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World's worst singlespeed

1K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  chumbox 
#1 ·
So after a few years of curiosity I decided to take the plunge and get a SS. I actually rode one most of my childhood but we called it a BMX bike. ;)

So I won an auction online for a kona unit and was really looking forward to going on a ride this holiday weekend. Well, it was shipped ground from the east coast so that turned out to be a no go.

Since the ride was already planned and it was with someone that rides a SS I decided to do the ride with my intense tracer and turn it into a SS by simply not shifting. Middle ring up front and near the middle in the back. 32/16 by my quick trailside count. Ok, yes the chainline isn't gonna be anywhere near perfect, there is the derailluer, the weight..... Oh yeah, and the rear suspension. Turns out my lockout is broken on the rear shock.

So, I have this heavy, inefficient, and..... bouncy singlespeed. The worst thing was climbing out of the saddle and having it just bounce and spin the rear.

It turned out to be a torturous ride. We listened to trail advice instead of sticking to our plan. What was planned as 1.5 hours turned into 4. And I must admit that I did shift on one particularly ugly steep, very loose jeep trail. However both of us ended up hike a biking that hill anyway. I never left the middle ring though. Good fun and good work.

I'm really looking forward to the REAL SS getting here. I really enjoyed not worrying about shifting and keeping momentum. Its like a whole new ride on the same trails.
 
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#2 ·
I tried that version before I had one and it is not the same what so ever. For me it’s completely physiological, no matter what when I am riding a geared bike and trying to keep an S.S. type ride I know in the back of my mind I have gears and I end up shifting without realizing it until it’s too late. It’s not a weight factor but I will often be able to ride a steep climb on a S.S. 32x18 (29er) but can’t do the same climb in that ratio on a geared bike and I end up shifting. You will find riding a single speed will force you to be a better rider and you’ll have more fun doing it. I also find myself shifting much less when I do ride my geared bike which is very little as I enjoy the S.S. much more.
 
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