Mountain Biking - Singlespeed Mountain Biking?

Last season I met a guy at one of the local singletracks who rode a singlespeed mountain bike. Being a newbie, I thought he was crazy. I had just worked my butt off plowing through 20 miles of singletrack on a regular 24 speed rig.

Now that I've got some more experience, I started thinking back about the crazy dude and his one speed machine. I feel like now I would enjoy the challenge of it. But I don't quite know what to expect. I've never ridden anything singlespeed!

I guess what I'm trying to get at is, what are the pros and cons of going singlespeed? Is it worth the trade off?

The bike weighs less because you do not need all the gears and derailers, and you also have more simplicity because you do not need to worry about shifting. However, you need to sacrifice having the right gear for all areas, you will need to pick the proper gears for your terrain. You won't be able to go as fast downhill but you might get more control going over obstacles since your just focusing on the ride.

pros - you don't have to worry about rear derailleurs getting bent and hosed and you don't have to worry about shifting problems. you don't have to worry about shifting at all. as said, lighter bike. you will get much stronger and faster.

cons - steep hills really really suck. usually a singlespeed is a hardtail, if you are dealing with lots of rocky techy stuff, it might not be as fun overall, unless you got mad skillz.

It is brutal and humbling unless you are riding more or less level rough terrain. You probably won't like it. If you buy or build a single speed mountain bike you will not ride it much.

this is all bs, a SS bike is just more simple than one with gears. You need to pick a better line as to keep momentum. You also need to carry speed through everything. With a SS you aren't worried about being the fastest (unless in a SS race) you are worried about have a blast on a mtb. I rode SS on everything in my area from singletrack to the chunky 3 ft drops and it was great. It was my only mtb, that being said, I couldn't keep up with everybody and I wasn't on the lightest bike but I always had fun and that's what getting on the dirt is about.

It is brutal and humbling unless you are riding more or less level rough terrain. You probably won't like it. If you buy or build a single speed mountain bike you will not ride it much.

Hahaha. You obviously haven't been to SoCal. SS 29ers are really popular. People even do Vision Quest on them: http://www.warriorssociety.org/events/vision_quest_general_info.html. 57 miles, 11,000+ feet of climbing.

One of the fastest guys in the local area rides a single speed MTB!! He's about my age too. Late 30's early 40's. He must be an animal, hehe.,,,,BD

It's awesome fun.

I think a fixed gear mountan bike would be brootal and humbling?:lol:.,,,,BD

I think a fixed gear mountan bike would be brootal and humbling?:lol:.,,,,BD

The downhills can get a little busy. Fixed is entertaining as long as your not trying to keep up with a fast group.

I ride a FS geared bike, and a HT geared bike and then I have my HT SS, it is a dedicated SS (Bianchi BASS) I love it, with 36/18 gearing I am happy, 120mm front fork is prefect for what I ride, alot of single track that is very technical. it is just like said your not worried about going fast or winning or what not you are just worried about having fun and it is actually not a worry. What I have found is a nice strong chain and a bash ring are good choices, with only 1 gear you don want to mess it up, and a good chain is always nice to have. I run a 1/2 link 1/2" chain with bashring and chain guide on the crank

I've really enjoyed my SS 29er. I live in FL, so there aren't many hills, but SS'ing up the few steep hills we do have has been very rewarding, and a lot easier than I thought it would be. I remember thinking there was no way I would get up the steepest hills with SS gearing, compared to the lower gearing I was using to barely get up the same hills with on my multispeed. Then I did it without much trouble and was very surprised. Then it became even easier each time. And it's more fun :)

some of the fastest/best riders I rode with in GA where fixed gear SS. They were mad in shape and incredible riders all together.

At least around here all the fun in racing is in the SS category. You really can't go slow on a singlespeed bike. It'll make you a stronger rider in no time at all.

I was considering purchasing a 29er SS.

Some of the candidates are:

KHS Solo One
Haro Ally Ss 29er
GT Peace 9er

I'm aware these are fully rigid entry level bikes. I'm curious which of these would be the highest quality bike.

I have been riding SS for only 3 months, and I am always looking forward to the next ride. Definitely a work out.
I bought my Solo One off Craigslist, it was 1x9. So an entry level bike can be a nice addition to your geared ride. It's weird to realize that you don't need a $2000 bike to have fun!!

MTBR has a dedicated forum to SS riding.
http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=46

The brutal and humbling part is the uphill part. I ride up some very steep hills. I recently took an older bike to some hilly terrain and discovered once I got there that it would not shift. I was with friends so I went ahead and rode it. It was brutal and humbling.

You probably won't like it. If you buy or build a single speed mountain bike you will not ride it much.

Opinions are like buttholes,Brother...EVERYBODY has one,and most stink. That said....ya big wus :p:roflmao2: (said jokingly :) )

Just out of curiosity; if you ride SS, what is the terrain like and what is your gearing? Anyone use a flip-flop hub with different ratios?

my ratio is 32:18, it was set up for hilly trails around atlanta. i haven't changed it since moving to memphis, it might be a little too short, but it'll do. this is a 26er.

Just out of curiosity; if you ride SS, what is the terrain like and what is your gearing? Anyone use a flip-flop hub with different ratios?

I just sold my last SS last week (not intentionally...long story,LOL!*),but anywhere between 32x18 for milder trails,to 32x22 for steep and technical,bearing in mind trails are all relatively so where I'd ride (*haven't been able to ride in 9 months or so due to 10 year old spinal injuries,hoping to rectify that soon,and since all my SS's are gone...time to buy/build another ;) )

New to SS and live with fairly steep terrain. I am on a 29er with 32X22. At about 7-8%, I have to do some easy standing to pedal. If it gets to about 12-14% for short pitches, I gotta grunt!! Chest near bars, but over saddle.
Cool thing about 29ers, is that you can be a little sloppy in body placement and still get rear wheel traction.