a rigid SS 29er with the plans of eventually buying a drivetrain and forks...
I am so glad that I was short on cash and went down the SS path.
You get on, start pedalling and when it gets steep, you just keep pedalling.
I'm just as quick on it as I was on my FS 26er (recently sold cause I wasn't riding it at all) and when I get back on a geared bike with squishy bits, I feel lazy on the bike.
I am looking at buying a 29er trail bike for some tech fun and taking on trips to trail centres etc but my SS will be my go to bike for all day epics and races.

 

[rumblefish]

I ride with a mate that rides a SS hard tail. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned yet, is the very noticeable lack of noise when you descend. You don’t get the annoying chain slap that goes with geared bikes. It’s amazingly silent.

 

[MRO]

A lot of SS love in this thread.

I hate SS - have done every since i gave up my BMX in 1987. Save your legs and enjoy your ride by using the right gear for the situation.

If you really want to ride SS and are not certain about it then pick a gear at the beginning of the ride and dont change gears again. If you enjoy it then pull off all the functionality of your bike until you have achieved the desired level of difficulty you are looking for.

 

[Moggio]

SS makes your pedaling interesting rather than just making you an even cadence power source when riding with gears.

Sometimes I think SS can make the riding more fun on certain trails like at the old Sparrow Hill or Awaba while at other times unless you are after the added difficulty it can make it hellish like at Buller or Lidsdale. So being purely single speed I thing makes you miss out on sometimes having a better bike for the trail.

 

[droctagon]

A lot of SS love in this thread.

I hate SS - have done every since i gave up my BMX in 1987. Save your legs and enjoy your ride by using the right gear for the situation.

If you really want to ride SS and are not certain about it then pick a gear at the beginning of the ride and dont change gears again. If you enjoy it then pull off all the functionality of your bike until you have achieved the desired level of difficulty you are looking for.

Each to their own, but riding a geared bike in the same gear trying to emulate a SS is nothing like riding a dedicated SS rig. I think that is what a lot of diehard geared bike riders do out of curiosity to see if they can get a taste of SSing, then wind up assuming that's what its like & therefore believe it's all hype. (I'm not saying that is what you've done), but I have heard a lot of riders suggest that before. There is definitely more to it than riding around in one gear.

All good positive points made so far, such as direct transfer of power to the drive-train, lack of noise from chain/derailleurs, less clutter overall (less cables, less weight, less levers etc),
more connection with the terrain, different thought processes, all good points.

people do seem to either really love it or strongly hate it though, which is strange as it's just another form/genre/style of riding. As far as I'm concerned, all styles are good.

 

[alchemist]

Makes you seem like or cycling god when you go well or, as is more often the case, gives you an excuse when you don't. "I would have went better but... you know, single speed, rigid..."

Oi! Don't give away secrets, giving this sort of information out on forums is the same as publishing secret tracks!

 

[teK--]

I'd go SS just to cure the damn chain slap irate:

 

[ADD]

I'm building an On-One SS at the moment for some cheap fun. Plus it's going to double as my commuter as I sold my fixed-gear road bike. It was just too rigid. I want the maneuverability of a mtb and the simplicity of a fixed-gear. This is my compromise.

 

[Knut]

A lot of SS love in this thread.

I hate SS - have done every since i gave up my BMX in 1987. Save your legs and enjoy your ride by using the right gear for the situation.

If you really want to ride SS and are not certain about it then pick a gear at the beginning of the ride and dont change gears again. If you enjoy it then pull off all the functionality of your bike until you have achieved the desired level of difficulty you are looking for.

Not really sure if that is the answer. Singles can be really fast. I rode one for a while and will be getting another one in the near future. Connected to the ground and true acceleration. I love them. There is no power loss through the rear d. Ok, so my geared bike is faster. But, I have done some fairly close lap times, sometimes faster on the single rigid.

I can't hate any mountain bike. But I can love riding a single speed.