Originally Posted by
stringbreaker
I've got a flat 7 mile commute. I'm thinking about getting a single speed for the winter or what ever time. what would be a good gear combo for this type of ride. I know nothing about single speeds but I want it to freewheel and have brakes other than that I'm open for suggestions. Oh yeah its gotta be red I really NEED a red bike. Am I better off with getting a frame and building it myself. I do have the skills. I want this to be a nice commuter not a race bike so I guess an older mountain bike frame would fill the bill nicely. Suggestions for components are appreciated. If I build this thing I'm gonna kill my co- worker that suggested it
Oh yeah and I would love to see some of the single speeds that fellow forum members have built up from scratch.
I had a single-speed built from an old Raleigh road frame. I isn't intended for commuting, so it doesn't have fenders or a rack.
That said, I fell in love with single-speeding. I'd like to build another, but using a mountain bike frame for more clearance. Then I'd have a low-maintenance commuter bike.
My commute is flat, I run my single speed at about 65 gear inches (46x19 gearing with 700x32 tires). I'm not strong or fast, and this seems to work fine for me.
If you want disc brakes, you'll need a newer frame and fork that will support them.