[Closed] Tell Me About Singlespeeding

You've it the nail on the head, that's exactly the way to go,

A

I have a gusset bachelor with 18t and 16t cog with spacers. Mail in profile if interested 🙂

only other thing you'll probably need (apart from thick skin, etc.) will be either a bashguard or a set of shorter chainring bolts.

WMB has an article on it this month. Read it in WHS and then reshelve it, unless interested in the rest of the mag

It's a stupid idea and no one Actually rides 'em they just say they do to appear all niche and different. Any picture you see that shows a ss in an outdoor setting is faked and the bike was just pushed to the location. 😀

It's a stupid idea and no one Actually rides 'em they just say they do to appear all niche and different. Any picture you see that shows a ss in an outdoor setting is faked and the bike was just pushed to the location

'tis true. I just wated to be part of the gang with the cooler kids 😆

the gang with the cooler kids

Rigid forks also help you get into this gang.

Rigid and fixie if you want to be in my gang.

Just get used to riding at a different pace. It feels wrong at first but gets better if you persevere

"Rigid forks also help you get into this gang"
I too have tried joining the gang by flaunting my stiff front bits but I still don't feel cool enough(
maybe I should have just used a rigid fork instead?)

You've got to grow a beard first.

Gears and suspension are the niche thing for old frail people or delicate young flowers.

😈

get some stickers made up of some bike make you,ve never heard of and stick them on your bike , it will make it easier to pedal

I have a Merlin Malt1 converted to singlespeed:
[img] [/img]
Works really well and is stupidly light (24lbs).
I used a fire eye conversion kit from the CRC flood sale last year.

I always wanted to join in but was worried about my knees. I decided it could be done in a cost free way at first. I just didn't change gear. It started on holiday in Southwold where you really don't need multiple gears. After a week of not shifting there I carried on at home for a couple weeks and decided that for a lot of my riding I could get away with SS. Was finally convinced after a Sideways Cycles night ride ending in my £3k FS reduced to a 3 speed (largest rear sprocket and choice of front ring. Rest of cassette jammed full of mud, leaves, undergrowth).

Last week I broke the rear mech hanger whilst out on a ride, to keep mobile I shortened the chain, detached the derailleur and made a stab at the best gear to choose for a single speed.

It took a while to replace the hanger so I did three rides singlespeed.

My observations would be that I spent a lot of time free wheeling, on sections where I could not pedal fast enough to "drive".

I discovered that you can get up most hills by going slowly and steadily and by standing up on the pedals, something I never normally do.

Finding the right gear ratio for where you ride would be important and I would imagine if you stick with it for a while you would want to change to a higher gear ratio at some time.

Conclusion, it was an interesting experiment that I would not have tried otherwise and I can see the advantages in less mechaical breakdowns and lighter weight.

Some interesting points there, thanks.
I had been looking at going uber niche and getting a fully rigid singlespeed 29er, but that might be a little too much to take on in one go - already got the beard!.

monkeychild - thanks for the offer but I'll be adding this to my christmas list so needs to be shop.

Looks like I'll be reading WMB in WHS over the next few days then and adding some chainring bolts to my list too 🙂

this is a nice place to browse and buy:-

http://www.velosolo.co.uk/index.html

So is this halfway house workable ?Keep rear gears and just have middle c/ring ?Too much strain on the chain i suspect ?

You also have to grow a silly beard, preferably a ginger one! or so I hear. 😛

Is there any advantage to getting the singlespeed kit from here?
http://www.charliethebikemonger.com

yes, if you order stuff from Charlie you get free sweets

Wiskey yes the guy is a legend, has always been promoting SS and will send you a sticker 😀

Yeah, buy the kit from me.

We have converted thousands of folk over the years, so if you have any instalation/compatibility probs, just pick up the phone or email and I will look after you.

We have everything you need, and loads of stuff you dont need, but just want 😉

Careful now, Charlie is a well known ss pusher. He has too many shiny bits. I hate to think how much my ss habit has cost me at his site 🙁

🙂

There are a few other shiny things that I like the look of on Charlie's site. I'll see how rich the rellies are feeling when ordering.

I discovered that you can get up most hills by going slowly and steadily

No no no! You get up most things by pedalling like fury at the bottom and hoping against hope you don't slow down even slightly until the top.

Slowly and steadily sounds like pacing yourself, and thats not why we ride singlespeed (sorry, I'm not long converted and have been having all sorts of fun).

i put gears back on my bike for a trip to the Lakes a few weeks back after riding pretty much exclusively singlespeed for about a year. They will be coming back off again very soon. My rear cassette is basically a crud magnet, and although I know it sounds daft, I really do notice the extra weight. The bike just doesn't feel as lively as it does in singlespeed mode.

Mind how you go, SS is just a gateway habit into more hardcore nichewhoredom, if your not careful you could end up like sheldon *nods*.

i was surprised how much fun it was to take my rigid ss commuter out in the mud the other weekend. Made a great change from the full sus. Also didn't have to worry about cleaning the bike afterwards.

My FS feels really "flat" for ages when I ride it. Cos I ride my rigid SS so much it feels right. If I was going to the lakes/dales/peak and up on the seriuos hills/ridges I'd take my geared FS. It does amaze me what I can winch up on my SS. If I was looking at a lot of climbing I'd think about gearing down but 2:1 is spot on for where and how I ride at the moment.

i had my 1st ss experience tonight riding julian wilsons ss around a bit of haldon tonight, am thinking now of getting a cheapo ss frame a la on one slidy and using it for a bit, it was weird not changing gear and having to almost sprint up the hills but i liked it. i reckon its a good way of getting fit quick and would teach you to pick a decent line.

scott_mcavennie2 - Your Malt looks pretty slick... and very familiar too.
I'm quite looking forward to trying a niche 🙂

It's just like riding a bike. 😀

rigid single speeds in wet and muddy conditions will usually be quicker than geared bikes, they will be more difficult initially, but your fitness, strength and bike skills will improve . They are lighter and more efficient than bikes costing much more with gears, start cheap then go for the ti frame, carbon wheels, etc!

Go for it, you'll wonder why you didn't before after a few weeks in the crud.

Ideally your Merlin Malt 1 needs to be handbuilt by a bloke in a yak in the foothills of the Himalayas.

oh dear...who posted the velo solo link....i dont even own a single speed or want one but.....so....many...shiny....things....

must resist, must resist... 😯

As well as rigid forks you'll also find that odd shaped handlebars will help in the cool stakes. I have 3 SS and the search for the oddest shaped bars is never ending.

Different sized wheels front and back is something I like too 😉

Mary bars on rigid forks are proper comfy.

Keep it simple don't get involved with all that niche rubbish.

You never know you might like it 🙂

"odd shaped handlebars will help in the cool stakes."

... or you need some good wide riser bars and bar ends - they'll help you crank up them there hills; sensible, but not cool.

Er, I've already got wide risers with bar ends
I'm gonna fit right in 🙂

scott_mcavennie2 - Your Malt looks pretty slick... and very familiar too.
I'm quite looking forward to trying a niche

Familiar? Where from?

You're not the bloke I caught stealing it the other week are you?

the biggest problem about riding singlespeeds up hill is the riders on geared bikes getting in your way while trying to shift into the granny ring,,,, normaly a shout of "singlespeed coming through" alerts them to the fact that they are getting in your way ,,

Ok, next question:
How do you join a singlespeed chain?
I'm used to using SRAM Powerlinks on geared bikes, is there a singlespeed alternative available somewhere?

I use sram power links on mine, never had a problem. My singles speeders have always had either eccentric bottom brackets or movable rear axle holder bits, guys using doofers seem happy with power links.

If you've bought a SS-specific chain it'll be quite a bit wider than your average 9spd chain. They're far stronger and can be joined with a chain-tool without a bother.

A Powerlink will work with a singlespeed chain?
Or am I getting the wrong end of the stick here?
To be more specific how would I join something like a KMC Z510? Would it come with joining pins? and what would I need if I got it wrong?

just use a cheap 8 or 9sp chain and powerlink

Splitlink.

I've just figured out that Singlespeed is an anagram of Penis Sledge!

how very,very true!