ladrones

Hello everyone,

I have had my bike a couple of years now but only started really getting serious about it the last week of May 07. When I started that week I weighed in at 417 pounds. This AM I am down to 366 pounds. I have been dieting, some hiking, biking and kettlebells to shed the pounds so far. I really starting to feel good.

Now I really want to get a single speed mountain bike. I have my budget set at about 500.

I have been looking towards the redline mono 29er. My first question is I have a 19 inch yukon that fits me well. Would a 19 inch 29er be to big? My lbs only had 15 inchers so I could not get a good feel for sizing.

Second will the redline be able to hold up to my weght? Any clydes have one? Can they take a beating?

Any other recomendations on a 29er single speed withen my budget constraints?

Tom Stormcrowe

The only issues I see would be the wheels. You'll want to build your wheels to suit YOUR needs. In this case, a very high spoke count, especially if you are going to pound the snot out of your bike. The frames are a lot tougher than you think, and Redline is a pretty strong bike.

One aspect though of the 29'er wheel is that it's basically a 700c wheel, which means a longer spoke run, and less strength. I'd actually suggest specs on the wheels as if you were going to design a tandem 29'r, with 48 spoke and tandem hubs as a SS/FG. Just my take.

Edit: Add in a rim with eyelets and double walls, don't sweat grams, because it'll be more cost effective to lose grams on your engine (you), than the equipment. Keith Bontrager summed it up best when he said, "Cheap, light, strong, choose any two".

bdinger

^^^^ +1000 to what Tom said.

The Mono 29er is a great ride, in fact I really want one. Always have, just keep avoiding it for some reason.. go figure . SS 29ers from those who I know who have 'em, are downright addictive.

That being said, unless you have the cash to drop on a wheel, either stay off road, and/or prepare for problems. The stock wheelset isn't up to those of our stature pounding on the bike. In that respect, the 26in Monocog might be a better choice for you.

Also, sizing wise the Redlines seem to almost run a little small. I rode a mono 29er in a 21in, and it was just about perfect. I ride a 19in Specialized Hardrock that's perfect, so YMMV. I'd say gunning for a 19 is a good number.

Ride what you'll ride, buy what you'll ride. Just remember that and you'll be good

ladrones

I just tried out the monocog 26in with 19 inch frame and it was a nice ride. I seem to be stuck on the 29er though. I was looking at the GF rigg and it's a sweet bike but it is a budget buster. Also looked at a 69er trek that was really high. I will find a SS soon hopefully.

bdinger

The Monocog would probably be perfect, just swap out the rear wheel. Ask your LBS to see what kind of deal they'll give you, swapping out the stock wheel for a custom 36 or 40h rear. Probably would add.. oh.. $100 to $200 to the price of the Mono 29er, which is still a great price.

I'm still set on a SS 29er as well. Probably will be my next bike, to be honest, just not sure which one.

(51)

No experience with SS or MB, but I wanted to congratulate you on your weight loss to date. Keep it up and god luck with the bike search!

Mr. Beanz

Single speed? You have a much better chance shedding pounds with gears and ridng at high revs. That is your goal aint it?

Single speed mtb? Won't be long before you're complaining about knee injuries. Then you aint gonna ride at at all!

ladrones

Thanks for the comments Mr.Beanz. My goal of shedding pounds will come with continued diet and exercise. For the most part the 50 lbs I have dropped so far is from the diet and kettlebells. I have built a good deal of strength with the 2 poods. The bike has been just mostly fun stuff of course it has helped greatly with stamina. Plus it's a hell of alot funner than walking.

I have not heard about SS and knee issues. I would be mostly useing my ss on hard pack and pavement and some errands around town. Also I will be taking my bike on the commuter train to ride the 3 miles one way from the station to work and then back to the station. I doubt I will be doing any centuries in the near future.

I have done alot of reading today on the 29ers and tried a few out today also. I just weigh to much for one currently. I will have to drop more weight before I purchase one.

Thanks for the tip on the knees I will research it more. Do you know were I can find some more data on the SS and knee concerns? Any studies?

Mr. Beanz

If somone here doesn't produce some lit on knee issues, go to the training and nutrition forum. I'm sure someone has an article or two.

Many strong riders and climbers use compact cranks. Lance is famous for his high rev style winning the TDF. Not to knock your ability but why would you want to push a fixie up a hill? Unless you're a super climber. I've seen some do it, but usually about 150 lb riders with super strong legs. I really think that you would end up damaging the knees if you don't get into excellent shape first.

Unless like you said, it's for a joy ride to the Quickie Mart and back!

Kid-Cycle

I'll start out by saying I am not an expert on SS/FG bikes or knee pain, but it sounds like Ladrones is looking to go with a single speed free wheel. I don't believe this will lead to knee pain as my understanding is most of the knee pain is the result of fixed gear bikes and strain placed on the knees from 'breaking' and 'slowing' via your legs. A single speed will 'free wheel' and require breaks to slow and stop.

I've been playing around with a fixie the last few weeks and have noticed if I try to do all my breaking or stopping with legs only, I can feel it but it is not painful (yet). I utilize my front and rear brakes to avoid excessive knee strain and also for self preservation and have not had any problems. I can tell you the fixie is much more of a workout than my geared roadie.

With the proper gearing I think Ledrone will enjoy his SS bike!

gobot

I would advise against a single speed bike...

As a fellow large male, I will honestly say that I NEED the lower gears on my mountain bike. If your one gear ratio is low enough for you to go uphill,its going to be painfully slow on flat roads. If its high enough for you to go fast on flat roads, you just won't be able to go uphill at all. I just can't imagine it will be fun.

Am I missing something? I haven't ridden a single speed bike since I was 12 on a BMX, but... aren't they kind of special purpose track bikes for the velodrome or such?

ladrones

I do live in NM and we do have many hills. In my current condition I don't see myself doing a bunch of hill work. Hell I tried to do some light hill work on my pos giant yukon and I snapped the chain. When I get to that point I will have to upgrade anyway right? The bikes I did try out today were free wheel. Most of the guys at the shops have said the SS is a good workout. 5-15 miles a day would be what I want the ss for.

ladrones

To be honest with you I don't even enjoy shifting gears at all on my current ride. I pretty much leave it in the highest gear for much of my riding. When I start shifting I hear a bunch of noises I don't like. I have a great deal of fear that something will go wrong. It's probaly the cheapness of the componants of the yukon. My physique certainly does not help one bit.
I think one of the reasons I want to go with the SS is the simplicity of it. Am I that far off base?

Rollfast

I call my left "automatic Cruise Control". When it's tired of going faster I level.

I am not calling my bike "weight control" either...I prefer to use it to reach stamina goals. If you've traditionally had trouble losing due to medicines or or factors, it still pays to "be able to get up that hill regularly without stopping or as little stopping as possible" or my favorite friendly jab about blowing past all the old guys in Lycra shorts with 15 gears with one leg tied behind my head in a yoga position...

Hey! I wobble slow on my feet sometimes but I refuse to RollSLOW. Sorry, but I love that bugger. Even the most mundane trip is fun if you pedal. Not if you need to go to Salt Lake maybe, hire the Silver DOG!

gobot

Well, maybe its a good idea if you can find one gear ratio that works for you, and as you improve your conditioning you can change the setup to a different gearing? Like I said, I'm no expert on single gear bikes!

I'm the same way about not wanting to shift, but I'm trying to work on finding the right gear for the terrain so I can improve my technique and get better at riding.

Tom Stormcrowe

Knee issues are with a fixie. If you are building a SS with a freewheel, the knee issues aren't a factor unless the gear/inch ratio is too high. Even fixed, though, as long as you use correct technique, you can do fine. I'm actually planning on building a fixie myself, for use at Major Taylor Velodrome next year, for the USCF race season.

The main reason you get knee damage from riding fixed is from pushing too high a gear for the terrain. With the single speed, you just have the one option.

Fat Cyclist (Elden Nelson) does the FG/SS thing, byu the way, but he's actually quite an athlete.

If you want to build a Fixie, I say fine, go for it, the simplicity of a fixed SS is kind of zen like and the techniques will only improve your spinning on a geared bike as well. Just select the correct gear for the terrain you'll be riding and you might look at a flip[ flop hub allowing you to use a ss gearing for offroad and a higher ss gearing for road use.

Mr. Beanz

I wasn't considering that at all. Just overall riding effeciency. MASHING damages the knees. Spinning is mor efficient and less stress on the knees. On a fixie,SS whatever, you are locked onto one gear no matter how the road changes. Gears when used properly allow a rider to adjust the pressure as the road changes. On a SS you will be forced into mashing.

As for ugly noises when shifting, doesn't happen if you have the components adjusted properly. A big mistake riders make is not easing up pressure on the pedals when shifting. Develope a technique for shifting, it'll work fine.

ladrones

Thanks for the link Tom. I have been reading trough it and I found some other info.

Do any of reelly big guys ride SS? Get any knee soreness or pain? From what I am reading I may need to get into better physical condition prior to going for the SS.

Hasselhof

I weigh 279lbs (I think... I weigh 126.5kg whatever that works out to be) and I ride a fixed road bike (pretty much stock Surly Steamroller however I've swapped out the rear rim for a stronger deep V model after I crashed it on my first significant ride). I'm also in the process of building up a Surly 1x1 with an On-One Superlight Carbon fork so I can replace my aging geared Avanti MTB.

Most of my riding is on city streets, multi use paths, the occasional fire road, horse / walking trails and very infrequently singletrack. While I still weigh as much as I do, the hills sure aren't easy and having gears sure does make life simple. When compared with geared riding, fixed/SS isn't in any way easy, its not efficient, it doesn't really makes sense, and it sure ain't pretty.

But I don't care.

It is a above all else FUN.

If you've not ridden one (or it was a long time ago as a child) give it a go. The first time you get on a fixed you'll swear its out to kill you. The natural impulse to coast can lead to certain injury so the learning curve is very steep. They are wicked fast, their simplicity can be overstated, you get a workout through every single moment of you're ride (coasting = bad, leg breaking = good). Most importantly, the first time you bomb along at warp 10 like a nutcase legs spinning madly with little choice but to keep going you'll start to know what true fun is. I've been riding geared bikes for years and nothing has equaled either the fun or satisfaction factor that I've experienced since getting my fixed.

According to the N+1 principle you're next bike will probably be a SS/FG anyways

P.S. My knees are fine. Learning the correct technique for slowing up a fixed isn't hard, and people riding hard will mash up short steep hills just as much as a SS/FG rider. My only recommendation would be to go a bike with both front & rear brakes if you're riding in traffic. I've been getting away with just front brakes but with my extra momentum compared to the whippet's you'll see out and about, the extra stopping power would be nice every now and then. If you're going a SS MTB, get disc's, there are plenty of disc appropriate SS frames about.

Seamus

For the kind of riding you're describing, you should have no problem going SS. I have a buddy who has dropped over 100 lbs, and one of his first bikes was a fixed gear. It just made him a stronger rider in a shorter time. The main thing is to have a bike that you will enjoy riding!

Jim