Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - DJ/Urban bike gearing... loser friends

So, while waiting for my road bike to be shipped here from Hawaii (scroll down for that story), I've been riding a hardtail dj/freeride/urban bike that I built up over Christmas in Montana. The mtb is geared, the frame (which was free) is too small, and I don't like the geometry. So I found a banshee morphine frame on ebay. I had always wanted one but refused to pay like $700 for a frame. Im putting all the parts from my other bike onto this one, except for the cassette, derailluer, and shifter.

I know how to pick out my fixie gearing and trail riding ss gearing but im not familiar with riding urban/street ss on a bike like this. So if anyone rides a bike like this ss, what is your gearing?

Here is the frame I got:
http://i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/21/54/8f_12.JPG
http://i7.ebayimg.com/02/i/06/1a/a6/d4_12.JPG

Other story: Traded a good friend of mine something for him to ship my road bike here. I was waiting until I moved to convert it to fixie. I got here on the 15th of Jan. Gave him the new address on the 18th or 19th. Bike still hasn't been shipped. Dude doesn't answer his phone or call back. I know he isn't trying to keep it (its not that nice) but he knows that its my transportation/excercise/way of life. So if it ever gets here i'll be able to join you S.F. guys on a fixie ride.

Choose a gearing that will let you get up to speed in a hurry. I used to run 32x15 or 32x14 on my urban bike and 43x16 on my 20". I liked to get up to speed in 3 or 4 cranks before I set up. I guess the closest setting for you would be however you'd gear yourself for flat trails.

Try to set your wheel forward in the dropouts, if you can spare the link. It will make getting the front up easier for manuals and drops.

Sorry Inkd...shoot it...it's ugly.

Sorry Inkd...shoot it...it's ugly.

Thats what gives it its charm. Search pictures of them built up, ugly as sin. But they ride like a dream and can take more abuse than i'm able to dish out.

Banshee's are beefy and take lots of abuse. I almost got one but went with a Planet X instead. Sadly, I sold the whole bike about 6 months later.

It's fugly.

my mountain/street/dirt jump and crash bike is geared 34/18

I'd set it up a tiny bit taller than your trail geaing, since you probably won't be doing epic climbs or rock gardens.

Damn, those stays are beefy. Nice.

approx 2:1 with 24"s.

i used to run 36:18 on my .243, then a 25:12 as shown in the pic for more sprocket clearance.

banshees are heavy as shït

Is that a normal MTB or a trials bike?

those are the scariest, most overbuilt dropouts i've ever seen.

i like.

fsnl
sparky

Is that a normal MTB or a trials bike?

morphine is a downhill/freeride hardtail

.243 too, but set up there for dirtjump/urban

eddie- that's about my dream bike, really.

I think I'm in the market for a dj/urban SS...and shopping. However, under $600 would be beatiful!

I'd go with 2:1. Rode 32:16 for a while before changing out to 47:16 so I could stop spinning out. Nice ride, just like those bikes on Unrealcycles.

eddie- that's about my dream bike, really.

I think I'm in the market for a dj/urban SS...and shopping. However, under $600 would be beatiful!


well the cheapo bike i built after that was a used dk general lee 24" with a 3" manitou black. i had some profile cranks and a bb knocking around which replaced the crappy one-piece that was on there, had to rebuild the front wheel with a different hub because a bmx axle won't fit in a qr dropout. all in, about $400, and total fun pocket rocket urban bike.