Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Any Clydes riding a SS?

Hello Clydes! I'd like to know if anyone here rides a single speed bike, either road or cyclocross. I'm interested in buying or building/buying an SS. I'm a noob and I don't know much about SS type bikes. I do know that I'll need a good, strong wheelset with 36 spoke count with decent quality hubs. I also won't skimp on a Headset and Seat stem. Then comes pedals? I keep reading and rereading the forum threads but at this point I guess I'm confused. Should I trust LBS recomendations or use the buy and try method. As far as frames go, I know a superlight won't get it. I'm 6'01, 257 lbs. I'm thinking steel for the ride quality but am welcoming all suggestions. I don't have a clue as to prices yet but I'd like to stay in the vicinity of $1000 to $1500 USD. Thanks in advance for any and all info. JB

I just built my single speed from a used hybrid off craigslist. I would go that route and ride it till it breaks, then upgrade. Oh yeah, steel is good, I didn't realize how good the ride would be compared to aluminum until after I got mine put together. I have about $200 in mine so far and it's great, but I replaced things that I really didn't have to like the crankset, and upgraded the cheesy plastic center pull brakes with new V brakes.

I ride a Fuji Track with upgrades and I also ride a Redline Flight Monocog. I am about 270 now and both hold up fine. I put better wheels on my Fuji from my fixie conversion which was a great idea since my 180 lb friend trashed his stock Fuji wheels in a month. The nice thing with ss wheels in general is that there is no need for dish which makes the wheel much stronger, if you're going the fixed route add in some high flange hubs which reduce spoke length and you have a very strong wheel. I would also look to run a decent crankset and 1/8" drive train, I put Sugino 75s and an xtr square taper bb on my Fuji track is significantly stiffer than my friend stock. I have a geared road bike but I love my track bike and I love my ss mtb. The ss arena is not just for sub clydes, and if you're looking to lose weight you can get a pretty good workout on a ss. I know that if I only have an hour to ride I will take out the track bike and hammer .

I've got my first ss/fixie on lay-a-way at the bike shop. I'm getting the Redline 925. I'm really looking forward to riding it. I'll pick it up after the holidays. I'll let ya know how it works out.

Raleigh One-Way, just bought it for my winter commuter.

This bike has a flip-flop hub with a Shimano 18t freewheel on one side and a 17t fixed cog on the other. I bought the wheels online from a bike shop in Wisconsin. They are 36 spoke wheels and have the cheap Suzue Jr. hubs. You hear a lot of internet noise about how terrible these hubs are but I have kept them adjusted and lubed and have ridden them for over a year (since Sept. '05) without any problems. I am 6'2" and weigh 260 pounds.





This bike is fixed only with a 17t cog on one side and a 19t on the other. I built these wheels myself using IRO hubs, Sun CR18, 36 hole rims and Sapim 14g spokes. They have remained true for ~700 miles now and I don't anticipate any trouble. It weighs 23 pounds as you see it here.





You can see more photos of these two bikes in the links in my signature (3029, 3502). I am in the process of building a Fixed/Singlespeed rigid frame Mountain Bike... hope to have it done by the first of the year.

Thank you all for your input. It has given me more options to look at and points to consider. I feel much better now, and believe that soon I'll be able to make a well informed decision and purchase. Again, Thank you very much for your input. I greatly appreciate this clyde area of the forum and it's members are awesome! JB

I converted an old Trek tourer about three years ago, and I love it. It's not the bike I ride most (I live in big mountains), but I always have fun on it.
FWIW, the whole deal took a couple of hours on a Saturday and cost less than $20. I already had the bike, a Trek 520 (pretty decent ride when it was new, and my main bike for several years), but didn't ride it much since I bought an Atlantis. I took off everything I wouldn't need for an SS, including the inner and outer chainrings from the triple crankset, then spun off the old freewheel and put on a one-cog BMX freewheel ($13.95) and a spacer I got from a shop that specializes in BMX bikes (a buck each, and I only needed one, but I wasn't sure so I bought four). The rear dropouts are semi-horizontal, and that gave me JUST enough adjustment to get good chain tension, so I didn't have to use a Singleator or some other tensioning device. You can also fiddle tension in a narrow range by changing the cog--one tooth more or less can make it work sometimes. There's a lot more on this at www.sheldonbrown.com, if you haven't checked that out, and you can buy single speed "kits" (cog and spacers for a cassette hub) from Excel Sports for a few dollars. It's an easy conversion and lots of fun to ride.

I wonder about the Raleigh One-Way. Fenders and 35mm tires should be better than 25-28mm for us right? Opinions on that one? See, I am doubly cursed. I'm 240 lbs. and poor undergrad. I wanna fixie, darn it, and I need it CHEAP! But not flexi-flyer. *sigh*

I'm a Clyde-light (204ish) and I ride a fixie this time of year; a Kona Paddy Wagon frame (steel, compact roadie geometry) with Performance Campus pedals -- spd on one side, bear trap platform on the other. She's a smoothie blast to ride--



these pedals--

The IRO Rob Roy is a good steel frameset to start a build and keep it on the cheap. $280, cro-mo, canti bosses, and trackends (it's a real ss/fg frame.) It will clear 32s with fenders and 35s without.
As for wheels, 36h 3 cross is the way to go to keep it less expensive. There's lots of 36h hub options for fixed/fixed flip-flops (which you can put a freewheel on instead of a cog/ring.) If you really want the strong and cool looking setup, then look at either a deep section rim like the Mavic OP or Velocity Deep V. If looks aren't your concern, then check out the Velocity Dyad touring rims and match them up on a pair of 40h hubs. (That's the route I'm going as I gather parts to build my Rob Roy commuter rig.)

Does an old Jamis Taxi beach crusier count? SS with a coaster brake to make short trips around the neighborhood, especailly the courthouse and corner Pig.

not a clyde but i looooooove my rob roy

I'm a Clyde-light (204ish) and I ride a fixie this time of year; a Kona Paddy Wagon frame (steel, compact roadie geometry) with Performance Campus pedals -- spd on one side, bear trap platform on the other. She's a smoothie blast to ride--



these pedals--




geez... that bike is good lookin'. nice ride....

Like the post but love the quote....

There are plenty of nice "track bikes" with road geometry as well as some great conversions of older frames. Check fixedgeargallery.com or velospace.org for some ideas for your new ride. I ride this (http://velospace.org/user/1794) to work daily, 6ft, 235.

I didn't ride gears for over a year after I got my first fixie, bike #2241 posted in '05 at
http://fixedgeargallery.com/

here I am was 250 no am 215 ish and am about 6' 4" I have and have had several track bikes and single speeds and here is what I think jives

raleigh one way - I am diggin the fat tires the canti brakes and the mudguards def a nice commuter

redline 9-2-5 - I like this bike alot has super cush moustache bars on it bone stock with mudguards fat tires and brakes - also flip flop fixed free - I personally don't like the compact geometry I have a log torso

bianchi sanjose - really really nice singles speed cross bike
Iro rob roy - same thing here sweet and at a decent price

the iro and the redline are the only steel bikes on the list

I would definatley go to your lbs and see what they have to say and test ride what they have to offer before you decide

oops forgot a nice steel goody - kona paddy wagon it is made out of really nice deda tubing and has bracks as well as flip flop fixed free if you care

good luck

I've got a single speed mountain bike, and I'm planning on buying a SS-29er.

I've been looking at SE Racing's B.M.

Fits and rides perfectly for me!

Yes, I do.

Hello Clydes! I'd like to know if anyone here rides a single speed bike, either road or cyclocross. I'm interested in buying or building/buying an SS. I'm a noob and I don't know much about SS type bikes. I do know that I'll need a good, strong wheelset with 36 spoke count with decent quality hubs. I also won't skimp on a Headset and Seat stem. Then comes pedals? I keep reading and rereading the forum threads but at this point I guess I'm confused. Should I trust LBS recomendations or use the buy and try method. As far as frames go, I know a superlight won't get it. I'm 6'01, 257 lbs. I'm thinking steel for the ride quality but am welcoming all suggestions. I don't have a clue as to prices yet but I'd like to stay in the vicinity of $1000 to $1500 USD. Thanks in advance for any and all info. JB
The great thing about SS or fixed is you can find alot of nice bikes or build one up yourself for alot less than the $1000-$1500 you are looking at. IRO Rob Roy and Bianchi San Jose are nice cyclocross style bikes. The Redline 925 is an inexpensive road bike with plenty of room for decent tires. One of my favorite bikes is a Surly CrossCheck but you will have to pick the components and get it built up yourself. The wide spoke flanges and symmetric wheels mean a 32 hole rear is as strong as a 36 hole geared wheel and a 36 is like riding a 40.
I'm about 220 and ride a fixed gear daily for my commute. I have an old touring bike fixed for all weather and a track bike (with brakes) for nice weather. I don't recommend the track style bikes like the Bianchi Pista or KHS Flite100 as the have little clearance for tires and ride pretty stiff but more relaxed bikes like the Surly Steamroller are pretty nice rides if you don't need knobbies or fenders.
Craig

At 315lbs and dropping (down from about 345-350) I ride an old rigid mountain bike (87 rockhopper) fixed gear. Its great. I really love the bike. See my site/blogs for pix. Getting up hills is harder, but hey, we're trying to lose weight right? Its not supposed to be *easy*!

I'm 6'2", and about 235 now. I ride a Quickbeam, fixed with two chainrings. It comes stock with strong wheels, an 18t freewheel and 32mm tires. The bike is lugged steel, plenty tough enough for rocky roads with a big guy. Mine weighs 25 lbs with fenders and lights. I love it.

$1400 or so without saddle or pedals, and the new ones are orange. It seems like now there are several bikes like it: singlespeeds with long-ride road geometry and room for fat tires. The Bianchi San Jose looks good to me, and I've heard good things about the Redline 925, as well.

Here's mine. 06 Specialized Langster. New bars, levers, saddle, seatost and fork.