So, I’ve been wanting to talk about this whole single-speed bike thing for a while. People see me on mine and they’re like, “Just one gear? How’s that work out for ya?” And I get it, especially if you’re used to bikes with a ton of gears. But let me tell you how I landed here.
My Journey to One Gear
My old bike, oh man, that thing was supposed to be great. Had all the gears you could imagine. Sounded fancy. But honestly, it felt like it was always in the shop or I was fiddling with it. The chain would jump, or the gears wouldn’t shift smooth, especially when I was trying to get up a little incline. Drove me nuts. I’d get it “fixed,” and a couple of weeks later, same old problems. Felt like I was spending more time stressing over it than actually enjoying the ride.
Then one day, I saw this guy I know riding a bike that just looked… clean. Super simple. I asked him, “What’s up with your bike? It looks so basic.” He just grinned and said, “Single-speed, man. Less hassle.” One gear? Sounded kinda crazy to me at first. I thought, how do you even get around without being able to switch down for a hill or up for a flat? But that “less hassle” part, that really stuck with me.
So, I bit the bullet. I figured, what have I got to lose? I found a pretty straightforward single-speed, didn’t break the bank. And the first thing I really noticed when I picked it up? It was so much lighter! Seriously. And just looking at it, there was hardly anything to it. No derailleurs hanging off the back, no shifters on the handlebars, none of that web of cables. Just the frame, wheels, chain, pedals. That’s pretty much it. It was kind of a revelation, seeing how a bike could be so… barebones.
Riding It and What I Found Out
My first few rides were a bit weird, I gotta admit. I kept instinctively reaching for gear shifters that just weren’t there! Took me a little while to break that habit. But then, it just sort of clicked. I was just… riding. Not constantly thinking, “Am I in the right gear? Should I shift?” My usual route to work and back is mostly flat, a few gentle slopes here and there, nothing major. And for that kind of terrain, this bike was a game changer. You just pedal. Want to go a bit faster? Pedal a bit harder. It’s beautifully simple. A single speed bike is just what it sounds like: two-wheelers constructed with just one speed, meaning you never have to switch gears. And that, for me, was a huge plus. Less fuss, more focus on the actual ride.
And this is the part that really sold me: the maintenance. Or, more accurately, the lack of it. This thing requires less maintenance, period. Remember all those tweaks and shop visits for my old geared bike? Pretty much ancient history now. With a single-speed, there’s just so much less that can go wrong. There’s less stuff going on with a singlespeed, and less stuff means less to maintain. Honestly, the only routine stuff I do is pump up the tires when they need it and throw some lube on the chain once in a while. That’s it. It’s been fantastic. Even if you go rigid, meaning no suspension, on a geared bike, you still have all those derailleur bits to worry about.
It really made me think. All those extra gears on my old bike… for my daily commute, a lot of them were just… extra. Unnecessary. You can maintain your gear range and also eliminate gearing overlap and redundancy. Well, with a single-speed, you don’t really have a gear range to maintain, but you definitely get rid of that overlap and all the redundant gears I never used anyway! Another benefit I felt straight away was the reduced number of parts involved in the drivetrain, reducing the amount of weight in parts. It’s not just about the bike being lighter to carry, but it feels nimbler, more direct when you’re riding.
I reckon if you’re just starting out with cycling, or if your rides are mostly on fairly flat ground like mine, it’s definitely worth a look. Like they often say, for novice riders or those using bikes primarily for commuting on flat terrain, a single-speed or fixed-gear bike might be a suitable choice. And I totally agree with that now. It’s not about being some hardcore cyclist; it’s about finding what works and what makes riding enjoyable without a load of faff.
It’s funny, I used to think more gears automatically meant a better bike. Now? I’m all in on this simplicity thing. It’s like the bike gets out of your way and just lets you ride. I spend way less time worrying about mechanical stuff and way more time just enjoying being on two wheels. And that’s what it’s all about for me, really.