Cackalak Han
Explorer
Also, here is my 29er SS bike I built this year to replace my old 29er SS. I think 29ers and SS is a match made in heaven. If you take on to SS riding, try or buy a 29er.
Looking at getting a MTB-help me decide.
- Thread starter Wander
- Start date
fairweather
Observer
As you can tell the single speeders are quite passionate about their single speeds, I would be too if I had dropped 3.5k on one but at the opposite extreme you can get them for cheap. Mainly because they have not much for parts on them and the attrition rate is higher than the general bike population. You should be able to get a nice rigid SS for 500$ and a front shock unit for 500-750$ in the used market.
But if you are just getting back into the business I still recommend gears to start out with and also go with a used bike. I bought an 09 Superfly and put a new wheelset,rotors, and pedals on it and ended up with a 23lb bike for 2k less than a 2010.
Not trying to ruffle the SS feathers but getting into shape on a geared bike will be more fun. Can you do it on a SS, sure but are you as passionate about it as the guy who drops 3.5k on one? The bottom line is to maximize the fun factor.
But if you are just getting back into the business I still recommend gears to start out with and also go with a used bike. I bought an 09 Superfly and put a new wheelset,rotors, and pedals on it and ended up with a 23lb bike for 2k less than a 2010.
Not trying to ruffle the SS feathers but getting into shape on a geared bike will be more fun. Can you do it on a SS, sure but are you as passionate about it as the guy who drops 3.5k on one? The bottom line is to maximize the fun factor.
I agree with the jist of this. Grab a new Haro flightline or Specialized rockhopper hardtail MTB for about $1k and ride your legs off. These are incredibly capable bikes and great values. If you want the SS experience, just pick one gear and leave it there. To each his/her own, but I don't get the SS thing.
Cackalak Han
Explorer
Who's dropping $3.5k? Haven't heard anyone mention a Lynskey or IF in this thread...
My build above is at something like $1,200. I do plan on better wheelset and cranks, but the ones on there do the job just fine for now. Also, the bike I started SS with was a $400 Redline Monocog. Heavy, but very stout and got the job done.
And the fun-factor? Pretty debatable. I have just as much fun, if not more, on a SS. Which is why geared bikes are all sold.
I will say it probably takes a certain kind of personality and size of cajones
D) to ride a SS. Not for everyone.
My build above is at something like $1,200. I do plan on better wheelset and cranks, but the ones on there do the job just fine for now. Also, the bike I started SS with was a $400 Redline Monocog. Heavy, but very stout and got the job done.
And the fun-factor? Pretty debatable. I have just as much fun, if not more, on a SS. Which is why geared bikes are all sold.
I will say it probably takes a certain kind of personality and size of cajones
D) to ride a SS. Not for everyone.
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fairweather
Observer
Flounder dropped some coin on his...
Cackalak Han
Explorer
Oh, didn't see that. Of course, that still works the other way around, too. How much did you spend on your Superfly?
Of course, that still works the other way around, too. How much did you spend on your Superfly? I have to agree here. Everyone says SS is better due to reliability. Well I can almost guarantee I beat my DH bike one hell of a lot harder than any of these SS steel guys. It crashes harder, jumps harder, goes way faster, and I have never once had an issue with anything drivetrain at all. My bike sees trails in Edmonton, and nothing else but BC backcountry shuttles or bike parks. I cannot understand how guys "claim" they constantly snag derailleurs and rotors (and mine are even lower to the ground) on stuff. If you do you need to learn how to ride around stuff...
Buy a nice 4-5" duallie, your *** will love you, and you will be able to ride much further and longer and have way more fun.
I started as a jumper/hucker, then got into DH racing, and recently got (and unfortunately had to sell) a 2009 Marin Mount Vision 5.8. That was the best bike I have ever ridden, with maybe the exception of the Turner 5-Spot. BUT considering the price difference the Marin was a way nicer bike. They are way underrated in the big bike world, not to sure about the AM/XC side but give one a go.
That's because people automatically think FS is the best bike for any kind of terrain and riding style. (even the homeless) If you're taking up lifts and bombing downhill, then maybe a FS is the best bike. But from what you're describing, even a rigid SS bike would do. I'm actually from NC (hence my screen name) and know what the terrain is like through most of the state. A hardtail is what I'd recommend. And if you can sack up, a singlespeed.
ohh the endless debate between hardtails and softies... I love hardtails but find they are severely limited in almost every way except weight. They suck at speed offroad, you fatigue faster because your body is absorbing more, you cant stop as well because the back end is all over the place (more dh than anything). If you do nothing but ride road and climb stupid hills then giver and buy a hardtail. If you ride down hills, up hills, and over rocks and trees for long periods of time, buy a duallie.
I will never understand the SS thing. Nothing like having to walk up hills because you dont have the ratio to climb, or spinning out and wish you could go faster because the 1 gear you have is too low. They sure do look cool though.
Oh and lets not bring up the rim brakes vs discs thing. There really is no comparison...
Who's dropping $3.5k? Haven't heard anyone mention a Lynskey or IF in this thread...
My build above is at something like $1,200. I do plan on better wheelset and cranks, but the ones on there do the job just fine for now. Also, the bike I started SS with was a $400 Redline Monocog. Heavy, but very stout and got the job done.
And the fun-factor? Pretty debatable. I have just as much fun, if not more, on a SS. Which is why geared bikes are all sold.
I will say it probably takes a certain kind of personality and size of cajones
Depends what your idea of fun is. I would have all your bikes looking like pretzels in about an hour...:victory:
Cackalak Han
Explorer
I'm not quite sure why you're referring to DH/AM bikes or even that type of riding? Did you read the original post?
Wander said:
Suggesting a 4-5" FS bike for this guy is like saying you need 37" swampers for your daily driven rig that sees nothing but smooth pavement.
The type of riding that you do is nothing like what I do. If I were bombing downhills, hucking off huge boulders, etc. (which, by the way, I'd like to head up to BC to do one day!), I'd for sure get a DH bike. If you rode the trails I ride, you'd see why I have a hardtail.
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Cackalak Han
Explorer
ohh the endless debate between hardtails and softies... I love hardtails but find they are severely limited in almost every way except weight. They suck at speed offroad, you fatigue faster because your body is absorbing more, you cant stop as well because the back end is all over the place (more dh than anything). If you do nothing but ride road and climb stupid hills then giver and buy a hardtail. If you ride down hills, up hills, and over rocks and trees for long periods of time, buy a duallie.
I will never understand the SS thing. Nothing like having to walk up hills because you dont have the ratio to climb, or spinning out and wish you could go faster because the 1 gear you have is too low. They sure do look cool though.
Oh and lets not bring up the rim brakes vs discs thing. There really is no comparison...
I suggest you enter a local XC race and see how those hardtails rack up against your DH bike! Different tools for different jobs, bro! I notice that even some pros have switch back to hardtails (29ers). Whether that's marketing, not sure. But they're winning races.
You keep bringing this up. What's that prove? Say a 1-ton Dodge Dually guy comes up to you and says, "If I put your little Tacoma through what I pull in my Dodge on a daily basis, it'd be scraps by the end of the day!" Your answer would be idential to what mine is to your statement-----SO?
:ylsmoke:
fairweather
Observer
Just north of 2.5k after the upgrades, it came pretty beat up but with a new frame and drive train. I am completely hooked on 29ers now which is why I posted links to the HiFi and Superfly for sale, can't go wrong with either one of those, IMHO.
With this thread I have been spending way too much time checking out the classifieds, there are some sweet bikes going for peanuts!
Cackalak Han
Explorer
I lusted after that Superfly for a long time after it came out (SS version of course! ). I've been on a 29er since 08 and no looking back.
). I've been on a 29er since 08 and no looking back.I mentioned DH/AM bikes because everyone I know rides a SS so it is more "reliable" which I think is a load of ********.
I ride anything and everything. I obviously prefer to ride DH but I also really enjoy just riding a bike. If I could afford it my garage would be packed with every possible kind of bike, including a SS
Definately head up to BC, but if you do try and get in some back country stuff. Park stuff is fun but as we all know heading into the woods is much much better.
Hardtails do have their advantages, but duallies are getting so light now as well it is almost a mute point. I love riding a hardtail as I find it makes you a much smoother and faster rider because you have to be smooth or you crash. A duallie gives you a bit more of a margin for error, which also allows you to go much faster.
If a hardtail is all that is required then snag one up, just make sure it has gears and discs :elkgrin:
side note Cackalak Han, I love that hardtail of yours!
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
The SS thing is highly regionalized. I would agree with you that it doesn't make sense for every rider or every region, but the same is true for dualies. As an example, here in Prescott, Arizona the singlespeed rules. We just have the most ideal terrain for a singlespeed. We have about 50 feet of flat trail. Everything here is either up or down. The climbs are seldom longer than 30-45 minutes with ample steps and rests. I would say it's a bit more aggressive than "rolling," but around here, the singlespeed guys are always ahead of the geared guys. That also has much to do with the fact many of the better, fitter, faster riders just like to ride SS around here. A quick look at the results pages of our local mtb race tell the story. Of the 300 finishers of our 25 mile race with over 3,000 feet of climbing the top 25 contains an even split of geared and SS riders. My SS time put me squarely in that top 20 of the geared riders.I will never understand the SS thing. Nothing like having to walk up hills because you dont have the ratio to climb, or spinning out and wish you could go faster because the 1 gear you have is too low. They sure do look cool though.
Where a SS really sucks is on the flats. I do a 12 hour race in Phoenix on a pancake flat course and it sucks. As long as there's ups and downs, a SS can be pretty quick. I also use my SS for bikepacking in the Rockies and I have to admit that's sorta pushing the limits a bit.
It's far more versatile than you might think. Still, probably not the best platform for a day at Whistler.
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