good points!
I have never ridden down there so I dont know what the terrain is like. Up here the only SS's you see are guys commuting downtown simply because we are flat as hell, until you drive 3hrs west :victory:
Looking at getting a MTB-help me decide.
- Thread starter Wander
- Start date
good points!
I have never ridden down there so I dont know what the terrain is like. Up here the only SS's you see are guys commuting downtown simply because we are flat as hell, until you drive 3hrs west :victory:
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
I'm not saying everyone needs to ride a SS, but the anti-SS audience keeps losing ground on arguments for why a SS isn't a very capable platform. Again, for our local race with HUGE climbs, the top 5 singlespeeders had times that would have put them in the top 10 of the geared guys with one in third. At the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo in Tucson, the winning geared solo did 17 laps only 12 minutes faster than the solo SS winner who also did 17 laps.
Even on our last trip to Moab, we did the Porcupine Rim trail on our SS bikes with a group of dualies leap frogging us the entire time. They continually mocked us for riding SS but we were always waiting for them to get the heck out of our way.
One thing I've noticed around here, the aggressive dual suspension riders are always slower on the climbs and seldom faster on the downhills. Again, not saying a SS is for everyone or even a few, but for where and how I ride, I'm not likely to be left in anyone's dual boinger dust.
Cackalak Han
Explorer
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!
Well, I guess I have to disclose that when I ride, I'm really never looking for the fastest way up or down. Heck, why do you think I ride a SS? :sombrero: I'm not saying speed isn't fun (it is!), but I also enjoy casually cruising along a trail, not standing and mashing the whole time. And instead of bombing down a rock garden in a straight line like I used to on my old FS, I like the zig-zag, crawling over/between rocks with an occasional hop here and there. Just different kind of riding is all.
Reliability wise, while that's not the reason I went SS, it is a clear advantage. Obviously, less moving parts usually = more reliable set up. No way getting around that. Not that I've had that many mishaps on my geared bikes, but I've bent deraileurs/hangers (crash), shifters that went out on me, etc. Now, I wouldn't worry about taking a quality geared bike on a trans-continental tour, but as far as stats go, SS is more reliable than gears, generally speaking.
Dually's are getting light, however, not as light as hardtails (nor as cheap). Look at the full carbon Superfly 100 (Team)--it's still at 24lbs. And who knows how much that thing costs. Yet, some of the regular Joe builds on MTBR are well-below 20lbs for hard tails. FS will always be more expensive and require more maintenance than comparable hard tails. Whether that's worth it to you or not, your body and terrain you ride on will be the ultimate judge.
Thanks for the comment on my bike. I really do like her a lot. I do want a Ti build in the near future. And just to confuse you even more, I'm going to run a rigid fork up front. :bike_rider:
You guys are starting to make me a convert haha
The SS scene is definately much smaller up here due to the completely different terrain thats for sure.
I gotta say I would love to whup a guy on a SS bike during a race though!
Last edited:
It really is amazing how light these bikes in general are becoming. One of the shop riders up here has a Yeti ASR5 Carbon he just built up. I think it comes it at around 20-21lbs, dont quote me on that though its been awhile since we talked. Anyways it weighs about as much as my frame/fork/front wheel, all with 5" of travel!!
BUT hardtails will always be lighter thats for sure.
You better like that bike alot, it looks like an absolute blast.
haha full rigid I like it! Would it be a steel fork then or Ti as well? Do they even make Ti forks?
I had to add something to this post. I think this is one of the reasons why I love bikes sooo much. There are just so many different variations and possibilities that you can do. The differences between them, even though the basic principal is the same, are incredible. Just look at the subtle differences between frames of different manufacturers, or different discipline bikes, an inch here or a degree there makes such a massive difference in how that bike performs. It took me just over 1 season to dial in the suspension on my dh bike, and still that is just a basic setup for everything, small changes are always being made depending on terrain. This past weekend in Silverstar it was super dusty, I found I was sliding through all the corners and bouncing around a bunch. 2 clicks on the rebound and she would just squat and rip through the corners. Such a small change made such a big difference. I guess what I am getting at here is it is a perfect sport for someone who likes to tinker and just adjust for the sake of adjusting to see what the outcome is.
In the end wether you ride a superlight XC duallie, a SS hardtail, a park bike, or a DH bike the reasons are all the same. Simply to take part in the amazing sport that it is and enjoy the company of fellow riders.
Keep em turning boys, rubber side down preferably. :roost:
Last edited:
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
It's not hard to beat a SS rider if the terrain is relatively flat. I can spin my SS up to about 16 mph before my legs dislocate from my hips and go flying into the brush. In any environment where the climbs are stiff, that means the downhills are steep, so anything over 16mph is just about staying off the brakes. Fast on downhills is seldom about pushing a big gear, it's usually about just letting'er rip.
I also ride 29er wheels, which for most XC riding are far superior to 26 inch wheels. However, if the trail starts getting into sections with multiple drops of the 2 foot variety, the advantages of big wheels on a hard tail begin to fade.
The primary annoyance with a singlespeed 29er? Every time I come across some anti-SS 29er hardtail guy they somehow assume I've never owned or even ridden a full sus geared rig. The inverse is usualy the case. Those guys say, "those bikes suck" having never ridden one.
True that, down is all about being smooth and controlled for sure. 29's are great, I had the opportunity to test a few sets through the shop and would be hard pressed not to buy a hardtail without 29's on it. My only issue with them was cornering. Coming from the big bike I am used to a nice and stiff frame when you lean it over. Even 26" AM wheels feel very flexy to me, 29's are even worse. Not a big deal its just simply that I am not used to riding them.
Hell man if I won the lottery I would have a nicely layed out stable of pretty much every style of bike I could, possibly with some extra "spares" That would most certainly include a SS simply because I could afford it.
I dont own one because I do not have the funds to have a ton of bikes and for me it just doesnt fit the bill as a bike I can do everything on. My DH bike is very specific, it sucks at everything except going down FAST but if you loving going down there is no other option. I bought a Marin Mount Vision because I wanted something that I could trail ride/ride to work/build up my cardio on BUT also keep my DH/jumpy style with. I didnt want a super light bike that I couldnt have some fun with. I miss that bike more than anything, it completely re-kindled my love for trail riding.
Flounder, I noticed in your sig you have a ARCx. That is a beautiful machine!
No question this is true in SoCal too.
The real MTB die-hards enjoy SS riding because they have tried and done well with everything else MTB related.....and they are usually quite fit.
For those like me who are less skilled and ride less frequently, the SS option just does not offer enough flexibility and diversity. If I rode 10x as much as I do now, I'd almost certainly own one.
R
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
I didn't intend for this to be a singlespeed hijack of this thread, but it does factor into the OP's quest for a new steed.
You bring up a very good point, or at least two. I started racing mountain bikes in 1986 and worked in the industry long enough to have tried everything and when SS bikes came around, I was willing to try something new. I also have the opportunity (and usually the motivation) to ride daily, which makes turning my one gear a little easier. Spring on a singlespeed is a harsh reality sometimes. If you're unfit on a geared bike, you feel bad and go slow. If you're unfit on a SS, you feel horrible and go very, very, very slow.
Wander
Expedition Leader
This has been an interesting thread! I'm going to see if anyone I know here has a SS that I can try. As I mentioned before I'm a roadie and have not kept up with the MTB development. I see the weight race has hit the dirt now, when I starting riding a light road bike was just under 20lbs!
Cackalak Han
Explorer
Yeah, I remember when they thought 30lbs was light for a FS bike. Maybe years into the future, when I'm older, I'll look into a FS bike, but for now, my HT's get the job done.
Yeah, there are some Ti forks out there. Blacksheep makes a sweet one, as well as Jones. I'd like to go with a Ti fork. I'll have to see where my budget is at that point. I'm shooting for anything in the sub-20lb range as mine is currently at 25lbs or so. I was thinking carbon, but I love the looks of the Ti and I'm hoping it would be more durable. Both can be made crazy light. There is a dude on MTBR that has his Ti SS down to 14lbs!
If you're ever down in my area, you're welcome to take my SS for a spin. I'll put some extra sugar in the Kool-Aid.
Yeah, I remember when they thought 30lbs was light for a FS bike. Maybe years into the future, when I'm older, I'll look into a FS bike, but for now, my HT's get the job done.
Yeah, there are some Ti forks out there. Blacksheep makes a sweet one, as well as Jones. I'd like to go with a Ti fork. I'll have to see where my budget is at that point. I'm shooting for anything in the sub-20lb range as mine is currently at 25lbs or so. I was thinking carbon, but I love the looks of the Ti and I'm hoping it would be more durable. Both can be made crazy light. There is a dude on MTBR that has his Ti SS down to 14lbs!
If you're ever down in my area, you're welcome to take my SS for a spin. I'll put some extra sugar in the Kool-Aid.
Hey for our FS's 30lbs is still impossible. The best I have seen that can still make it down the hill without folding is 34ish (V-10), not bad for a 10" travel bike
.The shop I ride with used to be primarily XC/Road/Cross guys, and still mainly is. There are quite a few SS guys there that love their bikes and use them to cross train for race days, but still us gears on their race bikes. I always get a kick out of the cross guys though... Why in the hell would you ride a road bike in the mud, it just doesnt make any sense to me.
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
If I could be granted one cycling wish, it certainly wouldn't be to win the X-Games, a World Championship Downhill title or even to win the Tour de France. I would give anything to win the World Cyclocross champs.
Cyclocross is weird. It's funky. If you don't know of the history and genisis of the sport, I can see why it would seem contrived and pointless.
But know this - cyclocross is truly the sport of cycling kings. Cyclocross is a bloody, muddy, frozen hell and the most revered and romanticized sector of cycling. I adore cyclocross. Competitive cycling is full of traditions and cyclcocross is one of the niches of cycling that contains the most sacred of those traditions. When I moved to Belgium to race in the early 90s, one of my American racing buds said within ear-shot of a bunch of Belgians, "Cross looks stupid to me...." Let's just say he narrowly escaped a public beating. Cyclocross rules.
Last edited:
I am the kind of person who believes in using the correct equipment for the job. My DH bike allows me to go faster and bigger than any other bike made. Sure I could ride an XC bike down the same course but it would take 4x as long, thus defeating the purpose.
A ton of the guys at our shop ride it and are absolutely incredible riders, but to me it will never make any sense. Bicycles are one of those "items" that definately seems to have its fair share of weird side traits. Cyclocross is definately one of them.
My ultimate would easily be to kick the snot out of the Syndicate boys :elkgrin: