trekker pete

Yes they do. And on a fixxie/SS, all of your cogs are being chewed all the time. On a multi gear bike, you spread it out some.

Now, I do admit to being quite the weather weenie. If I rode in slop, well, I guess I'd just clean things more often. No way in hell I'm grinding the hill I gotta deal with on a SS. The grinding's bad enough on a roadie when you're old fat dude.

SSBully

Too bad on a geared bike, that same goop is chewing up rear derailleur pulleys, and an entire gear stack, as well as, a chain and an double or triple crankset. Just a little more expensive to replace.

crhilton

+1

Riding a fixed bike is a blast. It's more physically taxing though. It really punishes you when you try to take it easy unless you simply gear it really low.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed-testimonial.html

woodenidol

Without a doubt its easier to clean a single. My single always is cleaner than my geared.

As far as single vs fixed, I hate fixed. Besides, the most fun on a bike is coasting, why would you deprive yourself of that? smile.

Mayday328

I enjoy coasting and brakes. Therefore, a single speed makes sense.

DataJunkie

As would a geared bike.

tatfiend 

I am an IGH fan. Must be as I have six of them. Advantages are a single chainline and minimal maintenance with the convenience of gears for hills. A few percent less efficient overall per published data but I am not worried about that personally. I do not need to bust a gut on hillls with the IGH installed. IGH sprockets also wear a lot slower than casette sprockets due to wider cogs and not having the wierd tooth forms developed to aid in derailleur shifting. If worried about front chainring wear Surly offers stainless steel chainrings for SS/FG/IGH use. Overall cleaning is equivalent to a single speed too.

The main disadvantage IMO is that when the IGH requires service finding an LBS that can handle it can be difficult in many areas of the country. IGH's do require service occasionally, depending on use, just as SS/FG rear hubs do. No bike is truly maintenance free if you want it to last.

rumrunn6

u want 1 speed? don't shift

alfred mcdougal

Same here. My city commuting "mountain bike" is essentially a 4 speed that can go down stairs, through parks, and through ditches. I rarely use the 42 or 22 rings or the lowest and highest cogs. Actually, come to think of it, I have never used the lowest and highest cogs.

I agree with the previous comments. Leave your bike in 1 gear for a week and decide from there.

wolfchild

I believe it all comes down to personal preference. I have both a singlespeed and geared bikes.To be honest with everybody, my singlespeed gets ridden the most and it has become my favorite bike. I have it set up for my riding style, and area that I live, I can climb every hill along my route, and also get enough speed on the flats to keep up in the traffic.

DanMach

The only real question you should ask yourself is "Why not singlespeed?", and I think you will shortly realize there isn't a good answer to that question besides "I'm lazy".

trekker pete

How 'bout "I'm lazy and I took physics in high school"?

HardyWeinberg

I assume that is cancelled out or at least moderated because on a derailer bike your chainline is pretty much always at some weird angle (further permuted through the derailers), vs a clean straight chainline of SSFG (net of chain tensioner if required)

I also am a huge fan of coasting.

caloso

"Coasting is overrated." -- Sheldon Brown

(He was right.)

DataJunkie

I am a huge fan of coasting when descending a steep climb on my geared road bike. My commute does not have any 20% grades. I can handle spinning away while descending a 6% grade.
My top speeds while commuting are in the mid 20s. If you can't spin a fixed gear in that speed range you need to work on your legs. My max speed on a FG is 32 mph. With my gearing that translates to a cadence of 150+. I found that mildly irritating.
I have met others that have hit the 200s cadence wise.

bugly64

No one said there'd be math.

SSBully

This I've got to hear. I know you don't plan on trying to use physics to prove your theory that a geared bike is more efficient and lower maintenance than a FG/SS.

tatfiend 

Depends on your definition of efficiency. Per Bicycling Science published by MIT Press each rider has a cadence and power output range at which they are most efficient. Gearing of some sort provides the ability to stay in the rider's most efficient power output and cadence range most of the time.

If SS/FG bikes were the most efficient from the rider's standpoint then they would still be used in races such as the Tour de France and other road competitions.

I do agree that the SS/FG requires less maintenance but if it increases riding time and effort more than the maintenance time savings so what.

JeffS

Would have thought denver had more hills. Obviously I've never been there.

Coming down my previous "big hill" right by my house I would hit mid 30's daily and I saw 38.1 as my max. It was actually a mile and a half of slight downhill with a 1/8 mile steep drop at the end.

My current route is going to give me about eight similar climbs. I just got through re-assembling the bike though. I've decided that I at least need to try it. If I can't do it, I guess the bike needs to go - although I'm not sure I can bring myself to part with it.

trekker pete

What ^^^^^ said.

A geared bike allows you to keep a good cadence going uphill and keeps you from running out of revs on a downhill.

As I said earlier, if you ride very flat ground with little wind (I wanna know where this magical place is) I will go so far as to say that a SS is more efficient.

Can't argue the added maintenance. Just don't think it's that big a deal.

Santaria

They both have their positives, and negatives. You can take a stand on either side of the rift between the gearheads and the SSFG crowd, but ultimately, neither side has all their ducks in a row, and neither is wrong.

If you want a good workout, both styles offer something. If you want something that can be used for more vicarious activities, both of them will work.

It's up to you, nothing anybody says on the interweb should dictate how you fund your addiction, in the end, just have at least 1 wheel and a human being-powered motor and you'll find nirvana.

trekker pete

Was nirvana a hipster band? Probably, until they went and sold out to the man and made bazillions.

Santaria

Meh, I'm the furthest thing from a hipster, frankly. Or by saying that does that convey I am a hipster?

Holy **** the hipster flu is stupid.

trekker pete

I kinda like the old school 50s hipsters with the berets. They had much better taste in music than neohipster dude.

M_S

Since when is commuting about maximum efficiency?

Single speeds are simple to ride, and simple to maintain.