Singlespeed

I went out for a ride on my singlespeed Saturday afternoon, despite some chilly temperatures and occasional rain. Weekends are now prime riding time for me, and a little questionable weather isn't going to deter me...

I did what has become my typical mountain bike ride: home to Pontiac Lake and back. I don't ride the singlespeed too much on trails, and I've never ridden it on a trail as difficult as PLRA. So, it was pretty interesting.

First, on the road, on the way to the trail, I noticed that the bike is definitely undergeared (I'm running 33x17). It was a nice warmup since I really got my cadence up, but it felt pretty slow. I actually do have a flip-flop hub on the bike, and it's set up with a smaller fixed cog on the other side (33x15). The gearing would have probably been perfect, but I didn't really want to mess with flipping the wheel over, and I'm also not sure I'm ready for fixed gear riding.

On the trail, my gearing felt good. There was only one hill I had to walk (I did skip a section with a couple steep hills). I was surprised that I could really feel how much more efficient the singlespeed drivetrain is. I definitely felt like I was going faster than I normally do given my cadence and effort on the pedals. Not having all the drivetrain bits rattling around on the downhills was also nice.

Now the bad (sort of)... my singlespeed has a rigid fork and V-brakes. I also have relatively narrow tires (1.95in) running at high pressure (at least, compared to my new tubeless setup). So, it was a rough ride; I remembered why I like suspension forks. On the other hand, riding on a rigid fork regularly would probably be good for me to do. It forces you to relax and pick good lines; otherwise, your vision gets blurry and your teeth rattle out!

This ride also made me appreciate the tubeless setup I've got on my geared bike. I definitely have more traction with the tubeless setup. I'm not sure that there was a big difference in rolling resistance, but there was definitely a difference in grip.

Anyway, it was a pretty fun ride. My body held up pretty well to the gearing and the pounding. I may try to incorporate more singlespeed riding into my training. I think it would be good for those Force and Muscular Endurance workouts.

So, a rundown (mostly for me) of the things I'd consider changing on this bike.

- Wider tires. Tires are the only suspension I've got on this thing!

- Narrower handlebars, longer stem? I wasn't too happy with my position, too upright and wide.

- Better wheel nut wrench.