to singlespeed or not to singlespeed

[rizetech]

this is not mtb related, i need a road bike before i get another mtb, so keep that in mind!
has anyone got a singlespeed road/commuter bike and regretted it? gotten on, ridden for a week and just wished you had gears? Ideally it will be for fun/fitness - maybe commuting (with not too much to carry) and definitely on the really nice days where the trails are just too wet... I've had fun cruising around on a few single speeds but these are really short rides - before I go investing the time/money into it, has anyone really regretted it, or was it definitely a good choice and you haven't ridden the geared bike since?

I'm not concerned with keeping up at group rides, and won't be carrying a lot of things, maybe just a change of clothes when commuting, so I'm not too worried about being able to not sweat / being able to stay seated while I climb.

Any thoughts appreciated! I've gone over sheldon's article and spent some forum time, but it's better to have it specific to this area i figure.

[markie]

Single-speed on the road is boring. It lacks the all out speed of riding geared and does not have the rhythm or road feel of riding fixed.

Get a fixie, you'll love it.

[allencb]

Concur with Markie. That said, many fixed gear wheelsets are "flipflop" and can handle fixed and freewheel (ss). Just make sure you have a rear brake if you go SS. Some fixies, mine included, don't have a rear brake.

Chris

[ChrisJ]

I picked on up rode it for about a year and got bored with it. Gotta sacrafice between hills and flats. Either spin out or grind away. Wish I had gears. Sold it off and am in the market for a geared roadie.

[iammike]

i don't think of the single as a replacement for anything, but an accessory to what i already have. i wouldn't want it as my only road bike, but it's great [so far] for my 3 mile round-trip commute. i've only ridden it a day :P

it'll be useful when i head out for a cruise with the girlfriend, but the old geared bike will still have its use when i go out with the guys.

everyone needs three bikes: geared road, geared mtb, single mtb that can be converted to city/commuter... just like me :)

[crack monkey]

I have a fixie for commuting and poor weather road rides. But, I also have a geared road bike for longer/faster rides.

My three bikes are: Cannondale R800, Bianchi San Jose, and an OnOne Inbred 456. The two road bikes see roughly equal use. However, I will probably start riding the San Jose at Rosaryville this year (with my wife and son on their mtn bikes).

If you have the budget, I would be tempted to get a geared road bike first, simply because it's a bit more versatile (groups rides, mountain/hill rides, etc).

That said, a fixie can be a LOT cheaper. $600 gets you onto many of the all-around fixies, so it's not a huge cash outlay relative to a nice road bike or full-suspension mountain bike.

[rizetech]

well i'm not sold on drop bars is my real reservation for going to a geared road bike - i honestly hate riding drop bars, i feel pretty uncomfortable even on bikes that are more or less the right size for me, so I'm eyeing a singlespeed since i can put whatever goofy handlebar i want on it...

the alternative would be something along the lines of a cannondale bad boy, since i could use it for commuting / fun road riding and also then gain a good hardtail...

my "road" riding would be mainly beach drive on the weekends, and commuting in the silver spring / rockville area, for which i figure i could just single-speed and make myself work a little on the hills as training. I'm solidly opposed to fixed on the basis of enjoying coasting WAY too much.

[dphelps]

well i'm not sold on drop bars is my real reservation for going to a geared road bike - i honestly hate riding drop bars, i feel pretty uncomfortable even on bikes that are more or less the right size for me, so I'm eyeing a singlespeed since i can put whatever goofy handlebar i want on it...

the alternative would be something along the lines of a cannondale bad boy, since i could use it for commuting / fun road riding and also then gain a good hardtail...

my "road" riding would be mainly beach drive on the weekends, and commuting in the silver spring / rockville area, for which i figure i could just single-speed and make myself work a little on the hills as training. I'm solidly opposed to fixed on the basis of enjoying coasting WAY too much.

Get yourself an extra set of wheels for your mtb bike. Keep road tires on them.

[iammike]

take a look at the marin muirwoods 29er. i think you're looking for something very similar to what i was looking for, but i ended up building a singlespeed anyway since i was able to fit some much nicer components for the same buck.

i did a lot of research... the muirwoods came out on top. only downside is that's it's a heavy beast.

my research spreadsheet: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pKVJZpKuJTHRfuO2GVvQCDw

[drewdane]

... so I'm eyeing a singlespeed since i can put whatever goofy handlebar i want on it...

:confused: You can put just about any darn handlebar you want on just about any darn bike you want. Who says you can't?

[crack monkey]

well i'm not sold on drop bars is my real reservation for going to a geared road bike

You can put flat bars on a road bike. I just did it to my wife's old cyclocross bike - she wanted to use it a comfy commuter/weekend errands/whatever bike.

But, there are plenty of mid- and high-end "hybrids" on the market now. I put hybrid in quotes, because that market segment has matured a LOT over the last 10-15 years. Many of the them are really just flat-bar road bikes with a tire wider than 700x23.

You said no fixie, but honestly, once you've ridden a few times, you don't notice the lack of coasting. I only notice on long descents, where I'm spinning out.

All that said, I'm considering something like a Trek Soho S for my son. He outgrew his road bike (my wife's old cyclocross bike from above) and needs something for the W&OD, but simple and robust (he'd mangle my Cannondale within a week).

[rizetech]

err... ok not to prove the point about mechanic snobbery but... i do know i can put whatever handlebar on whatever bike given modification x y z as needed... i get paid to do this heh, but the suggestions for geared road bikes are what made me bring up handlebar choice - i'm not paying for some nice rival / 105 / ultegra shifters only to decide i don't want drop bars and then have to try and sell them and buy new stuff :nope:

i think i'm going to just go for the singlespeed and if i hate it just sell it off, and move on to the next thing! i'm going crazy on nice days not riding cuz it's muddy :flushed:

thanks for all the replies, i think if this fails i will be going along your idea mike of building up a combo mtb/road SS.

[crack monkey]

i'm not paying for some nice rival / 105 / ultegra shifters only to decide i don't want drop bars and then have to try and sell them and buy new stuff :nope:

Fair 'nuff. :)

i think i'm going to just go for the singlespeed and if i hate it just sell it off, and move on to the next thing! i'm going crazy on nice days not riding cuz it's muddy :flushed:

There are quite a few choices out there. One with a flip-lop hub might be the best choice, from a resale standpoint, as many in the market for such a bike will want a fixie option.

[CRAIG2]

i think i'm going to just go for the singlespeed and if i hate it just sell it off, and move on to the next thing! i'm going crazy on nice days not riding cuz it's muddy :flushed:



That's what I did. I didn't hate it, per say, but it just wasn't my thing. For commuting and riding around, I'm very happy running slicks on my cross bike. I had the Raleigh Rush Hour which I paid $599 for (I think), and ended up selling it after a few months for $450 on CL. City dwellers seem to be attracted to the singe speed / track bike thing. There's definitely a market for them, if you end up hating it.

[rizetech]

That's what I was considering - I figure I will end up like most of you have suggested, but I may as well try it for a month and then return/sell it. If it falls through, there'll be a 29er frame thread to go along with the new bike haha Thanks for the reassurance :thumbsup: