Single Seed MTB
Discussion
OK, this may be a stupid Q, but I'm toying with a 29er single speed but it does make me think that surely some climbs aren't possible on a single speed bike.
My local trail is Brechfa, and one particular climb on the black has plenty of people walking it on a geared mtb, and to be honest though I've never walked up this climb, it certainly has me using gears I never use anywhere else.
I await the standard MTFU replies, but surely this would have to be one of the few drawbacks of a single speed?
My local trail is Brechfa, and one particular climb on the black has plenty of people walking it on a geared mtb, and to be honest though I've never walked up this climb, it certainly has me using gears I never use anywhere else.
I await the standard MTFU replies, but surely this would have to be one of the few drawbacks of a single speed?
I don't know the area where you ride but I use my singlespeed around the Surrey Hills and have never had to push it up a climb yet.
It's quite surprising what you can get up on a singlespeed, you need to go about it the right way though. You can't just sit and spin on a singlespeed, you need to stand up and attack the climbs while keeping your weight balanced so the rear doesn't lose traction which will bring you to a standstill.
The first couple of times you ride SS it's bloody hard work but once you get the hang of it it gets easier. I've found that I'm climbing far quicker on the geared bike after doing plenty of singlespeeding.
Another bonus of the singlespeed is that you don't have to worry about destroying expensive drivetrain components in the winter, as well as that they only need minimal maintenance.
I've just taken mine out for a spin today after fitting some drop bars to try out for the winter
It's probably more fun than my fancy geared full sus bike!
It's quite surprising what you can get up on a singlespeed, you need to go about it the right way though. You can't just sit and spin on a singlespeed, you need to stand up and attack the climbs while keeping your weight balanced so the rear doesn't lose traction which will bring you to a standstill.
The first couple of times you ride SS it's bloody hard work but once you get the hang of it it gets easier. I've found that I'm climbing far quicker on the geared bike after doing plenty of singlespeeding.
Another bonus of the singlespeed is that you don't have to worry about destroying expensive drivetrain components in the winter, as well as that they only need minimal maintenance.
I've just taken mine out for a spin today after fitting some drop bars to try out for the winter
It's probably more fun than my fancy geared full sus bike!
When Im on mine I try harder to climb and not walk. Some hills are beyond me on so I walk and tbh Id probably be grannying it anyway so it would be the same speed lol. Not sure if the 29er would make a difference to ratios. Normally I ride 2 to 1, 32 to 16 but due to the hills around here Ive put a 17 on. Easier to climb but run out quicker, not a problem as helps with my fitness.
Fluffsri said:
Not sure if the 29er would make a difference to ratios. Normally I ride 2 to 1, 32 to 16 but due to the hills around here Ive put a 17 on.
Being a 29er it will make a difference to the ratio, I found out the hard way!I initially ran 32:16 on mine but found it bloody hard work, turns out that 32:18 on a 29er is the same ratio as 32:16 on a 26er.
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