Single Speed Bicycle: Make Your Bike Faster, Lighter, Cleaner and Easier to Maintain

Single Speed Bicycle: Make Your Bike Faster, Lighter, Cleaner and Easier to Maintain

With gas prices exploding through the summer, people are beginning to feel it in their wallets and are looking for other means of transportation. In most people's quest to save money, and some peoples quest to save the environment, many are riding bikes. I will discuss the advantages of riding a single speed bike, which have gained enormous popularity in the past few years in larger metropolitan areas.

What is a Single Speed Bike?

A single speed bike is any bike that has no gear shifting ability and just one rideable gear ratio. Many people complain about riding their bikes and never shifting gears, so they eventually either convert their bike into a single speed or buy a new single speed.

Here is a close up of the rear hub. Most usually are 16 tooth for a good balance of speed and ease of pedaling.

By virtue of the bike having no extra gears, you have much fewer parts on the bike, which results in a huge number of advantages which we will discuss later on.

What if I Want to Downshift? Or I Go Faster?

Well you can't. A single speed means sometimes you may have to stand up and pedal to get up a hill, or just plain pedal faster to beat the stoplight.

Finding a gear ratio that is just a little hard to start on is best, leaving you with a high enough gear for when traveling fast.

Many cyclers, especially in cities like New York, Chicago, Minneapolis and Dallas complain about never shifting gears because there are no hills, so they never really have to downshift.

Why not just ditch those extra gears and have just 1?

Why Would Anyone Want a Bike with just One Gear?

There are countless reasons and advantages to a single speed bike. Here are some which will be discussed in detail later. It saves you money, they're quicker, look better and weigh less. Now read on! Give them a second look, you'll be convinced.

Maintenance

Single speed bikes require much less maintenance than geared bikes. By having no extra gears you also have no derailer, no gear shifters, no cable lines, and a lot less little screws, bolts, washers and fasteners that get loose or even fall off over time.

Bikes require maintenance. Especially if you're riding them daily and in the elements. Bicycle gears and all the hardware required is usually the most prone to break, to not shift right, or just fall off. Without these additional parts, you have less to worry about and will spend much less money on tune ups, maintenance and new parts.

I was riding an older bike once and the rear derailer snapped off. Not having the money to buy a new derailer, I just ditched all the gears except one. Then I was hooked. I've been riding single speed and fixed gear bikes ever since and built many for friends.

Fitness

Single speed bikes don't give you an easy way out. You may be going up a hill and want to downshift, you've been working all day, you're tired and just want to get home. Tough. You either pedal harder, go slower, walk the bike up the hill or get back in your car.

You will be much more satisfied by having to physically exert yourself more than just downshifting. What will happen is that daunting hill you have to take home every evening will become less daunting. Your body will adjust and your legs will get stronger.

Riding a bike will always help keep you in shape. But not having the ability to downshift will keep you pushing yourself and your limits. I live in Chicago and there are no hills. If you live in San Francisco or Boulder you may want to do some more thinking, or be ready for an extreme workout.

Aesthetics

Single speed bikes look cleaner. Simple as that. The one gear ratio, the loss of derailer, cable lines and shifters. It looks sleeker and stands out.

Speed

Single speed bikes are faster. Speed is relative to the person riding. Geared bikes have a rear gear cluster with 5 different sized gears for different ratio's. What happens is when your derailer shifts your chain to a higher or lower gear, your chain isn't exactly straight and inline with your front chainring. This discrepancy, even if only measured in centimeters or millimeters is enough to make it harder to pedal.

If the chain isn't directly straight and in line from the front to the back, your having to fight the exertion of the slightly bent chain. Laws of resistance make it much easier to pedal a straight chain.

Weight

Ditching your derailer, shifters, rear gear cluster and cables can shave pounds off your bike. Depending on how old your bike is, it can save even more weight. Newer bikes use lighter weight components, but on old steel bikes you could easily save five to ten pounds! Loosing this weight off the rear end of the bike make it easier for you to pedal, especially when your chain is shorter and faces less resistance.

Price

You will save money when you convert to a single speed. Your maintenance cost go down. Tune-ups you can do yourself. You have less parts to replace. Less cables to go bad. Fewer crevices to de-grease.

For the price of converting your bike to a single speed you will easily save that money next time your bike needs any work.

Okay... So now I want one, Where To?

Where too? Nowhere, you can take that bike you're riding now and convert it! Of course there are single speed and track bikes you can buy but your looking at spending at least $500 on the low end, up into the thousands of dollars.

Single Speed conversion kits can be bought or you can buy a freewheel for $15-$20 and be set. Of course you will need a few special tools.

Look back soon for a Single Speed Bike Conversion Guide and a Single Speed vs Track Bike comparison. Hopefully I was able to persuade you to the dark side, of riding faster, lighter, better looking and easier to maintain bike. Even if this doesn't convince you, at least your on two wheel and not four.