Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - A little disappointment in Surly 1x1; rant.

I just got my Surly 1x1 frame today... and it disappoints me somewhat that they've started adding extra things to the frame... the fork and the rear now have disc brake tabs and routing -- the rear tab worries me a little b/c might be just a little tricky to get a rear rack on there (I commute solely on single speeds, in fact I don't have any bikes with more than one gear!)... But part of why I loved the 1x1 was because it was so simple... now its going to have useless tabs or pegs on places... oh well - just a rant i guess... and since I can, I reckon I'm going to throw some avid mech's on the front anyway - but stick with some cane creek DC's on the back...

The bike shop guy told me its a good thing since in the future he reasons a frame w/o disc tabs won't be worth anything... 'cept I guess to me.

...and all these decals! ack! gonna have to start rubbing some of them off.

:beer:

Thanks for the review. I'll have to consider it, since I'm looking at that frame myself.

Unfortunately, even rebel companies like Surly must compromise (if you call it that) to the masses in order to keep in business. I imagine that this is the case with the disc tabs.

The funny thing is I know people have been waiting for the disc-compatible frames to arrive. You must have gotten one of the first with disc mounts. I'm wondering how much of a pain it is to remove the rear wheel with horizontal dropouts and disc brakes. Don't you have to remove one of the caliper bolts and rotate the caliper out of the way before you can remove the wheel?

A disc brake equiped singlespeed would have been the ticket for commuting this winter.

I see a use for disc tabs on an Instigator, but on a 1X1? why??

To spite me. ;)

Gimmic?

Actually, I'm sorta looking forward now to the front discs, but the back still irks me.

Originally posted by stumpjumper
I see a use for disc tabs on an Instigator, but on a 1X1? why?? Why? Simplicity and the best braking in all conditions. I wish my 1x1 had the rear disc brake tab (wanna trade?:)). I've got a rigid disc fork up front and it makes winter riding a lot better. At freezing temps around here the streams are still flowing which means iced up rims. Maintenance? Yeah right. Nothing compared to a rim brake. I bled my brake once in year and that's because I broke the lever/reserviour body and had to replace it. On the other hand, replace your cables once a year, multiple brake pad changes and adjustments for cable stretch and pad wear on the V-brakes, cleaning the grimed up rims, etc. The only bike with less maintenance than a rigid SS w/ hydro discs is a brakeless fixed gear.

my my...all those adjustments for brakes...makes me glad i ride a fixed gear most of the time...

seriously, i hate working on brakes. on my BMX i'm constantly fiddling with my 990s to get them juuuust right, only to have the stupid pad move when i try to tighten it up...and on my trials bike i run V-brakes...GOD i hate those...SO MUCH! it was so much easier when i just used regular cantis on my old BMX bike...

Personally, I appreciate it when a frame gives me options. Surly is doing a lot of this lately, where you can make the bike ss or geared, v-brakes or disc. I change up my bikes a lot so this is valuable to me. Santa Cruz also does this with the Chameleon frame. On that one, the disc brake and derailleur mounts are removable, so you can take them off if you are not using them.

old thread, but i don't care...
the 1x1 comes with or without the disc-brake tabs
mine doesn't have them, but i was given the option

These tabs are exactly the reason why I'm passing up the Karate Monkey for the time being.
Same problem with most new Mtb frames. I was able to find a NOS steel mtb frame with canti bosses only AND welded cable hangers on Ebay. I'm building a new tour bike.

Maintenance? Yeah right. Nothing compared to a rim brake. I bled my brake once in year and that's because I broke the lever/reserviour body and had to replace it. On the other hand, replace your cables once a year, multiple brake pad changes and adjustments for cable stretch and pad wear on the V-brakes, cleaning the grimed up rims, etc. The only bike with less maintenance than a rigid SS w/ hydro discs is a brakeless fixed gear.

I'm a big fan of SS, but not a MTB guy. However, I would disagree with your view of maintenance on cable brakes. I've never, ever adjusted for cable stretch on my C'dale, and only adjusted once on my kokusia (fixie), and that was to set up for 700 CC wheels. That bike is OLD too. I think long term it's about even really, I'm sure.

I'm a big fan of SS, but not a MTB guy. However, I would disagree with your view of maintenance on cable brakes. I've never, ever adjusted for cable stretch on my C'dale, and only adjusted once on my kokusia (fixie), and that was to set up for 700 CC wheels. That bike is OLD too. I think long term it's about even really, I'm sure.For the road, I would agree, brake adjustment is minimal and pad wear hardly an issue. But off-road cable stretch is signifigant when you really work your brakes out and pad wear is frequent if you ride in mud or through streams. Personally, I could not see the reason to spend the money on disc brakes for the road. My comments were geared towards off-road riding.

For the road, I would agree, brake adjustment is minimal and pad wear hardly an issue. But off-road cable stretch is signifigant when you really work your brakes out and pad wear is frequent if you ride in mud or through streams. Personally, I could not see the reason to spend the money on disc brakes for the road. My comments were geared towards off-road riding.

Oh, ok. I, uh, should have seen that, sorry... I know some people like disc brakes for touring bikes, esp to control long down hills with a lot of weight, or, at least that's what I've read.

Oh, ok. I, uh, should have seen that, sorry... I know some people like disc brakes for touring bikes, esp to control long down hills with a lot of weight, or, at least that's what I've read.Well, I'll change my answer and say that I could see the use of discs on the road for heavily loaded touring bikes or tandems that are ridden on long hills.

Wow, talk about bring a thread back from the dead! :D

I'm wondering how much of a pain it is to remove the rear wheel with horizontal dropouts and disc brakes. Don't you have to remove one of the caliper bolts and rotate the caliper out of the way before you can remove the wheel?

On my Bianchi SISS with discs - removing the rear wheel is simple. You don't have to move the caliper - the wheel just pops out of the horizontal drops per usual. I love the disc set-up!!!! :D

Hey, its me, the original poster... hmm, this thing is back from the dead. Anyway, I wasn't given the option of disc tabs or not when I ordered mine. Oh well... I tried disc brakes and I didn't much care for them - sometimes I just have a problem with "newer" technology... anyway - I haven't even done anything with the frame... I'm waiting to get a job - then I'm going to build it up as a solid black commuter something a la Koga Miyata's travellers with a Nexus 7 Spd hub... but I'll be using V-brakes for sure, especially since one can't really mount a disc on a Nexus 7 or the Nexus Dyno/Genny in the front. I've been looking forward to this project and have most of the parts picked out... I just need that bloody job and cheap'esque rent in Boston/Cambridge ( :roflmao: )

Kona Unit much nicer bike than the Surly; even the Redline monocog seems better built than the Surly.

I've gotta disagree on the last statement. While I love my Unit (2011), I find the quality of the ride on my 1x1 way nicer. Unit fels dull, where the surly feels "lively". From the first time I picked up my 1x1 I could tell the frame quality was pretty nice, and more delicate than I expected. It resonates in a weird way, where as the unit is just a dead lump. Kona is damn cheap though.

As for the brake tabs etc. I welcome the options, as I plan to use my 1x1 for a long time, and while I used V-brakes now, it's only cause I had them already, and one day I'd like to slap some BB7s on here too. V-brakes are way more work than discs, and don't have near the stopping power.

V-brakes...GOD i hate those...SO MUCH!

This. Every bike that comes into the coop I work at has these dumb things on there.

This thread.....is eight years old.

This thread.....is eight years old.

I had no idea the 1X1 was even eight years old, I'm impressed.

I have the first 1x1 hub that I bought in 99-2000 for my first SS. Still riding it.

Wow. Ultimate zombie thread of doom.

This thread.....is eight years old.

haha yeah, i was really befuddled that the OP was *****ing about disc brakes on a mountain bike and others were skeptical until i noticed the date.

favorite resurrection ever. surly 1x1>Jesus

This thread.....is eight years old.
oh god, what have I done

http://i44.tinypic.com/33ygh8h.jpg

I feel like this should just turn into an OT thread about Walking Dead.

Fact: Walking Dead is awesome
Also Fact: Rick is the f****** man

I've seen the Grateful Dead perform several times. I even remember some of those...:innocent:

http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmqldjDmAB1qbe8v4o1_500.gif

Obligatory cameo.

I just got my Surly 1x1 frame today... and it disappoints me somewhat that they've started adding extra things to the frame... the fork and the rear now have disc brake tabs and routing

There's always ebay. 1X1's are cheap. Good luck