Lovin' the Single Speed

I only began seriously cycling about 3 years ago.  To say that I have jumped in head first is an understatement.  It has only been 3.5 years since I bought my first new bike and I have since bought 2 more.  The first bike, a Giant FCR 3 was OK, but a mistake in hindsight.  Here is a set of reviews, in case you are curious.

Why was it a mistake?  It was a mistake because I knew so little about what I really wanted.  Unfortunately, going to a local bike shop (LBS) doesn't often help.  Why?  How are they supposed to know what you want when you don't even know?  They will take a guess for you and will be happy to make some money off of you but they don't really know what you want and need.  Each shop only sells a few brands of bikes.  As I've learned, there are so many bike manufacturers, from big to small, and some of the ones you have never heard of make some really interesting and innovative bikes.

In retrospect, I needed a road bike and I bought a hybrid with flat bars.  It is an aluminum frame when steel is way more comfortable.

The next year, I bought a used Raleigh 12 speed for about $170.  I had to fix it up some, but it still came in much cheaper than the new Giant I had purchased the previous year.  I learned a lot from that bike (I also rode it for like 2800 miles).  There were things I liked about it and things I didn't like.  Steel = good.  Friction shifters = good.  Low quality, old brakes = bad.  One set of bottle cage bosses = bad.  I learned a little bit about bike fit and what I needed to shoot for in the future.

A little more than a year later, I found a deal on a Jamis Satellite.  Here is a link to the latest model.  There has been some customizing since I purchased it and it is set up fairly well for me.  That left me with my Raleigh.  I didn't need it but it was a perfectly good frame.  Somehow I got the idea of a single speed.  Single speeds and fixies (That's fixed gear bikes for you non-bike folks) have been all the rage recently so I decided to give one a try.  I think it cost me all of $45 at Freewheeler to get it switched over.  Sheldon Brown has an online gear calculator that gave me an idea of what combo I needed.  My front chainring was 40 tooth so I ended up with a 16 tooth rear cog.

On the first ride, it felt like I got the gear ratio right.  It could pedal at a nice 90 cadence on the flats and the hills didn't seem to bad.  I also outfitted it with fenders and decided it would be my bad weather bike, my beater that I could ride any day of the year and not worry about it.  For the most part, I didn't ride it very often and only on flat routes.  Every now and then I would tackle a hill but nothing too serious.

Recently, I have started using the single speed for "normal" rides, riding the same roads and routes I do with my Jamis.  It has been a revelation.  Hills are not unconquerable.  Changing your cadence frequently can be a good thing.  It is just plain different, and that too, is a good thing.  Here are some of the things I have noticed about my single speed:

• The nice clean chain line is really nice to look at.  This seems like it should be unimportant, but when I look down at the chain as it rotates around, it just looks so nice and straight.  There is this anal-retentive side of me that is just plain happy about that.
• I lose myself more in the ride when I don't have to think about changing gears.  My mind is free to wander and enjoy the time to myself and the great outdoors.
• On a similar note, you don't have to shift gears for every little change in the terrain.  Yes, your cadence and speed will probably change, but so what?  It's not a big deal.
• The single speed gives your body some variability it is not likely to get on a geared bike.  On my most recent ride, my cadence probably ranged from 40-110 rpm.  That range was probably traversed over the course of a single mile between 9 and 10 mile along Baumhoff.  On a geared bike, my cadence would have been much tighter (more like 70-100).  I know from personal and professional experience that variability is good.  It keeps the body strong and helps to avoid overuse injuries.
• When on a long steep hill, it actually feels good to know that you can't "wimp out" and go down into the granny gear.  Suck it up and grind it out!  HOO-AH!
• If I actually meet a hill I can't pedal up, it really shouldn't be a big deal.  Am I in a hurry?  No.  If I was in a hurry, I wouldn't be on my bike.  I have a car for "being in a hurry".
• It is nice to know that there is a lot less to go wrong with the single speed.  You're not going to throw a chain.  The shifters aren't going to go on the fritz.  There are no derailleurs to get out of whack.
• There is something wonderfully free about hopping on a bike and just pedaling away.  Kind of like being a kid again.  Neat.