I've been singing the praises of SS for about ten years to anyone who'll listen. It amazes me how few catch the fever. I've turned so many neighbors and friends onto bicycling over the years but none have ever considered SS. I always chuckle when I go on a ride with a newbie to cycling and they suggest I'll never be able to keep up if I only have one gear. (especially when they struggle along on heavy double-suspension, fat knobby, MTB, or a hybrid-comfort the LBS talked them into).

But one recent victory, --my daughter. Freshman at DePaul (Chicago-north side), she asked me to build her a "hipster single-speed like everybody rides in the city." Cool.

yep, cool enough:thumb:

at 48+ and having only drunk the kool-aid last year (and perfected the taste...!), i still have areas to explore (having done only xc racing and long rides on rugged trails) like singlespeed cyclocross and, yeah, fixie.

i admit, i hit a plateau lately and need to mix things up (like ride my geared cx bike on the road for some base miles), but all my bikes that aren't ss pretty much are 'cross-fit' training tools in service of singlespeeding performance and--the most important thing--ENJOYMENT!

my pitch to others about ss is simply this: i used to smile when i rode my bike :); on singlespeed, i LAUGH:lol:

I am 56 and bought a new Kilo SX3 and changed the wheel set to a 2 speed.

My SS is still my favorite ride and 95% of my workouts are done on it. Clipped in, no handing, with the tunes cranking in my ears (deserted roads or trails of course)... is the best part of my day!

There is something about just hopping on my FG and taking off. I tend to have more high energy rides, especially at the end of the ride. On my geared bikes, I'm usually dropping down into low gears climbing that last hill. on my FG, I have to attack it. The more tired I am, the harder I feel like I need to attack the hill, if only for fear that I can't make it up if I lolligag.

Took my 7-year olds and some friends to the BMX park yesterday and brought my SSCX just for fun. I was waiting for my turn at the top of the hill and some teenager looks at my bike and says "Are you really gonna ride that?"

Hell yes!

(I wish I'd gotten a picture.)

40 in August so I am jumping in early.


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...norman/172.jpg

The snow just melted, I'm going out to shake some rust off in my new town. Haven't ridden the track bike around here yet.

Would love to hear more about this beautiful build.

Can you post a link to the post on the ride bike forum where you detailed it, or better summarize here. Curious about chain tensioning and if it would be possible to do this as a fixed gear and other details.

Rob

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=243128http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=243129http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=243130http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=243127

Not bragging or band standing just lovin' my bike. at 70+ who knows how many miles are left!

@i'm paramount, i am sooo conflicted by you & your bike...

ride the very same frame myself, in one of its other iterations. in fact i love that particular frame so much that even tho my previous 2 were wrecked when i got run down twice in under 6 mos i still tempted fate & went back to the same thing again. i also have always resented how badly fuji, with that silly gold bling obey hook-up, & se, & its horrible blue dragon premium brew abortion, treated such a great frame.

now your pics with that hub & those fenders & everything else going on with your bike make my head hurt.

first i want to castigate you for doing such things to that frame. then i think that considering your age, i should be giving you attaboys for riding any bike any way that you want. but then worse, i suddenly realize that you don't have more than a few years on me & it makes me squirm a lil.

anyway, much as i hate to admit it & i never planned on posting in this thread - i do qualify (but goddammit i am not going to hang around in that over 50 forum), so here is my version of the same frame as on i'm paramount's bike

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...100_3886-1.jpg

I have wondered more than once what by bike would look like "naked" -- thanks now i'm over it.

Gorgeous and very close to what I hope my build looks like in a few months.

Looks good!

Felt good to be back in the FG saddle again last night. My pedals were shot on my Schwinn Cutter. I went down to the LBS to get some new ones, but decided to order something other than what they had on hand. I went back to check a week later and, well, they forgot to put the order in (duh). By the time I picked them up and put them on the bike, it was at least another week later. In the meantime I rode one of my coasty bikes.

Put almost 30 miles on he FG last night and it was great riding fixed again. I still can't explain what is better about FG, but I like it. I seem to have more energy and ride more aggressively when I can't downshift. The gearing (46/18) isn't ridiculously high so I top out pretty quick I guess, but I can get up all the hills I encounter, as long as I attack them with vigor. Nothing more to say I guess; just glad to be back on the FG.

You're running dual brakes so you are clearly of an old enough mindset to be here. ;)

Schwinn Panther SS
 

Had this bike about 12 years, made some improvements but it is actually heavier now than when new! Still really light, makes me smile to ride it because it handles so well - they really got the geometry right on this one. And that is an aluminum frame, made to look like the classic steel bike of the same name. Surprises not a few people when I draft them a few blocks in town, it looks like it should weigh 50lbs.

http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/...ro/Panther.jpg

I kind of like it, myself. Different from the usual cowhorns/no brakes/deep-V stuff you see from all the identical individualists. It's obviously a bike set up to use.

Now, the pics:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...r/IMG_0836.jpg

Trying them out

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...r/IMG_0970.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...r/IMG_0993.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...r/IMG_0980.jpg

last one is tripping me out with the reflection

Nice clean build. Love the colour.

I took this one on my ride tonight (just got back)... moon in the triangle, Venus near the handlebars

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...r/IMG_1011.jpg

i know you watched this show:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=246509

also, RIP star hustler

Nope. Sorry. I have no idea who that is.

47 here, I ride my fixed to Bart and work 4 days a week (unless I am going to skip the train on the way home, then hills and headwind require gears)
My Henry Burton
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c1...t/007cdcbc.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c1...t/f76a8d09.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c1...t/85206836.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c1...t/d3f98d60.jpg