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A little single speed climbing

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A little single speed climbing

Old 02-12-12, 09:30 AM
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A little single speed climbing

I have pretty much been riding my SS Vasago Fisticuff all winter and lately have been trying it out on some hills. The gearing is 44x18, while not a big gear it sure does make climbing fun. I'm no Mr Beanz and I 'm not a freighttrain...just thought I'd share some stats. https://connect.garmin.com/player/148550838 https://connect.garmin.com/activity/148550838

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Old 02-12-12, 11:38 AM
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Aww man, no sufferfest vid?

Seriously though, it's good to see that you're getting back into doing some climbing. Single-speed climbing is one hell of a workout. Remember this ride last year? That had to be the most intense cycling I've ever done other than the San Francisco climbs.
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Old 02-12-12, 06:17 PM
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Of course I remember...give me some time. A sufferfest vid will be forthcoming sooner or later.
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Old 02-13-12, 12:57 PM
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42/18 is my flat & dry race gear on my Fisticuff CX race rig. Just short of the 44/17 on my commuter/brevet bike which sees a fair amount of climbing.
My slop & steep gearing on the CX bike is a 38/18 which has been good for just about everything I've encountered on the CX and light MTB-ish trails around here.

Singlespeed climbing is one heckuva great workout for strength and cardio, and I like that you're forced to vary technique depending on pitch of the hill and tiredness of your muscles. It's certainly a more variable workout than the typical "gear down and spin" that I got used to when I had wide-range gearing on my brevet bike.

The standard drawback, though: If you've got a great gear for climbing, you might be left in the dust on the descent! On my last group ride, me and the one other singlespeeder were passing people up all the long climbs, but we got smoked by a geared paceline ripping through the flat valley section.
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Old 02-13-12, 01:17 PM
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Wow 42X18!!!!! I am going to change mine to 32X20 or 32X22. Way to go!
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Old 02-14-12, 07:51 AM
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I agree Clifton, single speed climbing is quite a workout. Since going SS I really don't miss the gears.

You have tougher conditions Rover...off road I sometimes am forced to do the walk of shame.

I did make a mistake about the gearing, it's 44x18 not 42. Not a big difference in gear inches, 66.8 vs 63.7.

My goal is to possibly ride SS in a 328 mile 4 day charity ride across Ohio. The 100 mile day only had around 3k of climbing but the climbs were a little longer than those here at home.
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Old 02-14-12, 07:11 PM
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I have seen this modest animal climb on his single speed, he's the real deal!!!
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Old 02-14-12, 10:53 PM
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Originally Posted by thestoutdog
I have seen this modest animal climb on his single speed, he's the real deal!!!
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Old 02-14-12, 11:00 PM
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Originally Posted by thestoutdog
I have seen this modest animal climb on his single speed, he's the real deal!!!


He's the real deal! I'm just a triple cruiser dude, not a monster climber.
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Old 02-15-12, 09:04 AM
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You would drop me on a climb like a bad habit Beanz.
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Old 02-15-12, 01:44 PM
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If either you or Beanz come out this way, I will point you in the right direction. Please wait for me at the top!
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Old 02-15-12, 04:12 PM
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I've often thought about SS, the climbing doesn't scare me the decending does. How do you decend 10%+.
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Old 02-15-12, 04:13 PM
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My bike is a disc brake single speed...are you thinking of fixed gear?
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Old 02-15-12, 05:51 PM
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Duh sorry, yes I was thinking fixed.
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Old 02-15-12, 05:59 PM
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Originally Posted by iforgotmename
You would drop me on a climb like a bad habit Beanz.
Nah! If you knew and rode with me, you'd know I was a friendly recreational type of guy. I leave the droppng to the racer type of dudes.

Now if someone calls me out, then I just may train a little bit.
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Old 02-15-12, 07:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Mr. Beanz
Nah! If you knew and rode with me, you'd know I was a friendly recreational type of guy. I leave the droppng to the racer type of dudes.

Now if someone calls me out, then I just may train a little bit.
I didn't mean you would...more like you could
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