Originally Posted by
Rolla
I'm 61, and I ride about 4000 miles a year on my three singlespeeds -- on road, trail, and gravel. I've raced singlespeed MTB, CX, and BMX. It's not always the right tool for the job, but that's part of the fun -- they make bike riding less about the bike and more about the riding. While I own and appreciate geared bikes as well, I think every well-rounded rider should have at least one singlespeed in their quiver.
Yeah, I’m liking me some single speed once again. Not sure why I put gears on a couple of years back.
Anyway, the last nine months I’ve had both bikes set up that way. It changes my state of mind. I enjoy addressing the challenges of hills and headwinds with position, effort and attitude, not lower gears. I’ve also just been having a lot of fun riding like a kid, so to speak.
I have increased my typical ride length, which may relate to fun and may also be related to the relative comfort of spending more time out of the saddle. Bear in mind, my rides are just fun and conditioning. No races, no touring and no groceries. Gears are awesome for so many purposes, just not the ones I need at the moment.
Otto