So I became sick and tired of expensive 10 speed chains, derailleurs, shifters and cassettes! So I decided to try single speed for awhile... and now I'm hooked! So simple and quiet! I found I'm really enjoying my commute time even more so now. I no longer have to think about shifting I just pedal and enjoy the ride. I am loving the gear ratio I chose. 32-18. I have some major hills on my commute and they are obviously more difficult now but very manageable. I have been averaging 13.5 mph. Just wanted to share in case others are considering trying single speed. I'm sure there are a lot of you on here already so I'm glad to join the club!

I'm single speed curious. Is it fixed or freewheel? Do you ever get the feeling like you are spinning too fast?

I was wondering the same thing. I'm riding 46-18 and sometimes, mainly downhill, I feel like I'm spinning myself.

It is a freewheel. I used the Surly single speed spacer kit and cog. Yes, I do spin out at times. It was weird at first until I got used to it. Now I just spin fast at the peak of a hill and coast down, tucking to make myself more aerodynamic. I did a 25 mile ride with a buddy this week who was riding his Giant cyclocross bike and he was using his 50t ring most of the time and I kept up just fine. Maybe my bike rolls quicker or something but when he was pedaling down hill I kept up just coasting. And I actually beat him riding up the hills. Condition wise we are the same I was just forced to stand and crank up hill where as he could shift and take them easy.

Next stop: fixed gear

Finally, someone whose bike has a lower gear than mine! (38x16 for me)

The only time I ever spun out was when I paced a pathlete who blew by me at 39 km/hr on the MUP. I'm a few km/hr slower overall on this bike than on a multispeed, but I love it anyways.

Interesting choice of bottle mounts. Nice conversion, though! Where can one find the bag you have between your tubes?

M.

I went from a Trek 5.2 FX to a 2013 Kona Paddy Wagon single speed. (42 x 16 for me) Chicago is pretty flat. The only time I miss the higher gear is going down a few bridges on my commute, but I seem to climb the incline better; surprisingly than others to make up for it. I'm very happy with my choice.

A couple of weeks ago my son bought a new fixed/ss bike from an online shop. The rear wheel was all scratched up so they sent a new one. To my pleasant surprise the new one came complete with tire, ss freewheel and fixed gear cog.

A few weeks before that my son crashed a nice old Univega and bent the fork. He really wanted a new bike and had the money for it so that leaves me with a spare bike... and a spare fixie wheel. Hmm...

Of course the wheel is green and the bike is red so it ain't going to be pretty until Christmas.

I favor IGH, now.. .. chains cheaper , even if I wear out a R'off cog, they're pretty cheap, compared to 10 cog cassettes.

Sturmey Archer 3 speed cogs are really cheap..

I had a few freewheels. It was faster up and down the hills to town and back than riding fixed. Coasting is fast!!

Nuclear Sunrise Stitchworks made the bags for me

However, Rohloff speed hubs are not cheap... they're what? $1300-$1600? I'd barely notice the price of a chain. But yes... I'd love to have a Rohloff - but "cheap" and "Rohloff" never belong in the same sentence (unless there is a "not" in there.)

I got deals .. [whole tour/trekking bike was $2k] AW3 speeds are cheap, I happen to like the german precision ,

and when under my cycle rain cape in the ratios are in sequence to roll through as the hill gets steeper..


dead flat ,. 1 speed is fine , wear walking shoes for the hills..

Buying Houses in Seattle are Not Cheap, new cars are Not cheap , it's a one payment used car priced, bike.

My single-speed conversion has been a dream come true in the flatlands of Chicago. I miss downshift/upshifting at stoplights, but the simplicity of my ride has brought me a new joy and less intimidating ride. Fixie killed my knees/hips, so I keep on rockin' in the freewheel.

IMHO single speed riding is a joy unto itself. I't's awesome on so many levels.

My Cross Check commuter was SS for years (42-16) A few years ago a crash messed up my knee and sadly SS just wasn't good for it in the long term. So I went to an IGH (Alfine 8) which is perfect as I can easily swap wheelsets any time if need be. Same chain length and horizontal drops. I always go SS in the spring for the first month after the studded tires come off, but then once my knee starts to complain I throw the IGH wheel back on. It's also nice if I get a flat at home or want to service the IGH I can just throw the SS wheel on and go.

these offer a starting off gear and a cruising gear , nothing more, pedal kick-back shift.
https://www.sturmey-archer.com/produc...d/7/id/57.html

Singlespeed is fun but Fixed is the ultimate. Nothing comes even close to the amount of fun I get from riding Fixed.

I see the draw to fixed, but I love the ability to coast. I get up to about 25mph down the hill to work.

I rode a single speed for a while as my every day bike but I recently have gotten into fixed. Sheldon Brown was right, it is a whole different level of being connected with the road. To me it's the difference between driving an automatic and standard transmission car. But now I have two bikes. I ride the fixed for pure joy and an extra work out. But for commuting, errands, group rides with climbs I ride my geared Cross Check. I do like having some other gears when my panniers are full of groceries and riding into a stiff wind.

I've got 50,000 miles in SSing, love it.

SS is the cheapest. NEVER buy 10 speed. If you have to buy gears, 8 speed is cheap.

I took a track cycling class at a local velodrome, enjoyed it so much I got my own track bike. I ride it at the velodrome and the local, flatish, river trail. Hills around where I live are so ubiquitous I can't really give up the geared bike. Besides, with no brakes other than the backpedal, downhill becomes too dangerous, though I am considering installing a front brake so I can enter a local time trial with it.

My bike has mounts there too, but don't think I would put a bottle there. Wouldn't the front wheel just kick up road grime right onto the bottle?

I haven't personally seen any with mounts there. Are they just standard taps into the tube (fork in this case)? I guess if the bottle is sealed and has a cap, it'll be fine but I'd be paranoid as all hell about the thing slipping loose or getting snagged and going right into my spokes.

M.

I don't know if you guys are talking about the bottle mounts on the forks, or that one on the lower front frame. The one on the frame can get mud kicked on it (though very little since I use fenders in the winter) but I don't keep water in that bottle anyway. I use that mount for a cheap plastic water bottle filled with a spare tube, my multi-tool, some zip ties, and I don't remember what else.

The fork water bottles don't get dirty on my Fargo. It's a good place for them.

He also has the two other mount locations but the frame bag goes there.