Singlespeeding...did you really enjoy it?

[Hard-Drive]

I keep having this little longing for a singlespeed (road bike) that won't go away.

I'm quite lucky as I have the option of riding a decent 07 full suss mountain bike, a very good 2008 road bike, and even a very nice retro roadie too if I fancy something a bit different. But this singlespeed thing just won't go away...I was even thinking about singlespeeding my retro bike, but the retro forums say it would be a waste, and I do kind of like it how it is now I've built it up.

So my question is this...has anyone in a similar position gone ss/fixed, and if so, did you stick with it, or after a few "trendy" rides go back to more gears and more speed and your single/fixed now sits unloved in the corner of the shed?

I was thinking about a Langster on the STW scheme, and I have to say the '09 model is gorgeous, but am I just being sucked in by the trendy marketing? Should I go and do 25 miles on my roadie on the same gear as a stock Langster and force myself NOT to change gear and then see what I think or is that just pointless? I guess once you have a Langster that's it...there's no gear hanger so it will only ever be a singlespeed...although if you bought an old hack from eBay/council tip and singlespeeded it I guess you could always have the option of adding gears/flat bars and making a pub/station bike if the singlespeed thing did not go well.

A mate has offered to lend me his fixed gear to see what I think...is this a good idea first or is singlespeeding a "grower"? My rides are mainly country rides in fairly flat terrain but with the odd hill here and there...no city riding here I'm afraid!

Thoughts please!

[chrisga]

STW? do you sycle to work????
Gears were invented for a reason, i.e. to give you something to do/play with when bored out of your skull whilst riding on the road.....

Edited by chrisga on Thursday 22 January 22:31

[Hard-Drive]

Trust you!!!!! Grammar pedant!!!!

Shuddup and you'd best start blowing up your tyres for Sunday!!!

[anonymous-user]

there is something about the langster i just dont like. i think its trying too hard. compare it to the Charge Plug and it looks awful. its like they just stripped a regular bike of the groupset and chucked on a single speed rather than getting into the concept of what a single speed is all about. to me the langster is a unit shifter on the back of a trend. for the same money you could find an old frame and do an awesome resto job on it...

[Hard-Drive]

Pablo the new "polished" Langster looks really good IMHO, it's very minimalist...much prefer it to the London and Monaco trendy jobs.



TBH on the BTW/CTW scheme it's very good value anyway, and it would be very easy to go in excess of what you'd actually pay for a Langster on the scheme. Anyway, I've already done the resto and Charge Plug thing rolled into one...here's my retro resto...



TBH ignore the actual bike, it's the whole ss thing I'm trying to get an honest opinion on...did you stick with it or subccumb to gears?

[anonymous-user]

the polished langster is very "charge" styling though.... i just think drop bars and a sloping top tube on a (road style) single speed look wrong.

currently looking for a single speed project, looking for an old kona probably or a big old raleigh/falcon road frame, not sure which, well actually whichever i find first in best condition at a cheap price....

as a "concept" (for want of a better word), single speed is a fashion thing as much as anything else if you arent a courier. fixies really help your pedalling style though and freewheels are very useful for reliability when you dont want the hassle of things breaking if commuting. its a fashion thing too, the whole "messenger chic" style is very popular with the old school roadie peaks and your stuff shoved in a courier bag.

claud butler looks neat

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 22 January 23:47

[Hard-Drive]

chrisga said:

STW? do you sycle to work????
Gears were invented for a reason, i.e. to give you something to do/play with when bored out of your skull whilst riding on the road.....

Edited by chrisga on Thursday 22 January 22:31

Oh, and by the way, are you not aware of the "singlespeed to work" scheme?

[mchammer89]

I got myself a Langster back in september and I can honestly say it's the most fun i've had on a bike, if you are going for a new one, go for the Langster, not the Plug, opinions will differ on looks, but the Langster is one of the lighter fixed wheels out there, whereas the Plug is at the other end of the spectrum, even the tyres are huge, go for something with a flip-flop so you can choose between fixed and SS, i'd definitely recommend fixed though, it's so much fun, plus it'll make you much smoother and stronger.

[Hard-Drive]

pablo said:

the polished langster is very "charge" styling though.... i just think drop bars and a sloping top tube on a (road style) single speed look wrong.

currently looking for a single speed project, looking for an old kona probably or a big old raleigh/falcon road frame, not sure which, well actually whichever i find first in best condition at a cheap price....

as a "concept" (for want of a better word), single speed is a fashion thing as much as anything else if you arent a courier. fixies really help your pedalling style though and freewheels are very useful for reliability when you dont want the hassle of things breaking if commuting. its a fashion thing too, the whole "messenger chic" style is very popular with the old school roadie peaks and your stuff shoved in a courier bag.

claud butler looks neat

Edited by pablo on Thursday 22 January 23:47

Pablo, I take your point on the sloping top tube...in fact I've only just got used to it on my Giant TCR but it makes a nicer ride IMHO. But I don't see anything wrong with drops...OK cow horns in the city but for riding on breezy country roads it's nice to be able to tuck down a bit or move your hands every so often. The Langster seems well priced, I just can't see how some manufacturers are charging £600 for a SS bike when I paid £950 (OK a big reduction) for my Fuel EX7 full susser which is infintely more complicated and more carefully engineered that a rigid road bike with no gears!

Trust me, it really is not for fashion/coolness for me...(no new s/s is as cool as my Claud anyway, thanks for the compliment BTW!), it's the fitness thing, being able to get more out of a short ride, and improve technique etc whilst having something that is not going to suffer when it comes back from a road ride looking like it's just been cyclo crossing and gets chucked in the shed.

But back to my original question and ignoring any "chic", do you ride SS and do you still pick up your SS bike in preference to a geared bike sometimes?

[deckster]

I've no idea about fashion or anything like that (just ask my wife...) but I've SSed my two commuting hacks, both for ease of maintenance and fitness reasons. The maintenance speaks for itself, no gears to go out of alignment or anything, but I was blown away by the immediate and noticeable gains in fitness. My route to work has a few hills, nothing earth shattering but enough to get the heart going and generally I'd be lazy and drop down to the biggest cogs to get up them. Going SS (44-16) was really tough the first couple of weeks but then I got used to it. When I got back on the MTB and went to play the next weekend I was amazed at how much fitter I was, honestly wasn't expecting it to make that much difference that quickly. Can't recommend it enough if you're a lazy git like me that can't be bothered with a real training regime

ETA - to answer the question above, yes if I'm just popping into town or something now I won't even consider taking a geared bike, I'll just grab the SS commuter and go.

Edited by deckster on Friday 23 January 10:18

[ode]

I kknow it's mountain biking as opposed to the road bike theme of this thread, but I use my singlespeed mountain bike 90% of the time while my geared full susser sits there gathering dust. Dunno why, I love riding them both, just that the SS seems like that little bit more fun, and that's what it's all about isn't it? :-)

I'm after a SS road bike for the summer too..... was thinking about a Plug myself, I'll be watching this thread with interest.

Edited by ode on Friday 23 January 10:18

[sjg]

I went SS on my hack bike (was commuter, now "riding to shops/pub" bike) when I built it. Good for maintenance (it's not needed any despite living outside), good for city riding (can't be in the wrong gear at the lights), good for seeing progress on your fitness (can't make hills easier, so it's obvious when you've got better), and I enjoy the minimalism - both for looks and the "nothing to do but pedal and brake" perspective.

Not sure I'd want a more general road bike to be SS though. It's tricky finding a good balance between hill-climbing and speed on the flat/downs so if I was venturing off where hills are steeper I'd want gears.

[chrisga]

Hard-Drive said:

Trust you!!!!! Grammar pedant!!!!

Shuddup and you'd best start blowing up your tyres for Sunday!!!

I could be even more of a pedant, you do know we are going Saturday right?

[Matt H]

I am just singlespeeding an old Kona Cinder Cone & can't wait!

I realise it might be a fad & I don't enjoy it. But I have got other bikes to do specific roles (road bike, Full Sus, Hard tail - new so most used & a bike on the turbo).

I am doing it to see if I can, if I can't get a set of wheels for sunday (trying to get it all for free / 2nd hand)it will be finished & Llandegla here I come!

[Bolebroke]

Living in SW6 I can not envisage a better way of getting around town(any town) than a single speeder. I have about 30 bikes ..but the bset by far is my 1970s Roy Thame track bike with freewheel. No maintenance, beautifully simple and a joy to ride. Fixed wheels are best on the track, not going through Parliament Square. The cheap, massed-produced langsters etc might not have the coolness of converted english marques but what a great way to travel. Why would anyone drive a car in London on a regular basis....? Sold my Vanquish 2 years ago...

[chrisga]

Cool, I used to have a vanquish too, handled pretty well and plenty of power....

Edited by chrisga on Friday 23 January 15:23

[mk1fan]

I have a Mong-One Chavbred that is set for s/s for the commute to work (London) and I throw gears on it for Touring duties.

S/s for commuting (in London) makes perfect sense to me as I only ever seemed to use two or three gears and ended up with a half worn rear cassette.

If you're looking to get a dedicated commuter then go s/s and enjoy the extra speed of your Giant when you don't have a rucksack or panniers to lug around

[mchammer89]

Definitely go for a flip-flop hub, yes, you may be one of those who tries fixed and doesn't like it (in a minority) but you can freely switch between freewheel and fixed, most OTP bikes come with a flip-flop anyway.

[skibum]

I have just finished Singlespeeding my old 95 Kona and initially had the same worries as you - will I like it?

I have to say now that I have done it and ridden it, I absolutely love it. Its so nice to not have to worry about wether or not you are in the right gear or not. You can concentrate on what is happening around you - be it traffic in the city, or taking in the view in the countryside.

Find an old hack, transform into a singlespeed using a cheap kit (can do for about 30 notes) and give it a go - if you like it, you can either keep going on it, or build a dedicated project.

[Beyond Rational]

Gears? Are they really that much of a concern!?

If I lived in a flatish area with short, sharp hills, I might consider it but in hilly areas it seems a bit pointless walking.

Thumbshifters are the future.