 1st September 2008 | #1 |
 | Single-speed... I just don't get it I love riding fixed and appreciate there are various applications: Velodrome, training, fun, fashion, but what's the point in single-speed? If you have a freewheel, why not ride geared - it makes the same shitty freewheel noise. Apologies if i offend and i hope one of the many single-speed commuters i see each day can enlighten me. Peace x |
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| 1st September 2008 | #7 |
 | It gives people chance to build the strength in their legs before taking moving to fixed. also off road bikes and BMX are single speed for good reason. on point thought... there is an alarming amount of single speed with front brakes only knocking about which is pretty fking Sad! |
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| 1st September 2008 | #9 | |
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I can't fathom any reason to be sans gears on a road bike except to ride fixed. EDIT: Except for a step up to fixed x... | |
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| 1st September 2008 | #14 | |
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The only time I use a rear brake is when hurtling downhill and not wanting to send myself over the bars. Then I use a little rear before I add in the front brake to control it. Otherwise, rear brake is never touched. | |
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| 1st September 2008 | #18 | |
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hit the crest of the top you're already going quite slow... so you run you legs loooooooose. Then put a bit of back pressure on when you start picking up speed, and give a little tweaks on the front brake. Then spin and apply back pressure as an when you wanna reduce abit of speed. This is the way i do it. Brakeless would scare the living shit outta me. | |
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| 1st September 2008 | #22 |
 | Singlespeed on a 'racer bike' feels kind of wrong, I guess im not the most experienced rider but I feel a lack of control unless always pushing the drivetrain. On a sruising about shopper kinda bike though SS-freewheel is perfect, as it is with BMX's and similar mtb/jump bikes. |
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| 1st September 2008 | #25 |
 | I'm riding single speed at the moment, as stated, to build strength in advance of trying fixed. I'm doing a short commute every day after getting back in the saddle after a 5 year lay off, and enjoying riding 'stripped down' as opposed to my xc hardtail, which just seems to take loads more effort on the road. |
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| 1st September 2008 | #26 |
 | The drive train noise of a SS is nothing compared to a geared machine. I think that riding SS is better and faster for getting around town - i like riding fixed because its another element of bike control to master, and i love the bikes, but from a-b in town i find my SS 29er faster, because you can jump, hop etc over curbs etc etc much better than a fixed. for every day SS rocks. |
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| 1st September 2008 | #29 |
| | I think SS is as quiet as you can make a drivetrain. A nice 3/32 chain and some good components, decently tensioned... whisper quiet. My next bike is single-speed. Or geared. Depends which wheel is on it. Not fixed though... disc brakes and fixed aren't the best pairing. |
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| 1st September 2008 | #32 |
 | SS mountain biking is great fun. I'm sure fixed is too but just not worth it for numpties mtbers like me who don't have time to hone their normal xc let alone fixed mtbing. Passing geared peeps on SS is a nice little challenge if you don't want to ride fixed. Coasting down hills at 2x the speed of any fixers is great fun. Decent freewheels don't make much noise. Saying that other decent freewheels (White Ind) make heaps of lovely noise. |
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