Watch This BEFORE You Switch to Single Speed!
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- Опубликовано: 7 авг 2024
- Single speed mountain biking is a ton of fun, but if you're anything like I was, the thought of making the switch can be a bit intimidating! That's why in this video I'm going to share with you everything I wish I knew before switching to single speed!
Looking for a beautiful handmade mountain bike? Check out Stanton Bikes! They're offering viewers of our channel free shipping to North America if you email contact@stantonbikes.com and let them know you watched this video!
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Choosing Your Gearing
04:43 Bike Setup
07:09 Pedaling Technique
08:26 Know When to Walk
09:03 Maintaining Momentum
#mtb #singlespeedmtb #mountainbiking 
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![A single speed will make you a stronger rider and improve your MTB skills [TrailTalk Series]](/img/1.gif)
Been riding SS for over 30+ years. I live in a pretty hilly area / long climbs. Biggest change I found on setting up a SS vs geared is a higher handlebar height for SS. Higher setup where I am almost standing straight up really benefited me by taking the load off my lower back & upper back, redistributing the load much more evenly throughout the rest of the body more efficiently.
Every bike I have owned I turn into a SS. I now ride a full suspension single speed and have never looked back. Honestly I sucked at shifting gears and I would always have an excuse about “wrong gear” or “ shifting issues “ and I love the simplicity of not having to deal or think about that. I also find that with gears I would always have an excuse to shift into an easier gear and my fitness would suffer. Now I focus on the trail and my riding and fitness have greatly improved. Thanks for the SS luv. Keep the videos coming
Thank you man! Ya I used to dread the climbs (and don’t get me wrong they’re still my least favorite part of the ride by a long shot), but I think that’s because I found the whole sit and spin thing so boring. I feel like standing and charging isn’t TOOOO much more demanding, but way more fun! Sorta like if you were to compare standing and charging the descents as opposed to sitting and cruising on your way down.
@@ridingwithjoshandwendyyeah I grew up riding bmx and I live ontop of hills so I became a master at standing up on a single speed style of bike and climbing the hill sitting on a 21 speed mountain bike feels way different
I totally wanna set my Fs bike up SS!
I love riding singlespeed! And yes, I am a BMX rider so it feels natural.
You are spot on about how they teach you riding technique. They teach you how to maintain your momentum and move the bike around rather than just sitting and pedalling in a low gear over everything.
It's like the anti-anti-eBike! 🤣
Haha true! Glad you’re stoked on it too!
A systematic way to pick a gear is to first decide on what cadence range you can ride and knowledge of the power you can maintain for different lengths of time. Then, given the grade of climbs you will encounter as well as their length, use an online power calculator to find your speed, then use an online cadence calculator to find your cadence at that power for different gear ratios. Finally, choose a gear ratio that falls into your cadence range for the climbs you will encounter.
Kinda complex :) in the end you have to select the lowest gear inches, that you need to get (grunt) up the biggest climb(s) that you have on your usual routes...
An easier and cheaper way is to use your geared bike to find the perfect ratio for the area you ride. I used my 3X9 bike to find my ratio because of all the hills. Then I bought chain ring and cogs for my two fixed gear bikes. one for tracklocross and the other for road.
(Hi from Portland) I can't imagine riding a bike with all of that extra junk on it. I have a Profile 18-tooth thread on freewheel screwed onto a Paul WORD 148 disc hub, 32t chain ring; 29 x 2.6 Teravail Kessel tires, which are magical.
The old school starting point for choosing a gear is something like 2:1. 32:18 is pretty common, 32:22 for something like the Colorado Trail Race.
Sometimes chain half links can make chain sizing easier, especially if you're not using a fancy chain specifically for a specific cassette and derailleur (Izumi V Super Toughness Narrow here)
Riding singlespeed isn't much more difficult, if at all, than a multi-geared bike. It makes you read the ground and conditions more and maintaining momentum. You'll also get the upper body workout, too, which is a nice bonus.
By the way, I'm hosting a short International Single Speed Day ride here on Thursday.
Love this Vid. I went single this season. And love it. I tell people. If you find a gear setup that you hate every were. Its probably the perfect gear. LOL
Hahaha too true, thanks for sharing!
Great video! You hit all of the major points, clear and easy to understand. I've been SSing in AZ for about 14 years, currently 58 years old, jammin' all kinda gnarly chunk both up and down. Gave up the geared squishy years ago!
Simple and beautiful! Thankyou for explaining it simple terms!
Great vid. Thanks for all the info. Literally building a single to ride Phils! Appreciate you and the effort!
Thank you man! Fellow Bendite? We should go for a ride!!
My best gear ratio: On my trails, I look for the steepest section and get a gear ratio that I can JUST ride without stalling.
My commuter and cruiser are both singles. I have a Critical Harper and a Genesis OneX 29er. Considering a single speed trail bike. I'm getting to where a single speed bike is just more better. Less maintenance and just makes me happier. Who cares how fast you go. My commuter is average 14 and the cruiser... well... is. a cruiser. If I can build a sweet trail bike that does what it needs to do, then heck yea.
thanks to you i switched to single speed in my ht running assegais tires for a month and it really helps me getting fit 😂
Nice man! Ya I’m sure those assegais definitely boost the fitness haha, that’s a good way to look at it 😂
Love my single speed mountain bike!
You're an exceptional athlete with solid advice. An unusual combination.
Thank you.
Wow, what a compliment! Thank you!
Great vid, wouldn't trade my SS for any other bike!!! Just seems to work out here in the midwest. Keep on pumping out the great content🤟
Thank you man! Ya once you experience the fun of riding one it’s hard to go back!
excellent! Thank-you.
Having ridden bmx (single speed) in my childhood and through all my 20’s, it’s really nice for me to have gears now. It’s good to switch things up, might go back to single speed one day.
Ya, it’s definitely nice to have the option! I still ride a lot of BMX and I find that running a single speed makes my MTB feel a bit more like a BMX. But I can definitely understand why not everyone would want that!
Yes, I used one on a S-Works, hardtail carbon frame for about four years. It worked very well until I cracked the BB on a rock and was not able to get a good repair. I had about 10,000 miles on the setup at that time. I have heard that it could wear out the BB carbon but I didn’t have any trouble with that.
I’m super glad I watched this first
I am never going single speed!!
Thanks 🎉
Hahaha well glad it helped make the decision 😂
Love the Aitken seat. He’s the man! Really tempted to switch out my Giant Trance frame for my Specialized Fuse and run it with the trusty 1x1 setup. Go back to my bmx and dirt jumper roots a bit 🤘🏻
Dooo it! And throw an Aitken seat for the icing on the cake 👌
Dude such a solid video. My future mtb is becoming more and more likely to be a single speed👀
Yewww!! They’re not just for old XC nerds after all haha!
Thank you so much, your video has answered so many questions and put my mind at ease, I am currently running a very entry level bike which I cheaply converted to a 1x7, from the stock 3x7, but this has now shown me that the gear inches and ratios I have would do just fine. Also, I am thinking about converting to a single speed, but since my rear is using a freewheel, my options are limited, maybe I'll go for a single speed freewheel, if I can find one. Or perhaps I will look for the cheapest way to get the rear on a freehub and a cassette.
Thanks especially for explaining the gear inches, I was confused about that.
Heck ya!! Glad it was helpful 🤙
I started riding SS almost 2 years ago at 56 and love it. In the time since then I’ve probably ridden twice as many miles on the SS as I have on my geared Fs bike!
Nice man!! Yeah, it’s addicting for sure!
I thought Stanton offered a sliding dropout for that bike?
Man, thanks a lot from Russia. Just find an old mtb frame inside my friend's garage, so I've got an idea what to do
Good man, glad it was helpful! Have fun on your build 🤙
Love this video. There's something about a SS mountain bike ... especially if you rode BMX as a kid! Also, Mike Aitken is a BOSS.
Yesss!! I love everything about your comment haha!
I bought a kona single speed around 2010 it's got a 120 mm chinese air fork up front and continentals contact plus city slicks it's a fun playful bike for urban tricks. I guess I could put xc tires on to play in the dirt...
Nice! Sounds like a great around town bike!!
Another way to tension your chain is by using an eccentric bottom bracket. It is more expensive than a tensioner but results in a very clean chain line.
True! I’ve heard they’re a bit finicky to set up and are almost always creaky. Have you had success using them?
Problem solvers makes a eccentric BB that fits in a BB30 frame and reduces to a 24mm spindle. Very trick solution
Hi, great video. I would suggest another important tip, make sure you have a fork with a lock. Very important when you stand uphill.
Very true! I run about 10% sag with three volume spacers, so not a huge deal for me, but if you like soft suspension on the way down than you’ll definitely want to add some compression for the climbs!
I transformed an old 26er HT into single speed, a 34T oval chainring with 20T cog. I use that bike for strength/power training riding uphill. The simple set up makes it also favorite for muddy rides. A little down part is the max speed on flat sections but it's good for building up higher cadence. All and all I have fun shredding that bike. 🤙
Nice, sounds like a super fun bike! And ya, that’s probably the most annoying part for me too, but it’s taught me how to maintain and generate speed in other ways (pumping, not braking, etc.) so that’s been cool!
How do you have single speed with an oval chainring?
Using a chain tensioner 🤙
🍇 🍑 🍓
When i finally found my magic ratio of 40x19 for my hilly commute to work my geared bikes started to collect dust. Good content btw.
Rad!! And thank you, glad you're enjoying it!
awesome
I converted mine to a SS about a year ago and I’ve been thinking about putting gears back on it but after watching this I think I’m gonna stay with easier set up lol
Ya I switched back to gears for a few months, but am back to SS now. It’s nice that it’s not too hard to go back and forth once you have the parts!
Is there a reason you put the tensioner pushing down rather than up, like it suggests to do in the dmr instructions?
Had to do all this a week or so ago. My bmx has a 30 with a 9 tooth driver, normal woulda been a 25/9 which is the same as 44/16. My DJ came with a 32 and a 16 cassette cog, it feels light, rightly so, to get it more in the ballpark of my BMX i ordered a 13tooth cog which on a BMX would still feel light, but on the DJ itll actually be harder.
Iike single speed but on the westcoast of Canada on a little island, we have steep mountains, so my 29er hardtail is staying geared for climbing. I did do 25+ years riding bmx over an hour long commutes to the skatepark daily, lots of walking to get up hills but it builds character
Having a BMX background definitely helps when switching to single speed haha
Thank you
Glad it was helpful!!
what is best rear cog for 30 chainring for Single speed
I`ve been trying 16, 18, 20t cogs with 34t chainring on 26 hardtail and found same thing that 20t by 34t with 1.7 ratio and 44'' is a sweetspot for descends and slight uphills. Smaller cogs make it challenging to go uphill and cause too much leg fatigue.
Nice!! There’s been a few times I’ve gone to 30:20 on my 27.5” for some of the extra steep climbs
Literary answered my question. I got a 26 hardtail running 2:1, 34t/17 cog and for the most part is OK, but I would want something a bit more easy on me. Rear cog kits are way more expensive than front chainrings though :D I have gusset links, but I can't use them as I need front chainring that is not narrow-wide and these are custom made all of them. Haven't seen one in Aliexpress for example.
14/36 is pretty nice.
Is there a specific bike app that I can use to locate strictly fast flowy trails
🎉to see single speed still a thing
13 years going❤
Hell ya 🤘🤘
SS forces you to attack every climb and ride very strategically. Sit stand or walk? Grind or sprint? It will absolutely make you a better rider.
Couldn’t agree more, plus it’s a ton of fun! Turns out charging is more fun than cruising on the climbs too haha
I'm going to come at this from a different point, most likely? Everything in this video is correct. However most people are fit or supper fit and you might think someone like me very unfit might as well just forget it ? However my single speed biking started early 70s riding my mother's 1940s steel bike with heavy rod breaks. You would think it was going to be a big effort to even get the thing moving as a 9 year old ? I was completely astonished it was way faster than I thought possible? I was hooked, this was many years before I even heard of mountain bikes . Now in my 60s I still think Single speed is great as for the fitness thing , when in the video you said you have to know when you have to hop of and walk and push , I have to get of and push before almost everyone else, but here is the thing , I have to get off and push even with a wide range of gears .
End result no faster even with a wide range of gears . b
Lowest of even 2nd bottom gear you might as well walk , a 17" gear is walking pace. So even if like me old and unfit a Single speed is still king !
That’s really cool man, thank you for sharing!
Not sure what bottom bracket setup that frame uses but check out First Components. They have EBB conversions for different frames that wont accept a true EBB. Example i have a 2021 Marin San Quentin 3 with a 73mm bottom bracket shell. Uses a 24mm axle spindle and BC1.37x24T threads. By using the First Components P237SA EBB setup I am able to run Single Speed without a tensioner and no magic gear needed. There worth the money if your legit wanting to SS on a frame without any other way to tension the chain.
Also there based in Taiwan, I ordered my P237SA bottom bracket on a monday, it was on my front porch when I got home Thursday in North Carolina so don't worry about long shipping times.
Good to know! Thanks for sharing!!
Such a shame so few people arent trying this, its so cheap and fun
Agreed!!
It is nice to see that you like your modified drive train so much. I personally think that single speed mountain bikes are worse than normal MTBs in every way.. the weight bonus is way to small to make any notable difference to me.. especially since it means being in the wrong gear the entire time the weight would matter.. you keep mentioning how much simpler the setup is- while explaining all the extra steps you have to take to make it work. Sometimes less is more, but other times less is just less and I would rather go back to my 90s 3 speed internal gear hub than driving a single speed.
To be honest there’s a whole lot more to the experience of riding a single speed than loosing a pound or so of weight. Sounds like you haven’t tried riding a SS yet, and I’d at least try it before calling it “worse in every way” haha. But you are right in that it’s not “better” than a 12 speed, just like a hardtail is not “better” than a full suspension bike. It all comes down to riding style and preference, and I’m glad there are options for everyone!
It is not only about weight here. Single speed drive train is very efficient with no pulleys and a perfect chainline. I find SS very suitable for long distances not only for drive-train efficiency, also, because cruise speed is slower and so is aerodynamic resistance. I also was tempted to try a 3s HUB but they are unobtanium on my country, quite heavy and wont change climb ratio enough.
@@ridingwithjoshandwendy for me its mostly a mental benefit, it forces me to push myself and i feel more in tune with the bike. its more meditative to pedal slow to go slow, pedal fast to go fast, and pedal hard to attack the hills.
I have a hybrid bike with 3sp internal geared hub. Rarely change out of second gear, but it's nice to change to third on the down hills and fly! I like it almost as much as single speed. My derailleur bikes are collecting dust!
Somebody needs to do calculations on ratios that don't change overall chain length. I have run bikes with track ends and now with an eccentric BB. I can usually only manage a range of about two teeth on the rear at the extremes of both settings. Anything else requires a different chain. For example, I can run 32x16 or 18 at the extremes, or 32x18 or 20. It might be that I need to keep different chain lengths with me at all times if I feel I need to switch gears. The only other alternative is to use a tensioner, which I don't care for and it defeats part of the appeal to SS. Then again, switching out chainrings and rear gears at the same time to keep a similar chain length sounds like a pita too.
3:55 Hmm well I learned something here, thanks
Good! Glad it was helpful!
Hola amigo un saludo desde Colombia 🇨🇴 tengo un cuadro con ruedas 27.5 la tengo con single speed coronilla de 34T y piñon 16t, es una bicicleta muy versátil voy de mi casa al trabajo en carretera recta aproximadamente 17 km de distancia, tiene una excelente aceleración, voy por ciclorutas muy transitadas y al momento de arrancar dejo atras muy rápidamente a los bici usuarios, me parece una muy buena relación para andar en Ciudad aproximadamente 30km por hora, no me parece tan lento para el trayecto. Me gustaría recibir una opinión referente a la cadencia que tengo en mi bici GRACIAS!!
That sounds like an awesome bike!! Do you use it for much mountain biking, or just commuting?
Do you ever use a 29er SS. I have a 26er now and was considering a 29er.
I actually haven’t! I’m a huge 27.5” fan and haven’t invested in a 29” wheeler yet, but I’m sure you’d love it! Most SSers are on 29s these days
👍
Wheel diameter x chainring ÷ cog x pi ÷ 12 = feet per crank revolution.
do you manually adjust / drop your seat, or tend to set and forget?
On a single speed I usually just leave it down since I’m out of the saddle pedaling 99% of the time anyway
Maybe I missed it but is there an actual difference when compared to just sticking to one gear of a full gearbox? Or: could anyone try if this is fun, just by not shifting gears on their next ride? Besides my enduro I have like a single speed road bike and I like it, but as there are many hills in my area, I'd actually rather have a Gravelbike that goes up way better than my singlespeed where I have to stick to the one gear and press extremely hard as soon as it reaches a certain steepness. (obviously with better fitness it will get easier, but still.. )
I talk a bit more about that in this video: ruclips.net/video/zhflnYOqbqE/видео.html But to summarize I think you’d be surprised by how the immediacy of the power transfer without the friction of the derailleur (try spinning your cranks backwards with and without the chain going through the derailleur to see what I’m talking about). It also allows you to really hammer on the cranks without worrying about breaking the chain/derailleur, which is an issue I’ve had in the past when I’ve tried doing a lot of hard pedaling out of the saddle. I’m currently running a SS chain and it’s bomb proof!
@@ridingwithjoshandwendy okay cool, thanks for the answer! I will check out the other video. cheers from Germany
Right on man, thanks for saying hey 🤙🤙
TBH, dont see any upsides of using single speed... Just workarounds: Push the bike up the climb, don't pedal on the way down, basically, don't pedal at all, why even have a chain? lol
BTW - your chain stretches and you lose that tension.
I miss riding my s s bike
5,10.. rider what crank arm length?30 inch leg...
I’m 6’1 and ride 165s. I personally don’t think leg length correlates as much for mtb cranks as a lot of people say, but that’s just my opinion. I think you’d be good with 160s/165s no problem!
The book of Cog.
Chapter 1, verse 1.
To one is to be at one with The One.
For magic gear think half link
I thought about it! I rode them on BMX back in the day and remember them braking super easily. Has the tech on those improved much since?
@@ridingwithjoshandwendy i never had one break. Ushed on a couple of bikes for magic gear.
Good to know, thanks!
I did that whole entire course while being chased by a huge ginormous hungry Grizzly bear
Wait what lol?!
Take your SS to aBMX or pump track. Learn how to pump that sucker. It’ll keep you fast………. But I do prefer a dropper for that, happy to sacrifice a bit of weight. As for gear inches…..nahhh. Still to many variables. An SSer always has a box full of front and rear cogs of sizes….. you eventually find the right ratios. Disagree about SS needing fast tyres…. In UK we have seasons that need fast and muddy. So come autumn my SS happily wears a Maxxis forekaster and a shorty on the rear…. Very aggressive for mud. But an SS minion and ardent Race up front in the spring and summer.
Very dependent on where you live, yes! For the south west a fast rolling tire has made a huge difference! Since I’m standing 90% of the time it makes more sense to just leave the seat slammed for me. I spend a lot of time on a BMX bike so I’m very used to being out of the saddle, but I can see how that’d be challenging coming from a road/XC background
Shouldn't you be using circumference?
I’m not a math whizz, but here’s some more info on gear inches if you want to learn more: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_inches
You can aleays not switch on your 12s drivetrain
Why single speed? You don't have to shift, so I feel like you can find that perfect sweet spot within the 12 speed and don't shift. But then we can shift if we need to. I can see doing it on a cruiser, but on a mountain bike, why? Just so we can say its a single speed?
This video is more of a list of tips for those wanting to try it out, I talk more about the why here: ruclips.net/video/zhflnYOqbqE/видео.html
If you’ve never tried a true single speed set you’ll never understand.
Oh, and rigid single speed for the win.
whats the story behind the missing 🦷
Haha not internet safe 😜
@@ridingwithjoshandwendy Oh God now I want to know so much more
How to destroy your knees
1) buy a mtb hardtail
2) remove cassette, chain, derailleur and shifter
3) install a singlespeed kit
4) ride your usual singletracks
5) go to doctor to fix your knees
6) stop mtb riding to prevent long term issues with you knees
Lol I ride for fun, if my goal was to prevent injury and stay out of the doctor’s I’d pick up knitting
At 53 I supplement my geared rides with SS. Great for back and shoulder strength and my cadence varies from25-225 rpm. Every day? No. Once a week? Absolutely.
I had weak knees before single speeding. I took it easy with an easy cog then slowly gained strength over time. Now my knees are stronger than ever. 49 yrs of age.
I have no ACL in my left knee and not much cartilage (injury from 35 years ago) I have been riding SS for 15+ years the only time my knee hurts is when I occasionally ride my geared bike (too much sitting). The SS = knee pain is a myth always told by someone who doesn't ride a SS. The only other time me knee hurts is when I haven't been riding and my leg muscles get soft. Riding a hardtail in supper chunky rough DH will absolutely hurt your knee and the rest of your body more then a FS, that I will give you, I just ride the chunky rough DH slower on my SS or avoid it.
😠 Promo sm
Hell yeah.. love how the bike just sails over those doubles and how quiet the landings are... too many hills where I live.. 1x9 is as SS as I go XD/*
Ya, there’s definitely areas that aren’t nearly as suitable for a single speed. What bike are you on?
@@ridingwithjoshandwendy Man... mostly older Konas.. running 3x 7-9 , a 2008 Bass running 1x9.. Sticking to the 3x9 guns on all my fun bikes, but considering 1 or 2x9 on this new to me Ellsworth Distance I picked up 2 weeks ago, tore apart and rebuilt using decent parts..)
Also got a couple SS wheels and considering making my 2007 Cowan DS into a full sus single speed but that's a rainy day project..)
Loosing the front derailleur is the way to go!! The bike is so much more quiet and less to maintain. Check out the Microshift Advent X drivetrain, it’s a pretty dang affordable wide-range 10 speed drivetrain (11-48t)