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Hi folks,
All advice welcome.. looking to get a no frills rigid single speed Bike. Thoughts on buying whole bike, frame or donor bike ? Any recommendations welcome, on one inbred frame is where I was starting but struggle to find those. No real parts bin in garage apart from saddle so need to get everything if not buying all done. Appreciate any pointers !
Cannondale Trail SL 29 SS?
I’ve got one for winter and kid-bimbling duties , you can pick them up for a couple of hundred quid or so?
One on eBay at the mo (size L) here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224029937398
Andy
Thanks for that! Exactly same use I am thinking
There’s a Surly Krampus on eBay at the moment can run single speed
Worth looking for a Kona Unit. Great bikes. New ones are spendy for a rigid singlespeed though!
Cheers
Singular bikes. The swift is a lovely bike (they also do others). Mines been through a number of guises, sometimes with front sus, geared, single speed, rigid, currently with drops as cross bike of sorts.
Longitude F&F?
Then source parts off classifieds, ebay etc?
Or just buy a Kona Unit (bike) ready to roll?
I have an 18" slot dropout inbred 29er, 1x10, front suspension, sitting unused. Happy to make it single speed. Would need to be collected from Swindon as I'm not willing to post or mess about with couriers. Email is in profile.
Also have a Surly 1x1, also 18", also sitting idle.....
As usual I would say a Stooge, any version (Mk1-4). All sold out though so it would have to be 2nd hand.
I've had a few, usually start out as a "winter"/kid duties/commuting bike but inevitably end up being something too fun to sit unused. Currently have two reynolds framed Genesis i0 (well one was an i0id frame) in the household - would recommend highly. From riding off piste Tweed Valley, local XC, Torridon & Cairngorms loops, pulling kids trailers, built up with 700c wheels for road, commuting, doing the shopping, they are great, versatile, fun bikes. Having said all that, keeping two seems greedy so one (19") is sitting as a frame only waiting to go on eBay but I keep putting off listing it. The other will never leave the house though.
Me and my riding buddy both managed to find Sanderson Soloists on eBay as complete bikes for a reasonable price. They were perfectly rideable as they were but a certain amount of enhancement has occurred.
EDIT - This is NBT posting using Bunnyhop's login
Go 29er if you're riding rigid SS. I had a Scandal 29er with carbon forks and it was lovely, but my mate had the Cannondale Trail 29 SS and that was a very nice bike. I'd be happy with either.
Previously had a SC Chameleon 26" set up as SS hardtail for many years, was a fabulous bike but the 29er just makes more sense - the bigger wheels just roll better. Means though you can't run 32:16 (The Gear Of Champions) unless you;re very very good - 32:18 was better for the bigger wheels, though a friend was running 32:20.
Also had a Surly 1*1 for a short while, nice steel frame but just not as much fun as the chameleon.
Sadly had to put gears on as my floating kneecaps were just getting too much hammering from riding SS. Even more sadly I had to put bouncy forks on as I'm just too old and soft now to ride rigid 🙁
Reminds me I must dig out those middleburn cranks...
I've got my rigid SS mojo back recently, Kona Unit.
It started stock, went to being a HT, then 1*7 onto 1*10. Back to rigid single speed with a 29*3 tyre squeezed in the fork. It's like a big BMX in some ways.
+1 Kona unit. I really rate mine - the sliding dropouts are a very elegant solution to chain tension Imo. Wheel-out for back of the car and fixing punctures is considerably easier than on horizontal drop outs like the Inbred and you don't need to carry around two 15mm spanners to get the wheel out.
They ride really nicely too.
Longitude would be a great choice. Can fit 650b+ or 29er. Horizontal dropouts with a gear hanger and rolholf mounts if you ever wanted to add gears. I'm torn between selling mine (Tarntanium inbound for trail usage) or keeping it as a SS.
Thanks folks! Plenty to research 👍
Me tricky, you aren’t far from me so will message you
I've got a Genesis High Latitude, bought with the idea that if ever I wanted front suspension it could be fitted, unlike the Fortitude which had rigid specific geometry. As much as I love it, I should have just bought a Fortitude. I'd have a look for one of those secondhand. Or a Kona Unit, I like those. The Cannondale are Aluminium, not the more traditonal steel, (though the current strength standards negate that nice steel springy nature)
Second the Cannondale Trail 29ss, I use mine more than any other bike. Light quick and surprisingly comfy.
Also loved my Soloist but that’s just a frame hanging on the shed wall now....
My Singular set up as a single speed is my go to bike. Ride it more than all my other bikes combined. Running 29 x 3” Maxxis Chronicles which are nice and fast and perfect in this weather.
EDIT: photo from yesterday’s ride.
Up until a couple of years ago most of the (Halfords) Voodoo frames - Bizango, Wanga, etc - had sliding dropouts. I've got a steel Wanga 26 frame just waiting to get rebuilt SS rigid for the winter.
There's a [url= https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Singular-Swift-29er-mtb-frame-fork-King-h-set-Large-Eccentric-BB-SS-or-gears/264748980506?hash=item3da444d91a:g:7tAAAOSwhe1e06Ek ]Swift frame & forks[/url] on Ebay at the moment (the last one I saw went for just a single bid).
If you don't have any parts then buying a second complete bike will be a lot cheaper (and obviously quicker). I would also go for a Cannondale SS.
A Pinacle Ramin 3+ would be a good frame if you could find one second hand. One to add to the list when hunting on EBay etc. That model has the EBB
A Pinacle Ramin 3+ would be a good frame if you could find one second hand. One to add to the list when hunting on EBay etc. That model has the EBB
Join the queue! I’ve been after one in large for well over 12 months 🙁
Might set my Karate Monkey back up ss as can't see me using it for commuting anytime soon
Kona Unit here - great bikes. A second hand bargain, after previously having an Inbred 29er, Charge Cooker SS and a couple of Genesis IO's...
ebay here I come then for Cannondale, singular or Kona.. top advice!
Hiya - messaged you but haven't heard back. Please let me know if you are still interested as someone else has also contacted me about the bike
I have an 18 inch kona fire mountain, that is currently singlespeed, I was going to convert it back to gears to move it on. Currently it has an old set of rock shox forks on it but it would easily convert to rigid. I was looking for ~£150. I am in the north Cotswolds if you are not to far away
My rigid singlespeed Inbred has been hanging on the garage wall since last used in 2011 when I nicked the chainset off it to use on something else. I've got the bits to get it back into use now though, and it is one of those as I've marked as potentially for sale once I get it going again, if anyone in the Edinburgh area is interested.
This is what it looked like when last built up:
