[aka brad]

JHESSE posted that perhaps he was tiring of SS and listed some reasons why he started.

Me, I started as a roadie and when I moved to Santa Cruz in 1991 started to ride MTB. I first heard of SS in a MTB Magazine and tried riding my old Bonty without shifting on a Sand Point ride (Nisene Marks State Park); I didn't like it (way too hard) but the idea stuck with me. Then I put together a DS bike and on another Sand Point ride I was passed by about 20 SS's on Church of Bike gathering (I hate that). So I went back to the Bonty and the challange got me hooked. I sold the dually and got a tattoo.

For me it was the challenge, what about you? Why did you start to ride SS?

1G1G, Brad

 

[TheSingleGuy]

It's all Matt Chester's fault....

I read about him in DirtRag, checked out his website, and got interested. He is such a great guy, emailed me a few times just to chew the fat, even after I told him I couldn't afford one of his masterpieces. Tons of respect for him. Anyway, converted an OLD steel MTB, punished myself with it for a while, then built up a nicer, more modern (but still a beater) MTB when parts became available. The real decider was when I snapped off the derailler hanger on my frame.

If I ever get room to store it, I want to buy a Voodoo Wanga One.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

 

[striker]

MTBR.com had something to do with it...

I've been riding for years. When I chanced upon MTBR a few years ago, I gradually started reading the SS boards. I liked what I saw. Jumped right into an off the shelf SS and haven't looked back. So, yes, I credit the boards as weird as it sounds. But I also know myself and ride almost daily. I stayed with single speeding because I enjoy the experience of it.

peace

 

[scanjok]

Have a friend who had a SS. Tried keeping up with him on my GF Sugar without shifting. The old skool idea of one gear sold me...within 2 weeks got me a SS. Been riding SS for about 3 months and loving it. Just did my 1st 100mile ride Saturday.

 

[Neeek]

I was a late starter...

Been riding MTBs since about 1990 and didn't get my first off-road SS until... *gulps* 2003.

Starting reading (and posting on) the www.singletrackworld.com forums and decided to convert my geared Roberts commuter into a SS with 46:16 fitting perfectly. All was happy. That was mid-2002.

Then I went for an MTB ride with Jo Burt where he completely crushed any suspicion I ever had that I was any good on a bike whilst riding his old Orange P7, rigid, flat bars with regulation 2:1. I figured "hell, if he can do it.."

After 4 long months of thinking, I bought an old Orange P7 and built up my first off-road SS. It was a nasty bike to ride (poor handlebar choice), and I managed to put a crease in the downtube on its maiden voyage. Threw it in the bin. So, I took my commuter off the road, grabbed a Singleator and entered myself in the Euro SS Champs for a laugh. Most fun race I've EVER done.

Shortly after that, I took all the excess gears off my retro Kona Cinder Cone and found that whenever a ride was on, I tended to grab the Kona before my "pride-and-joy" hardtail, that had all the nice parts on it. In a state of confusion and panic, I removed the gears from my spendy bike so that I now had a high-end steel disc'ed-up hardtail with only one gear.

No tattoo, and no chance of ever getting one. The XTR transmission that was taken off my hardtail is *still* sitting in a box under my house, and hasn't moved for some time.

It's addictive.

 

[DiRt DeViL]

As striker said the SS board had a lot to do with it and been willing to try something new. In my area I'm the only one that regularly rides a singlespeed even though I still own and ride a squishy gearie once in a while and converted my neighboor's Fuji into a SS and he's always telling me that I'm trying to convert everyone I talk about singlespeeding.

I started with a spare HT frame that was in the garage asking for use and haven't looked back since. After spending some $$$ on rings, cogs and stuff I found myself riding a Kona Unit with some nice parts.

What can I say, I'm hooked and can't let the SS fever go.

Can we make a support group to cope with this addiction? I'll volunteer to start the San Juan chapter of SingleSpeeders Anonimous.

 

[roadiegonebad]

got tired of my fcuking Fuel's bullsh!t chainsuck, chain drop, ghostshifting, etc. Turns out it was one of the early ones w/misaligned BB... poor replacement frame prob has only about 3 rides on it.

 

[The Tree]

Broken Collar Bone

The summer of 2002 I was working on my thesis, bought a new frame and built it up with part off of my old bike. Then in Setember of that year I broke my collar bone and was limited to what I could do, so I bummed un-used or un-wanted parts from friends and the LBS and built up my first single speed.

Realized I was much happier not shifting gears (couldn't put my right hand on the handlebars any way) and haven't looked back.

I went rigid the other day and wonder why I felt I needed suspension.

 

[gpsser]

Little voices in my head told me to do it, and you are always supposed to do what they say, right?

On the trails that I was riding at the time I was using only 2 or three gears per ride, and shifting very little. Went for a ride with a guy on a converted SS and it was all over.... 'cept for the voices in my head.

 

[Brandon]

Ran out of parts

Had enough parts to build a SS but not a gearie..

 

[Fishtoes2000]

Two reasons: NORBA and Pat Irwin.

First, the Iceman race in Traverse City, Michigan was NORBA sanctioned and I refused to buy a one-year expert license just to race it. Their new singlespeed category was a way around it.

Second -- exactly. I finished second to Pat Irwin who rode a singlespeed in the Iditasport.

 

[xrmattaz]

Hmmm....

I tired of the constant "squeek squeek" sounds my CDale Raven was a makin'. Just tired. Ghost shifting and just shifting and such wore me out. And the continuous tweaking of drivetrain parts.....don't get me started.

Somehow learned about SSing.

Converted my old '91 Stumpy to SS via cogs and spacers and such. Then bought my first Surly (a white one.)

Sold that old girl and some other gearies to purchase my Sofa King Ti King Pin. She rides so nice!

Just a coupla months ago added another Surly (black) to the stable.

Converted the King Pin to "fixie only" and WTB DirtDrops and such. Surly spends most of her time in fixie mode as well.....

Life is so much simpler now. I just get out and ride.....daily. I'm lovin' offroad fixie!

 

[NoWay Ray]

Lots of reasons

I had an old Fisher Supercalibre frame with forks I wasn't using and enough parts to make it ss, add to that a desire to spice up the same old local trails and add interest to group rides and well, the rest took care of itself. I've got a riding buddy who is getting himself a ss soon, some of our other riding buddies think we're crazy, although they thought this before I started riding ss anyway, but they're nice enough to let me go first on the climbs or give me room to pass, so I don't have to lose momentum.

 

[bitflogger]

Reality check.

I started when my parents must have thought I was old enough to try a bike and it was single speeding because that's all kids ever had or knew about at a time when some adults had 2 speed kick backs, some Brit 3 speeds and one person in town a Paramount. Sting Rays came out soon after.

 

[scarkinsmel]

Just tired of gears

and I hate cleaning my bike after every ride in the winter.

 

[FatFrank]

Darn right!

And later some of the kids got Schwinn Varsity's with ten speeds. I all went down hill from there. I still think onw of the finest bikes made was the schwinn heavy duty.

 

[zanq]

Necessity. The non-index 7 sp. shifting on my circa 1990 Schwinn MTB was shot and the bike was not worth dumping all kinds of cash on all new shifters, ders., etc. It became a decision of having a bike I hated to ride, or cheaply convert to something else. Now I'm hooked, esp. since I'm passing and/or keeping up with everyone else on the trail. I like both my gearie and my SS equally as well, and I'll be building up a SS specific frame shortly.

 

[Kolo]

Well, you guys really. Have been an avid rider for many years, mostly with a mountain biking bent. Moved over here (Prague) some 3 years ago, and when I realised I couldn't really justify my fancy C'dale hardtail sold it and bought a basic steel road bike. That bike then got converted to fixed, and as my passion for the dirt returned stronger and stronger it had some 'cross tyres thrown on it. For most of the terrain around here it was fine but the gear was a bit high and the BB a bit low for regular dirt fixed riding. So the freehub went back on and now I guess it's officially a singlespeed - though a pretty strange one. There are various plans in the back of my head for a steel 29"er SS, with money being the primary limiting factor..... With that thought, I'd better get my arse back into work, so I can take my poets day and get a nice ride in on the way home...

Sam

 

[pauly]

SS by way of FG roadie

I was hooked on the simplicity of the one-speed drivetrain about 30 seconds after I took my friend's track bike for a spin around the parking lot about 10 years ago. Immediately built up a fixed gear roadie and rode the crap out of it. Eventually sold the geared road bike to another friend. After a dodgy derailer ruined yet another trail ride, I had this (one-sided) exchange with the MTB: "Stupid MTB. Why can't you be more like your cousin Mr. Fixie?" I was alone in the woods at the time, but I'm fairly certain that an actual lightbulb did appear over my head. The rest is history.

 

[the_dude]

like a couple other guys on here, it was lack of money and/or parts. my hardtail was in need of a new fork, cassette, chainrings, derailleurs, etc. ss conversion was a fraction of the cost of replacing all that other stuff, and i'm way too attached to the bike to let it just sit there, or get rid of it. also, i have to credit this board with putting the idea in my head. once that idea was in there, it festered. until i thought about it all day at work, and at night lying in my bed. you guys are evil. but i went for it, and i friggin love it.

the_dude