Single Speed Cities
 

Alright! So we've got the single speed picture for Chicago and we've pretty much determined that Chicago is primarily a single speed kinda town due to its flat terrain. The only deterent to single speeds in Chicago is the wind. However, there must be more cities in North America where single speeds would thrive. I know that being an original from Ohio, I remember cycling most of Cleveland in basically one gear when I was riding my old English racer many years ago. I also remember riding both a Cruiser and a 10 speed in Key West, many years ago, where having gears was absolutely useless.

OTOH, having a single speed in Northern California seems practically useless to me, unless you limit your riding to within certain specific ranges that don't include mountains or hills. Since, I've been here in Northern California, all I can say, is that, if you like hills, you'll just love the Bay Area. This place is a genuine smorgasbord of hills and mountains. Which to me, would quite logically rule out single speeds...Right?...No. Wrong! In San Francisco, quite possibly the most hill and mountain chock-filled city in the Northern Hemisphere, there are thousands of single speeds. I can't for the life of me determine where these cyclists live or where they're going. However, I would presume that they all live and commute within the flattest portion of the city, and that would be the Mission district.

Are there other cities out there more like Chicago where the terrain begs for single speeds?

Are there other cities out there where you wouldn't expect so many single speeds, but their numbers illustrate their overwhelming popularity anyway, like in San Francisco?

What city do you live in and how single speed friendly (flat) is your city's terrain?

I think it depends on the person. Misskaz and I both went to Austin this spring with our fixed gears. We were both running 46/16, though I have 700c wheels and she has 650b. I loved the hills, she hated them.

Columbus, OH. I built up a fixie after realizing that I didn't often shift gears. Pulling a trailer, carrying a lot of weight, or riding in the snow, gears are nice to have. Washington D.C. wouldn't be bad, but there are some hills in Maryland, so it would depend how far out you went.

Although I don't live in the US I can give you some input...I live in a really hilly city and I climb like 300m everyday on my commute and I don't have any problem with it. You get used to it, when I started riding FG 48/19 it was hell now I run 50/17 and it's a breeze.

Maybe you got that backwards? You're saying 79 gear inches is easier for hills than 68 gear inches?

Toronto is pretty damn flat

I commute from Southeastern, Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island on a fixed gear everyday. Depending on the route I take, it's anywhere between 26 and 40 miles a day. Most of the ride is rolling hills. My house is located on the second highest point in Bristol County Massachusetts, so almost every destination is down hill or up hill for me. I'm currently riding 44/17 gearing.

My commute on a fixed gear started out as rehabiliation for nearly fatal leg injury that I suffered last year. I owned the fixed gear bike before the injury, but was still getting used to the ride, now I'm hooked.

The idea that single-speed/fixed gear bikes can't thrive in a hilly topography is a complete myth, most likely started by some skinny jean wearing, Pabst Blue Ribbon drinker, who found that the skinny jeans constricted at the knee whenever they needed to pedal up hill.

If you have the will power, stamina, and conditioning, it can be done.

650c. Not b. And I didn't hate them, I just had to HTFU.

That's what I meant. Also, you told me repeatedly that you hated them, so I assumed that meant that you hated them.

While your testimony does indeed fill my heart with refreshing awe and inspiration, I do feel that you'd have a sudden change of heart here in the Bay Area...

Makes perfect sense to me.

I don't even live in a big town, I literally live in the country and the terrain where I live is that wherever direction I go I have to climb.

Right on, just checking. For my weak little legs, I would have to get off and walk my bike up the hills if it was geared at 79 GI. Of course the downhills would be more fun than with 68 GI but yeah, I guess I was thinking about that all wrong - apologies.

So what exactly are you riding?

On the road, a '77 trek 930 conversion. 42x15 gearing.

I love riding my bike in the Bay Area.

+1

Went on an impromptu climb yesterday, 25ish miles, 5k-ish feet of climbing, and severely over geared.

I loved it.

Boise Idaho. Tons of folks on SS/FG here, myself included. Probably moreso because sw8t fixxays are hip and all that, but our terrain is still super flat. Unless you venture into the foothills for some real riding, the only hills in town are a few "benches." 50-100 ft max elevation gain. The rest of the city is a pancake. The only elevation on my 11 mile commute is the interstate overpass...

OTOH, we have some amazing climbing here too. The road to Bogus Basin ski resort is 3400 ft over 172 turns. I can do it in 1:10 race pace. The pros do it in 50mins. The ride down those 172 turns is even funner!

Fort Worth is mostly okay for FG although they aren't terribly common. The Trinity River winds through the city, and there are bluffs/ridges on either side of the river that make for some tough climbs, but they can largely be avoided with a few extra miles to find a shallower climb. No mountains though, just some hills that aren't particularly long.

So you mean you love Nob Hill and the Buena Vista!..Right? :twitchy:

So if you did this on a single speed, what in the world could you do with on a multi-geared bike?

...And just to think that you loved it! :eek:

PS.

Don't you guys live in the Mission?

Me *****ing out loud about how much it sucks while mashing up hills is how I motivate myself. I do the same thing during CX races.

I see. Either way, I love the hills there.

Houston. "Hill" work must be done on overpasses. Or just riding into the almost constant South-South East sea breeze/wind coming off the gulf. Yay, humidity!

Houston is flat and spread out, perfect for single/fixed riding. Pick a nice gear for zipping across town and HTFU when it's really windy.

I actually find it easier to climb fixed, than on a roadie. Climbing is all about keeping your momentum, and if you lose it, you're done.

The pedals don't stop turning, so you're forced to keep your momentum, so you're forced to keep climbing.