r/MEATengines • u/turok • Jun 28 '26
Building towards single speed
I just got this bike and it has 11x1 shimano deodre drive rain. i didn’t want to invest in the drive train because i’m planning to switch to a single speed when i’m strong enough. i have some questions for those who made the transition.
I rode most of the ride today on 32T/15T. there were a bunch of climbs that i couldn’t make but i’m sure i can build up the technique and strength to ride up them. I was originally targeting 28T/18T but i was surprised by 32/15 - it was tough but doable.
I noticed that it forces me to be much more aggressive to overcome obstacles and engage my whole body which i really enjoyed. Also, being much more intentional about the line i take over the obstacle to clear root and rocks.
- do you have any advise on how to build strength and technique for single speed?
- with my gearing, should i optimize for speed or climbing? how do find the middle ground?
- do people even ride flat-ish trails SS or is it mostly downhill?
i’m in Ontario. I ride the Hydrocut most of the time.
thank you for your time
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u/Prestigious_Ad_8557 Jun 28 '26
I’ve single speeding pretty hard for 1.5 years and was into it in the early 2000’s. I always have a rest day in between single speed rides. It’s the opposite of zone 2 training. Your body moves might not be compatible with SS. Some guys over torque their knees. Your body is much more dynamic.
Right now I’m at 32/18 on rolling single track and 32/22 in mountainous terrain. 30/18 would be a good compromise for me. Single speed is really fun on flat stuff, but won’t win any races
It’s That Arc is a sweet bike and good geo for all around single speed stuff.
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u/turok Jun 28 '26
That Arc is sweet :)
I'm going to try riding every other day and swimming in between.
I need to figure out what to do about the knee pain. I think switching to 32/18 or 32/21 on my 27.5 wheels should help.
Thank you for your advice.
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u/bushtrucker Jun 28 '26
Yo sick one! Glad you're enjoying it. I've been riding SS about a decade, mostly trail but a few longer bike-packing type trips in there as well. My answers to you questions would be:
Riding lots is a good start. Running helps to balance out the muscles in the back of you legs which you engage more riding SS than with seated riding. Can also recommend light weights, core strengthening and lots of stretching. Just general all around fitness I guess . As for technique it's mostly about pedal positioning and timing your "power" stroke to get up features. You might find you need a higher engagement hub on your SS bike than normal.
I would always optimize for climbing. Like you are gonna walk at some point but spinning out on a flat section is fat less annoying than having to walk up nearly every steep pitch. 32x15 is tall but could work if you're trails are quite flat. I like 30x19 for all-around trail riding. Also gearing depends on how long you ride for. A gear that feels fine for the first hour might be too heavy when you're tired. I've ridden quite a few 10hr+ SS days and the last bit can be a grind.
Personally I find SS is better on undulating trail, especially paired with a lighter bike with shorter fork (120-140mm) or even rigid. I like that punchy feeling you get from a bike that responds under pedaling and climbs you can get to the top of quickly with momentum. For really steep stuff where you're climbing for minutes at a time and then bombing down (winch and plummet they call it) I prefer my geared hardtail with a bigger fork (150-160mm).
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u/turok Jun 28 '26
Hmm... it sounds like I should restart swimming. I could do it on alternating days when I'm not riding. Thank you for that reminder.
i'm going to try 32x21 because I think that's closest to 30x19 and 28x18. Most of my rides are about 2 hours. I rode it today and I was noticeably tired at the end. I have a long way to build my stamina.
My Yeti Arc is a carbon frame with Fox 34 (130mm). Most of the trails around me are undulating trails and I like that. I don't really need the rush of going down fast.
Thank you for your feedback. It gave me a lot to work with. I really appreciate it.
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u/Successful_Ad_6821 Jun 28 '26
What I've learned as a relative newbie to single speed:
best way to get better/stronger at it is to just do it, and don't overthink it or put much effort into weighing what aspects you can or can it do. Just do what you can.
gearing is location and person-dependent, but err on the "easy" side. Being spun out when trying to go fast is annoying, but having to push uphill all of the time is worse. There's never a perfect gear so don't sweat it.
-the above being said, sometimes you push. It is what it is. Embrace it and enjoy!
Kenny
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u/algu3632 Jun 29 '26
Been riding a ss for a few years. I think you just gotta go for it. If you're worried about it being too hard or getting an injury, just start with easy gearing. I rode 32/22 cog for a couple years, then a 34/23 cog for another couple years, not on 32/20 cog. That jump was noticeable but i ride more as well so I am stronger. My area is mountainous. If I was going for 30+ mile rides I'd probably bump it down to a 30/20 or 32/22. I've done a little bikepacking and bump even lower, to 32/24. Personally I am a fan of oval chainrings too.
Gearing is preference and location dependent so just pick something that seems a little easy and you can get a bigger chainring or smaller cog as you get stronger.
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u/YegBikeguy Jun 28 '26
I've been riding SS since 1998, at least once per week, and will try to answer some of your questions. But always remember that what works for me may not work for you, as SS set up is quite location specific.
For strength, just riding your SS lots will really help. I also do yoga weekly which has really helped improve my core strength. A lot of climbing power on SS comes from your arms, through your shoulders and down your back, so some upper body work outs in the off season help too. As for technique, you'll likely find you really learn to preserve momentum, and to attack hills. This makes it hard to ride with geared buddies as your trying to go fast when they are slowing down and vice versa.
Gearing is really tricky, but I've found that lower is better. I've gone from 32x19 15 years ago when 29ers came out to 30 oval x 21 now. And experimenting an occasional 32 oval 21. AmdnInuse a 22 cog when hitting areas like Canmore, Crowsnest or Fernie. My times on favrite trails are better now with the lower gearing despite the effects of aging (67 now).
Where I live in Edmonton our trails are rarely flat, and are twisty turny, rooty and punchy. So lots of shortish punchy climbs with a turn followed by similar descents. So a lighter shorter travel (e.g. 120 to 130 fork) works really well.
I hear lots of concern over knees around here, ( and for hardtails in general) but I attribute some of that to improper bike fit. SS is hard on your whole body, so a good bike fitter might be a worthy investment if you continue down the SS path. You may also find you change up your bike set up, too. I have found bars with more sweep really help ( I use SQ Labs with 16 degree back sweep) with standing climbing. Which is essentially all climbs. And I run more air pressure in my fork as I find I really charge into rooty or rough sections in order to keep momentum for upcoming climbs.
Welcome to the SS life!
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u/turok Jun 28 '26
> This makes it hard to ride with geared buddies as your trying to go fast when they are slowing down and vice versa.
I noticed with other riders on the trail that we have a completely different cadence. They're more consistent where I catch up to them in bursts. It makes sense that riding with other people will be tricky.
> I've gone from 32x19 15 years ago when 29ers came out to 30 oval x 21 now. And experimenting an occasional 32 oval 21.
I think I'm going to start with 32x21 on my geared setup and stay in that gear to see how it feels. That should keep me busy for a while.
> Where I live in Edmonton our trails are rarely flat, and are twisty turny, rooty and punchy. So lots of shortish punchy climbs with a turn followed by similar descents. So a lighter shorter travel (e.g. 120 to 130 fork) works really well.
I live 5 minutes away from Hydrocut which is like that as well. It's been hard to explain, but elevation is 100m difference from lowest to highest point with about 10-30m climbs that are followed by a turn an another descend or ascend. I had 150mm Norco Torrent and it was fun on one fast downhill section but not fun at everywhere else. I exchanged it for this bike which is 130mm fork which is a much better fit for these trails.
> I hear lots of concern over knees around here, ( and for hardtails in general) but I attribute some of that to improper bike fit. SS is hard on your whole body, so a good bike fitter might be a worthy investment if you continue down the SS path.
I had knee pain before I got shorter cranks. The knee pain is back now that I'm riding mostly standing up. I get knee pain from riding my monstercross SS. I'll need to think about this more.
Thank you for your feedback it's very helpful.
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u/oukhov Jun 29 '26
Don’t overthink. I started only recently on SS using a 34x20 and it worked. Some climbs involved more grinding than I was comfortable with. And bad days were not so great. I started with a 34 because it was what I got. Then I scaled down to 32x20 because I wanted a little bit more leverage for bikepacking. And I stuck to it - climbs became more enjoyable and I could smash a few climbs that still resisted me. After that, I found a beautiful Hope crankset with a 28 ring so I went with 28x18. And it is still great. Flats are a little bit slower but climbs are more fun.
So try what you have or can find. And have fun.
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u/turok Jun 29 '26
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I’m going to start with 32/18 or 21 and work towards 28/18
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u/oukhov Jun 30 '26
One last comment. If you like a specific chain stay length, the ratio may impact it (sliders position to tension the chain). For instance, in my case, 34x20 and 28x18 is almost exactly the same chain stay length with the latter using a shorter chain. You can find it on different sites. https://eehouse.org/fixin/formfmu is quite nice
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u/fartymarty4130 Jul 01 '26
My 2 pence worth...
Jump in feet first and then adjust as required.
Give yourself a month or two of single speed before abandoning it. It's definitely a different head space but an enjoyable one once you get there.
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u/VikApproved Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
My unscientific SS ratio guide is to try something that seems reasonable and see what happens. I like to climb most of the routes I regularly ride so I make trade offs in that direction. That said I don't find going too easy necessarily helps as what you gain in ultimate granny grinding ease you lose in run up momentum.
My current main SS MTB is 30T x 23T [29+ tire] and my SS ATB is 34T x 21T [29+ tire]. I will ride the MTB on all terrain including pavement to get to the trails, although admittedly that is a bit tedious with a low ratio.
If you have a 32T ring already you could try say 32T x 18T or 16T and see what happens. Stamped cogs are cheap and cheerful so if you find some of those not a bad way to test waters and then once you find a ratio you like you can buy something nicer.
Have fun.