The (un)official single speed thread....

[nathrix]

Hey eiers...did you have your beauty sleep last night and feeling better today?

[Edgar]

I had my beauty sleep and I'm still ugly, because of that i'm grumpy.

But because I have a SS I can ride the spruit this arvie and not worry about wrecking a bike in the mud. Just like when I was 7 and riding on the spruit with my mates after school because cricket practice got cancelled because of the rain.

WOOP WOOOP

[nathrix]

I actually felt like a kid again on this mornings ride, i kid you not

Edited January 6, 2011 by nathrix™ ®

[eggsovereasywithteandtoast]

You are walking on egg shells guys boys

Believe me: I dont need beauty sleep !!

If thats the case... I need surgery

Edited January 6, 2011 by eggsovereasywithteandtoast

[Grondpad]

Last night I downloaded the movie Macaframa. Did anyone else see it? It really cool! It convinced me to go shopping for an old school bike in the pawn shops and start a 'little art project'.

 

Watch this space

[Wyatt Earp]

I actually felt like a kid again on this mornings ride, i kid you not

It was quite something

[Eldron]

Hey, I not reserving judgement for fixies or single speeds; or for street bicycles or MTBs

 

Hey I dont wear a t-shirt that says "death before derailer"

 

Just because one gear is a fun variation for a jaunt or commute, and a change from the usual bike, doesn't mean its a nostalgic affair giving me a sense of childhood. Fun is just fun. Fun isn't reserved for kids. You dont need to justify your elation on a single gear that hard.

 

Its just as easy to reverse the quote for the opposing school of thought: for goodness sake, those people out there who ride singlespeeds claiming it's the new revolution and romantic and mushy and evocative of a sense of childhood, get over yourselves, it's called cycling."

 

I must be romantic, nostalgic etc but the last time I laughed out loud riding a bike was on my SS. The silliness of riding one gear and pedalling like a rabid gazelle on the downhills plus the self inflicted pain of pedalling like Herr Jan on the uphills makes me grin like a love sick teenager. If it doesn't make you grin then so what? Don't ride SS.

 

I don't see your need to try and knock it by labelling us as misguided weirdos.

 

I guess it's because as grown ups we tend to steer clear of illogical things that to us the SS represents a sliver of being reconncted with our youth...

 

Thats not the be all and end all of SSing. Some like it because they're rebels, some because it improves their technical skills, some because they want to pretend to be cooler than those with gears, some because they had left overs they wanted to use, some because they need an excuse to buy another bike, some (like me) who want to experience SS world champs in Ireland later in the year.

 

SSing isn't any one thing - it's a collection of many things to many people - much like road biking, mountain biking, unicycling, track racing etc.

 

Do whatever tickles your fancy...

[eggsovereasywithteandtoast]

I actually felt like a kid again on this mornings ride, i kid you not

 

Thats what the pope said

[Eldron]

I forgot to add.

I was in San Francisco, I was fortunate enough to mix with this group/stereotype you mention here.

Yes you paint the perfect picture of who they are, what they look like etc.etc.etc......

But you are seriously confusing Fixie riders with MTB singlespeed riders.

 

 

Ding ding!

 

You just have to take one look at Dangle to know there is nothing cool about SS

 

I think eggsy has read too many Fixie articles on le web.

[eggsovereasywithteandtoast]

[Eldron]

Thats what the pope said

 

Eggsy - check out these sites and tell me when last you saw this much fun in a race.

 

http://www.sswc2011.ie/

http://www.sswc10nz.com/

 

The beer short cut, the dressing up, the crazy way the next world champs host is decided - it all adds up to fun fun fun not a bunch of tweed clad poncers telling you how cool they are. You have it all wrong man.

 

Edit - I left out the best part - it isn't sanctioned by any official cycling body. Plus the winner gets a tattoo

Edited January 6, 2011 by Eldron

[Wyatt Earp]

Ding ding!

 

You just have to take one look at Dangle to know there is nothing cool about SS

 

I think eggsy has read too many Fixie articles on le web.

I could almost be mistaken as a nerd

[nathrix]

Thats what the pope said

 

Sorry to hear, don't take it out on us. Hope you kicked his ass!

[b-unit]

I must be romantic, nostalgic etc but the last time I laughed out loud riding a bike was on my SS. The silliness of riding one gear and pedalling like a rabid gazelle on the downhills plus the self inflicted pain of pedalling like Herr Jan on the uphills makes me grin like a love sick teenager. If it doesn't make you grin then so what? Don't ride SS.

 

I don't see your need to try and knock it by labelling us as misguided weirdos.

 

I guess it's because as grown ups we tend to steer clear of illogical things that to us the SS represents a sliver of being reconncted with our youth...

 

Thats not the be all and end all of SSing. Some like it because they're rebels, some because it improves their technical skills, some because they want to pretend to be cooler than those with gears, some because they had left overs they wanted to use, some because they need an excuse to buy another bike, some (like me) who want to experience SS world champs in Ireland later in the year.

 

SSing isn't any one thing - it's a collection of many things to many people - much like road biking, mountain biking, unicycling, track racing etc.

 

Do whatever tickles your fancy...

 

 

This makes me want to try it!

 

Even tough I dont understand SSing I wonder if its not a bit like bow hunting. I bowhunt and most rifle hunters can justnot understand why one would want to hunt with a bow and arrow while gunpowder has been invented.

[Eldron]

I could almost be mistaken as a nerd

 

Alas the tats put you into the "cool poncey" category.

 

That and your face all over the media.

 

I'm afraid I need to remove you from my friend list - you're just not "underground" enough for me anymore

[Eldron]

This makes me want to try it!

 

Even tough I dont understand SSing I wonder if its not a bit like bow hunting. I bowhunt and most rifle hunters can justnot understand why one would want to hunt with a bow and arrow while gunpowder has been invented.

 

This is the part I find strange - there is nothing to understand... It's not like you need to learn a secret handshake or go to secret meetings in abandoned warehouses...

 

All you need to do is take all your old crap and build a bike with one gear. Then ride it. Simple.