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There is now a very complete guide to singlespeeding posted at http://www.mtbr.com/faq/ssfaq.shtml - however, when I started writing this several months ago I was having difficulty finding information. Please refer to the following as my personal experiences and observations – I’m no expert and do not profess to be. I do, however, love riding my newly converted and trusty rig. Happy Trails…and let me know what ya think!
Introduction
Growing up in the farmland outside of Davis, California, a bicycle meant one thing: freedom. I remember the privilege of being old enough to ride the country bike paths, and later, to cruise into town for no other reason than to play arcade games. I would tear through the pages of Bicycling (back when it encompassed both the established road cycling and fledgling mountain bike scene), checking out the latest purple-anodized CNC parts and articles on how suspension was ruining the sport. It was a great day when I got my first real mountain bike, a pearl white Specialized Stumpjumper, with the latest Shimano Deore DX and Suntour XC-Pro parts. I rode this bike hard, tagging along with my family and friends to trails all around Northern California, until the frame developed a crack near the head tube. It seemed as though my ticket to independence was up, until Specialized came through with a newer Stump frame in a beautiful burgundy color. As the years passed, I continued to ride occasionally and even upgraded to a Rock Shox Indy fork with A-headset system, but eventually my trusty Stump was retired in favor of a sexier fully-suspended, rapid-fire shifting, clip-in pedaling GT.
Fast forward to the present day and a renewed interest in riding. Since graduating college I had taken a mountain biking road trip and sampled some of finest trails in the western US and British Colombia (story to be posted soon). I had lived briefly in Mammoth, CA and had been lucky enough to experience great rides straight from my front porch. And recently I had followed a job to Sacramento, close to home and close to my old familiar trails. I had also tried competing, and after my first 24-Hour race in Tahoe, went to the MTBR.com gathering in Downieville. However, the talk around the campfire was not so much about the craziest big suspension designs, but instead centered on the relative plainness of the singlespeed. People raved about the epic rides they had done, and the straightforward rigs that had gotten them there and back. Words like “smooth” and “pure” were uttered, and heads nodded in agreement. I remembered my old Stump, the bike that had started it all for me, and the idea was planted to make the switch.
However, I soon learned that for all of the apparent simplicity of going singlespeed, there are still a lot of considerations in building up a bike. Making the transition was somewhat intimidating, and I had a range of questions in my mind before I was ready to lose my vintage thumbshifters and original Deore XT derailleurs. I wanted some idea of the cost of new parts, typical weight savings, and ride impressions before and after. I had seen complicated chain retention and bottom bracket setups, and wondered about the necessity of it all. Should I run longer cranks? Wider bars? What gear ratio? Soon it seemed that I would be making more changes (and spending more money) on an old bike than I had originally bargained for.
The following is intended to be a resource for anyone with a bike in the garage who is thinking of trying something different. I hope that from my experiences you can judge for yourself whether building a singlespeed is something you want to pursue. I can tell you this much: one month after completing the project Stump, I’ve done some awesome rides and am excited to ride some more. And the full-suspension rig? Our last race together was the Downieville Classic Cross-Country. I sold it one week later.
The Parts & Install – Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
• A brief word about my parts selection: the main motivator for this project bike was to get the most bang for my buck. That said, I definitely did not use all of the resources available to research my decisions – I read the MTBR.com reviews after I had built up my bike, and accept these personal experiences with a grain of salt. My selections are based mostly on word-of-mouth and gut feelings. I chose the Truvativ Stylo singlespeed crankset and BB because it seemed like a clean solution and I saw quite a few singlespeeds at the Downieville Classic with this setup. I chose my Avid brakes and brake levers because of their reputation and because they were on sale. The Paul tensioner earns a place on my rig because it looks really cool, and because Paul explained the design to me at his booth in Downieville. And I went with my Crank Brothers pedals because the design looked light and smart. Since building my bike, I have checked the reviews logged at MTBR, with mixed feelings. I can only speak from my experience, but I agree and disagree with some of the opinions of others. My Truvativ cranks and BB have worked great. No complaints whatsoever. In all but the steepest and loosest descents, my Avid brakes have been very effective. It is true that I snapped my first pair of Avid Mag levers, but in retrospect, they were clamped too tight on my bars – the proof is the dent left behind in my top tube. Things break when a crash happens; I do not blame the parts. The Paul tensioner works great, the only negative being the issue I had with the derailleur bolt during install (see below). As for my pedals, I love ‘em. The Candy SLs feature very positive engagement and enough support when not locked in. Now on to the install:
• I make no claims to being mechanically-inclined, or even someone who practices basic maintenance at regular intervals. My bikes have the misfortune of being beaten on and thrown in the garage to wait until next time. This is why I took my project bike to the experts at Auburn Bike Works (phone - (530) 885-3861) for the more complicated work (installing the bottom bracket, tensioner, and fixing chainline). Many thanks to Mike for working from the early afternoon to late evening on my ride and Lisa for her patience. Their help and expertise got me on the trails a lot sooner than if I had tried to do it all on my own. Mike would not let me leave before ensuring everything was in great working order (which required a few fine-tunes), and he came up with some creative fixes in dealing with issues.
• There is a certain satisfaction in stripping old heavy parts…and adding shiny new ones. The overall effect of going singlespeed and using my new parts was to drop about four pounds. My Project Stumpjumper weighs in at a svelte 24.05 pounds.
• Chain tension was achieved by use of a Paul Melvin. During install, the lightweight aluminum hanger bolt proved to be too soft, and as it was being tightened, it became stripped internally. This caused a minor panic on my part, but was corrected by using the heavier derailleur bolt salvaged from my old-school Shimano XT rear derailleur. Another issue was that it did not seem we were provided enough spacers to adequately align my chain. Both of these issues were brought to Paul’s attention, and he replied that these problems have been addressed. Mike at Auburn Bike Works was able to use small aluminum spacers to achieve proper chainline. On a positive note, the tension delivered by the spring and double pulley design is great. People at the shop who were supervising the project gave the Melvin a thumbs up for appearance and design compared to other tensioners on the market, and it has worked well on the trail.
• Truvativ crank and bottom bracket assembly was complicated by initially thinking we needed the larger 118 mm width, but after a lot of trial and error, we discovered that the 113 width was indeed the way to go, and the rest of the assembly installed fairly easily. My impressions of this setup are very positive – the cranks feel stiff and stable.
• The bolts supplied to attach the front Avid brake arms were too long for my fork, so we had to improvise. Otherwise installation was a breeze, and I like the sealed design and smooth pull of the Flak Jacket cables.
• The 2:1 gear ratio seems fairly standard, although I went with this setup out of necessity. I had been advised to start lower, like with a 34:18 then step up to a 34:17 to achieve 2:1. However, the Truvativ Stylo cranks were available only with 32T chainring, and I purchased a Chris King rear 16T single cog. While I could have ordered a separate front chainring, I wanted to go with something I knew would work with the crankset, and I didn’t want to pay for an extra chainring. This setup has been fine for most part, although I definitely work on the climbs. I figure this helps add character, and maybe chest hair.
The Ride
• Sunday 9/15/03 - Initial impressions from first ride from Rancho Cordova to Folsom along American River bike trail: “This loop of approximately 20 miles was on a mix of paved road and hard granite, splitting to dirt on spur roads off the main paved trail. I noticed I had twitchy index fingers – it had taken awhile to get used to Rapidfire shifting originally, and not having the option to shift also takes some adjustment. This was not a factor on climbs – I never found myself searching for a lower gear going up these mild hills, but on descents I had the recurring urge to gear up. I also noted that it took some concentration to keep my pedal stroke smooth – when it was not I would spin wildly and bob up and down on the seat. The “new” Stump was noticeably easier to get in the air, especially the lightened rear wheel, which made jumping a lot more fun (although landing felt a lot less cushy when compared to my old full suspension rig). When riding, I found that I searched for the climbs – while previously I had thought of climbs as a necessary evil (what goes down must first go up) – with a lightweight hardtail cranking a single gear, I looked forward to the challenge of the climb. It made me think of some of my favorite rides, and how this change in my gearing changed my whole approach to that trail. I thought that the singlespeed might present a fresh outlook on old familiar trails and obstacles. I also noticed that in my riding I was rising out of the saddle more at the beginning and trying to attack a climb, throwing my weight from side to side to wrench up the hills. I had been worried that this style would cause the fork to bottom out, and thought that a fork with lock out would be required, but this didn’t seem to have too much of an effect. The wider bars will take a little getting used to.
• Saturday 9/27/03 - First real trail ride in Soquel/Demonstration Forest off Summit Road on Hwy 17 on the way to Santa Cruz: “This was a familiar place that I had been riding since college, but for some reason, I was prompted to explore new side trails. After the initial climb, I launched into a roller coaster of a trail, with swooping turns and lots of waterbars to launch my bike off. I realized that I was pulling more at the top of my pedal stroke when climbing, rather than just cranking downwards, but I am not sure if this can be attributed to new pedals or the new gearing. It also became clear the importance of keeping momentum, much more so than on a geared bike. With gears, it is possible to easily gain speed by gearing up on a downhill, and when climbing, it is possible to drop to a low enough gear to crawl up nearly anything. With the singlespeed, there was a limit to how much speed I could generate on the downhills, and to make the climbs, I needed to keep as much velocity as possible. This made the ride much more engaging; every dip and turn mattered – flowing through the entire trail and carrying speed became the challenge, not just making it through a series of sections.
• Sunday 9/28/03 - Saratoga Gap: A beautiful fall morning with a marine fog layer milling in valley below greeted me and some friends as we warmed up. This was the first time I had ridden with others, and from the beginning it was difficult to gauge the tempo. From previous rides I had learned the importance of momentum, and in comparison to my geared buddies, it was difficult to judge the effort that a section would require. I draw the comparison to skiing with a snowboarder, or vice versa. When skiing, it is possible to take advantage of the poles and separate planks to generate speed or propel across flat spots; but when snowboarding, you are only able to use the momentum you carry and when the slope stops, eventually so do you. This wasn’t a big deal, but it seems like I was always charging while my friends were riding a little more leisurely. There are two difficult spots that I always try and make on the way out of the loop: a rooty section that is especially tough in wet weather, and the last switchback on the final climb. I hit the roots hard and popped thru, but got stuffed in the switch back – I couldn’t generate enough power when the trail turned up and sideways. But we’ll be back for revenge.
• Sunday 9/28/03 – Rockville: This ride is another one of my old stomping grounds. One of my favorite memories from High School was ditching class one day to come ride here with a buddy. I met a friend from work in the late afternoon so I could give him a tour. The day started off ok on the tough initial climb, but when soft dirt soil gave way to loose pebbles, I spun my wheels and totally lost it. From the climb we swooped thru some turns, did a quick hike-a bike off the back of the rock garden and proceeded to one of my favorite mountain bike views: high on the cliffs in the foothills, looking out above ranches and vineyards. We jumped back onto some hardpacked dirt, to the 2nd extended climb – I made the switchbacks leading up to the finale, but lost it when the trail got a little technical, and had to walk the last ten yards. We got down a sketchy loose downhill which is very steep initially and then runs out, then went through the gate at the east end, and into the fun stuff. I was going ok, but then things got hairy. There is a technical rutted downhill with big rocks, which bottoms out and turns up abruptly but briefly and then winds immediately down again at an awkward angle to a short drop followed by a bigger one. I’ve never really made it through cleanly, and in retrospect, it might have been wise to be better acquainted with the bike and new pedals before trying it. So much for wisdom – I went for it on my 2nd attempt, and I’m not really sure what happened. Things seemed lined up pretty well from the top, but somehow on the way down, things got nasty quick. I went completely over the bars and landed in a clump on the rocks below. My handlebars did a full 540, putting a dent in my top tube, destroying one brake lever and bending the other in the process. I was a little shaken, cut up and bloody and so rested for a few minutes. I rigged up my one working lever so I would at least be able to ride out, and we made it back to the fence. Not wanting to be a bad host, we did a quick tour of the rockgarden behind the lake. I didn’t feel the need to prove myself any further, and was looking forward to cleaning my self up, so didn’t push it too much.
• Sunday 10/12.03 - Salmon Falls: Not off to a good start, I didn’t warm up enough for the beginning climb and had to walk half of it. This felt unusual, and was a little humbling. I had seen walkers during the Downieville XC race, and just always thought they were out of shape or weren’t pushing themselves hard enough, but I fully felt it this time: my legs just couldn’t turn the cranks. Physically it wasn’t happening and mentally, I kinda caved in, which was a frustrating way to start the ride. I had ridden these trails maybe four times before, so was really surprised when this climb stumped me. I had totally underrated it, and on my geared full suspension bike had had no problems. Later, in a technical, tight single-track descent that wraps between trees I knocked my handlebars and almost came off. This was my first ride since the Rockville crash mentioned above, and I was getting a little frustrated. For better or worse, a singlespeed forces a reevaluation of even familiar trails. I unclipped from my pedals, walked to the top and dropped in again. This time I made it through smoothly, and felt a little better. I realized I was riding a little more cautiously because of my recent wreck, but also because the overall feel was so different than my full suspension bike. On this same section with the full suspension, I had quickly dropped in, skidded around the first turn, ramped off the rock below, and railed the turns until the run-out. My first thought was that the suspension had maybe given me an artificial sense of confidence. Later after the ride I decided that going back to a hardtail instead forced me to use skills that I had neglected: line selection was now more important, as was committing to a line. I did not have the benefit of suspension to make up for sloppy decisions or gearing to alter my momentum. The way back to the trailhead was way better. I was sweeping through turns, hopping rocks, and generally feeling more energetic. I charged a couple of short technical climbs and felt pretty good. This “technique” seemed to work for me: on a short climb to find the line in advance, commit to it, and throw everything at it. Hit it with momentum, absorb the hits, and work it. So with arms rocking and legs churning, I made some tough sections and felt redeemed. The rest of the ride went well as I zipped around Folsom Lake. I made the climb out, and felt good about the ride, and the few sections that will give me a goal for next time.
• 10/17/03 – Mammoth: This was to be the final test - hitting the trails I had known well when I lived here previously. Although this late in the season the resort bike park was no longer offering shuttle rides, the trails were still open to use. The morning started by riding from the bottom of Main Street to Uptown, connecting to Beach Cruiser, then to Mountain View and ending at the Minaret viewpoint. This basically works out to a 2000-foot elevation gain, and I was definitely searching for oxygen in every breath. I hopped onto the downhill portion of Mountain View, and bombed down the pumice-filled trails behind the Mammoth Mountain Inn, following Downtown to Paper Route and taking Big Ring home to the Canyon Lodge area. While the climb was definitely a challenge, I noticed I had done the section from my house to the Main Lodge on my singlespeed in the same amount of time it used to take me on the geared full suspension – 38 minutes. After a relaxing day of checking out the town, I geared up for a chilly night ride on the Mammoth Rock trail. A friend joined me, and we climbed on pavement to the Old Mammoth Road turn where we hit the dirt. This was my first night ride on the singlespeed, and overall it felt great. The trail was narrower than we had remembered, but the bike performed well. The next night I set out to redo parts of the ride I had done during the day on Friday. This time, the extended climb from Uptown to Beach Cruiser was a little more difficult. Without daylight vision, my anticipation and preparation were taken away – leaving only reactions. Mammoth is technically a volcano, and much of the terrain is soft, sandy pumice which greatly slows momentum. I could not tell initially where these sections were, and had to adapt by reading the color variation in the trail. This surprised me again on Big Ring towards the end of my ride, where the trail cuts across black volcanic rock and the soil abruptly turns a bright red. I couldn’t decide if having one gear at night was good because there was no alternative when the terrain turned difficult, or if gears would be better for getting through the rough stuff. In a way, the singlespeed is nice because your options are simple: ride hard and make the gearing work, or get off and walk. The Stump did well, especially on the fun root drops on the way out of Beach Cruiser. Before going home on Sunday, I had to get one last ride. I did the exact same ride as the night before, this time definitely feeling the fatigue in my legs. This quickly went away as I rounded the lake and hit the root drops and bermed turns coming out of Beach Cruiser. The ear-to-ear grin lasted the whole drive home.
Conclusion – A Revelation in Every Ride
So does singlespeeding live up to all of the promises? For me, yes. I am incredibly happy that I have resurrected an old bike and turned it into a new favorite. Just as the old bike has become new to me, so have familiar trails that I previously thought I had mastered. With new challenges come new rewards, and it shows in my riding. Some friends and I gathered after work last week for a night ride at Salmon Falls. It was great: my riding felt stronger; my pedal stroke more rhythmic. It still took a lot out of me to make it up some of the climbs, but there was more satisfaction than suffering, and I cleaned the sections that had stopped me before. A friend noticed how much I was enjoying the ride, and commented that it reminded him of the BMX he had as a kid. “I remember how much fun that was”, he said, “and I remember how hard it was to get up some of those hills. But that’s all we had was one gear – and I loved to ride that bike”.
We are talking about doing Rockville this weekend, and I think I might be ready for the rematch. My ol’ Stump and I have a score to settle with some trails.
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