My geared bikes work. Really well.
Besides, I remember riding one-geared bikes as a kid. I
also remember walking up a lot of hills, just like I often see SS riders doing.I keep reading articles about how singlespeed devotees swear by their simpler, easier-to-maintain machines. But on Friday my friend John and I rode over Johnson Pass and had to slog through several miles of mud. Our gears were packed with bear shit-flavored gumbo and wrapped with thick weeds.
At one point, I couldn't see any teeth on my middle ring—it was a solid disc of mud. The spaces between my rear cogs were a mass of brown and green. Same for the front and rear derailleurs, which were covered in inches of crud. The chain was covered, too, and had to pass through two enormous masses of sticky mud as it moved through the derailleurs. My bike was as filthy and mud-packed as it has ever been.
Then an amazing thing happened.
Everything kept working.
Not flawlessly, but pretty damned well. When I needed them, the derailleurs I've ridden for three seasons with only basic maintenance kept doing
their jobs. I was able to access all the gear combinations I needed to finish a long, tiring ride. I shifted into the middle ring when we finally found good trail, and dropped back to the granny gear whenever I needed it for a short climb.Same thing with the rear cogs. I ran out of legs before I ran out of gears, so I don't even know how many cogs I could have used beyond the four I needed.
And how much time have I spent this summer futzing with derailleurs? Well, let's see ... I remember shooting some lube on them once in awhile, and I might have turned a barrel adjuster once or twice.
Sorry, singlespeeders, but I still don't get the fascination with doing things the hard way. I'll take a reliable set of derailleurs and shifters every day of the week.
1 comment:
We have two single speed mountain bikes in the garage. 26 and 29 inch wheeled bikes from One One. Neither one have suspension. People call it old school, but it's far from it. These bikes feel nothing like my old 89 Specialized Rock Hopper. They feel like modern mountain bikes. I have mine built at 23 pounds. I know a couple guys that have their's built around 20-21 lbs. The light weight, efficient chain line, combined with no power loss from moving suspension parts makes these bikes accelerate like crazy! On the right trail, these bikes rip.
That's the trick though...the right trail. Most of my riding is done on my lunch hour on fairly smooth trails, and with about 800-1000 feet of climbing. Perfect for the single speed. I read stories of all day epic rides on single speeds, but I think this is where their weakness is. But if you're looking to add new challenges to the same old trail, single speeds are great.
I also like them for winter riding. The drive train stays cleaner, since you don't have a derailleur dragging through the snow and mud. And there are less expensive moving parts (suspension) to contaminate with mud and water.
Finally, there's a sense of accomplishment. I did a big loop on the Tahoe Rim Trail on the 29er recently. When I got done it felt pretty awesome to have done it with just one gear!
I wouldn't say it's a replacement. I've been riding my hardtail the last couple weeks, since I didn't feel like riding as aggressive. They're just another fun bike to have...another tool in the shed!
Oh...and the simplicity is beautiful too! I could go on and on...
Post a Comment