Anyone ride a single speed MTB?

[No_Bivy]

I think I'm bout to get my arse whipped on my new single speed bike:O.......anyone else ride one?

[Skwerl]

21 speed Trek here, although I only use about 5 speeds. I don't have a wide enough torque curve to only use one gear. 8)

[Banned by Squirrels]

I think I'm bout to get my arse whipped on my new single speed bike:O.......anyone else ride one?

Take that puppy back, quick!

[woodworkingboy]

Have single speed here, will ride...don't need all those gears.

[Koa Man]

I carry around a 7 speed Dahon folding bike in my pickup. Useful when I have to park my truck a couple of blocks from the job site when parking is tight. (Quite often in Hawaii) I unload my gear at the job and then move the truck.

If I am just going somewhere from home within 5 miles and I don't have to carry anything big I use my souped up 88cc moped. It will do 50 mph, good enough for everything around here except the freeways. I got tired of pedaling a bike more than a few blocks about 5 years ago.

[No_Bivy]

Nice and light....I expect to to be worked


My buddy dusted me on a 25 mile ride on a single speed. But he is fit as hell...I hung in there on the Truth(9speed cassette), ....which I really like on the down hill.

This bike is a Gary Fisher Rig, 29'er. we shall see:|:

[woodworkingboy]

Why I like riding a fixed gear:
simple (no gizmos)
light
quiet
will make you strong
easy maintenance
nice to look at
beer tastes even better

Downside:
big hills :cry:

No Bivy, does your's have a freewheel?

[No_Bivy]

yea...freewheel. I ain't riding no fixe' round here. This bike has disc brakes..Hills will require standing at point. 32 x 18 geared.

[BostonBull]

Much respect for single speeders! Tough work!

[RIVERRAT]

Single speeds are cool for some stuff.
But if I where to have only one bike no way!

[No_Bivy]

this is a second bike....
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lyhyk0KbaKk&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lyhyk0KbaKk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>:P

[Paul B]

one gear? Not since I got a mountain bike when I was about 13. Cant imagine I would do that WAY too hilly around here.

[PCTREE]

I havnt been riding much in the last few years but I hear the 29ers are really taking off. This spring I just put sram grip shifters on my fuel 100, I like being able to twist through those gears......... Sod the single speed:lol:
Any time you wanna climb some BIG hills and rip a 30 min decent give me a shout and I'll also show you the quick way up a tree........

[Skwerl]

Gawwdam, that sounds like a CHALLENGE!!! :O

:lol::lol:

[No_Bivy]

aint skeered...

[hmm]

DANG DUDE - get a real bike and do it on the road. come on down here where the Gaps are and ride with me. Make be you can keep up with this youngster. . . . .

google HOG Pen Gap or 3 gap - 6 gap century. (7.8 miles uphill) and DOWNHILL too

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/z1LCS3ERfjA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/z1LCS3ERfjA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
aint not 1 speed bike going to make that hill.

hmm - 36 is just about enough

[High Scale]

I want one of these.

[Paul B]

why? :D

[No_Bivy]

the Rig...

[No_Bivy]

one gear? Not since I got a mountain bike when I was about 13. Cant imagine I would do that WAY too hilly around here.

hilly here too.....

[woodworkingboy]

Not sure what is is with single speeds, some guys take to them like religion, and other riders go with the gears. A lot of bike messenger riders are into them. My buddy was riding fixed, and after using his ride two times or so, it just seemed...I dunno, logical or something. The quiet is what first appealed to me, and then like just having to rely on your own power to meet the steepness your're riding on. Downgrades without a freewheel can get kind of wild, and mine has a brake. I also like the simple design of a single speed. Check out the velodrome races if you ever get a chance...damn kickazz.

One thing I really like about cycling is the total self sufficiency part....like riding way out into the boonies, and then having just your own power to get your ass home...blown out tired or whatever. I like the challenge in that, so maybe with a single gear it's somewhat more so. Anyway, that's just me, and I respect derailer bikes, even have an old Italian Masi. If I was riding on very steep terrain a lot, I'd go to a three speed.

Anyway, not wishing to change anybody's riding style, talking bikes just gets me going. All bikes rock.

[Husky385]

I bought a 3 speed , jeez I wish I had bought a 12 speed mountain bike or similar

[woodworkingboy]

I bought a 3 speed , jeez I wish I had bought a 12 speed mountain bike or similar

Never too late...good bikes can be found pretty cheap at the on-line auctions.

[Husky385]

Never too late...good bikes can be found pretty cheap at the on-line auctions.



I'll be honest its not the bike its me, need to get fitter....:(

[High Scale]

why? :D


I have tiny legs:)

[Paul B]

fair enough. :) I want one of these but I dont wanna drop the dough on something I lilkely wont use much. I think when Bub starts to ride a bike I can get back into it and tool around town with him, or hit the woods.

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11242451/New_Rocky_Mountain_Bike_Rmx_PRO_19_5.jpg

for Bub :D

http://tsa.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p612442reg.jpg

[hmm]

I'll be honest its not the bike its me, need to get fitter....:(

You are never to old or out of shape to get on a bike



Believe me - this young'n knows all about that stuff



all you need is a bike and a road and a place to start.

i am in training for the first half cenutry in november or sooner. . . .

[Drella]

;)

[Drella]

DANG DUDE - get a real bike and do it on the road. come on down here where the Gaps are and ride with me.

Funny you mentioned 6-Gap.

Our cycling club "MMC" makes 6-Gap every year.

Hogs pen? Meh,, Brasstown Bald, now that's a hill!

[Grimpeur]

Yes mate! Fixed on the road and SS off it, have geared bikes too for when needed, single speeds get much more use, less maintenance more instinctive riding, all good.

Rode Sydney - Melbourne and London - Dublin fixed last year, should've really rode gears both times but you know..

I am at end of 11 years of bike couriering, just starting tree work.

[Frans]

I have an old Electra Bicycle. Has the 7 speed internal geared hub.

None of that flamingo fancy pants and funny shoes for me! Buncha dorks IMO. Even cluster together like a flock of flamingos. You should see them when I am powering up a hill in my diesel. Spewing out plumes of black soot. The trail laying low on the ground, the perfect height for those bicyclists to breath :) I had a whole flock of 'em the other day have to pull over and wait for the noxious fumes to clear. Had the hill been longer I woulda turned around and done it again!:big-jump:

Yea, payback is rough. All those times those folks ride 4 & 5 abreast holding me back:evil:

[Drella]

And as those old guys go driving by in their over-sized hot wheels trucks,, I can actually hear their arteries hardening.

:lol:

[Drella]

I have an old Electra Bicycle. Has the 7 speed internal geared hub.

Every time someone asks me what bike I recommend. I always point to the Electra brand bicycles.

If you want to just cruise and have a great time riding a bike, there's no other bike on the market that's as cool as an Electra.

I have the single speed Cruiser with coaster brake. I had purchased it for my father-in-law and he was so short, he couldn't put his leg over the top-tube. So I returned it for the ladies version. Well, it sits at my house and he rides when he visits. So as far as I'm concerned, it's mine and I ride it whenever I want!;)

[Frans]

I forgot the name of the 7 speed internal hub, but it is stout and works well.

Mine is a steel frame, but they make some light ones out of alum. Electra seems to have dropped alot of their higher performance bikes, and shifted to mainly beach cruiser models.

Nice to hear someone else knows about Electra :)

[woodworkingboy]

That lady don't need no gears!

Professional track racing is a big gambling sport here...Keirin racing, sure some guys in the house know about it. Got a friend who has been doing it for almost twenty years, and makes very good bread. The biggest race of the year, the winner clears a cool million. Those racers, talk about being a ...excuse my French, brick shithouse! There is a big indoor track about two hours away. The races are pretty dazzling, lots of beautiful bikes and highly skilled riders, and the crowd gets into a frenzy shouting all kinds of obscene stuff at the riders.....cool!

[No_Bivy]

this thread is shaping up nicely8)

[Bodean]

I've got an 81 Columbia 3-speed.

Works great.

[Drella]

Nice to hear someone else knows about Electra :)
:)

[vharrison]

That is pretty funny Drella.

[Drella]

Yep.

Kill em' with kindness -is what I always say..










Or-




just baffle them with bullshit.... :D

[Frans]

:lol: Are you asking for a date?

Good luck with that.

[woodworkingboy]

Maybe you guys should get a tandem cycle?

[Drella]

Maybe you guys should get a tandem cycle?

Yeah- and here's what it would look like; "Me, in the front, riding like Lance Armstrong and Frans in the back, looking like Walter Matthau.....

:lol:





I say this in the utmost respect to Frans,, honestly....

[No_Bivy]

I had to modify the wheel base a little.....tailgators ya know...

Now it is the full on PUMP! :\: but it comes with a bell on the handlebars like Frans' bike:D

[hmm]

Funny you mentioned 6-Gap.

Our cycling club "MMC" makes 6-Gap every year.

Hogs pen? Meh,, Brasstown Bald, now that's a hill!

I did the 3 gap in 2006 and Hog Pen in 1/07 i only have Jacks and unico to go, to ride them all. that is all in my backyard. only 14 miles from here - no need to ever take the car.

if ya make it this year, WAVE at stone pile as i am road marshall there - also they change the route and it is now just over 100.

I have a bianca

[Drella]

If you've even walked -pushing your bike up Hog Pen, you're still obviously bad ass!

We actually have a few "half-gaps" that ride with us. Even though we're flat landers here on the beach, we still finish among the top. The main perk of being able to ride year long..

Here is a future Giro rider,, Steve Rusnak who just turned 16. One of the nicest kids you'll ever meet. Just got back from the nationals in California, did alright considering there were 80+ Jr's all cycling recklessly just to jokey for a placement.
He's cleaned the floor with some of the pro riders I've ridden with...

Hey! Nice to know they'll be a familiar face in the crowd....

[No_Bivy]

don't be polluting this single speed thread with road biken' BS,......shave your legs and go stand in a mirror..LOL.

[squisher]

LMAO. 24 spd mtn bike here. And no spandex!

[Blinky]

Ever since the new breed rock climbers started wearing spandex I swore I'd never touch the stuff. And what's with all the mis-matched colors with you road biker guys?

[Frans]

And what's with all the mis-matched colors with you road biker guys?

It's all part of their evil plot to take over the world by causing folks to go into an epileptic seizure by flashing all those mixmatched colors as they ride by.

[No_Bivy]

Ever since the new breed rock climbers started wearing spandex I swore I'd never touch the stuff. And what's with all the mis-matched colors with you road biker guys?

dude...the lycra years were the 80's.....You dont see that much anymore, cept for road bikers who shave their legs.

[Wagnaw]

dude...the lycra years were the 80's.....You dont see that much anymore, cept for road bikers who shave their legs.

You'd be suprised how many mountain bikers shave their legs too. :lol:

...ask Lexy.

[Drella]

A shopp just down the road from me....

66Fixed (http://www.66fixed.com/)

[Blinky]

dude...the lycra years were the 80's.....You dont see that much anymore, cept for road bikers who shave their legs.

Like I said, those new school young kids.:P

[hmm]

If you've even walked -pushing your bike up Hog Pen, you're still obviously bad ass!

..
:
Originally Posted by Blinky
Ever since the new breed rock climbers started wearing spandex I swore I'd never touch the stuff. And what's with all the mis-matched colors with you road biker guys?

dude...the lycra years were the 80's.....You dont see that much anymore, cept for road bikers who shave their legs...

http://seamorelilfoot.smugmug.com/photos/97311098_QwqR5-M.jpg

A group from Flroida in 2006
__________________



GEE THANKS -

I also shave my legs and wear spandex. I will say, i look OK in all them colors -- it does memorize the drivers.

[No_Bivy]

hell with road biking shat.....


four hours on the rig, I got me arse kicked. But I will come back stronger....8)
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/39co0zKbQAQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/39co0zKbQAQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[No_Bivy]

post single speed....pre hulk
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/plXDM2rpFwk&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/plXDM2rpFwk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[Drella]

Oh dear, the bionic inevitable...:O

[Canuck]

Right now I have this.

http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/2008/bikes/9381-300_l.jpg

Good all around bike but I'm looking to expand the quiver next year. Might go single speed or I might go with a beefy downhill ride. Not sure yet.

[Frans]

Do you like the full suspension? I found it too be too bouncy for around town travel.

[Canuck]

Its my third FSR bike so I'm used to it. This one the suspension is isolated from pedaling so you don't get that pedal bounce. My old one you could lock out the rear suspension and I usually did around town. Now that I'm used to it I hardly notice the difference.

[No_Bivy]

Do you like the full suspension? I found it too be too bouncy for around town travel.

yea...but when things go DOWNHILL....it can't be beat:O....

truth....here is my ride for full susp!

[Canuck]

Nice ride No Bivy

[Grimpeur]

http://photo-it.com/photos/bbf/07-jun-08/220-239/image/222_080607125410_7364e_std.jpg

only race I have got around to doing this year, bristol bike fest was great fun though

[MasterBlaster]

I've never understood the need for more than 3 or 5 gears, but Imma knot real smart.

[No_Bivy]

for really steep hills

[woodworkingboy]

+1
Less gears make for a more interesting ride. Get stronger too.

[No_Bivy]

+1
Less gears make for a more interesting ride. Get stronger too.

harder for sure...........after a few more rides on my sigle speed, I 'll be smoking on the geared bike:D

[MasterBlaster]

for really steep hills


And 5 gears can't handle it? :?

[No_Bivy]

depends on the power you can push....

[Grimpeur]

I find that SS all the time will make you strong for hills and accelerations but you don't get the kind of top end you need for pushing a big gear into the wind, bridging to a break in a road race etc.
But I'm past caring about that its more fun and less hassle

[woodworkingboy]

After everyone at the treehouse agrees that ss are better, then we can go on to no free wheel is even mo better.

[OTGBOSTON]

This thread peaked my interest so I've been pricing out single geared bikes..........:O I paid less for my first car:cry:

going to check out this bad boy today...

http://www.swobo.com/catalog/product_info_b.php?cPath=201_205

[woodworkingboy]

That an aluminum frame...kind of the fashion these days, but opinions vary. That would be a pretty reasonable price if decent components are used. They don't say what hubs are on there, but you want good hubs. The welding looks great on that plate at the head tube, personally don't much care for the design of that part. They say you can whomp on the thing, I guess that's why they added that gnarly reinforcement.

Go for it!

[OTGBOSTON]

Pulled the trigger today, pick 'er up tomorrow night:D

[OTGBOSTON]

:big-rolling: Love my new SS! Spent the last hour ripping it up. Coaster brake is too cool8) I can't believe I didn't get one of these sooner....

[MasterBlaster]

Super cool looking bike! Simple, Zen-like lines. :rockon:

[Frans]

In the vid, I bet that guy dumps it. See the very end? He sure is low to the ground.

[No_Bivy]

coaster brake.........heck no. Disc for so':D

[OTGBOSTON]

coaster brake.........heck no. Disc for so':D



<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ChaNEmJFFrg&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ChaNEmJFFrg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[Paul B]

hahah! wicked short vid OTG, who told you about it?

:P

[OTGBOSTON]

Never seen it before Paulie. I just figgered NoBiffy deserved a chicken vid....;)

[woodworkingboy]

Don't let PETA see that, I mean the smashing the chicken part.

[No_Bivy]

aint skeerd'...........I do like brakes though:D

[OTGBOSTON]

Thanks for starting this thread John. It helped me discover the fun of single speed bikes:D

Although my friends think I'm crazy......"Dude, you bought a bike without shocks, or gears, or brakes? Is there something wrong with you??":|:

[brendonv]

Dang, I'm ashamed to say I havn't done any rides on my mountain bike this year. Last year I was riding 4 times a week. Going to blow the dust of of it this weekend.

[No_Bivy]

:O
Dang, I'm ashamed to say I havn't done any rides on my mountain bike this year. Last year I was riding 4 times a week. Going to blow the dust of of it this weekend.

[cory]

Cool thread.

OTGBoston, are you still likin your ride 2 weeks later??

[OTGBOSTON]

Even moreso now!!