I have been wanting to try out some single speed mountain biking for a while but I also don't have a huge amount of money to splash right now. I have liked single speed road bikes as much as I can like a road bike.
Some options I have been considering are
The Gravity G29- pros: cheap, easy to get my hands on.
Cons- questionable components
The Gravity Deadeye Monster- pros: kind of also want to try out fat bike, cheap, easy to get hands on
Cons- questionable components, trying out too many things at once.
Older Single speed bike (like Vassago or KM)- pros: better components
Cons: a lot more shopping (but I am in no hurry so not to be a con)
Shopping for an older used bike seems like a no brainer. I was also thinking that possibly depending on the bike I could convert into kind of a monstercross bike later (for singletrack, gravel and maybe a bit of cyclocross with a different set of wheels) and sell my Nashbar CXSS. Trying to stay under $600.
Thoughts? Would it be stupid to try out single speed on an old school geometry bike knowing that I would be converting it to monstercross later? Or if I decided single speeding wasn't for me, I would assume I could sell it without much loss of money. What would even be good frames to consider for such a conversion? I know the top tube would have to be a bit shorter.
Should I consider the single speed fat bike? My gut says I should demo a fat bike of any kind before making the jump.
I was fortunate to find an ebay retailer selling a Motobecane Outcast 26 back in 2008. The bike was rigid and came with 42:16 (which made it a non starter where I live). It was shipped to my door for $349. I bought a 34 tooth chainring for about $20 and shortened the chain. I rode the hell out of that bike and haven't been on a geared bike now in several years.
If I were to do it over again, I'd start with Craigslist and get a better quality bike for the same or only slightly more $.
I'm not sure where you are nor what your budget is, but a quick look on my local CL found this: (If I needed a fourth SS, I'd be all over it)
The biggest worry for me with the Gravity is the wheels. On my first MTB, I destroyed the wheels in no time so I am not sure about the quality of cheaper wheels.
I always vote used with a steel SS bike. Find a Karate Monkey, monocog, etc. Save money and get a better bike. You're not in a hurry either. You could resell it down the line and break even too.
My next question however is do I get a bit older geometry with the thought of converting it to dropbar at some point or do I get a more modern geometry (with longer reach)?
Comparing an XL Salsa Fargo to an old geo L Kona Unit. The reach is 409 versus 438 and the top tube is 600 vs 622. Or am I missing a factor in running drop bars. It seems like with a shorter stem I could run drop bars on the Kona Unit.
I like to build my bikes over 6 months or so, it does end up costing a bit more over the long run, but it seems to be less of an imapct on the bank account.
If you are single speed curious and are simply wanting to try it out and happen to have a geared hardtail right now set it up single speed. That would be the absolute least expensive way...
If you're interested in drop bars I'm sure you can find a surly karate monkey, fargo, etc. I've never used drop bars, but I know they've been used for years, with success, on those frames. I saw a karate monkey going cheap on Facebook and it made me think of this thread.
I would keep an eye on craigslist for a rigid steel bike that fits you and convert that. Lots of older Treks and Gary Fishers pop up around here for <$200. It will need a tensioner and a SS cog and spacer kit, but that is no big deal ($30?). I understand everyone's hesitation to run a tensioner, but it's really not a big deal. It's ugly and seems inelegant, but works great and will be the cheap way to go. I ran one of a SS FS bike for a couple seasons and never had an issue.
Ditto Joe's point on drop bars- unless you are running a very long stem with flat bars you are probably out of luck.
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