Please don't get me wrong (or lock the thread, ahem), I understand the beauty of simplistic design and low maintenance (not to mention the ugliness of social trends), but after much pondering, I've realized why a singlespeed mtb is no good for me:

I like to go fast, really fast. I like to rip, shred, and rail. The only reason I climb is to make a withdrawl from the gravity bank ASAP.

And any gear combo that allows me to climb reasonably steep grades will get spun out and left behind shortly after the trail points downward. I guess if you’re a “coaster,” (weee!) SS is fine, but it’s definitely not worth it to me to sacrifice the speed.

Anybody feel the same way? Any singlespeeders who dissent?

I guess I'm a coaster...

the whole rigid fork thing is taking some getting used to.

I like the SS for short workouts during the week but if I'm really going ridingI'm with you. I'm spinning to the top to get the good runs downhill. I do like the workout as well.

I am all for discussion on the topic ...its when its a pure 100% troll just looking to piss people off I will close it off...

ss, for me, is fun for the odd ride but I would never go back to gears for a dj street bike

I do think you learn how to maintain your speed better. On a SS I can't be lazy. I have to pedal and maintain momentum, where, with gears. I can get away with being a little lazy

I have 2 bikes, a SS hardtail and a geared FS, so i understand the slowness of the SS, but i still prefer its simplicity.

Singlespeed is not for everyone.

Is this the 3rd post about ss bikes sucking today? I like the idea as a second or third bike, but I like the gears I have. Its the same as the rigid, hardtail, full suspension debate, its just personal preference.

pedal faster

single speed can be slower, depending on where you are riding, but i still like it, makes me work harder, i can't wuss out (not to be mean to shifters). keeps me in shape

i also like it because it's much less to go wrong! no derailers and crap to break.

I hate gears.

Even with my Sram X7 components, when they were properly tuned, they sucked. And I have a tendency to bend the hanger like the day after I get it fixed, so it sucks even more...

Now I just ride my BMX bike, and in the spring I'll either get an SS frame and build it up or just get a SS kit for the hardrock.

Exactly! I don't get it why all these threads are coming up on how they hate SS's. That's great, you don't like SS'ing. It's not for you, we get it, now get over it!

I like going fast, but I also like technical riding. My SS MTB is geared at 34:16. Its a slow climber, but with enough muscle and finesse I get to the top. When the trail turns downhill, I get going as fast as the trail allows and rarely spin out. On pavement I coast for sure, but I rarely ride my MTB on the road, thats what my roadie is for. I love SS, but to each his/her own! I agree that a bike is an individual choice and that no one should come down on any one else's decisions. Kudos to all that ride any kind of bikes! Pure discussion is great, but don't judge, just ride!

I'll never go back to a geared bike.

I'm not saying I disagree with SS because I have never tried one but what sperates a SS from being nothing more than a large BMX bike with knobbier tires, especially a rigid one?

Uhh, mtn bike geometry ....

Uhh, some mountain bikes have VERY similar geometry to that of a BMX bike. And what exactly is mountain bike geometry? XC? DH?

Nothing!!! Mine isn't a full rigid, but it does take me back to the "good ole' days". Aside from all the positives, listed here and in other threads: cheaper/lighter/tougher/etc/blah/blah/blah.... SS's are a ton of fun. They make you work harder sometimes, but they allow you to enjoy the rides more. You get to enjoy more views, and focus on your surrounding rather than shifting. Ok, I know someone will say that shifting is done subconciously after a while. I agree! On my geared roadie, I don't think about shifting, but I do do it subconciously and personally, I'd rather my subconcious was busy thinking about ladies/food/clouds/food/or ladies! right? anybody else feel me on this one??? (mind you, I'm not being sexist, just trying to illustrate some of the wonderful things in life that I'd rather have my mind be occupied with).

I think if you are in good enough shape you can pick a gear that is high enough to climb and low enough not to spin out.

And the only thing you are in danger of spinning out on is pavement or a long straight smooth trail

In my experience most MTBer's can't spin very fast at all and they start bouncing and spinning out at 90 rpm's. But, that is because a lot mf MTBers don't get out on the road and improve their cycling, due to a variety of reasons, the most notably being that 'roadies suck' and such. You should be able to spin at 120 rpm for a while no problem eliminating most spin outs

That being said , if my mountain biking consisted of only steep climbing and descending=, and that was the riding available to me, I don't know if I would pick the singlespeed as my weapon.

I find it too rooty down here for riding with a rigid fork to be pleasant.

However I think most of the rides around atlanta are ideally suited for ss.
There are very few long climbs(1mile+)
Most of the descents are pretty technical.
For the most part riding to the trailhead is not an option.

Under such circumstances the ease of maintence and bomb-proofness of a ss set up is great while the drawbacks are rarely felt. On my ride yesterday I didn't spin out once(but I do have a ridiculously fast spin) and there was only one climb where I had to get off for more then a couple of meters.

If I was back home(OR) with alot of extended climbs and fast logging road descents I think a ss would be alot less desireable. Plus it would make leaving from the house a less feasible option.

nope, that's when I crash. It's especially bad to have your mind wandering on a road ride, unless you like getting run over. I'd rather bring the Ipod, put in one ear piece, and jam to some tunes rather than letting my mind wander.

I like riding full suspensions, and i hear its hard to install a SS on those frames. I dont like hard tails, and where i ride gears are needed. even a third chain ring is needed unless you want to spin out or only go 27 mph downhill.
My brother has a SS bianchi and its light as hell and looks good.. i couldn't imagine not having gears though... i use them all the time, even in 2 feet of snow.

I 100% agree with gastro, gotta have real easy gears for climbing and harder gears for speed on disents. Just has to be that way.

i don't mind having one pretty hard gear,
because i care more about going down fast than going up fast.
and if i have to walk it i have to walk it.
i don't mind that either.

but gears are definitely the most efficient,
most practical (if your drivetrain is reliable),
and most versatile setup for a mountain bicycle.

Yeah, I guess I'm slowly finding that out. I hadn't ridden rigid before so I'm still getting used to it. Of course it's a 29er too, so I made too many changes at once to be able to properly analyze the new ride. I think it's cool, but I hate the tires I have on it now. Too fat, thats right, TOO FAT. exiwolf 2.3's. I liked the cyclocross tires I had on it before. I think I'm gonna go back.

I haven't been on a SS bike in years, so my input might not be worth a whole heck of a lot. But I've never been much of a shifter either. I usually only use about three gear combos while trail riding. So I think that 27+ speeds are excessive on a bike. I guess I'm kinda in the middle somewhere. But I can see where riding a SS bike will provide a different challenge or at least a different feel. Kinda like breaking out the old rigid bike and hitting some of the trails that you breeze over on a HT or FS bike.

er ? so what

I can hang on my SS in a race just fine. though i guess I could
get dropped if the race was all flat.

I like both my geared MTB and my SS. I like the monster leg blowouts
and super high cadence (>130>140) I need on the SS chasing geared pals.

I like the simplicity on the SS. I can barrel through sticks with abandon.
and I must climb hard. there is no option. so up hills I go.

my SS is my serious bike, and the geared one has become my tooling around
bike. I only use gears when I am linking trails via roads. though, there is something
to be said for maintaining 120-130 rpm for 4 miles looking around