Gears, disc brakes (hydraulic or cable), 29/27.5" wheels, and suspension all make you lazy...

When I saw this post I thought to my self ‘Oh man, another entertaining post where people can brag about how hardcore they are for riding single speed.’ Secretly, though,  I have always been interested in single speeds. So, to understand where these guys are coming from I took my GT FS 30 geared 26er and locked the gears in a close to 1:2 gear ratio, moved my shifters from finger reach and went to the WWC. I did south, carpet, tower 93, wedge, goat hill, slalom, and east. It changed everything. It changed the way I rode, the way I climbed, I had to focus on the rocks and roots even harder and having to ratchet crank like never before. It was, also, nice to coast and enjoy the straights and downhills more sense I wasn’t able to power through them at high gear. It was like riding for the first time after year on new trails. The new challenge and level of difficulty made me want more. 

In conclusion, I ordered the parts to convert one of my hard tails to a single speed. I plan on using it for local rides and training. My FS bike will be for the adventures, races, new trails, and lazy days.

One thing I noticed when stomping my body weight on the pedals when going on the ups, not having my butt on the saddle as usual it was much harder to gain traction on the roots and loose rocks. what do you guys do about this? I’ve tried shifting my weight back, wheelies, using my momentum. Maybe its just part of the challenge and fun.

VandalN wrote on 08/18/16 at 5:02pm:


Get a bigger wheeled bike. There's a reason why most SS's are 29ers.

And like you say, concentrate more on keeping up your momentum.
On geared bike, the time you'd normally be downshifting before an uphill, you need to be hammering on the SS. You will climb faster on the SS, but at a cost of endurance.. Because most people with gears don't punish themselves. 

And pay close attention to your standing body position. As upright over the rear wheel as possible. Arms straight, front wheel unloaded. Your form will start to suffer on the steep stuff..., get ready to walk and it never hurts to say a prayer that you don't bust a chain, peddle, etc.. 

On my 650b hardtail, I can never get the traction standing and pumping in a single gear that I can downshifting and staying in the seat which keeps more weight over the rear wheel. It doesn't seem to be as much of a problem on my 29r. I think it's part geometry, and the larger tire contact patch because of the bigger wheel. Simply put, you can put more force to the pedals out of the seat. 

Which one climbs faster? Whichever bike you can climb the hill in the lower gear. With the SS, you have no choice. And if the hill is steep enough, you will be walking the bike. That's when you lose whatever advantage you might have had compared to the geared bike. The skill and legs of the rider are always major factors.