Flippa

I went from a 26" SS to a 29" SS and didn't notice much difference between the formats........except for the traction that the 29" has. Granted, I did buy my 29" SS frame purely on matching the geometry of my 26" frame, so apart from the slightly longer wheelbase and slightly shorter stem, the bike fit was just about identical.

Agreed. Never could my head around the EBB concept. My new bike has Paragon style sliders and they are the best thing since sliced bread. Disc caliper is always aligned with the wheel, so no adjusting of the caliper when changing rear cogs.

I've got the 2012 Kona Unit and it's great. Also considered the On-One, but decided on the Kona because it comes as a frame and fork combo. Be aware though that Maverick are a little slow with delivery. Their 10 days from order to delivery took them 3 months.

It's not the same thing. Not changing gears just means you're involved. Stripping off all the unnecessary derailleurs, shifters, cables, etc means you are committed.

That's it! You've just taken the first step into oblivion. Soon, you will be feverishly consulting a gear calculator in order to obtain the same ratio with more chain wrap, you will have singlespeed cogs in all tooth counts, ready for any ride or race, you will be faced with the hardest question of all, "sliding dropouts or EBB?". Welcome to the dark side. The info above pretty much covers everything you need to start SS. Gear ratios to start with are 32x18 for 26 inch and 32x20 for 29 inch. Oh, and start off slowly. Single speeding is a bit of a shock to the body and you will need time to adjust.

I haven't broken a chain yet and I been using an old 9 speed chain. I've just changed to an 8 speed chain and no problems either, to date. I'm not convinced there is any benefit to using a SS specific chain. I have on of those Blackspire chainrings and they are great.

I've just switched from a carbon rigid fork to a steel rigid and the steel is way more comfortable. I'm not sure I would go back to a suspended fork.

What do you need it in a house for? It's powered by a cigarette lighter, keep it in the car!

26 inch wheels....?

Agreed that this was an awesome race! My third race at Vori-Berg, and my second on the SS. With the big climb at the beginning, and either flat or downhill almost all the way to the finish, made interesting for my choice of gear. I went with the bigger gear to maximise my speed on the flats, but I suffered on the second part of the first climb. Goodrace overall, can't say I noticed any bottlenecks......

Also riding SSWC. I'm a consistent mid pack racer, so I'm there for the beer and atmosphere. What you must remember about SS racing is to expect the unexpected. One year, the winner was decided after a round of go-karting, your placement on the grid was dependent on your finishing time on the bike. Also, lots of guys get into SS after lots of successful years racing in other categories. If you intend go for a podium, best you be super strong.

Sounds like a lot of positive feedback. It's a pity it's so far out from where I am (JHB South). Will have to make a plan to get out there and experience it. Anybody willing to make a comparison to Rietvlei and/or Thaba?

Too much bob is down to poor setup, nothing to do with the quality of the suspension. Giant's Maestro design is very well regarded. Of course, with the popularity of the Anthem X 29, you are bound to see lots of badly set up bikes.

It depends on the group, but normally the ride finishes at 8, sometimes 9.

Thaba Trails is on Klipriver Road, Mulbarton. If you travel on the R59 South towards Vereeniging, take Swartkoppies off ramp and turn right. Follow all the way down, past Rietvlei until you reach Klipriver. This is a large intersection. Turn right on Klipriver, and Thaba Trails is on your left, just after the road dips. Sorry, can't help with road rides, maybe try Germiston Wheelers.

There are two night rides a week, Tuesday at Thaba Trails and Thursday at Rietvlei. The guys normally meet at 18h00.

I always thought SSers had 4 speed - sitting, standing, walking and wheezing

C'mon, we are all awesome, aren't we?

Great! You're exactly the sort of person I want to meet in a bottleneck.

Bottlenecks are brilliant. It gives everyone around me the opportunity to tell me how awesome I am, riding (walking) singlespeed. :-)

Giant XTC, no question!

All my number boards, medals, stickers, etc go on my garage wall. I don't feel the need to carry them on my bike any more than I need to. However, each to his own. If you want to ride around 3 years after you have completed the Epic with a tatty sticker stuck on your bike, by all means.

Would love to join you guys, but unfortunately I have family considerations tomorrow. Enjoy!

661 Comps full finger gloves. Really nice.

I will only use 661 long finger gloves. I'm on my second pair of Comps, but would love a pair of Evo's if they were more affordable. I don't mind supporting CWC, but would love to walk into my LBS and walk out with a pair.