I've got a new bike...

[Xstreme]

C'mon Matt sort it! That Inbreds made to be a singlspeed Think of it as an investment. Use it over the winter months in the peaks and think of all the wear and tear you'd save on the drivetrain alone. Do know what you mean about the disks. It was regular winter riding in the peak district that convinced me to finally ditch the v-brakes.

I must remember to take some nicer pics of the Kona and be sure to post them on here

[Mine'sAPint]

Stop it with the single speeds will you, I can't afford another bike.

I'm really torn between my full suspension with discs bike and my v-brake equipped steel hardtail (it's an On One - Inbred), the steel framed bike feels so nimble but I would swap the v-brakes for discs any day.

Ah, g'wan, there's always room for another bike! Nice bikes are the Inbreds, I'm currently coveting On-One's new 29er singlespeed frame... just got to put some other stuff up on ebay to pay for it.

[Mojo]

Xstreme - one of the best things about living in Guisborough is that 20 minutes after getting home from work you can be on top of the NY Moors.

Guisborough woods offers some absolutely fantastic trails as well.

Check out http://www.trailblasters.co.uk/ for pictures/videos etc.

I've just got through my first winters riding after 10 years off a mountain bike and now its drying out the riding is amazing again. I treat myself with the marin when the wife had a lapse in her resolve....ok I begged, pleaded and whinged for 6 months before she wanted me to just shut up

[mattley]

So what's all this about fixed gear then. I've come accross fixed wheel for training, but fixed gear sounds great to me.

The appeal is obvious, I ride around town carrying a bloody great lock, and a chainset that I only use on the couple of significant hills I encounter regularly, and they could be made easier by slight route mods. I could secure it with cable ties, no ones gonna nick a bike with no gears and a saddle fixed that high.


So is this a sensible option? and if so, where do I start frame and ratio wise?

[laptoplover]

Wow, all these opinions flying around! My thread, so here's my two cents!

This is the first bike that I've had with suspension, and even though I've only had it a day I already love it, it just makes certain parts of the routes I cycle that little bit easier. There are a couple of places where the ground has worn away next to a patch of concrete, like a bridge or fish ladder, with my suspension it means the bike can just step up it without me making any effort, where before I would have had to jump, run at it or just walk it over, all of which are completely annoying!

I got a hardtail because when I talked it over with Zathras (he did all this research when he got his bike a few years ago, so I couldn't see the point of doing it myself when I had a wealth of knowledge in bed with me to tap!) and it just didn't seem like I needed it or that it would be pratical for my use of it.

As for the disc brakes, it's a lot safer to have them away from the ground and the mud and puddles, IMO. My old bike had a slight issue with it's rim brakes, and I was lucky if I could stop without putting my feet down. So I was rather shocked that when me and Zathras went around a corner almost straight into a woman and her tiny, ickle doggies.

Zath's bike is near enough the same bike so he's always been able to stop, but when I slamed my breaks on so not to go into the back of him and found that I locked up and the back wheel slid out I was amazed, and completely buzzed! I managed to keep control and not go over or into the river, but i now have to get used to brakes that really work!

I looked at hydrollic as well as cable, and although I can see that they are better, I really didn't think that it was worth the extra money to me, so I stuck with the cable ones.

I left the new bike at the train station for six hours today whilst I went to uni to try to lose the fear of leaving it in town, and it was still there when I got home, so I'm a happy lappy with less fear now!

[matt303]

So is this a sensible option? and if so, where do I start frame and ratio wise?

It's quite simple to convert a geared bike to single speed you just need to change the rear cassette for a single cog and some spacers and if your bike does not have sliding dropouts you'll need something to tension the chain.

If you go to On One you'll need a Doofer or a Otherdoofer tensioner and a Single speed conversion kit total cost around £24.

I think the normal ratio is 32/16.

[mattley]

I wouldn't do a conversion, waste of a well fited XT. Where should I start from scratch?

[Loada]

I guess the key changes would be the addition of suspension, and disk brakes, both rubbish IMO. Though suspension is good if you're actually going down a mountain, the energy consumed when all you want is to go forward outways any advantage for me, and disk brakes, though goo, add nothing more than maintainence, my brakes are already better than thet tyres.

Rubbish!?? You're joking, right? In mountain-biking terms, discs are great - they make a massive difference. In the mud and crap like I've had to plug through all winter, they are the difference between stopping and not. And suspension pays for itself when you're going downhill, for sure, but it's also nice to iron out the bumps on a normal trail - after you've clattered over them for 20 miles, the suspension really helps ease the pain. And climbing with a decent suspension bike (with "Pro-pedal" or similar anti-bounce/bob technology) is not a major problem - the biggest issue is weight, really.
So, yes, it might be your opinion, but to me, it sounds like you don't know what you're talking about.

edit: another bump for the Trailblasters boys - one of them had a close call with a tree on a tricky downhill near our way the other day - check out the video on the site.

[mattley]

Rubbish!?? You're joking, right?

No, not at all. As I said, this is for me, I'm a town user, I really don't need them. I consider the use of brakes at all as a planning failure on my part.

[Loada]

That's fair enough - a town/city/commuter bike really doesn't need them, but that doesn't mean they're rubbish though, does it?

[Mojo]

mattley wrote:

I guess the key changes would be the addition of suspension, and disk brakes, both rubbish IMO. Though suspension is good if you're actually going down a mountain, the energy consumed when all you want is to go forward outways any advantage for me, and disk brakes, though goo, add nothing more than maintainence, my brakes are already better than thet tyres.

Loada wrote:

Rubbish!?? You're joking, right? In mountain-biking terms, discs are great - they make a massive difference. In the mud and crap like I've had to plug through all winter, they are the difference between stopping and not. And suspension pays for itself when you're going downhill, for sure, but it's also nice to iron out the bumps on a normal trail - after you've clattered over them for 20 miles, the suspension really helps ease the pain. And climbing with a decent suspension bike (with "Pro-pedal" or similar anti-bounce/bob technology) is not a major problem - the biggest issue is weight, really.
So, yes, it might be your opinion, but to me, it sounds like you don't know what you're talking about.

I totally agree with Loada here. My hardtail had discs and they just kept working in the winter. I ride with Loada all the time and remember his "conversion" from v-brakes to discs mid-winter. Combined with a set of decent tyres for the conditions braking performance can be awesome, even in the mud - something that v-brakes cannot say.

If you go for a hydraulic disc system, its virtually maintenance free. Change pads every so often (10 minute job) and thats it. Certainly less effort that v-brakes.

My last bike had a 100mm travel front suspension and I thought it was brilliant, until I took a test ride on a full sus bike with 6" travel. Going downhill was transformed. Granted, going uphill on a 6"+ travel bike is always going to be harder than a hardtail but with functions like adjustable front and rear travel, going up-hill can be made a *lot* easier.

When I got my full sus bike, I was going to use it as a weekend plaything when I have more time and take out the hardtail on an evening when time was of the essence and I might not feel up to carting a full sus bike around the hills but tbh, I haven't used the specialized since I got it and I think thats probably a testament to how easy it is to ride in *all* conditions rather than a statement about my fitness.

However, what you choose to ride is very much about what you plan to do with it.

[Mojo]

btw, laptoplover - my wife has the same bike as you and she loves it.

[Geenius]

I'm a town user, I really don't need them. I consider the use of brakes at all as a planning failure on my part.

Road junctions? Roundabouts? Traffic lights? Do you not pass any, or just don't follow the highway code?

[mattley]

, but that doesn't mean they're rubbish though, does it?

No it doesn't, "surplus to my requrements" would have been a far better way of putting it.

I still want to spec from scratch a fixed gear town bike. Speccing down'll leave unwnted lugs and stuff. Also if i've only got one cog on the rear wheel I can have more dish on the gear side, and a stronger rear wheel. I Just have no idea where to go to get this sort of kit. and what it may cost.

[mattley]

Road junctions? Roundabouts? Traffic lights? Do you not pass any,

At least two or three of each on an average jaunt.

or just don't follow the highway code?

Most days I follow it to the letter, generally safer that way. Like I said. It's all about planning.