Single speeds rule! (because derailleurs hate me)

[cruisehard]

Ok...who here prefers single speeds over multi-speeds and why? I had a chance to race my buddy who owns a Townie 7d and I was able to blast by him on flat with my ss Rat Rod...he was in 7th and said, "how the crap did you just do that?!" :lol:
I was thinking about getting a 8i Townie, but maybe all those gears are not that necessary....I would have to get off the bike and walk it up a very steep incline anyway.
Thoughts?

 

[Rooski]

Re: Single speeds rule all thread!

I love single speeds for their simplicity, lack of noise, and lower pedaling resistance, but with the varying terrain, in my hood, combined with my 50 year old knees, gearing is more practical. I really like the Nexus 7's (I have three, so far), and I'm planning to update my 3i Fink to a 7i. Once I got spoiled with the 7's, the 3's just aren't enough.

I have 1 Schwinn single speed cruiser, and I do like to take it out, occasionally. The lack of noise, and the lack of noticeable increased pedaling resistance, that you feel with the planetary gearing systems, is a welcomed change. If I lived in a totally flat area, I can live with a single speed, full time.

Oh, and I refuse to have to push my bikes up hills. If I came across a mountain I couldn't pedal over, I would pedal around it. I'm an ex mountain biker, and had always prided myself on making the climbs. I just assume limit my pushing activities to shopping carts, and wheelbarrows

The important thing is to just get out and ride, and if all I had was a single speed cruiser, I know I wouldn't ride, as much.

BTW, is your car a single speed, too?

 

[cruisehard]

Re: Single speeds rule all thread!

haha no...my car is not single speed. Bicycles with derailleurs seem to hate me...chains always seem to fall off when I ride one.

 

[TurfwarVSE]

Re: Single speeds rule all thread!

I love single speeds for The fact of simplicity and it's less that can go wrong.

But I do believe in a race two people in same physical shape one on a regular single speed and one on a multi geared bike and the person knows how to shift properly, the geared bike would win.

 

[Rooski]

Re: Single speeds rule all thread!

Bicycles with derailleurs seem to hate me...chains always seem to fall off when I ride one.

That's because derailleurs basically suck. If you ever get a chance to try out an Internal 7 speed (or more) hub with a coaster brake, do it. You may get hooked. The best part is, being able to shift to any gear while sitting still. If you had to come to a sudden stop in top gear, you can simply shift to 1st before taking off, again. No more grinding, and no more lost chains! They do have some drawbacks, which are easily outweighed by their benefits. And they're reliable, too. All three of my Nexus 7's are about 10 years old, have probably never been serviced, and they work perfectly.

And, they have a clean, simple look, too.

They are a bit pricey, but I found it to be more economical to find a used beater that is already equipped with one. The bike pictured was bought for $150. I just had to clean it up, and I added the rack.

I recently bought a late 90's Raleigh Retroglide cruiser with a Nexus 7, for $140. I swapped the wheelset for a single speed set (which a friend had given me), and quickly (within a day) resold it as a single speed bike for $60, so it's like I bought the Nexus 7 set for $80, which ain't bad, considering what I see them sell for on Ebay.

 

[badmuller]

I use to ride single speeds most of the time and still my favourite.

Had a sa 3 speed bike once that had its benefits too(mostly uphill or windy wheather).
Had several derailleur bikes, they are ok if well adjusted and you make correct use of the shifter.
The ride lousy if you don't position the shifter right.
I found that it is wise to listen to the chain going over the sprokets if there's to much ratle you must adjust.
By far a bike i would use in a sprint. to much labour to get it up to speed :wink:

I am very curious about the nexus 7 and the new 8(with the redline on it,
seems to be better than the first 8speed nexus.

but single speed is prob the most reliable.

 

[Rooski]

Had a sa 3 speed bike once that had its benefits too(mostly uphill or windy wheather).

Yeah, I can't tell you how many times I took off on a long ride, not realizing I had a stiff wind at my back, and then turning around to discover I had to fight a strong headwind to get back.

Anyone ever mount a weather vane to their bike?

 

[cruisehard]

Re: Single speeds rule all thread!

Bicycles with derailleurs seem to hate me...chains always seem to fall off when I ride one.

That's because derailleurs basically suck. If you ever get a chance to try out an Internal 7 speed (or more) hub with a coaster brake, do it. You may get hooked. The best part is, being able to shift to any gear while sitting still. If you had to come to a sudden stop in top gear, you can simply shift to 1st before taking off, again. No more grinding, and no more lost chains! They do have some drawbacks, which are easily outweighed by their benefits. And they're reliable, too. All three of my Nexus 7's are about 10 years old, have probably never been serviced, and they work perfectly.

And, they have a clean, simple look, too.

I have yet to ride a bike with an internal gear hub...shifting while standing still would be awesome.

 

[Pudge]

ROOSKI - I sent you a PM with a Nexus 7 question. I didn't want to change the direction of the original thread so I sent it privately. Thanks

 

[Wildcat]

Try a 2 speed automatic. Either an old one or the up and coming new SA 2 speed. No shift cables and all internal gearing. The coaster brake makes it even simpler.

 

[Pinche]

I love single speeds and fixed gear but this past weekend I wish I had gears. I raced my first cross country mountain bike race in years and it totally kicked my .... Even with a low 36/20 gear setup. That bike will get gears ASAP but everything else will be ss or fixed.

 

[hubgearfreak]

you can probably guess from my user name what my feelings are.....yeps - d*r**ll**rs are ugly, vulnerable, unreliable, in constant need of tweaking and leave you with an assymetrical weak back wheel and thin, quick to wear out chain.

but having tried single speed i don't think that's for me. the headwinds round here are killers somedays.

so, SA AW or sachs T3 3 speeds are the most reliable and simple variable gear systems for bikes, whilst the sachs/sram spectro 7 is a delight to use, fairly cheap (from ebay.de) and very, very reliable. sram i-motion 9 is also a dream, with a really wide range, but it comes at a price in terms of £s and kgs. the rolhoff is the ultimate i suppose, but the cost : extra range ratio compared to the imotion9 just doesn't seem sensible to me.

i've ridden a few bikes with sh*m*n* hubs, and i certainly wouldn't buy one or fit one to any bike of mine. if you read marco's brillaint hubgear review you'll see that plenty of people have had sh*m*n* hubs pack up on them, with very few reported problems with sachs/sram or older SA.

 

[Social Reject]

I've been riding my single speed coaster brake cruiser for the last several months on trips to the local town center. I have a 6 to 10 mile ride round trip depending on which way I take. I have lots of fair sized hills too with very little flat land. I've been riding a 2008 Trek Classic cruiser and I don't have any complaints. I really like the single speed and I can honestly say I almost prefer it over a multi geared bike. I do like the fact that it's simple and I don't have to think about what gear to be in. I just ride.

Most folks complain about hills and single speed bikes, but that's not what I find to be the drawback. For me it is simply top speed. When coasting DOWNHILL, I find that the bike tops out very quickly and I'm left flailing my feet round and round and getting nothing but air....no drive....(I'm sure you all have experienced that). Those are the times when I want more gears. I'd like to go faster.

Uphills, eh....not a problem. I just stand up and grit my teeth. I am doing this for my health afterall. I PREFER to work a little harder going uphill. :wink:

 

[Rooski]

I've been riding my single speed coaster brake cruiser for the last several months on trips to the local town center. I have a 6 to 10 mile ride round trip depending on which way I take. I have lots of fair sized hills too with very little flat land. I've been riding a 2008 Trek Classic cruiser and I don't have any complaints. I really like the single speed and I can honestly say I almost prefer it over a multi geared bike. I do like the fact that it's simple and I don't have to think about what gear to be in. I just ride.

Most folks complain about hills and single speed bikes, but that's not what I find to be the drawback. For me it is simply top speed. When coasting DOWNHILL, I find that the bike tops out very quickly and I'm left flailing my feet round and round and getting nothing but air....no drive....(I'm sure you all have experienced that). Those are the times when I want more gears. I'd like to go faster.

Uphills, eh....not a problem. I just stand up and grit my teeth. I am doing this for my health afterall. I PREFER to work a little harder going uphill. :wink:

Well, another thing I like about having gears, is having a choice of "stand and grind", or "sit and spin". Depending on my mood, I'll change up, every now and then. You get to choose your workout, at any given time. Even on flat ground, it's nice to be able to alter your cadence, or pace, for something different.

 

[hubgearfreak]

I do like the fact that it's simple and I don't have to think about what gear to be in. I just ride.

i know what you mean, if you've got 12 gears, you spend a while faffing between ratios rather than just enjoying the ride

however, a 3 speed is the perfect compromise - it doesn't take a genius to know that when the wind's behind you, you'll want the 80". when you're riding into the wind, the 60" and when you're climbing, the 45". :mrgreen:

 

[cruisehard]

I've been riding my single speed coaster brake cruiser for the last several months on trips to the local town center. I have a 6 to 10 mile ride round trip depending on which way I take. I have lots of fair sized hills too with very little flat land. I've been riding a 2008 Trek Classic cruiser and I don't have any complaints. I really like the single speed and I can honestly say I almost prefer it over a multi geared bike. I do like the fact that it's simple and I don't have to think about what gear to be in. I just ride.

Most folks complain about hills and single speed bikes, but that's not what I find to be the drawback. For me it is simply top speed. When coasting DOWNHILL, I find that the bike tops out very quickly and I'm left flailing my feet round and round and getting nothing but air....no drive....(I'm sure you all have experienced that). Those are the times when I want more gears. I'd like to go faster.

Uphills, eh....not a problem. I just stand up and grit my teeth. I am doing this for my health afterall. I PREFER to work a little harder going uphill. :wink:

That's pretty much how I feel...grinding up a hill on a single speed faster than your buddy with a derailleur is pretty sweet.

 

[Social Reject]

however, a 3 speed is the perfect compromise - it doesn't take a genius to know that when the wind's behind you, you'll want the 80". when you're riding into the wind, the 60" and when you're climbing, the 45". :mrgreen:

....so are you calling me an idiot? :wink: Just joking.

I know exactly what you mean. My wife has an Electra with a 7 speed internal and I have ridden it a bit myself. It is indeed nice.

I don't have a 3 speed, but I've thought a lot about putting one on another bike I have.

1, 3, 7, more.....why fight it? It's all good. I might as well get one of each. haha. :mrgreen:

 

[Social Reject]

That's pretty much how I feel...grinding up a hill on a single speed faster than your buddy with derailleur is pretty sweet.

No doubt.
Single speed bikes also make me feel like a kid again. I need that during this mid life crisis time of my life. :mrgreen:

 

[AirBoston]

I don't think I could do a single speed. With the hills I have around here, the three speed is barely enough. Someday I may change out my 3i for a 7 or 8i.

 

[hubgearfreak]

I don't have a 3 speed, but I've thought a lot about putting one on another bike I have.

i'd definitely get one, a sturmey AW, or sachs T3. both are very reliable, and even idiots like me and you :mrgreen: can dismantle, clean and reassemble the innards