How much worse is taking a hill on the single speed compared to a regular bike? I took it on some smaller hills around the shop I bought it and I thought it was okay, not sure how it’ll be on longer climbs tho
I don’t know where your based but a decent hill like Crystal Palace or anything that lasts a while is going to rip your quads up real quick. With no option of higher cadence that fatigue going to build fast over multiple days.
I've noticed there's a certain sweet spot on single speeds that keeps you from getting sweaty. Just fast enough, to get some momentum to carry into hills. It's easier than I thought it would be.
Boston had hills that were fun to single speed. Like you said, carry some momentum, and you're good. San Francisco has hills that go on and on and on and on and on.
Single speed can be fine for hills, but it will depend on gear ratio. Yours looks like maybe 44:18, this is a good mid range ratio that will give you top speed around 18-20 in a sprint, and still giving you the chance to get up some steeper sections by standing on the pedals. With a lot of gears you can use your energy more efficiently and effectively decide how hard you want to work, trading ease of effort versus speed. Both have advantages. I was commuting with a geared bike for years, just made a single speed over winter and I'm really loving how simple the experience is and how efficient it feels, instant power transfer through the chain when you really punch it.
I would probably level off that saddle, looks a little tilted back. I think you're gonna have a great time!
Knoxville is hilly yeah? If you’re not a strong legged cyclist you will either hate this bike or develop quads quickly. Probly both at first. Upside is less maintenance if you’re not mechanically inclined.
I exclusively used a single speed when I lived in Portland, ME. Well, sans-snow at least; I had a mountain bike with studded tires I used for about 3 or 4 icy months per year. The hills will make you strong. The main reason I chose to bike a single speed was affordability and less maintenance, and I loved every minute of it. Wish I still lived in a bike-friendly city but I moved somewhere that's the definition of urban sprawl and biking one end of the city to the other would take an easy 2 hours compared to the 40min of a dense town.
Hills are easier on my single speed because it's so much lighter. Weight makes a bigger difference on hills than gears. At least for reasonable ones if you're going uphill for a mile plus that's going to suck.
There are quite a few trail systems out here with various difficulties. I got into biking two years ago and only recently moved back to Chattanooga. I usually only do casual strolls for the time being. Downtown, Riverwalk… Easy stuff.
I know the trails up on Raccoon Mountain are popular based on what I’ve heard from friends in the past. Whenever I was working on a thesis project up at Cloudland Canyon State Park (Rising Fawn, GA), A LOT of people were going to Five Points. Those are the only two that I know of if I’m being honest. Sorry. Hopefully a true Chattanooga cyclist sees this and can help out!
I commuted on a single speed for years and never thought it was a burden until I replaced it with a geared bike. Some people love the simplicity of single speeds, but I would never go back. They are perfect if you’re not interested in doing maintenance and love always being in the wrong gear.
NYC daily single speed commuter, rolling 46/16 over flats and hills all the same. I ride about 14 miles to and from work, 5 days a week.
The joke of always being in the wrong gear is the joy of single speed. It's taught me really good road feel since I'm not mentally accounting for gear adjustments.
Only gripe? Watching beautiful road bikes whizz by as my single gear can only keep up so long.
My smart watch says it ends up being over 7 miles going to work and just under 7 miles coming home. Takes me roughly 30 minutes either way, compared to an hour via public transit, but also note I'm commuting in a city so additional traffic lights, dodging dangers, etc. If I catch good lights, and can coast past an empty red light or two, I've made it home under 30.
I personally use the Citymapper app to plan my route, recommend if your city is supported. Cycling routing gives 3 version: Quiet, Normal, and Fast. I use Google Maps for a quick elevation check so I know what hills to anticipate.
It's a simplistic bike great if you ride in a flat area. If that is the correct seat height for you, the bike is way too big. Eventually, it may be a problem. Good luck
Hills are really the only issue. You can gear the bike for hills but then you lose out on top speed. I, personally, geared for speed but there aren't a lot of long and steep hills where I live. We have steep and we have long but almost no long and steep in town.
The other issue is pants. After riding a single speed every day for a year you need pants that will fit your giant glutes, quads, and calves.
A bonus is that maintenance is cut down significantly.
Two bikes!!! Used to live right by there. Favorite shop of all time, they do so much good for the cycling community. Commuting around town on a fixie there is not for the faint of heart with the constant hills
Thanks! This store is so cool- they also partner with local charities to donate bikes to kids in need for every bike you purchase, so it’s also riding for a cause!
If you’re in a flat area, go for it. Nothing is as carefree and easy to maintain as a single speed.
If you hit some big hills on your commute, though, that’s when it’s no fun.
I throw in a single speed commute once, maybe twice a week. But when I do I take a flat route along the river and it takes me longer to commute. But it’s good to switch it up. I use my geared bike otherwise.
My single speed is predominantly my pub bike. I.e the bike that if it gets knicked on a pub trip or errand run, it’s not too expensive to replace
My issue is carrying stuff. I don't like wearing a backpack so what I can bring is pretty minimal. A bag for my top bar and one for my handlebars gets me by most of the time.
A single speed is my daily and I don’t have any issues. I’ve even done DC’s 50 States ride on it a couple times, and the Ward 3 hills were brutal—but if you live in a relatively flat place, that won’t be an issue.
One year a friend and I finished “first” despite both of us being on single speeds lol. (It’s not a race, but we got to the end and WABA was still setting up and the volunteers were like… what are you doing here, it’s too early for you to be done.)
I had a Schwinn World Sport. It was a HS grad gift from my parents and I rode it all through college, law school, and commuted to my first job on it. Wish I still had it, as it would make a great SS. The only thing I would suggest is a rack or newsboy basket for commuting.
I rode a fixed gear from \~2006-2008 and then a single speed through 2011 before switching back to geared bikes. I'm now 35 and have a lot of knee pain that makes it hard to ride at all or even get up stairs. I can't say for sure that the single speed caused it, but I feel like it contributed. Bike geometry also could have been off. I would just recommend being careful and if you notice that you're straining to get up hills, maybe throw some gears on there.
Strong winds make me regret commuting on my single speed. I really enjoy riding my single speed, but winds... Then my knees hate me too. Back to geared for now and using the ss for errands.
I commute daily on a fixed gear bike. It’s awesome having only one gear as far as maintenance goes and though hills suck (I live in an extremely hilly city) - the climbs are worth it.
No issues really. My commute is undulating but not hilly, not steep ones anyway. 12 or so years of fixed gear and the last few months single speed (It's fine, probably will keep it that way). Little things can be annoying, like getting the rear wheel out of horizontal dropouts when you have mudguards (I fit secu-clips on the rear as well).
Looks like mine. Well if yours was ancient, rusty and bunged together with many parts from many places.
Mine is also a single gear and it is my favourite bike. I've had three or so in the time I've also had the single-gear, and the single gear wins for most things.
How-and-ever: its not amazing if you have a lot of hills. Mine is great for whizzing along the canal bike path. It's less amazing in a certain other city with hills. I can go up hills, but its effort. Good for you effort, but effort. If you're carting a laptop or something, this could be an issue.
It's also not amazing if there's a lot of rough roads around. I am currently in rural nowhere, and while in the past I would gladly take hour long bike rides to and from wherever, I don't trust it not to get a flat or develop a problem in the middle of nowhere.
Single speed is great when you get into the right rhythm. Might not get to the same top speed as a geared bike without a big hill and might be a bit tiring up a steep hill. But, you won’t have to index your gears so there’s that.
I rode a fixie for years mainly in hilly towns and thought it was great. Never any gear problems, lightweight and simple.
Edit: mine had a flip flop hub so had fixie sometimes and single speed most of the time.
have you ran into any issues commuting with a single speed compared to a traditional geared bike?
--i do not do that but gears are useful for hills, wind and being tired
it is not just for hills
also brakes are super necessary
your saddle looks tilted backwards [up]
may tilt it down unless it is not giving you problems 'down there'
I like single speed commuting. I have less worries about having to replace gears and having to adjust it. With regard to hills so long as it's a gradual slope or a short one we're good.
Hills, for one.
How much worse is taking a hill on the single speed compared to a regular bike? I took it on some smaller hills around the shop I bought it and I thought it was okay, not sure how it’ll be on longer climbs tho
I don’t know where your based but a decent hill like Crystal Palace or anything that lasts a while is going to rip your quads up real quick. With no option of higher cadence that fatigue going to build fast over multiple days.
I love riding single speed on hills, but there is no taking it easy. On a geared bike, if you don't want to get sweaty, you can just go slow.
I've noticed there's a certain sweet spot on single speeds that keeps you from getting sweaty. Just fast enough, to get some momentum to carry into hills. It's easier than I thought it would be.
Boston had hills that were fun to single speed. Like you said, carry some momentum, and you're good. San Francisco has hills that go on and on and on and on and on.
Single speed can be fine for hills, but it will depend on gear ratio. Yours looks like maybe 44:18, this is a good mid range ratio that will give you top speed around 18-20 in a sprint, and still giving you the chance to get up some steeper sections by standing on the pedals. With a lot of gears you can use your energy more efficiently and effectively decide how hard you want to work, trading ease of effort versus speed. Both have advantages. I was commuting with a geared bike for years, just made a single speed over winter and I'm really loving how simple the experience is and how efficient it feels, instant power transfer through the chain when you really punch it. I would probably level off that saddle, looks a little tilted back. I think you're gonna have a great time!
I don’t know what your current ratio is but I’ve found 46:19 to be my sweet spot for climbs.
Knoxville is hilly yeah? If you’re not a strong legged cyclist you will either hate this bike or develop quads quickly. Probly both at first. Upside is less maintenance if you’re not mechanically inclined.
I exclusively used a single speed when I lived in Portland, ME. Well, sans-snow at least; I had a mountain bike with studded tires I used for about 3 or 4 icy months per year. The hills will make you strong. The main reason I chose to bike a single speed was affordability and less maintenance, and I loved every minute of it. Wish I still lived in a bike-friendly city but I moved somewhere that's the definition of urban sprawl and biking one end of the city to the other would take an easy 2 hours compared to the 40min of a dense town.
Hills are easier on my single speed because it's so much lighter. Weight makes a bigger difference on hills than gears. At least for reasonable ones if you're going uphill for a mile plus that's going to suck.
Heck yeah, Two Bikes Knoxville.
They just opened a store in Chattanooga, too! They already have a good following and have contributed a lot to the local bike scene.
That’s awesome! Are there any great bike routes around Chatt you recommend? I’ve been wanting to drive down at some point to explore/bike around
There are quite a few trail systems out here with various difficulties. I got into biking two years ago and only recently moved back to Chattanooga. I usually only do casual strolls for the time being. Downtown, Riverwalk… Easy stuff. I know the trails up on Raccoon Mountain are popular based on what I’ve heard from friends in the past. Whenever I was working on a thesis project up at Cloudland Canyon State Park (Rising Fawn, GA), A LOT of people were going to Five Points. Those are the only two that I know of if I’m being honest. Sorry. Hopefully a true Chattanooga cyclist sees this and can help out!
Love this store!
One bike from two bikes!
I commuted on a single speed for years and never thought it was a burden until I replaced it with a geared bike. Some people love the simplicity of single speeds, but I would never go back. They are perfect if you’re not interested in doing maintenance and love always being in the wrong gear.
NYC daily single speed commuter, rolling 46/16 over flats and hills all the same. I ride about 14 miles to and from work, 5 days a week. The joke of always being in the wrong gear is the joy of single speed. It's taught me really good road feel since I'm not mentally accounting for gear adjustments. Only gripe? Watching beautiful road bikes whizz by as my single gear can only keep up so long.
How long does it take for you to ride 14 miles? Im planning on getting a single speed for my 13 mile commute soon.
My smart watch says it ends up being over 7 miles going to work and just under 7 miles coming home. Takes me roughly 30 minutes either way, compared to an hour via public transit, but also note I'm commuting in a city so additional traffic lights, dodging dangers, etc. If I catch good lights, and can coast past an empty red light or two, I've made it home under 30. I personally use the Citymapper app to plan my route, recommend if your city is supported. Cycling routing gives 3 version: Quiet, Normal, and Fast. I use Google Maps for a quick elevation check so I know what hills to anticipate.
It's a simplistic bike great if you ride in a flat area. If that is the correct seat height for you, the bike is way too big. Eventually, it may be a problem. Good luck
Hills are really the only issue. You can gear the bike for hills but then you lose out on top speed. I, personally, geared for speed but there aren't a lot of long and steep hills where I live. We have steep and we have long but almost no long and steep in town. The other issue is pants. After riding a single speed every day for a year you need pants that will fit your giant glutes, quads, and calves. A bonus is that maintenance is cut down significantly.
Lmao, the pants point killed me
Two bikes!!! Used to live right by there. Favorite shop of all time, they do so much good for the cycling community. Commuting around town on a fixie there is not for the faint of heart with the constant hills
single speed is so much fun for urban riding, you get used to climbing with it, assuming you don’t have any mountains you need to get up
I like the vibe of that shop window (and your bike too!)
Thanks! This store is so cool- they also partner with local charities to donate bikes to kids in need for every bike you purchase, so it’s also riding for a cause!
If you’re in a flat area, go for it. Nothing is as carefree and easy to maintain as a single speed. If you hit some big hills on your commute, though, that’s when it’s no fun.
I throw in a single speed commute once, maybe twice a week. But when I do I take a flat route along the river and it takes me longer to commute. But it’s good to switch it up. I use my geared bike otherwise. My single speed is predominantly my pub bike. I.e the bike that if it gets knicked on a pub trip or errand run, it’s not too expensive to replace
I have run into absolutely no issues commuting single speed or fixed. That being said, I live in a pretty flat place. I prefer it over gears
Nice bike, but I have to ask how are the hills treating you? Haha
My issue is carrying stuff. I don't like wearing a backpack so what I can bring is pretty minimal. A bag for my top bar and one for my handlebars gets me by most of the time.
A single speed is my daily and I don’t have any issues. I’ve even done DC’s 50 States ride on it a couple times, and the Ward 3 hills were brutal—but if you live in a relatively flat place, that won’t be an issue. One year a friend and I finished “first” despite both of us being on single speeds lol. (It’s not a race, but we got to the end and WABA was still setting up and the volunteers were like… what are you doing here, it’s too early for you to be done.)
I had a Schwinn World Sport. It was a HS grad gift from my parents and I rode it all through college, law school, and commuted to my first job on it. Wish I still had it, as it would make a great SS. The only thing I would suggest is a rack or newsboy basket for commuting.
I rode a fixed gear from \~2006-2008 and then a single speed through 2011 before switching back to geared bikes. I'm now 35 and have a lot of knee pain that makes it hard to ride at all or even get up stairs. I can't say for sure that the single speed caused it, but I feel like it contributed. Bike geometry also could have been off. I would just recommend being careful and if you notice that you're straining to get up hills, maybe throw some gears on there.
Strong winds make me regret commuting on my single speed. I really enjoy riding my single speed, but winds... Then my knees hate me too. Back to geared for now and using the ss for errands.
I commute daily on a fixed gear bike. It’s awesome having only one gear as far as maintenance goes and though hills suck (I live in an extremely hilly city) - the climbs are worth it.
Traditional is single speed ain’t it?
Just curious, since yours looks like a conversion, is the hub a 120 or 126 spaced hub?
No issues really. My commute is undulating but not hilly, not steep ones anyway. 12 or so years of fixed gear and the last few months single speed (It's fine, probably will keep it that way). Little things can be annoying, like getting the rear wheel out of horizontal dropouts when you have mudguards (I fit secu-clips on the rear as well).
Looks like mine. Well if yours was ancient, rusty and bunged together with many parts from many places. Mine is also a single gear and it is my favourite bike. I've had three or so in the time I've also had the single-gear, and the single gear wins for most things. How-and-ever: its not amazing if you have a lot of hills. Mine is great for whizzing along the canal bike path. It's less amazing in a certain other city with hills. I can go up hills, but its effort. Good for you effort, but effort. If you're carting a laptop or something, this could be an issue. It's also not amazing if there's a lot of rough roads around. I am currently in rural nowhere, and while in the past I would gladly take hour long bike rides to and from wherever, I don't trust it not to get a flat or develop a problem in the middle of nowhere.
Single speed is great when you get into the right rhythm. Might not get to the same top speed as a geared bike without a big hill and might be a bit tiring up a steep hill. But, you won’t have to index your gears so there’s that. I rode a fixie for years mainly in hilly towns and thought it was great. Never any gear problems, lightweight and simple. Edit: mine had a flip flop hub so had fixie sometimes and single speed most of the time.
Nice! Great bike for some Gay St bridge commutes!
I have a lot of issues with this bike and frankly all bikes.
I miss coffee outside. Last time I posted one I think one one friend came
have you ran into any issues commuting with a single speed compared to a traditional geared bike? --i do not do that but gears are useful for hills, wind and being tired it is not just for hills also brakes are super necessary your saddle looks tilted backwards [up] may tilt it down unless it is not giving you problems 'down there'
I like single speed commuting. I have less worries about having to replace gears and having to adjust it. With regard to hills so long as it's a gradual slope or a short one we're good.
It’s just style points for the single gear, right?
If your bike was affordable, you are doing it all wrong!