Steel Single Speed Build

[nelsonccc]

So after months of picking up parts I finally finished (almost) my build up of a single speed steel frame. I got the Origin 8 frame from a member here on Bogley and have spent the summer acquiring parts. Went fort he first ride this Saturday. Pretty fun. I was amazed at how nice the steel frame feels. It's also nice to not have to worry about shifting. I still have to get a front brake and I'm not sure my ghetto crank is going to cut it but it'll do until I get something else.

Overall I really enjoy the SS. My buddy has been trying to get me to convert for a year now and after watching the effects it's had on his riding I decided to get one. Bought the frame back in the first part of the year, got some new parts, used some old parts in my parts bin. Bike is nice and light. Weighs a hair over 24lbs now. But I already know that 5.5 lbs of that is coming from my old suntour fork. Might put the rigid fork on since it's only 4 pounds. We'll see.

Love the feel of the frame and the 'zip' it has. I'm pretty sure that comes from the short chainstays (16"). But boy does it feel so much more responsive than my Specialized Hardrock 29'er frame. Looking forward to riding it a lot more!
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[Sombeech]

Nice, I've considered a single speed a little bit. I'm usually in the same gear on the climb but the problem is the downhill I'm usually in really high gear and just flying.

Would you say you limit your SS riding to mainly cross country and average level trails?

[DOSS]

Did you go fixed gear or are you still rolling a freewheel hub (I assume freewheel since you have a rear brake)?

[nelsonccc]

Nice, I've considered a single speed a little bit. I'm usually in the same gear on the climb but the problem is the downhill I'm usually in really high gear and just flying.

Would you say you limit your SS riding to mainly cross country and average level trails?

Depending on the rear gear you can 'spin out' pretty quickly on the downhill. But I'm just as fast going downhill on a SS as I am on my other bike. You learn to carry momentum and pick better lines rather than brake and pedal. I don't think the SS is limiting at all. My buddy who has been riding one for over a year now rides even harder trails on his SS than he did on his Jamis 160mm full suspension. And he's faster!

I'm just getting into it but we ride some pretty hard trails (brianhead, gooseberry, and Bootleg) and he's right there with us. Now on long, groomed, single rack downhills he gets left behind quickly since he cant upshift and pedal but we're talking at most a minute or two on a 5 mile descent.

[nelsonccc]

Did you go fixed gear or are you still rolling a freewheel hub (I assume freewheel since you have a rear brake)?
No, I'm not that hardcore. I can't imagine how hard that would be in the techie stuff. But I'm loving it so far.

[Candace66]

What is the gear set-up? As in, how many teeth on the chainwheel and the cog?

I recently modified my road bike so it can go as low as 30 x 32. :haha:

[nelsonccc]

I'm currently running a 32 up front and a 22 in the back. But I anticipate only running this for a month or so since its so 'spinny'. But it's definitely nice on the uphill and technical stuff.

[accadacca]

Nice work tree hugger! What's next, electric motorcycle? :lol8: