Singlespeed

[Drago]

T'other day, after thorough vetting I allowed woman into the shed to deliver a cup of tea.

We got to talking bikes, and I mentioned that it might be nice to add a singlespeed to the fleet. She pointed at my beloved Pinnacle and said "Why, when you could just ride that and not change gear".

A week on and I still haven't thought of a good comeback that that.

 

[4F]

You won't know until you try. Anyway Fixed is where "it" is at.

 

[PpPete]

Never seen the point of SS, other than the simplicity of it.
But you get than with a fixed anyway.

 

[Drago]

I like the idea of an SS but Woman's logic seems pretty unassailable.

 

[tyred]

I like the idea of an SS but Woman's logic seems pretty unassailable.

You have the added weight of the unused sprockets and the derailleurs, cables, shifters, etc plus the less efficient chainline. There is the world of a difference between how lively and efficient a true single speed or fixed gear bike will feel in comparison to a derailleur or hub geared bike in the same ratio.

 

[Drago]

That sounds like a good opening gambit when she asks me what I want for Crimbo.

 

[4F]

A week on and I still haven't thought of a good comeback that that.

Has she more than one pair of shoes or one handbag ? Why when they all do the same job ?

Good luck

 

[Chris S]

Reliability - I've lost count of the number of posts I've seen about bent derailleurs.

 

[Drago]

I've never bent a mech, though Woman don't know that!

 

[biggs682]

I like the idea of an SS but Woman's logic seems pretty unassailable.

drago got a fixed in garage your welcome to come and try if you wanted , you now where garage is

 

[apb]

My logic is:

Using a SS for Commuting will dramatically cut the time spent on the weekend cleaning and servicing the bike. As there is no need to clean gear cables, brake cables are completely enclosed, your free wheel will have only one sprocket and the there is no derailleur.

This leaves more family time. Everybody's happy, especially me.

 

[mcshroom]

Pretty much as above. My hybrid is easier to clean with one gear.

Why not fixed? I don't have a spare frame with the right drop outs.

 

[Dan_h]

Fixed is great, but when you get to hilly terrain SS has a lot to reccommend it in my opinion. You get the same quiet and reliable ride that you get with fixed but you can use a gear that you can climb with without your legs coming off on the descent.

 

[totallyfixed]

Go back to the shed, do not let woman see you going there, sit in the dark and visualise a single sprocket that forever turns in one direction. There you have it...........fixed, no further thought required.

 

[ColinJ]

We got to talking bikes, and I mentioned that it might be nice to add a singlespeed to the fleet. She pointed at my beloved Pinnacle and said "Why, when you could just ride that and not change gear".

It is very hard staying in one gear when you have lots to choose from, but I did it on one short ride to confirm my choice of gearing for the singlespeed bike that I was about to put together a few years ago.

Go back to the shed, do not let woman see you going there, sit in the dark and visualise a single sprocket that forever turns in one direction. There you have it...........fixed, no further thought required.

I don't know about that - longers almost ran into me at a junction once when he backpedalled his fixed! I was completely unprepared to have a bicycle coming backwards towards me. (It was only a foot or so, but I wasn't far behind him.)

Also - you have to give some thought to finding fixed-friendly routes, unless you don't have any 20+% climbs where you live or are strong (and mad!) enough to tackle them with just that single sprocket at your disposal!