Single Speed.... convince me please

Reading that little lot made me laugh... opinions are great.

I built my explosif up SS in 2001 from stuff I had in the garage not expecting to find much use for it. My local forest has lots of very steep climbs and most of the time I use pretty much all the gearing on a normal bike, even the granny winch gears.
First ride out on the dodgy bodged SS and I knew this was something special that I was going to love. When you've been riding the same forest and trails for 15 years putting a different spin on them is fantastic. In a way riding the SS can be like being a beginner again in that your often cought in what feels like the wrong gear, but you have no choice but to get on with it. I find myself out of the saddle a lot which is not my prefered pedalling style, too many years on big squishy bikes I guess?
Riding a super light bike that doesn't rattle and won't break the bank when you stack is oh so joyous.
A reasonable level of fitness is required because you do have to be able to work a little harder on the climbs... which I find fun. Perhaps it's this part that puts some people off?

As I've said before - gheto build one or borrow off a friend and see if it's for you. Chances are you'll get hooked as it's just messing about in the woods on bikes... and we all know how much fun that is... here endeth the lesson?
 
I just hate the thought of more old bikes being hacked about to make 'singlespeeds' mainly. Yeah I've given it a go- I was able to easily convert my retro rig (with no irreversible changes)- I walked away from the whole thing unimpressed.

I do live somewhere which is pretty significantly mountainous. It was a handicap on the way up, and on the way down, with no real benefit anywhere. I really see no positives in it , at least in converting old bikes, and thats firmly my viewpoint.

Andrew, yeah, Shogun is getting back its gears; some better ones hopefully.

To Others..perhaps not the most measured post ever but I think it accurately conveyed the exact sentiment I would supply in person. And honestly, I could say much worse about both the bikes and in many cases their owners.
 
shogun":2zlxj5xx said:
I just hate the thought of more old bikes being hacked about to make 'singlespeeds' mainly. Yeah I've given it a go- I was able to easily convert my retro rig (with no irreversible changes)- I walked away from the whole thing unimpressed.

I do live somewhere which is pretty significantly mountainous. It was a handicap on the way up, and on the way down, with no real benefit anywhere. I really see no positives in it , at least in converting old bikes, and thats firmly my viewpoint.

Andrew, yeah, Shogun is getting back its gears; some better ones hopefully.

To Others..perhaps not the most measured post ever but I think it accurately conveyed the exact sentiment I would supply in person. And honestly, I could say much worse about both the bikes and in many cases their owners.


Fine to have tried it..and found it wanting...in your case, but to broadbrush all singlespeeders as, as you put it, w*nkers is not only offensive but displays a good deal of both arrogance and ignorance.

Why you should be so vitriolic towards singlespeeders is beyond me. I converted my 94 Kona to singlespeed...its not hashed about, and I can reverse the process should I desire.

Happy riding :wink:
Carl
 
My local trail is dull on a geared & suspended bike - but so much more challenging (ie fun) with 1 gear! For a 1/2 hour blast after work, SS makes perfect sense, & the almost total lack of maintenance is an added bonus. But I wouldn't take it on any particularly difficult rides.
 
I don't understand the comments of an old bike being HACKED, MOLESTED, or RAPED by simply removing the derailures, shifters, and a few chain rings.

You should be damned lucky people ride the old pieces of junk!

I think its a waste to build completely new frames specifically for SS when converting older bikes is so easy. Plus, I think SS really brings out the look of many older bikes by showing off the crazy paint, welds, geometry, etc. that people don't notice when they are looking at your rare component kit.
 
I think its a waste to build completely new frames specifically for SS when converting older bikes is so easy

look at how many of the older bikes on this forum that would otherwise be sat in a shed doing nothing have had a new lease of life as a SS.
 
I think others have summed it up better than I ever could - in essence it's not better or worse than a geared bike just different and for some, depending on fitness and terrain, a lot of fun. The fun is really the main point as that is why we like bikes (although with ss a prediliction for pointless suffering in public helps too) and really all the pureness/simplicity/cheapness/weight etc. arguments are just trying to persuade people who don't get it or haven't tried it that it makes some sort of sense. But like many of the interesting things in life it makes very little rational sense.

ss is clearly not for everyone, or even appropriate for everyone (my goodness was I glad that I rode a geared bike on the three day Trans Cambrian even though after some wine I almost went ss) but I think if you like it then it's great and, at the risk of sounding condescending, it would be really boring if we all liked the same thing.

And as for converting old bikes, if it's yours then do what you please although I agree with MaxP that aesthetically it looks better without a tensioner (personal opinion and not decrying in any way the tensioner users).

Oh, and to Roy as the original poster, with that Groovy I'd love to see what you have planned for your ss, the bar is set very high!
 
shogun":3spsy462 said:
As for the 'being different' thing; another load of codswallop. No coincidence that singlespeeding, and lately fixed roadies, attract hordes of those wankers who get some sick pleasure in being different for the sake of it and parading their alternative selves around in little cliques of likeminded wankers.
Mainstream Alternative...like Band T-shirts from department stores and My Chemical Romance.

As shogun suggests there is a fairly large proportion of SS riders over here who do appear to purely single speed as some sort of teenage rebelion against society rather than for the sake of riding. Maybe there are less of them else where in the world ;)
 
PHeller":q2f6tj7j said:
I don't understand the comments of an old bike being HACKED, MOLESTED, or RAPED by simply removing the derailures, shifters, and a few chain rings.

You should be damned lucky people ride the old pieces of junk!

Reading between the lines and seeing first hand what some people have done, simply removing a few bit from junk is far from the concern.

I've seen more than one mint high end steel 90s frame (Salsa, Explosif, GT, Yeti etc) had its cable guides and vertical drop outs removed and sliding drop outs welded in place. :cry:
 
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