Sometime in the last two weeks, I set out to write an article with the thinking that I might examine what compels certain kinds of personalities to ride a singlespeed bike. I’m well disposed to answer this question because, for whatever reason, the vast majority of my riding time over the last decade has been on singlespeed bikes.
The problem that I had with some of the existing discussion around singlespeed stuff is that it was far too subjective to be useful to the outsider. By that I mean I kept encountering recycled tropes about things like “the purity of the ride” or “the feel of the ride” and, in the case of fixed gear, “connection to the bike.” These are troublesome because it’s difficult to know what makes a ride “pure” and difficult to quantify what “connection to the bike” really means.
I found that unsatisfying! The amount of discussion around these bikes really does suggest that they capture our attention in some way, largely for the question that they pose: why would you intentionally give up something that inarguably makes the bike more convenient/better/more capable?
Background
I’ve mentioned that I’ve done the vast majority of my riding on singlespeed bikes. Part of what makes this possible is that my area is pretty flat. The other part that makes it possible is that I simply don’t care – I’ll do about anything on a singlespeed even if it is a terrible idea.
I know that I originally wanted to start riding them because of the sheer amount of mythologizing around them. Everyone seems to know of that one absurdly fast rider that is exclusively a singlespeed rider. I’m susceptible to that sort of thing and I really wanted that for myself.
Of course, as it turns out, anyone who just puts in enough work will get fast regardless of their bike.
In any event, all of this hit me at the right time back when I was about to do my first bike build. I had been wondering how I might avoid messing around with trying to set up a drivetrain on my new mountain bike and, more importantly, avoid the cost of a new drivetrain. It seemed like a good approach, all things considered.
I am also uniquely suited to this kind of riding. I am perfectly willing to push a bike up a hill that might just be a bit too steep, especially if getting off and walking is faster. I’m also willing to see just what I can accomplish within limitations, and stripping gears off certainly imposes some limitations.
So Why Just The One Speed?
Unfortunately, I think the best answer is “just because.” I can definitely explore that a bit more, though.
Aesthetics
This is purely subjective, but I find the cables that run from all of the things commonly found on the handlebars of a bike to be, at best, a little ugly. The same can be said for the mechanical shifty bits all over the rear wheel. When those things are removed, the bike is overall more visually pleasing to me.
This does make a difference beyond the bike being more pleasing to look at – it means that I’m more likely to grab it out of the shed for the ride. This has undoubtedly contributed significantly to the amount of miles I’ve done on singlespeed bikes.
Maintenance
This point is something that I find over-emphasized, but it is definitely worth mentioning. It’s nice to be able to run some oil over my chain and check my tires and then feel like I’m pretty well set for the ride.
The reason I find this to be over-emphasized is because, at least in the case of mountain bikes, you still have other systems that will require some attention from time to time. A mountain bike can be a singlespeed and still have a dropper post and suspension fork. Even if it isn’t a mountain bike, you have all manner of other things that might require attention like lights, batteries, bags, etc…
However, it can’t be denied that you do remove at least one item from the routine maintenance equation and that’s not completely trivial. You’re also not likely to have your ride stopped because you scraped your derailleur off on a rock or some other such thing.
Achievement
A singlespeed is, generally, the wrong tool for the job. If you select the right gear for the average of riding conditions you’ll experience on a given ride, anything that falls outside of that average will be more challenging. If you select the right gear for the most challenging conditions, you’ll be poorly equipped for the average situation. Further, realistically, how often are those of us on singlespeeds actually swapping gears?
This means that if I get the ride done, the bike wasn’t necessarily helping me. It may have even been hindering me! This makes the ride, overall, more satisfying. Increased satisfaction makes me want to do it again. This sets up a positive feedback loop that keeps me coming back to the bike, over and over, to do additional miles. The advantages of that situation should be obvious.
Just Because
I mentioned that the best answer to this seems to be “just because.” I’m going to hold to that because there really isn’t a great reason to intentionally deprive yourself of technological advancements that make the bike more convenient.
There was an amount of difficulty attempting to write this because so many of the points I originally had in favor of a singlespeed bike were equally applicable to any bike and I argued myself out of many of them as I went.
Ultimately, you can expand this into someone preferring a ride that is the same, but different. While a singlespeed is still a bike, obviously, there is just enough difference in how they work that there is also just enough difference in how one would experience the ride. The differences are found in climbing technique, or pedalling on a flat section, or how one would take a corner, and so on. Those of us that find those things compelling will probably stick with singlespeeds, and those of us that don’t care for the difference probably won’t.
Closing Thoughts
I still find this question fascinating. I also don’t believe that I’ve answered anything to my satisfaction given that the best answer for “why a singlespeed?” I could come up with amounts to “I dunno man, they’re cool.” I believe that this definitely warrants further investigation.
Gradually Faster 