Disappointed by my single speed, hills r brutal

[chipmonster]

Hi all

Always wanted a single speed. Finally managed to pick one up fairly cheap.

The bike is awsome downhill and flats. However, I live in Blackburn, it's full of hills. Tried one near my house, with fresh legs! Oh my god, absolutely brutal. Used all my body weight and just managed to get up.

The whole reason, was to build up my muscles! Shall I keep trying or give up! Anyone use a fix speed on hilly routes!

 

[Buzzinonbikes]

Keep going! It gets easier! Really try and use momentum and build up enough speed before the climb. Also, not sure what pedals you are running but toe straps or clipless help tremendously.

 

[derrick]

Yes just got a fixie, i do a hilly route with the other half, when on the road bike i am forever waiting for her, so thought i would get a fixie, it's fitted with a 17 tooth rear sprocket, although i did struggle up a couple of hills i did get up them, am waiting for a 15 tooth sprocket and i will try the same route with that one and see how it goes, i want it to be hard but i don't want it to kill me.

 

[TVC]

Try a bigger rear sprocket it'll make things easier, but you will have to sacrifice speed on the flat. I have one short hill on my commute and it really hurts, so I have some sympathy.

 

[mcshroom]

You need to adapt to riding up the hills in a higher gear. What I've found is that I've got used to standing up on climbs a lot more than I used to, and now I can do this for significantly longer periods.

If you are worried after a few weeks then you can always fit a bigger freewheel and lower the gear a bit.

 

[gaz]

It isn't going to be easy at first. Just man up and keep pushing.

I'm not as fast climbing on my single speed as I am on my carbon road bike but i'm still able to get up things like this - http://app.strava.com/segments/761366 on a single speed with rack and bag on it. Admittedly it wasn't very fast and it was hard work.

 

[Cycleops]

I think you have found out what a lot of people have found. A single speed is a lot of work if you live in a hilly area.

 

[black'n'yellow]

Hi all

Always wanted a single speed. Finally managed to pick one up fairly cheap.

The bike is awsome downhill and flats. However, I live in Blackburn, it's full of hills. Tried one near my house, with fresh legs! Oh my god, absolutely brutal. Used all my body weight and just managed to get up.

The whole reason, was to build up my muscles! Shall I keep trying or give up! Anyone use a fix speed on hilly routes!

what were you expecting..? And what's the point of 'building up your muscles'..?

 

[User16625]

So what do you guys see in single speed bikes? I would find them useless because finding the right gear is essential for my riding. How the heck would you get yourself up a mountain side if your MTB only had 1 gear? It would also irritate me maxing out on the downhills or flats.

And to the guy that said "try a bigger rear sprocket", that defeats the purpose of buying a single in the 1st place. He could have done that with the push of a lever if he had a normal bike

 

[mcshroom]

Theres a few different reasons for riding singlespeed. For me the main reasons are: -

1. It's much easier to keep clean in winter, the drive chain is all easily accessible.
2. There's fewer components to get attacked by rust and those components left are cheaper and more rugged
3. It feels smoother as you always have a tight chain on a straight chain line, It is also almost silent when you are pedalling
4. It's simpler. You pedal it goes, no worrying about which gear you are in, should i be changing, do i need to trim the front mech a bit?, etc.
5. You'd be amazed what hills you can get up in a higher gear when there's no bail out option
6. It improves your spinning

My single speed is a converted hybrid with v-brakes on drop bars (no need for STI compatable cantis with non gear brake levers). I use if for commuting and utility riding mainly (though I have done a 100km ride on it recently). It is rugged, has very few things to go wrong and now I've chosen the right gearing for my route there's not much difference in commuting times to on my geared bikes.

It has also allowed me to develop my climbing skills while standing and I can spin much better than when I started. Both of these are helpful on my geared bike.

Re: getting a bigger freewheel, it's not uncommon for people to need to find the best gear for them for the terrain they are riding. Some people are natural spinners needing a lower gear, and some are natural grinders, needing a higher one. Once you are set up with the right ratio then you are fine.

 

[byegad]

Glad I use 27 gears.

 

[xpc316e]

If you want to build leg muscles, why not stick with a geared bike and cycle up hills in a higher than normal gear? I acknowledge that there are attractions, but in all honesty buying a single speed is like purchasing a side valve engined, three speed car when more modern, convenient models are available.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

Single Gear , tried it didn't like it , was like going for drive in the car stuck in 2nd.

Each to there own but i will stick to my 10 speed

 

[DiddlyDodds]

Hahaha just realised my commuting bike is single gear Doh ... saying that i work less than half a mile away on a flat road

 

[Berties]

Change the rear sprocket,find one you are happy with in comparison with one you are happy with on a geared bike,
Rode with a young rider from a local wheeler club and he rides velodrome,though he was on a geared winter trainer he never changed gear and he was well strong on hills,vey high cadence on descends