Hi All,
Firstly I was going to ask for the best way to simulate having a single speed bike so that it can help me to decide if a single speed is right for me.
Then I saw a post (link below) and it gives lots of advice about simulating single speed.
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/simulating-single-speed.177624/
I've only just had the chance to quickly skim read it so far and I'll admit to being a bit confused about reference to inches etc. and I dot really understand it yet. However I'll read it again when I have more time and I'll take a look at the Sheldon Brown website to try and get my head around it.
I currently have a Trek 7.1FX hybrid circa 2006 (I'm not certain because I bought it secondhand) and it's got a triple chainring and a 7 speed freewheel. At present I'm not sure which will be the best gear to stick it in a leave it there to try my best and simulating single speed but I'll try to figure it out. At the sometime if anyone has any quick tips/ideas about which gear to leave this bike in to try and best simulate single speed riding that will be great.
Anyway once I've saved enough money for a new bike I'm considering a single speed but I'm not sure if it'll be right for me or not and so I'll be grateful for any thoughts & advice. It's the simplicity which appeals to me and because it'll be used as a year round, all weathers daily commuter the hope is that it would be simpler from a maintenance perspective.
However one thing that has me concerned is that having played various sports when I was younger my knees are no longer in the best of shape. I can't run for more than a tiny distance without being in pain for the next week or so and so I am a bit concerned that if for example a single speed meant a lot of mashing uphill it might not be good for me knees? I appreciate that there might be an argument for riding fixed and momentum etc. but for now if I do abandon gears I'd like to go for a single speed first safe in the knowledge that if a switch to single speed were successful I could easily make the change to fixed at some point in the future.
My daily commute is not a long one at only just over ten miles each way. It's also pretty much flat with only about 250 feet of climbing over that 10 miles. It's roughly half rural roads and half urban roads.
One thing that concerns me is, particularly when cycling through the winter, when the winds are really strong the rural part of the journey can be a real slog even with gears. This is because where there are open fields if the wind is blowing right in your face you can sometimes feel as if it's a struggle to get anywhere and so I wonder if this sort of commuting ride will be even less fun with only one gear. As mentioned above the attraction of single speed for me is the simplicity which will hopefully make it easier/quicker to maintain and keep clean. However if those bonuses are outweighed by a bike which isn't entirely suited to all year round commuting, in for example the face of high winter winds, then maybe single speed isn't for me.
Whatever bike I get I'll be wanting to fit mudguards and a pannier rack to it. Whilst thinking about a single speed this bike, the Genesis Day One Disc, has caught my eye.
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/urban/urban-cross/day-one-disc
However if people thought that a single speed might not be right for me, considering my dodgy knees and not wanting to do excessive mashing, then I might consider a geared alternative such as something like this.
http://www.konaworld.com/rove_st.cfm
Although it's not the single speed that I like the idea of the fact that this Kona Rove St has a single chainring which at least makes me think that some of the cleaning & maintenance might be a bit simpler/easier.
Thanks in advance for any help & advice that people give.
Cheers,
John
Firstly I was going to ask for the best way to simulate having a single speed bike so that it can help me to decide if a single speed is right for me.
Then I saw a post (link below) and it gives lots of advice about simulating single speed.
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/simulating-single-speed.177624/
I've only just had the chance to quickly skim read it so far and I'll admit to being a bit confused about reference to inches etc. and I dot really understand it yet. However I'll read it again when I have more time and I'll take a look at the Sheldon Brown website to try and get my head around it.
I currently have a Trek 7.1FX hybrid circa 2006 (I'm not certain because I bought it secondhand) and it's got a triple chainring and a 7 speed freewheel. At present I'm not sure which will be the best gear to stick it in a leave it there to try my best and simulating single speed but I'll try to figure it out. At the sometime if anyone has any quick tips/ideas about which gear to leave this bike in to try and best simulate single speed riding that will be great.
Anyway once I've saved enough money for a new bike I'm considering a single speed but I'm not sure if it'll be right for me or not and so I'll be grateful for any thoughts & advice. It's the simplicity which appeals to me and because it'll be used as a year round, all weathers daily commuter the hope is that it would be simpler from a maintenance perspective.
However one thing that has me concerned is that having played various sports when I was younger my knees are no longer in the best of shape. I can't run for more than a tiny distance without being in pain for the next week or so and so I am a bit concerned that if for example a single speed meant a lot of mashing uphill it might not be good for me knees? I appreciate that there might be an argument for riding fixed and momentum etc. but for now if I do abandon gears I'd like to go for a single speed first safe in the knowledge that if a switch to single speed were successful I could easily make the change to fixed at some point in the future.
My daily commute is not a long one at only just over ten miles each way. It's also pretty much flat with only about 250 feet of climbing over that 10 miles. It's roughly half rural roads and half urban roads.
One thing that concerns me is, particularly when cycling through the winter, when the winds are really strong the rural part of the journey can be a real slog even with gears. This is because where there are open fields if the wind is blowing right in your face you can sometimes feel as if it's a struggle to get anywhere and so I wonder if this sort of commuting ride will be even less fun with only one gear. As mentioned above the attraction of single speed for me is the simplicity which will hopefully make it easier/quicker to maintain and keep clean. However if those bonuses are outweighed by a bike which isn't entirely suited to all year round commuting, in for example the face of high winter winds, then maybe single speed isn't for me.
Whatever bike I get I'll be wanting to fit mudguards and a pannier rack to it. Whilst thinking about a single speed this bike, the Genesis Day One Disc, has caught my eye.
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/urban/urban-cross/day-one-disc
However if people thought that a single speed might not be right for me, considering my dodgy knees and not wanting to do excessive mashing, then I might consider a geared alternative such as something like this.
http://www.konaworld.com/rove_st.cfm
Although it's not the single speed that I like the idea of the fact that this Kona Rove St has a single chainring which at least makes me think that some of the cleaning & maintenance might be a bit simpler/easier.
Thanks in advance for any help & advice that people give.
Cheers,
John