Dan_h
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Reading, UK
So I have been thinking about converting an old frame I have in the garage into a singlespeed to find out what it is like for a while now. Basically I seem to spend a reasonable amount of time tweaking and fettling the gears on my bike and have thought the simplicity of a singlespeed would be good. However things did not quite work out like that.
On my main roadbike the chainrings needed replacing, I popped on an old set of rings and cranks I had lying around just to get the bike running for a few days with the plan of buying a new set on payday! The only thing was the crank hit the front mech. Only having a few minutes to fix it (it was late and I needed the bike for work the next day) i popped the front mech and the cable off. So down to 7 gears.
Riding in the next day in a moment of carelessness I smacked the rear mech on a low railing by the bike shed at work. it was knocked out of alignment and was shifting really badly on the way home. I stopped and locked it under the 4th cog, giving a decent straight chainline and an 18t/46t ratio. Again I thought "get it to the weekend and I will fix it properly".
So on one gear the next day I set out for work, expecting to have to push on every hill but oddly I did not, just get up and pedal!! The ride was 4 minutes QUICKER than on gears. The same thing riding home! I took the shifters off so I could not accidentally try and shift the locked rear mech (locked using the H stop) and have been riding it ever since (over 100 miles so far).
I am now thinking instead of putting the gears back on I might complete the transition properly. the bike could do with new cogs / chain anyway so I am thinking of putting a singlespeed hub in. Somehow singlespeed just seems to have put a load of fun back into riding! Or perhaps it is just insanity bought on by oxygen deprevation trying to climb hills without the aid of gears...
On my main roadbike the chainrings needed replacing, I popped on an old set of rings and cranks I had lying around just to get the bike running for a few days with the plan of buying a new set on payday! The only thing was the crank hit the front mech. Only having a few minutes to fix it (it was late and I needed the bike for work the next day) i popped the front mech and the cable off. So down to 7 gears.
Riding in the next day in a moment of carelessness I smacked the rear mech on a low railing by the bike shed at work. it was knocked out of alignment and was shifting really badly on the way home. I stopped and locked it under the 4th cog, giving a decent straight chainline and an 18t/46t ratio. Again I thought "get it to the weekend and I will fix it properly".
So on one gear the next day I set out for work, expecting to have to push on every hill but oddly I did not, just get up and pedal!! The ride was 4 minutes QUICKER than on gears. The same thing riding home! I took the shifters off so I could not accidentally try and shift the locked rear mech (locked using the H stop) and have been riding it ever since (over 100 miles so far).
I am now thinking instead of putting the gears back on I might complete the transition properly. the bike could do with new cogs / chain anyway so I am thinking of putting a singlespeed hub in. Somehow singlespeed just seems to have put a load of fun back into riding! Or perhaps it is just insanity bought on by oxygen deprevation trying to climb hills without the aid of gears...