ADAP7IVE

I know there are bikepackers out there who run single speed, but I'm looking for more information. Being disabled and limited to drivetrains that are expensive or need modification to shift efficiently on the left side, single speed really would be the simplest option, so I want to know more about what that's like.

john_mct

I've road toured cross country and done an overnighter MTB trip on single speeds...Pack as light as you can, be prepared to walk some hills, be OK with coasting downhills, be OK with feeling like puking up a lung on some uphills. On the road tour I knew there weren't going to be any high mountains involved so I went with gearing that I knew I could spin at a high but comfortable cadence around 15mph as I figured that would be my average speed depending on wind. It was 39-20 for about 2500 miles and then I switched to 42-18 for the last 700 or so and immediately regretted it due to constant headwinds...

veganbikes

I can't speak to SS touring/bike packing because I have yet to do it but I might suggest trying a 1x10 speed friction shifted bike with a shifter on the left side. It is generally cheap or can be done cheaply but should give you a decent range and easy shifting (no indexing, no problem).

Di2 would make it super easy to have a geared set up with indexing that can shift on the left side only. It can be expensive but you could do some pretty trick set ups to get it to work for whatever disabilities you might have.

Not knocking SS or even FG touring/bike packing just giving other options cause I do that. also Paging @Mdlithey

ADAP7IVE

Thanks! I'll keep your ratios in mind as the build progresses.

Thanks for the input. I do use friction shifters on my Surly and they work well for my workhorse, but I go nowhere fast because of left/right balance concerns while moving a hand to shift. For this build, I want something simpler, easier to shift (quickly) if shifting is involved, and better-looking to me.

DarkShot

Not to knock your initial idea of riding SS, but have you considered a grip shifter? SRAM makes grip shifters for their rear mechs which can be installed on the left and IGHs would also allow for such, presumably assisting in such an issue? I'd imagine picking up a 10spd X0 grip shifter aught to be fairly cheap compared to other pricier alternatives.

I'm assuming you're gonna be using some type of flat bar, with your mention of bikepacking instead of straight touring. Drop bars would not apply, unless you went Rohloff.

Carcosa

All good ideas so far. I think you'd be fine SS as long as you gear correctly for the ride and aren't worried about being fast.

Zoroman

In the 1890's Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh, a renowned long-distance tourist, cycled "nearly" around the world on a single speed with a flip flop hub. He was on the last leg when he disappeared in Turkey...

Zoroman

Frank Lenz riding his single speed around the world 1892 ish.

DiabloScott

Wow, what were they thinking with a fork like that? Looks like wheel flop disaster.

john_mct

That's awesome...also if you're gonna ride SS you gotta look pissed off by default

Zoroman

Hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa! YES!


...and make sure you have a BIG SEAT! (said as in --- "carry a big stick!")

ADAP7IVE

Thanks for your help. You're right! I am planning a straight (or Jones Loop) bar, and my original idea when planning the build was to do a Rohloff. As the plan evolved and I started talking to builders, I started thinking about things like the weight at the back, the initial cost, and the fact that the grip shifter would be mounted backwards (a small thing, but still niggling because of the money I'd be putting down). The primary push behind the Rohloff was low maintenance and low risk of failure, but both Di2 and SS cut down maintenance as well, and I figured even a Di2 failure wasn't as likely as I feared; even beyond the warranty, even up to $1000 every two years is loads cheaper than the car the bike is replacing.

SS and Di2 are just the most elegant and user-friendly ideas I have right now, for the custom build. Right now I'm trying to balance the competing concerns over completely hating mountain-climbing on the SS versus the extra maintenance and obsolescence/failure concerns with Di2.

DarkShot

I might not have been terribly clear in my initial post, but SRAM still makes grip shifters for their mountain derailleurs. No need to have it overly complicated with a dedicated internally geared hub, there's the ease of being able to change ratios at will between swapping chainrings and cassettes, and with the advent of 1x recently there's plenty of fairly cheap ways to get a decent range spread.

Go with 10spd and you can have a cassette like an 11-36, shifter, derailleur, chain and cables for under $300. Cranks would add a little more, but it's easy enough to use a 110BCD crankset with the inner ring only. 36/11-36 would be great for commuting and general bikepacking imo.

I can definitely understand the niggle of having the grip shift around the wrong way, but at that price point I'd argue it's negligible and if anything, adds a bit of character considering your usage case.

My 2 cents.

ADAP7IVE

Yeah, that's true. I'll look at the SRAM offerings, and I think I'll change my Surly around to use them at least.

veganbikes

Ok. Then I would probably suggest Di2 in some fashion. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is your disability or at the very least what can you do with your hands while riding and what can't you do?

ADAP7IVE

I don't mind at all. I have no fine motor function and minimal sensation on my right side. On a bike that means not being able to shift a right brifter, and not having the dexterity for smooth shifting with the right hand even with a bar end. I can do it, it just takes a good deal of focus and attention, which makes the ride less fun at the least and has caused me to crash in the past. Braking is fine, but that takes some work too; doing both shifting and braking is a no-go. My Surly uses a Paul Duplex so I can brake with the left only, but making do in Japan I found that braking is manageable.

veganbikes

Dang that is gotta be hard as a cyclist. Could you flip a wheel or move a chain easily if needed be for a single speed/flip flop or dingle speed set up? If you could do that fairly easily than that could be a way to go but I still am imagining Di2 being easier with all the various shifting options available. Hydraulic brakes might also help and Magura does some nice rim brakes both for TT bars (like road calipers) or flat bars (like a linear pull brake) as well as some nice disc brakes (but it is the rim brakes that nobody else is really doing yet as far as I know)

ADAP7IVE

Thanks. Yeah, I can change wheels/chains easily enough; I'll check it out. Figuring out cycling is a welcome challenge, but I figured out a way to play guitar and other instruments. I figure I'll be able to do this.

ThermionicScott 

Signal boost to @mdilthey.

ADAP7IVE

Signal received loud and clear! Di2 is definitely on the list. Got a few ideas for configurations.

mdilthey

They're paging me because I'm one of the few crazy enough to bikepack/tour on a singlespeed full time.

I read through all these posts and I have a little bit of advice for you.

1. Singlespeed is awesome, but you have to learn to love it (or, try it and find out that you love it). If you spend the entire time wishing you had a lower gear, you will not have fun. Embrace it.

2. Recognize that whatever ratio you choose, it will always be wrong. I figured out pretty quick that the difference between 32/18 and 30/20 is actually nothing at all. I can ride everything in both ratios, with very slight differences. There are people who happily ride 10 gear inches over that and 10 gear inches under it and there's no rhyme or reason to it.

3. Singlespeed is a whole-body experience. I don't see any information about grip strength in your right hand, but I'll tell you that I rely on my upper body a lot when climbing and descending. My arms and hands are delightfully sore at the end of the day.

4. I second the suggestion of a SRAM Grip shifter on the opposite side. I had a bike that used an old "Rapid-Rise" derailleur with a bar-end, which means the bar-end was "backwards" and it took me two weeks to erase six years of muscle memory. I adapted very quickly and never thought about it again. You would too.

5. If you wanted to get really crazy, there's enough real estate on the grip area of a 710 Jones bar to run a front derailleur trigger shifter, a brake lever, and a rear grip shifter. You could have 22 or even 33 speeds on the same side if you felt so inclined. Dang! That sounds pretty cool.... makes me want to try it myself.

Good luck!
Max

ADAP7IVE

Thank you very much for the help. There's no weakness in my right hand, just a lack of sensation. I can palm a handlebar well enough, just not work my fingers well enough to shift with any precision or speed.

I have some experience riding "mamachari" around Japan, which are commonly SS or 3-speed alloy/steel cruisers. Like you said, never the perfect gear, but it worked for commuting. I was thinking more about those rides after reading responses here, and I think it could work. Even riding my 2x10 Bianchi I only shifted between 3 cogs anyway...

The SRAM grip shifters look and function really nice so that's where I'll probably go if I end up with gears.

Thanks again!

MixedRider

When I am touring, I think of it more of "90% of the time it is not the correct gear, but that 10% makes it all worth it!"

I also agree with @mdilthey points.

Plus, it is best to become familiar with what you can and can't do on a singlespeed prior to touring on a singlespeed.

Zoroman

Must chime in. I have spent most of my adult life riding geared bikes. Recently I plunged into the single speed world. I love it. Did I mention I love it? No really. I love it. The more I ride the more I love it. It so reminds me of being a kid again and all we had were single geared bikes. But beyond that I as an adult and life long ROADY love the experience of a single speed. I am doing a 44 teeth front and 16 teeth rear and it is great for me! I have a 22 tooth on the flip side of my rear hub for climbing hills. I am riding the hell out of this bike and as someone else posted it would be very wise for you to RIDE for a while before you think of long distance touring. Try a few different gear ratio set ups. If I was pressed into picking a gear ratio for touring with my current single speed (a single speed that has a flip flop hub with TWO free wheels on a Wabi Sub 15 wheelset. One thing I would do is "train" with my bike loaded up and just drive around my area experimenting with different sprocket sizes and gear ratios and climbing some hills before I settled. I have read many long distance tourers go with 38 front with an 18 rear. If you have a flip-flop rear hub you could out a 22 on the other side of the rear hub for those hill climbs.

ADAP7IVE

Thanks guys. I've read a lot of bikepacking setups using 32/18, notably Alice Drobna (Triple Crown finisher, SS record holder) and Markus Stitz (traveled the world on SS). But I will try some different ratios and of course train up before bikepacking.