big chainring 

Here we go. There is squat on CL in Chicago these days. Everyone is turning nice old 10 speeds into single speed trash. My favorite line in any CL or ebay ad is "Gears need adjusting". Or "I think its a 10 speed, maybe 12". Is the concept of gearing so difficult. Is it that difficult to shift gears.

I would say 9 out of 10 bikes that I flip the gears are in perfect order prior to me working on the bike. Yet when I buy the bike I hear, "The gears dont work". You push the lever back and forth and the little spring mechanism in the back moves and the chain moves up and down. Whats the big deal.

I know, Chicago is as flat as a pancake, who needs gears? We got WIND? How these people manage to pedal enormous gears into the wind is beyond me. Single speeds eveywhere and they are barely functional for normal riding.

Its a bike - 4 cables, 4 sets of bearings, its a simple machine. How people can make something so simple, so complicated, is beyond me.

Thats all for now.

cycleheimer

Have you been harboring these feelings for some time now?

RFC

Prunes. Have you tried prunes?

bikemore 

I feel your pain.

Advertised a bike as a 10 speed (you know downtube shifters). Made sure it worked for all 10 gears. Met the buyer at
the parking lot across the street. He rode it around a few times. Said he liked it, but then asked me "it is a single speed,
right?". Ah, well you push these little levers here. He got it, but he had never seen them before. Had no idea where to
look for them.

clasher

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That should be enough to handle a bit of wind.

Barrettscv 

If the hipsters want to take a low value old bike and make a SS, let 'em.

The Golden Boy 

I don't understand the SS thing at all...

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Ride One.

Its not for everybody.

khatfull

But the problem is they don't discriminate. Beautiful, functional frames get killed. I mean, if you;re going to strip, grind, and powdercoat something why not use the crappiest and cheapest frame?

wrk101

I find most sellers can't count cogs. They also cannot read decals, or labels on components, or a tape measure, or post decent pictures. But these bicycle challenged sellers tend to not know values either. So sometimes they think an old Schwinn Varsity is rare and worth $500. Other times they think an old bike is just heavy, obsolete, and trash (like the Peugeot I picked up last week).

So it cuts both ways.

clasher

They're simple... hop on and go. One of my favourite rides is an old raleigh SS w/ a coaster brake. One less thing to brake... they're good in the snow too.

The Golden Boy 

I guess, for where I'm living, I'm riding miles in the middle of nowhere.

Maybe I'd see the advantage living in town and using it in town... maybe.

michael k

Often I get asked "How long since it had a tune-up"? Why it had Oil,filter and spark plugs just last week!

tugrul

What now? First, why put the effort into a cheap frame. Second, why ride a cheap frame.

I'd build one, but I live amongst hills and getting going in a tall gear is unpleasant.

Mike Mills

I get it. It's simple.

Single speed = much less complicated, almost bullet-proof but not problem-free

Multi-speed hubs = less complicated (to the user), not problem-free

Derailleur equipped bicycle = VERY complicated (to the user), very easily damaged, very problematic, harder to ride, seats are misery


From the point of view of the non-enthusiast, single speed bikes are the way to go. You can throw the chain, you can break a spoke and you can still get flats but that's about it. Just jump on and ride. They will put up with the extra effort required by the single speed in lieu of all the non-stop adjusting and noise and lack of reliability of the derailleur equipped bike.

A multi-speed hub is a bit better than a single speed, if it stays in adjustment. Heck, even I've been wanting to try one of the eight speed hubs. Actually, I'm surprised these do not OWN! the market. Must be a marketing problem.

Derailleur-eqiuipped bike are a PITA for the non-enthusiast.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Doesn't cost a dime to see what it feels like.... Just put your 10 speed in 7th gear or so and don't shift it for the whole ride. Then imagine exactly that with less chain slap, and minus the weight of 2 derailleurs, a set of shifters, 4 cogs and 1 chainwheel.

Personally I see the lack of ratios on my SS as a challenge to be tackled. When you encounter a grade or feel like you might prefer to shift....your only option is HTFU and crank. It's fun when you're in the mood for it.

RaleighComp

I have 3 1974 Raleigh Competitions, all with working Huret Jubilee Derailleurs. I may try one as a fixie to see what that feels like, but I don't get the SS thing. If I understand it right, I can subtract 9 gears and about 1.5 lbs from a 22lb 10-speed? (Rear derailleur = 4 oz, Front = 2.5 oz., two short cables, one short piece of housing and light downtube levers brings the weight savings to about 0.5 lbs, I'll allow a whole 'nother pound for 4 cogs, 1 Chainring, and few chain links also jettisoned). And the "that many more things not to break" doesn't hold any water either, as except for a snapped cable every 8 years or so, everything has worked fine for the last 36 years, including the ball bearings in the derailleur pulleys.

corkscrew

I'll agree with this - your average newb doesn't get it.

Case in point - I fixed up two Trek mtn bikes for a couple I'm friends with. The girl got a 3x7 with friction thumbies, and even after I showed her how they work she still doesn't get it. O'well, at least they ride now.

The Golden Boy 

That doesn't sound like fun.
That sounds like "not fun" with "inconsequence."

RFC

You've jomped and are way off. Nobody is talking about grinding. Don't join the handwringing little old ladies in their neurosis.

clubman 

Gotta say you must be young to be so closed minded.

Have you ever looked at the world hour record? Have you ever watched a flying 200 at the Olympics? Ever watched a live Madison?

There's a reason why speed records are set on track and fixed gears. There's no other ride that transmits so much energy energy back into the rider and bike. You obviously haven't spent a lot of time on one.

This is not purity or mysticism. Look at the great Tour riders...Merckx, Rominger, Indurain...all rode track with dedication and passion. Don't tell me riding fixed is not for enthusiasts.

There's room for many bikes in the stable but don't look down at people who first discover the joys of a fixed or singlespeed before they try being "pack fill" in a peloton. I was fortunate enough to have mentor introduce me to a Claude Butler track bike when I was 30 and 22 years later I've got 3 vintage fixed bikes in amongst the Sturmeys and Suntours and delivery bikes .Gotta Ride em all.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Like I said, Its not for everybody.

You should go down to your LBS and try one...won't cost you anything but the time you spend riding it.... then you can say Equivocally "Its not Fun" rather than just sticking by your assumptions.



Of course there's always the risk you might *gasp* Enjoy it

Shimagnolo

Love the avatar;
"I know what you're thinking, punk; 'Did he shift 6 gears, or only 5?'"

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Do you feel lucky?!

buck mulligan

People who are incapable of figuring out how to operate a multispeed bike are one thing; people who simply prefer not to are quite another. It's mostly a matter of taste, and to a lesser extent a matter of where and how one rides. I completely understand the attraction of a SS, but I'm much too old, fat, and out-of-shape to do it. On the other hand, given that I mostly ride to the pub and back, a 10+ speed is more than I need - hence, my attraction to 3-speeds. If I were 20 again and trying to impress cute girls on Critical Mass rides - or, on the other hand, if I were planning a 3-week trek down Pacific Coast Highway - I would choose differently.