Bombproof Project: Geared vs. Singlespeed
February 14th, 2007 by Tim Grahl(this post is part of our ongoing Blue Collar Bombproof Bike Project)
One of the questions that’s been brought up a few times is why we didn’t go with a singlespeed kit for this project. It’s obviously more bombproof than a geared drivetrain and has less maintenance as well.
The goal of the bombproof bike is to address concerns we have with the bikes currently offered to beginners, weekend warriors and other non-racer folks. This sect of riders, in general, are wanting an easier way to participate in the sport. We had a discussion a couple months ago on the topic of singlespeeds vs. gears for beginners and I feel gears are still the right choice for the majority of hobbiest mountain bikers.
Are there exceptions to this? Sure. I know some people like the simplicity of a singlespeed and are in good enough physical condition to ride one properly from the beginning, but in general singlespeeds are used by more seasoned riders.
From our experience and observation, gears are the preferred choice for the largest sect of riders and should be the standard option for the average mountain biker. That is why we chose to spec this project with a geared drivetrain over singlespeed.
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SS is fun, but I agree that geared is more practical and more popular.
I agree that geared is more practical, but there is nothing bombproof about any rear dérailleurs on the market. Maybe an off-road specific internally geared hub will be the solution in the near future.
What are you guys doing to bikes that you are so afraid of rear derailleurs?
I agree, gears for the beginner inspire confidence as you build strength, aerobic conditioning, and skills. Yes, the rear derailleur has the potential to get bent if banged on a rock or log… but very repairable.
Single speeds, well built and with proper chainline and tension, are bullet-proof. However, I’ve ridden with a number of single speeders whose chainline or tension was less than ideal, leading to a lot of frustrating trailside repairs. Although, one can make the same argument about a mis-adjusted geared bike as well.
Grant: I’ve busted a derailleur before and can attest that they can be damage relatively easily by catching it on a rock or falling the right way.
But as Fritz and James mentioned and I discussed some in the post, the rear derailleur is just more practical for the beginner rider.
I’ve seen more and more discussion and prototypes of the internal gear system and know it’s being used on some commuter bikes already to save the mess of chains and grease, however as far as I know, there currently aren’t any reliable, inexpensive options for off roading yet.
If the reason for going geared vs. singlespeed is that more beginners and weekend warriors would probably start out geared, then shouldn’t the bomb proof bike also be built with a suspension fork, rather than rigid.
Most beginners and weekend warriors would probably be starting out on a hardtail. Rigid, like singlespeed, seems to be something people progress to. It would also be interesting to see which affordable, yet bombproof trail fork makes the cut.
I know, I know. I should just start my own project rather than pick at someone else’s. Great web site by the way.
Why not an internal hub?
SRAM makes a nice one. 7 speeds and all… and since it’s obvious weight isn’t a concern by the frame you’ve chosen, the weight penalty doesn’t matter one bit.
The achilles heel of a multispeed bike is the rear derailler hanger. Shimano’s Hone axle mounted derailler eliminates this weak spot and preserves derailler alignment through most any impact.
Swap a 187mm threaded tandem axle into any Shimano hub, put a track nut on the left side, and you’re set. After enduring years of bent hangers I made the conversion - it’s bombproof.
There’s no shifter post yet, so I’m asking here: is it utterly insane that I think Paul Thumbies, combined with middle-of-the-line bar-end shifters, might be the right choice? They’re expensive, no doubt, but simple, user-serviceable and durable.