Single Speed for TD

[Snowbd2u]

Im riding my ss this June. Should be a good time. It's all about getting out there enjoying the ride and nothing beats not having to worry about all those gears! 

[sthig]

Probably in the next few months I'm going to either commit to gears or gear.  This thread has been invaluable and thank you to everyone that commented, it's been a big help. 

I'm going to do the Cohutta 100, a 12 hour race and perhaps Southern Cross and will hopefully make up my mind by then.

that said, I really don't like gears and prefer the simplicity of a singlespeed

[dgjessee]

I was just talking about an interesting idea for SS situations like TD and other long-distance bikepacking races/routes. What about running a multi-speed hub with spacers set up so you can have two cogs, like a 16T and a 20T. Then when you have those long sections of flat/downhill you can simply switch over to the smaller cog. You'd have to have two speed links in your chain so you could change the length easily (which would add an admitted weak spot in the chain) but just from a conceptual standpoint I'm intrigued by the idea. Very minimal weight for gaining another gear but keeping the simplicity of SS.

I'd also always thought a cool set up would be to use an old derailleur or tensioner and run a 2x1. A 32 and a 42 up front with just the front derailleur is pretty damn simple. Anyway, just some interesting thoughts. Not sure either of them are really practical.

[rocky rode]

I was just talking about an interesting idea for SS situations like TD and other long-distance bikepacking races/routes. What about running a multi-speed hub with spacers set up so you can have two cogs, like a 16T and a 20T. Then when you have those long sections of flat/downhill you can simply switch over to the smaller cog. You'd have to have two speed links in your chain so you could change the length easily (which would add an admitted weak spot in the chain) but just from a conceptual standpoint I'm intrigued by the idea. Very minimal weight for gaining another gear but keeping the simplicity of SS.

I'd also always thought a cool set up would be to use an old derailleur or tensioner and run a 2x1. A 32 and a 42 up front with just the front derailleur is pretty damn simple. Anyway, just some interesting thoughts. Not sure either of them are really practical.

That would be a dinglespeed.  I've been doing this since '06.  IMO, it makes SS practical.  I can ride roads and most 2-tracks in the higher gear and steeper trails in my lower gear.  If you have an EBB or sliding (or swinging) drop outs the shift only takes seconds once you get the technique down.  I run 32 and 35 in the front and 21 and 18 in the back.  The chain tension stays virtually the same on either combination.  For the Divide I'd choose to go with 20 and 17 in the back, keeping the same 32 and 35 rings in the front.

[dgjessee]

dinglespeed - HA! Love it. I'm glad to hear you've had some good success with it. I'm a 1x9 kind of guy I've found but I have an SS when the time calls for it - which is when the multigeared bike needs too much attention to get ready for the ride.

[THE LONG RANGER]

Yeah, dingle is how I mostly roll, as the hills/trails are 10 miles away from me. I also have an assortment of front chain rings, all 4 teeth apart, and a few chains, depending on the ride I want to do.

If I find one of these for a good price, I may get a triple up front, and a second in back, and make my single speed MTB into a 3 speed. single speed MTB's are not fun to ride 10 miles on pavement to the trail.

[Roland Sturm]

If I find one of these for a good price, I may get a triple up front, and a second in back, and make my single speed MTB into a 3 speed. single speed MTB's are not fun to ride 10 miles on pavement to the trail.

So now you'd be willing to essentially have a derailleur in the back, except still no gears? Seems like a lot of work and effort to go through for not having easily usable gears.

Turning the limit screws on an old derailleur all the way in may actually achieve the same purpose (i.e. can't shift) as the piece of gear you are looking at - and cheaper. However, something I only do when the shift cable snaps and I don't have gears.

[THE LONG RANGER]

I need a new chain tensioner, anyways - as the Surly one I have is absolute garbage. This one was recommended to me, and looks fun. As I wrote, if one is found at a steal, I'll do just that It's fun to play with these types of things, especially when I don't want to invest in an entire new groupo.

[bmike-vt]

Melvin is great. Used it in a 2x and 3x setup on my SS Juice when I wanted something for kid pulling, dirt road riding, an still have a reasonable trail gear. I used a front derailer, but you can switch by hand if after testing you feel you won't lose the chain.

[gbach]

Just to chime in on the Melvin idea.  Tried it as a 3x1 setup on a rigid karate monkey for a long hard ride in Utah (Dixie 311), thought it was great. Also used it for riding around Summit county, CO - lots of long steep days on that bike.  The setup has a nice low profile and I've run it with and without a front der as a 2x1.  I ss mostly and I've literally a couple thousand hours riding a fixed (mostly on the road/track, some mtb).  My .02 for ss on the divide is as Jefe said... what will it feel like on the flats after 1-2, even 3 weeks?  This gives me pause for running a ss on the divide route... still thinking about it though.  Good luck to those who do decide to run ss!

[sthig]

these 3x1's and dinglespeeds... is this not a singlespeed anymore?

[bmike-vt]

these 3x1's and dinglespeeds... is this not a singlespeed anymore?

Nope. Single. Means what it says. One.
Pretty sure we've drifted off topic.

[gbach]

Pretty sure we've drifted off topic.

Yep, we sure have, sorry about that

[sthig]

oh I mean it's fine.  drift away - I'm not 100% sold on riding singlespeed - but I'm about 99% there   just working on gearing. 

I'm just not a fan of gears

[cjellmoney]

Thought i might chime in here. I have heard it before...fixie dave i think...but single is single. The same gear inches the entire ride. That is the same gearing, same crank length, same rolling diameter. Switching any of that mid-ride disqualifies you from single speed. Agreed, i'm on board with that. Kinda brings you back to the question of why you're out there doing it in the first place. TD is certainly very personal but not in the same way a regular tour is so if your goal is to have a good showing as a true single speeder then you should abide by the 'single gear inch' ruling. If your overall placement isn't your goal then things like dingles and 3X1's might be appealing.

With my limited experience i would have to say that the IGH would be the way to go for all out speed. Reliable in the fact that you have to futz with it much less than a geared set up. Minimizing futzing is key. Turn mind off and ride is the name of the game. I do agree that a 8 speed would be a close second though and the low cost for better reliability is sweet. Cassette and derailleur setups vary a great deal from year to year. 2012 didn't see the unending peanut butter sections that i've heard of in years past. That is where you'll toast your chain and cassette.

The dingles and 3X1's or whatever aren't worth disqualifying yourself from the SS category if your aim is to make a good showing as a SS'er imho. I probably shifted my dingle less than 10 times on the ride. I also ran a 2 speed which was mint. Wore holes in my shoes shifting the thing 100's of times a day. I ran a 33-25 to spin up hills and still had overdrive for the flats which brought it down to a 33-16 maybe? If i ran it again I would go to a 33-27 even. The simplicity is there as with the lack of derailleur and tensioner. I also believe the limited ratios keeps you honest. I could see myself spinning out of laziness if i was running a full set of gears. I run the 2 speed at home all day every day cause its fun. I don't have the weight of the IGH out back f-ing with flikability and i never ever hear the sound of a chain hitting a chainstay.

My opinion, for what it's worth: SS because you want it. Don't do it for cost or reliability. 8 speeds of IGH's can take care of that. It's been said before but, the TD will kick your ass all on its own. SS shall be left to the freaks who love it for what it is. The aesthetic adventurers who do it for reasons unknown to the rest.

[sthig]

hey thanks for this. 

I honestly think my mind is made up for single speed - not for notoriety, bragging rights or anything else - I just generally like the ride and feel of a SS.  or pain, not sure

I'd thought about a dinglespeed, talked about it last night to one of my friends - I'm just not sure I want to go that route either. 

[sthig]

Revisiting this thread and getting thoughts.  I'm putting a big, big gear for a 50 miler race - depending on how it goes, I may just leave it on for the next few races.  So I'm prepared for "omg, are you crazy!?" and "hell no!" but 22 x 46 <-- too big for the Tour Divide?

[annoying crack]

Revisiting this thread and getting thoughts.  I'm putting a big, big gear for a 50 miler race - depending on how it goes, I may just leave it on for the next few races.  So I'm prepared for "omg, are you crazy!?" and "hell no!" but 22 x 46 <-- too big for the Tour Divide?

It all depends on how much you want to walk I guess.
But if that's the gear you are comfortable with then you're in for the win... unless you mean 22 in the front and 46 in the back, in which case it will take you a long time to leave Canada.

[Mauro_N]

May be you can look at it at from a different angle. Say you work out that you want to finish in 20 days, which is 139 miles a day, 5 hours of sleep and 2 hours of buying resupplies, 7hr, leaving 17hr to ride. To cover the 139 miles in 17hr an average speed of 8.17 miles is required. Using 32x20 at 90rpm will be roughly 12.5mph so an 8.17mph can be maintained with a bit left for the flats.

Im personally going to go with 34 x 18, a good gear to get up the passes and one that can maintain a decent speed on the flats. This is the method on which I am using to select my gear ratio for the TD. Hope this helps

[bruce.b]

  Making a chart of the pros and cons I feel is the wrong approach. Just choose based on what you enjoy most. I don't feel that singlespeed is harder on my knees, maybe the opposite, but then I've never ridden TD. I've been riding singlespeed exclusively since 1993, (except for a couple of times when I built up a multispeed just to see how it felt and that never lasted for more than a couple of rides) so for me it's a no brainer. I've thought about gearing for TD a lot. I'm pretty sure I'd run 55 gear inches, 34/18. I've done really long rides with this gear and it's not bad on the flats yet I can still pedal up fairly steep, long climbs comfortably. If I was younger I might even go 58. If you run a freewheel (my preferred set up) make sure you use a White Industries ENO freewheel. Dead reliable and lasts forever.