The only thing holding me back from SS is my speed needs. I like to ride fast down hills and on flats. And on my local climbs, I could not climb to the top in a 2:1 ratio. For those of you who have converted from a 27 speed, do you notice theses differences in how you ride? Do you miss anything about having more gears? I like the simplicity of SS more than anything but I'd like to hear the pros and cons about the SS rigs. I think an SS will give me more fun without hastle and give me better conditioning. I don't know though.
Are you fast on your SS?
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no impact on climbs in terms of speed and depending on alternate bike compared against, often faster (since my geared bike weighs 17 lbs more anyway).
downhill, little impact......on downhills where there is little pedaling anyway
on flats, you will be slower. but you will enjoy the flats more (I do anyway) since I have accepted I cant go fast and as such, i learn to enjoy that part of the ride more
downhill, little impact......on downhills where there is little pedaling anyway
on flats, you will be slower. but you will enjoy the flats more (I do anyway) since I have accepted I cant go fast and as such, i learn to enjoy that part of the ride more
My riding buddies were a little dissapointed when I first brought my SS to the party, it didn't slow me down enough in their opinion 
Seriously, it all depends on the terrain imho. In my case that's rolling hills with short climbs and descents. Ideal for the SS. I think I am a little faster on my geared bike because it has a suspension fork and I can shift up on the flat parts. On the other hand the SS is faster on the climbs.
Seriously, it all depends on the terrain imho. In my case that's rolling hills with short climbs and descents. Ideal for the SS. I think I am a little faster on my geared bike because it has a suspension fork and I can shift up on the flat parts. On the other hand the SS is faster on the climbs.
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if you cant climb in a 2:1 on your hills, you dont need to pedal down them. work on flow and less braking. thats my experience, i ride better down hill on the ss because i dont/cant pedal to get back up to speed.
i think im faster overall on SS than when i had gears, but you can definitely go faster on flats with gears. just experiment with what gear ratio works best for you and find a happy medium between ease of climbing and high enough gearing to go decent speed on flats. you cant do much more than coast down hills regardless.
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I`m much faster on my SS then anyone I know,gears make me slow and sluggish.
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Did I mention that I stayed at a holiday inn express last night?
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i am faster than any of my riding partners on my SS.....granted I ride alone, but still....
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lolFaux Part Deux said:
I am faster on the climbs on my SS. There is a video of Mark Weir on his pump track and it shows him riding for a few minutes and he never pedals, but gets moving pretty good. I have also heard of DH guys practing without a chain or without pedaling to become smoother.
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The faster I turn the pedals, the faster I am on my SS. :thumbsup:
I am faster on ss, but not to say everyone will be. My ss is also a 29er which fits me better than my 26 inch geared. I am 6' 1'', long arms, shift poorly, like to ride off the seat, with BMX (long ago) background, and ride the midwest. I guess custom made for 29r/ss. I have friends that shift like a F1 car, and sit through everything that would likely not be as fast ss.
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It all depends on how I'm feeling on a given day. Some days I feel like superman and other days it feels like someone put kryptonite in my camelback. The weather has alot to do with it for me.
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