I've been to many a race here on the west coast where single speeders do quite well, and some of the top single speeders are often riding rigid as well. Some of the best riders I can think of are single speeders. Compare the top overall race times for the singlespeeders against the others for the Cascade Cream Puff, a 100 mile/18000 ft climbing affair held near Westfir, OR http://www.cascadecreampuff.com/imag...lresults-1.pdf

My knees will tolerate some singlespeeding, like 5-7 percent sustained grades, but mostly I just admire the guys who can do it for all their riding.

I don't know how to explain that, it may be the terrain? I'm not sure what you mean by doing "quite well" hehe.. are they finishing top 40? Do you mean all the good athletes decided to race single speeds? Maybe that is why! It certainly has nothing todo with their technological handicap.

I ride a single speed 29er... I feel like I can keep up with people on geared bikes if not go faster. Riding SS has also made me faster because when you're on the trail and come up to a hill, you can either power your way up or walk it. It's going to be hard to pedal up a hill at under 30-40 cadence so you are forced to really push yourself to keep up your cadence.

There's a pretty decent climb at one of the local trails. On a SS bike I can get to the top faster than on a geared bike. This may be because I'm used to riding the SS or that I have to push myself to go fast or else I'll have to walk.

A big advantage of a single speed mountain bike is the lack of derailleurs. This means less mechanical problems.

I also ride a rigid 29er. It's a bit jarring at times, but it helps on the climbs/flats.

Riding a SS mountain bike is also really fun. I run a 33x22 gearing.

I always get a chuckle when people tell me they can go faster on their SS... really? why? Oh it was the gears holding you back! :D

Single-speed mountain bikes are just one more facet of riding to enjoy....or at least try out. It's always best to try it out for yourself and see if it suits you.

It's usually best, before bagging on/talking out one's ass about something, to perhaps try it out for one's-self.

As said, it is just another way to have fun riding a bike in the woods. Some people like it, some don't, and some have no clue, having never actually tried it.

I needed something to match all my skinny jeans.

No, no, no. You're getting yourself all mixed up. Those are for fixie hipsters. Well, and some dirt jumpers.

You know, like these guys.

http://hipsterpuppies.tumblr.com/

It's kinda funny that a lot of people on here sound like 1980's roadies who got asked "what's the fun of mountain biking?". All of the same pot smoking, trendster, etc. labels get passed right along.


Oh, and my answer to you is "why not?". SS's are WAY cheaper, less of a PITA to clean, and a hell of a lot of fun.

yep. add a suspension fork to front and rear der, cassette, shift levers cables/housing and that's 7lbs that i don't have to carry around now.
and for what it's worth, i'm tons faster now on my ss 29er than my $6,000 carbon s-works stumpy i sold a few months back.

"tons" sounds like a made up amount of time... is this like pinkbike tons we're talking about? :D

To be fair happyrobot, the removal of two chain-rings, 8 cassette sprockets, a rear mech and two shifter pods isn't near 7lbs.

I'm slow no matter what I ride.......... :mad:

Maybe you should go back to school!

My ss has two speeds. On and off.

I've done this race 3 times now - all on a geared bike - but I rarely shift on the climbing. It is a perfect race for a SS. All the climbing is pretty consistent and the down hilling is what it is - recovery time. On this long of a race climbing at one speed is not a bad thing - most of the SS guys gear at a 32X20, or close to that.

Maybe if they're in an area as flat as yours...

I actually saw a couple of guys riding fixies here yesterday, and sure enough, they had the ghey looking super tight jeans and over-styled hair. They really DO exist.

Why do I ride single speed MTB? So you have a reason to drink your Hatorade in the morning!

Wow. Chip on shoulder much?

Oh my, that's good.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...1/hatorade.jpg

let the haters hate, it's their job.

reading comprehension much?
guess you missed the part where i said suspension fork.
that's 4.5lbs off the front end right there.

I ride a singlespeed mountain bike. Bought it for the simplicity, and now I never ride my full suspension mountain bike. It adds a whole new dimension to riding when you have to push yourself to climb at full speed. It is also a full rigid! Great stuff!!!

All the winners of the local endurance races for the past couple years (Dusk til Dawn, NMES- Zuni Mtn 100). Not sure why, but I assure you it's true.

my bad...lol.. so you are going to wheelie and single speed the whole course!? Pretty sure we weren't talking about suspension forks anyway ya goof.