L'eroica on a single speed
11-10-23, 12:45 PM
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L'eroica on a single speed
Has anyone done eroica Gaiole or similar on a single speed cycle? I would be interest in hearing your experiences.
I am thinking of swapping the 10 speed bike for something simpler (and harder!).
I am thinking of swapping the 10 speed bike for something simpler (and harder!).
11-10-23, 01:26 PM
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Not my thing, but I believe someone did attempt a L'eroica on a one-speed. I do recall someone attempting the Race Across America on one -- I don't know when/if they finished.
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Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
11-10-23, 02:13 PM
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I’m pretty sure the late LUCIANO BERRUTI rode the event on his early 1900’s Peugeot, and that was a single speed.
https://eroica.cc/en/eroica-cc/ethos
https://eroica.cc/en/eroica-cc/ethos
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11-10-23, 02:19 PM
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Luciano's bike may have had a flip-flop hub, but I think that qualifies.
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11-10-23, 02:32 PM
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There was a younger guy at Eroica Cal 2017 that did it.
I was on the short route when I saw him so.......
I was on the short route when I saw him so.......
11-10-23, 03:37 PM
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One gentlemen at the Eroica California 2023 rode up the Cypress Mountain (steep and dirty road) on his singlespeed. Wallysbicycleworks has a video on their Instagram page.
I made it on my 42x28 and that’s hard enough for me.
I made it on my 42x28 and that’s hard enough for me.
11-10-23, 04:01 PM
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11-10-23, 05:03 PM
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Marketing.
11-10-23, 05:14 PM
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With training it's possible but it will be difficult. Are you thinking of a single speed with freewheel, or a fixie as those are two very different beasts on a ride like this? In 2022 I rode Eroica California with a Sturmey Archer S3x (gears 46-17/46-23/46-27) and only had to walk a few sections on Cypress Mountain. The climbs were hard but the downhills are what really beat me up since the S3x hub is fixed so I had to spin out as fast as I could
11-10-23, 10:00 PM
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Single speed, not fixed gear, You would need to be quite cautious on the rougher sections of downhill at Gaiole with FG. And of cause no opportunity to rest after an uphill slog!
11-11-23, 10:18 AM
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Here’s a story about riding the California event on a single speed…..
https://www.statebicycle.com/blogs/n...eroica-ca-2016
Could the Giaole event be done on a single speed? Yes. I rode with a guy in Giaole who broke a shift cable early in the ride. With a stick and some limit screw adjustment, he got one functional gear, and finished the long route. And he did it faster than me.
The real question is why you’d want to do Giaole on a single speed. Sure, part of the event is the suffering. But another part of the event is riding through some of the best cycling scenery in the world. You’d miss a lot if you had to constantly worry about getting up the next hill or trying to pick the best line.
And even if you do the ride on a single speed, you will never get this sort of acknowledgment for your efforts
Giaole, across from the start.
https://www.statebicycle.com/blogs/n...eroica-ca-2016
Could the Giaole event be done on a single speed? Yes. I rode with a guy in Giaole who broke a shift cable early in the ride. With a stick and some limit screw adjustment, he got one functional gear, and finished the long route. And he did it faster than me.
The real question is why you’d want to do Giaole on a single speed. Sure, part of the event is the suffering. But another part of the event is riding through some of the best cycling scenery in the world. You’d miss a lot if you had to constantly worry about getting up the next hill or trying to pick the best line.
And even if you do the ride on a single speed, you will never get this sort of acknowledgment for your efforts
Giaole, across from the start.
11-11-23, 10:44 AM
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Years ago someone here posted a pic of him about to go downhill with a stick wedged between his foot and the pedal, I guess he would drag the stick to slow himself down . Quite the character….and rider!
