Do you only ride SS?

[bdg1320]

I just recently really got into mountain biking when I got a SS this spring and have been loving it since. It was my first real bike since I was a kid and is currently my only bike. However, I'm starting to think that having a geared bike on hand for more technical trails and exploring trails I don't know wouldn't be a bad thing.

I know you guys can't really answer this, but am I just looking for the easy way out? Should I just keeping hitting the trails on my SS and wait for my skills to develop more?

I'm curious what other SS riders out there are doing.

Thanks!

[Igoreha]

Don't bother with gears. SS will give you all opportunities you need. SS is more fun.
If it seems hard thats OK - it should be hard. If it is very very hard maybe you need a lighter gear.

[bolo]

But, there are more options :-D

[Sandrenseren]

Bought an SS this spring and didn't touch my geared bike for a couple of months. Then early summer I lend my geared bike to my nephew to see if he would catch the bug and so he did. Last month I took him to the LBS and bought him a bike of his own, my bike didn't quite fit him and I wanted him to have a nice bike of his own.

So I got my geared bike back and started riding it a bit for the first time in half a year or so. On my SS my top speed is 15-16 mph, any faster than that and I simply can't pedal fast enough to keep up. On my geared bike I can hit 25-30 mph on the flat bits, I'd forgotten how much fun that was and it's great for commuting to the track, however sitting and spinning up hills doesn't really work for me anymore, I spend too much effort picking the proper gear and halfway up the climb I switch to standing and mashing and then the gear is way too low. It just seems a hassle having to choose between standing or sitting and trying to pick the proper gear for the task. Basically after a handful of rides on the geared bike I vent back to my SS and enjoyed just riding.

I don't really see myself going back to riding geared, my geared bike has pretty much turned into a commuter/loaner bike.

[40er]

I enjoy both, but not only due to the gears but to the suspension as well. My geared recently was out of commission waiting on a part, which forced me to use my SS exclusively, which did forced me to use my SS in trails I normally wouldnt, and got a great sense of accomplishment when I cleared them. Climbing I agree with sandrnseren the SS makes your decision easier, but on a steep tech climb IMO you want to have the gears and the suspension. Also on tech downhills you want the gears and the suspension.

This is a long way to say that I enjoy both it keeps the sport fun, and have its merits.

[SlowPokePete]

Bought an SS this spring and didn't touch my geared bike for a couple of months. Then early summer I lend my geared bike to my nephew to see if he would catch the bug and so he did. Last month I took him to the LBS and bought him a bike of his own, my bike didn't quite fit him and I wanted him to have a nice bike of his own.

So I got my geared bike back and started riding it a bit for the first time in half a year or so. On my SS my top speed is 15-16 mph, any faster than that and I simply can't pedal fast enough to keep up. On my geared bike I can hit 25-30 mph on the flat bits, I'd forgotten how much fun that was and it's great for commuting to the track, however sitting and spinning up hills doesn't really work for me anymore, I spend too much effort picking the proper gear and halfway up the climb I switch to standing and mashing and then the gear is way too low. It just seems a hassle having to choose between standing or sitting and trying to pick the proper gear for the task. Basically after a handful of rides on the geared bike I vent back to my SS and enjoyed just riding.

I don't really see myself going back to riding geared, my geared bike has pretty much turned into a commuter/loaner bike.

Very well said, and exactly the same for me, including the changeover to ss last spring.

SPP

[febikes]

Right now the only bike I ride is my single speed. The only times I think gears would be useful for me is when I ride some paved sections as I commute to work. I go easy for those sections and go harder in the off road areas so it's not a big deal.

For single track riding, I have no interest in gears. On the down hills, the bike coasts as fast or faster then my bike handling allows. For the climbs the gear I ride works very well unless is is super steep. For the steep stuff I would rather walk at 2mph then ride at 4 mph. In the core fun range the bike is awesome and I never have to think about gears when I am in the zone.

[dubdryver]

I don't always ride my carbon full suspension 29er, but when I do, its a blast!
Actually, its my go-to bike when I travel, especially new places.
I like to take the guess work out of what cog I should be riding and what not.

Its more fun to just get out and ride somewhere new..and I want to take as much
guess work out of it as possible.

[TroutBum]

One sled. One gear.

Find your way.

[bmschrad]

I actually sold all my geared bikes (except for my touring bike) and ride single speed and fixed gear exclusively.

It just fits my riding style and I love not having to mess with the derailleur adjustments anymore..

[tangaroo]

I alternate between my ss and my geared fatbike. I built up my first ss a couple months ago and never looked back. The fatbike serves as my adventure bike and around town bike, my ss for trails. It's a transAM so I'm able to ride it on cross country trails as well downhill courses, but spinning out keeps me limited to some aspects. As most who ride ss, it's just a more enjoyable experience. Less maintenance, less fuss, less technology, less weight, less noise, less worries. The only way I can see myself going geared would be if I moved to a more mountainous area and had to climb for miles upon end and descend the same.

[FlyingGoatDog]

Myself, my wife, and daughter all ride single speed and fixed gears...

we're simple people...

[webb-o]

Only SS for me right now, but my next project will be a geared tandem (which will be used for touring with the wife and kids). After a year without gears, I don't have any desire to go back.

[serious]

I ride both gears and SS (on and off road). Assuming cost is not an issue, having a geared bike is not a bad thing.

[edubfromktown]

No fanaticism or zealotry here- I ride both, depending on terrain, body condition and who I want to piss of

[trueblue01gt]

i ride both. depends on what mood i am in and who i am riding with

[memine]

After twenty years of mountain biking, I find it is best enjoyed as a variety of experiences. Thus, I ride SS, geared and cross and I love each bike and the fun and challenges each provide.

I would never want to ride only one kind of bike.

[danorano]

Urban yes, offroad no.

[Zippy29er]

My favorite ride is like a swiss army knife (Surly Karate Monkey). It was a Rigid SS all summer and most of the fall then went to a drop bar monster cross looking thing. Now it is in the process of going 1x9 and possibly add some squish upfront while I am off the bike for a few months (Docs orders). I like to tinker with my bikes so I tend to play with many options. The trick is having all the parts on hand is like having multiple bikes without getting in to too much trouble with the wife.

[4nbstd]

The trick is having all the parts on hand is like having multiple bikes without getting in to too much trouble with the wife.

My other hobby (RC) is quite expensive to keep up with, and the trick I learned is, no matter what it costs, when she asks, it costs $20, $40 if stuff's really shiny.

[gravelrd]

Yes, only a single speed. For the last four years. I have three singles speeds - one full suspension 29er, a rigid 29er and a fat bike. I play barbies with my bikes, but have stuck with the ss platform. Nothing particularly metaphysical; less is more. Perhaps I've stuck with it because it's become an ideal endurance event setup for me. Because it exhorts mindfulness - stomp up the hills and walk sometimes, and then run out of gear inches on some flats - its easier to have a get-there-when-I-do sensibility. Because I don't own a geared bike and ride with lots of folks using gears I've learned that there's no real disadvantage.

[balance_fit]

Learned on a coaster brake SS as kid, had geared bikes, both road and mtb, returned to SS in my 40's. Always looking for the perfect do it all bike, surfboard, body weight exercise, etc: the simpler something is, the more options one has to use it. Don't like a complicated gadget to perform a simple deed.
I believe that this mindset keeps the body busy at adapting and improving.
Not into speed or racing, but enjoy a long ride as well.

[Icey101]

I go back and forth between my SS and FS bike. If I every went down to one bike, it would be a geared FS bike. I love to ride the SS...but everything I ride is super rocky so it beats me up.

[Godless Communist]

Five bikes, five gears:

Redline Monocog Flite 29
Firemans Texas Cruzer 26
Firemans Texas Cruzer 24
Swobo Del Norte SS Road
Fairdale Parser SS Road

[A1an]

Single only for offroad duty. I do have the equipment to convert one of my bikes back to geared but for whatever reason I just can't get into a groove with that bike in 1x10 mode. I'm constantly shifting trying to find a sweet spot that just doesn't seem to be there.

For mixed road, gravel, and singletrack rides I am fond of gears. My cx has sliders but I don't think I'll go single on that anytime soon.