In reply to Recon1342 :
I might try single speed on the Chameleon. Especially for winter riding. I don't want to invest too much into since my knees did not like the last time I tried one and that was over 20 years ago.
For better or worse, $5000 is basically considered "mid-range" when it comes to full suspension mtn bike prices.
Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Recon1342 :
I might try single speed on the Chameleon. Especially for winter riding. I don't want to invest too much into since my knees did not like the last time I tried one and that was over 20 years ago.
For better or worse, $5000 is basically considered "mid-range" when it comes to full suspension mtn bike prices.
Oh yeah, the prices these days are crazy.
I can stomach $3K on a good year, but right now there is a lot of uncertainty in the air. Plus, I need to acquire a vehicle better for transporting bikes first.
Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Recon1342 :
I might try single speed on the Chameleon. Especially for winter riding. I don't want to invest too much into since my knees did not like the last time I tried one and that was over 20 years ago.
Riding SS has to be approached differently from what you're used to. Most singlespeed newbs make the mistake of trying to sit and grind. It's got to be approached like it's a sprint- off the saddle and pedaling hard. I spend very little time on the saddle, and very much time conserving momentum as much as possible. If you are good on a pump track, you'll discover that those techniques work fantastically for keeping an SS bike moving quickly. There are certain trails in the area that are rolling terrain, but I can go without pedaling for a mile or two at a time by pumping the bike and not touching the brakes.
In reply to Recon1342 :
I have always been more of a seated climber and while I've ridden a few places were that style of pumping through the trails works, I don't ride there very often. Oddly enough, the same technique can be used on a full-suspension bike as well - pumping the suspension through corners to maintain speed with minimal pedal input.
I'm actually trying to reduce my quiver number right now. Mostly because I'm trying to get my house more organized and it's difficult when I've got bike crap everywhere. I've managed to get some stuff sold off via Marketplace groups, but it'll be a long process.
Probably doesn't compare to the bikes some of you guys have, but I've been riding a Cannondale Trail SL2 that I bought in 2014(?). Converted it to 1x10, replaced the front brake when it sprung a leak, new tires as needed, and otherwise have just been crashing it on all the trails in SE Michigan.
well it was starting to show it's age, both in wear and just generally looking a bit dated:
so I took it all apart and gave it a new look courtesy of a few cans of rustoleum, new saddle, and new grips.
aside from the rear caliper that's still the original white, I'm real happy with the transformation. That's all, just wanted to share :)
Nothing fancy, but I've been riding my Trek Roscoe 8 for a while now and absolutely love it! The simplicity of a hard tail is great, especially when paired with a 1x drivetrain. The hard tail with 27.5 + tires offers a decent ride too. Nothing done to it other than a tubeless system.
I finally got the Vassago dug out and fiddled with a bit. Partly because I was planning to take some of the parts off it for the next build.
I haven't ridden it in a while, and I think it will need the rear tire reseated before I can.
In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :
That would be the perfect frame to try out singlespeed on. Get a surly cog and spacers, pull the cassette, install, check the chain line with a straightedge, remove derailleur and shifter, install chain, tension, go ride.
And all of those changes are reversible, if you do not like SS.
In reply to Recon1342 :
Oh I have all of those parts. I do plan on trying to run either this frame or the Chameleon as a single speed.
Partly because I am not an out of the saddle climber and a single speed would force me to work on that.
You guys have me craving a SS bike.
In reply to ProDarwin :
Do it!
(i am going to try this) shorten your chain and just wrap it around the gear you want(picture attached below because i have no idea how to describe that) and if you don't like it just put the links you took out back in!! if you do like, get some spacers and one gear, take off the cassette, put the spacers and gear in the right spot, and boom! easily reversible ss!
In reply to Dieselboss15 :
That can work in a pinch - I've set up guys with bodged single speeds in order to get home. But you do NOT get to pick what gear you want to use. It only works on the one rear cog gear that lines up perfectly with the front chain ring - otherwise the shift-assist ramps on the large cog can grab the chain and try to pull it up onto the larger cog and can sometimes lock up the whole system. Or simply drop down to the lower cog if the chosen cog is too big. On a full-suspension bike, you need a "singulator" to allow for some chain growth.
In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :
i figured. that bike i posted was the only bike pic i had on my computer lol
A 1991 Marin Muirwoods much like this one. Much like the 1984 Ciocc SL resurrection thread 4 months ago, this one got saved from a homeless dude trading it in at a bikeshop for a beach cruiser. The owner of the shop was going to toss it, so I scored it free.
It's a project I've put on hold, but not for long, I want to start working on it again. It has a Deore XT setup on it now and a new set of wheels borrowed from a Specialized.
I did a thing today. 2020 Tallboy
In reply to ProDarwin :
Pretty! How's it ride?
Well, it rides just fine in the parking lot lol. I ordered a hitch and bike carrier for the car, so should be ready to hit the trails next weekend. Waffling on whether or not to get SPDs or just use platforms this coming weekend. SPDs are running around 200% of their normal pricing :(
In reply to ProDarwin :
dammit. damn damn damn damn damn!! that thing is pretty. how much travel an all? specs?
Tallyboy is considered short travel. 29" wheels, 130mm front, 120mm rear. 1x12. This is aluminum for $ reasons. Only mod is a dropper post.
It can run 27.5+ wheels too, I would like to try them out at some point
In reply to ProDarwin :
I have an old set of Shimano 747 pedals. Or a couple of sets of the red 636 "DH" pedals if you want something with a platform.
I've been somewhat "married" to Crank Bros pedals for about 20 years now.
How much do you want for the 747s? Can you get them here (27106) by friday?
my email is my username @ gmail
In reply to ProDarwin :
27.5+ is an amazing tire size. Traction for days, and if you are tubeless, low psi for the squish factor. I run between 18-20psi on the SS... but I can safely run 12-15 in the snow.
ProDarwin said:How much do you want for the 747s? Can you get them here (27106) by friday?
my email is my username @ gmail
email sent
Someone clue me in:
We went to a bike park last weekend, and it was my first time on something so extreme. I expected a single track with some jumps, but it was actually much more than that. Hard packed, lots of jumps, wide, but technical and slow.
I was not doing that great because I missed a hop on that last picture. That's a curved bridge, and I was more worried about staying on the bridge than I was about speed. Hence I didn't have enough when I got to the end and instead of a (pretty big) bunny hop to get to the bump, I did more of a "fall on your knee" maneuver.
Anyway.
My kid is amazing. His bike is a REI rigid with fatter tires (not technically a fat tire bike, they are 24x 2.4) and he seemed to do fine.
I had my Specialized hardrock 20 year old aluminum bike with newer Tsali tires. It seemed fine for me really, and WOW traction riding up to that steep platform, other than riding the last hour and a half with a cantaloupe where my knee usually lives. The thing had traction and only was limited by my testicular fortitude.
So what am I, and what is he, missing by not riding the latest carbon frame 29" bike? Is it either so amazing that I have to try to understand, or is it such a nonissue I should just send it?
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