Single speed or not??

mkdon05

I've decided to change my commuter bike from a hybrid to a road bike. I like the idea of a Langster but wanted some opinions on s/s versus regular gears.
What are the benefits of a s/s?
The langster is 599euro but would spend up to about 800euro on a regular road bike. Any suggestions? (not a big fan of giant or trek)

Morgan

mkdon05 wrote: »

I've decided to change my commuter bike from a hybrid to a road bike. I like the idea of a Langster but wanted some opinions on s/s versus regular gears.
What are the benefits of a s/s?
The langster is 599euro but would spend up to about 800euro on a regular road bike. Any suggestions? (not a big fan of giant or trek)

Advantages of a singlespeed:
Less maintenance, less risk of theft (maybe not - the Langster is a nice looking bike). If your route has hills you might feel you're in the "wrong gear" a lot of the time.

You can also set it up as a fixed gear which is a totally different kettle of fish.

Road bike suggestions:
Specialized Allez
Something from Focus

Raam

I just switched to a SS for my commute. Best thing I ever did (besides cycling for my commute in the first place). It makes it very easy to keep clean and lets me keep my normal road bike for the weekends. It also makes it seem very easy to pedal when you switch back to the regular bike when you run your SS as a fixed wheel. I say go for it

niceonetom

i ride a langster (fixed) and really enjoy it.

if you're unsure of whether you could manage without gears i'd suggest you pick a good mid-range gear on your hybrid and just don't change it (you'll probably have to experiment to find the right gear for you (42:16 is standard on a lot of ss), but once you do, stick with it).

if you want to go faster you have to pedal faster, if you come to a hill don't gear your way out of trouble, just get out of the saddle and keep turning those cranks. if you can do this for a week (without cheating!) and it doesn't annoy the hell out of you then single speed might be for you.

as for fixed, well i love it but i've met others who don't. it's hard to explain the feeling if you haven't tried it, and it's a little bizarre at first, but addictive.

the advantages are as Morgan says, simplicity and less maintenence. i also like the fact that my bike is almost totally silent, and, well, a bit odd.

mkdon05

I do have to contend with a few hills on my commute but maybe a s/s will help me when i go out on my spins on the normal road bike?
Decision decisions

thats a good idea niceonetom, think i'll try that for a few days and see!
Cheers

niceonetom

mkdon05 wrote: »

I do have to contend with a few hills on my commute but maybe a s/s will help me when i go out on my spins on the normal road bike?
Decision decisions

i definitely think that riding ss (even more so for fixed) improves technique and teaches your legs how to both grind and spin.

Itsfixed

niceonetom wrote: »

i ride a langster (fixed) and really enjoy it.

if you're unsure of whether you could manage without gears i'd suggest you pick a good mid-range gear on your hybrid and just don't change it (you'll probably have to experiment to find the right gear for you (42:16 is standard on a lot of ss), but once you do, stick with it).

if you want to go faster you have to pedal faster, if you come to a hill don't gear your way out of trouble, just get out of the saddle and keep turning those cranks. if you can do this for a week (without cheating!) and it doesn't annoy the hell out of you then single speed might be for you.

as for fixed, well i love it but i've met others who don't. it's hard to explain the feeling if you haven't tried it, and it's a little bizarre at first, but addictive.

the advantages are as Morgan says, simplicity and less maintenence. i also like the fact that my bike is almost totally silent, and, well, a bit odd.

I've done this too - selected a gear on my geared bike to see which SS ratio would suit, but when I went to do the conversion, it surpassed my expecations because the tranmission is soo much smoother, and your bike becomes much lighter and more sprightly. do it!

niceonetom

Itsfixed wrote: »

I've done this too - selected a gear on my geared bike to see which SS ratio would suit, but when I went to do the conversion, it surpassed my expecations because the tranmission is soo much smoother, and your bike becomes much lighter and more sprightly. do it!

you're dead right.

find the right ratio on your geared bike, and then subtract a tooth from the back. ie if 48:18 feel's ok on the hybrid, 48:17 will feel great on the ss.

mkdon05: if you want to compare ratios this is a handy tool.
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/articles/steve-cadence/gear_calculator_fordfasterr.html

rp

Morgan wrote: »

Advantages of a singlespeed:
... less risk of theft (maybe not - the Langster is a nice looking bike).

This doesn't apply to SS, but can you imagine someone robbing a fixie (if they don't regularly ride one)? First corner or junction they'd be airborne...

ruprect

rp wrote: »

This doesn't apply to SS, but can you imagine someone robbing a fixie (if they don't regularly ride one)? First corner or junction they'd be airborne...

There was a thread about such a thing happening, some tiny lad stealing a 6ft2" lads fixie and not knowing what to do. Also saw a "honey pot" setup on youtube, they left a bike in compton and videoed a guy robbing it. Had a fixie and all sorts of other stuff done to it, greased grips dodgy brakes etc.

rp

ruprect wrote: »

... saw a "honey pot" setup on youtube, they left a bike in compton and videoed a guy robbing it. Had a fixie and all sorts of other stuff done to it, greased grips dodgy brakes etc.

found it
here. Trouble is, the blag-ee would get done for endangering the life of the blag-er

mkdon05

little gypsies!!

That will probably happen me if i flipped the wheel to fixed

flickerx

Seems like there's a lot of threads lately about conversion to fixed or single speed bikes. Maybe a 'sticky' posting could be made about it, and all queries dumped in there?

pete4130

Fixed is good enough but if your feeling tired or lazy you dont have the option to cruise or freewheel. I've got single speed, track and good road bike. My favourite bike from the lot is my single speed. An old Raleigh from the 70's I got years ago for €30 and I got a set of old bmx racing hub and built them onto some Mavoc 700c rims about 18 months ago (all in all about €300 spent on it). Its a pleasure to cycle, everyone who has ever ridden it wants it. IT doesn't look great but it is very fast and isn't too bad for hills considering it has a 52/16 gear ratio. The reduced weight helps alot and the low maintenance is sweet on it. If I had to keep one bike over the others the single speed would win outright rather than my €1200+ roadbike or track bike. I even raced an alleycat on my single speed a few months ago and placed midway against the courriers on the bike.

If you want a cheap single speed, get an old road frame, get some cheap single speed hubs (suzue BMX hubs are what I'm using) and build them onto some cheap Mavic 700c rims. Happy days!

My bike also looks like old piece of crap so its not attractive to thieves, but it runs sweet.

Ghost Rider

I love my singlespeed too - particularly the noise it makes i.e. none. Trouble is, with all this unfettered enthusiasm for singlespeeds (whether freewheel or fixed) going around, we're in danger of alerting Internet-enabled bike thieves to the fact that they are actually quite desirable, and therefore rob-able.

Maybe we should just stop this conversation right now...

niceonetom

Ghost Rider wrote: »

I love my singlespeed too - particularly the noise it makes i.e. none. Trouble is, with all this unfettered enthusiasm for singlespeeds (whether freewheel or fixed) going around, we're in danger of alerting Internet-enabled bike thieves to the fact that they are actually quite desirable, and therefore rob-able.

Maybe we should just stop this conversation right now...

c'mon nackers can't read, but i think singlespeed/fixed is the next-big-thing in cycling. in a couple of years they'll have taken the place of all those crappy full suspension bikes in the argos catalogue. then when they have access to pictures of fixies ours'll be prime targets for the little feicers.

fish-head

It's already red hot in America but to be honest I think it's a bit of a passing fad, people will go back to wanting their nice gears more than a 'cool' fixed gear bike.

I'll still be on one though!

Ghost Rider

I reckon so. Truth be told, cycling with only one gear, whether freewheel or fixed, probably won't appeal to the lard-assed masses.

fish-head wrote: »

It's already red hot in America but to be honest I think it's a bit of a passing fad, people will go back to wanting their nice gears more than a 'cool' fixed gear bike.

I'll still be on one though!

copacetic

it does seem to be turnng into a bit of a craze, don't understand it myself. but then I don't think I could handle the commute home in one gear (D4 to stepaside)

mkdon05

Well I've made my decision. I pick up my Langster tommorow!!!
Cant wait for it. I've been using just one gear on my hybrid for the last 5 days and it has been good so minds made up!!

unionman

mkdon05 wrote: »

Well I've made my decision. I pick up my Langster tommorow!!!
Cant wait for it. I've been using just one gear on my hybrid for the last 5 days and it has been good so minds made up!!

Good for you! You won't regret it. Made the switch two months ago and it is completely addictive. For all of the reasons posted above, no sense my repeating them . Hope you enjoy it. Go fixed gear as soon as possible, I waited a year out of fear / laziness - don't know what I was thinking. Are you getting the new 08 Langster (green and white)? It's a lovely bike. The limited edition city range Langsters are beautiful (apart from the AWFUL London) - Chicago and New York models especially cool and very distinctive.

Anyway, happy / safe cycling to you. Attack those hills and enjoy all the silent speed. People will notice how happy it makes you;)

flickerx

mkdon05 wrote: »

Well I've made my decision. I pick up my Langster tommorow!!!
Cant wait for it. I've been using just one gear on my hybrid for the last 5 days and it has been good so minds made up!!

Well, how have you been getting on?
Did you get it put to a fixed gear, or just left it on the single speed?

(Go fixed ASAP is my advice...)

mkdon05

Hey, I got it last night!!!!:)
Jebus its like a rocket!! Its on the freewheel. (didnt fancy taking it as fixed for the first run home through town).
I might switch it this evening and have a bit of a spin. (Is it just a case of loosening the nuts and flipping it around? is there any problems taking the chain off?)

Makes my hybrid feel like a tonne of bricks:D

niceonetom

mkdon05 wrote: »

Hey, I got it last night!!!!:)
Jebus its like a rocket!! Its on the freewheel. (didnt fancy taking it as fixed for the first run home through town).
I might switch it this evening and have a bit of a spin. (Is it just a case of loosening the nuts and flipping it around? is there any problems taking the chain off?)

Makes my hybrid feel like a tonne of bricks:D

congrats dude. you're now officially one of the cool kids. :cool:

which langster did you get? one of the city themed one's or the vanilla original?

shouldn't be a problem flipping the wheel, just make sure you get the chain tension about right i.e. not too tight, not too loose.

flickerx

mkdon05 wrote: »

Hey, I got it last night!!!!:)
Jebus its like a rocket!! Its on the freewheel. (didnt fancy taking it as fixed for the first run home through town).
I might switch it this evening and have a bit of a spin. (Is it just a case of loosening the nuts and flipping it around? is there any problems taking the chain off?)

Makes my hybrid feel like a tonne of bricks:D

Changing it around is easy, it has the rear facing dropouts right? Just loosen out the nuts and flip it around, thats all there is to it. Slip the chain on when the wheel is pushed all the way in towards the front of the bike, and then just pull the wheel out then to where you want to tighten up the nuts. The only thing you have to watch is to make sure you tighten up the wheel straight.

I have the brown coloured version of it, not everyone's favourite version but I like it. Its been in the shed now for a while cause I was away and the weather's not been great, but I must dig it out for some fixed fun & frolics this weekend.

My hybrid feels the same when I get on it these days... feels like cycling through glue.

mkdon05

niceonetom wrote: »

which langster did you get? one of the city themed one's or the vanilla original?

I got the original one, boston green.

I've just been informed of Friday Beers, so thats tonights spin out the window! Cycling passion hasn't quite drowned out my alchoholism just yet:D