# Clydes on Singlespeeds



## Bike Whisperer (Aug 7, 2012)

6', 210lbs in my birthday suit. Got hooked on Singlespeeds this summer and it's all I currently ride (I have a 1 x 10 parts kit just in case the feeling fades).


From bikes


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## 4nbstd (Apr 12, 2012)

I'm on 2010 Kona Unit, thinking about getting a Surly KM in the spring though. Nothing says full commitment to single speed like $400 single speed hub!


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## Glide the Clyde (Nov 12, 2009)

Nice bikes above.

6' 7" and 230. VooDoo Soukri. Singled in the pic but currently 1 X 9. Switching back soon...maybe.


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## Shocker99 (Apr 5, 2011)

Bike Whisperer said:


> 6', 210lbs in my birthday suit. Got hooked on Singlespeeds this summer and it's all I currently ride (I have a 1 x 10 parts kit just in case the feeling fades).


What gear are you running on your singlespeed?

Ah, the feeling never fades ..... :ihih:


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## Solo Bellimino (Feb 19, 2011)

Hell, I'll join in. 6' #215
Here is mine again, 34/18 setup. SS for ever.


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## Bike Whisperer (Aug 7, 2012)

Shocker99 said:


> What gear are you running on your singlespeed?
> 
> Ah, the feeling never fades ..... :ihih:


I run 32/21...like a lower gear and I'm quite good at keeping momentum on descents even without a suspension fork.


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## AlexCuse (Nov 27, 2011)

I don't really ride anything else (have a 1x10 cyclocross bike I ride on the road and occasionally on singletrack, and an old MTB converted to a 1x9 that mostly gets trailer pulling duty). Once I get either of those bikes onto the trail I basically stay in one gear anyway so why bother with the distraction/risk of failure.

Currently riding a karate monkey, I doubt that will change until I can swing a custom SS-specific frame. 32t chainring with 19/20/22 freewheels. Will probably tinker with gearings more once I start riding my new wheels that have a cassette type SS hub. Just don't know when I will start riding them, since my flows make for a good almost-fat wheel that is great in the winter snow and slop.


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## huhue (Feb 5, 2013)

Hi folks,

I don't have a current woods single, but my olde 1X1 from '99 is still going strong as my commuter. I recently built a street (Scorcher) style single for the road from an old ibis mojo. Both are set up for the flats around here 42/16 and 48/16.
Best Hubs IMHO for Clydes are Paul W.O.R.D. Hubs, mine have been on the 1X1 from the beginning and are still going strong (on the ibis now). Bonus is a dishless wheel wich holds true even with 32 spokes and a 240+ rider!

Cheers and happy trails


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## El_Bendejo (Jul 18, 2006)

AlexCuse said:


> so why bother with the distraction/risk of failure.
> 
> Currently riding a karate monkey, I doubt that will change until I can swing a custom SS-specific frame.


You just nailed my setup to a tee. I'm rolling a KM that's been SS (mtb), SS (street), 1x9, 3x9 and now SS (mtb) again. Every so often I ponder putting gears on it. Each time I come to the conclusion I'd rather ride my bike than work on it, so I should keep it simple.

having said that, I've been trolling custom frames lately. Amnesty for honesty, I might get a geared frame based on the thought that a $2k frame will be something I'm going to ride until I get old - so I'd best get gears.


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## ElwoodT (Mar 13, 2011)

6',230#. I've got a ss (32/23), and a geared ht. I ride the ss mostly on solo rides and the geared bike with buddies.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

285 here on a diSSent. 32/21. Just rode today for the first time in months and it kicked my ass.

Freshly built...










First time on the trail...



















After today's ride...


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## borbntm (May 4, 2011)

215 / 6'1"....Civilian Luditte with upgrades including Stans Arch wheelset, Niner flat top carbon bar, Easton Haven carbon post, Odi lock on grips.....Nothing better than a rigid single speed to drop the pounds and kick your a$$ into shape! It's now my primary ride. Peak weight was 245 lbs. a few years ago. Now down to 215......32/18 gears


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## ads-bully (Feb 26, 2013)

6'5" and 256lb... Riding a Singular Swift...


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## TitanofChaos (Jun 13, 2011)

6'1" 250# Trek Sawyer 35/20


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## Bike Whisperer (Aug 7, 2012)

Small updates to my SS, went with a Surly front ring and no bash. Also a different saddle. The bike is getting pretty much dialed for fit and rideability. The 2Bliss tires on the TCS rims are awesome, I can run my PSI in the low 20's with zero burping issues.


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## AlexCuse (Nov 27, 2011)

Just noticed I hadn't contributed any pictures to this thread. After coming to the realization that my flow/surly wheels were probably heavier than I need, had a sweet set of arch EX's built up with a cassette type hub (DT 240s) - I'm really liking the cog vs freewheel setup so far. Next step is to lose the brake cable housing for black (thought I was getting green) and remove the rest of the stickers. I have a couple new forks on the way to play with too but here it is as it stands currently:


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## Midtown (Feb 24, 2012)

I have a single speed but my knees hurt badly when I ride it. 6'/325 lbs.
Do you think if I drop some more pounds this will go away, or am I doing something wrong?
It's a Red Line Monocog with Phil Woods hubs.


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## AlexCuse (Nov 27, 2011)

I'm sure dropping weight is pretty rarely a bad thing for your knees, but it sounds like a fit issue to me. I guess I could imagine singlespeeding being a bit harder on the knees though, especially if you're running a tall gearing. What gearing are you running currently?

If you're running a tall gear I would try a gearing change first, then look for setup problems. you have a geared bike that doesn't cause you the same knee pain, I would take a look at differences in geometry (especially seat position relative to the crank), crank length, and how far apart your feet are on the pedals (is this what q-factor means?). A friend of mine had knee pain when riding his road bike, but not his mountain bike, and ended up getting some longer stems for his pedals, which ended up spacing his feet out a bit more. He said this helped a lot, maybe you have a similar issue. If your geared bike doesn't cause similar pain you could switch pedals and try it out pretty easily.


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## huhue (Feb 5, 2013)

@Midtown: First thing I would try to get rid of knee issues, is finding the right saddle height. Often it's to low. The second is gear ratio. On a singlespeed you need to spin fast most of the time wich often feels unnatural to somebody who isn't used to it.

I 've had a lot of knee issues myself, after major knee surgery I started cycling for rehab, which also made me aware of the slightest changes in my saddle position (slipping seatpost anybody...). After that was fixed and I dialed in my saddle position VERY high, I never really had any issues ever again. Except when I try to push a gear that's way to much for a longer period.

By the way, this is what I'll be riding on the roadie stints this summer:










ibis mojo from 1996 in original teal green paintjob! This was my geared rig back in the days and was converted into a street single this winter.

Cheers
Daniel


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## goforbroke (Nov 11, 2008)

^Diggin the old school Ibis.
I started riding my SS to the gym 4 days a week and started to develop knee pain. I was running too tall of a gear 32/14 but figured I would be fine because most of the ride is on asphalt, but apparently it was putting too much pressure on my knees. I switched back to my 32/18 gear and my knees are cool now.

Now I know why most guys prefer to "spin" instead of mash.


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## huhue (Feb 5, 2013)

Yepp,
the only reason I get away with 48/16, is the relatively flat area I live in, the only "hills" we have are very short (100-500yds) and usually rideble with a little more pressure (or out of the saddle on bad days). But I think for all around riding I'll change to 17 in the back, to ease headwind situations...

Cheers
Dan


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## MadMacMan (Mar 6, 2011)

6'2" 235. Riding a jamis 26" exile ss. I push 32x16 and today going to put at least 18t rear cog on and new chain. Maybe even get a 33t chainring too.


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## Froride1 (Jul 26, 2005)

225 here, I built up a Santa Cruz Chameleon as a SS and love it. I'm running 32x20. I started with 34x18 but it was brutal to climb on. That's what I get for listening to my Cat 1 buddies. Now it's about right for most places, not easy but I can turn the pedals without my knees exploding. Its making me stronger and hopefully faster on my 29er.







The top of Montara Mt in Pacifica


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## BigE610 (Oct 24, 2007)

6'2" around 280lbs. I ride an el mariachi and a bianchi san jose. I had a se stout but it just sits in my garage right now. Im considering building it up as a drop bar ss29er commuter. here are a couple pics.


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## Pitch (Aug 9, 2008)

*Coconino Cycles Custom SS 29er*

6'9" and 230 here. This is my Single Speed whip:

24.5 ST, 27.75 ETT, and a 68.5* HA, 750mm bars. It is a custom built Coconino Cycles creation in custom drawn Tru-Temper steel. The color is Vermillion.


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## fishrising (Mar 11, 2012)

Here is my SS:

Frame: Specialized Carve SL
Fork: Specialized Chisel Carbon
Wheels: Stan's NoTubes Flow EX
Hubs: Stan's 3.30 QR hubs (SS specific rear)
Crankset: Shimano XT 180mm arms 32t
Bottom Bracket: Shimano XTR
Cog: Endless Red Cog 21t
Rear Hub Spacers: Surly
Brakes: Shimano XT 160mm f+r
Handlebars: Crank Brothers Cobalt 11 Low Rise 780mm Carbon
Headset: Stock
Stem: Thomson Elite X4 130mm x 10*
Seatpost: Thomson Elite Setback 410mm
Seat: Prologo Scratch Pro
Peddles: Crank Brothers Candy 3
Tires: Maxxis Ardent 2.4f and 2.25r
Seat Binder: Crank Brothers Split 2 Stage
Skewers: Crank Brothers Split 2 Stage
Bottle Cages: Specialized something or other plastic ones

22lbs even...not bad for a XXL / 23" bike to support a 6'7" 240lbs clyde!


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## irideiam (Dec 24, 2011)

6'2" 255lbs down from 290lbs, goal 215lbs

I have two of the last Handmade in USA frames from Cannondale:

2009 Cannondale F29er Caffeine 3 Lefty - 33/22 (BB30-single speed frame Bushnell EBB)

24.2 pounds, XL frame with no carbon parts, still pretty light considering I run tubes, Tuffy tire liners, and SpeedPlay Drillium platform pedals...










2008 Cannondale F29 Caffeine Rigid, Salsa CroMoto Grande Fork - 32/19 (BB30-single speed frame Bushnell EBB)

22.8 pounds, XL frame with no carbon parts, still pretty light considering I run tubes, and SpeedPlay Drillium platform pedals...


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## Lewy (Aug 23, 2009)

6' 2" and currently 270lbs down 25lbs in the last week.

Currently on a Trek Superfly Al running 33-18.

I rode 100kms off road last week and missed having a 20. Doing it again in 2 weeks and will change to the 20.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Built this one up a couple months ago...pretty much replaced my diSSent...this thing screams and is smooooth....



Frame: Nimble 9 X-Large PNW Green
Fork:Whiskey No. 9 carbon, 15mm Maxle
Headset: CaneCreek 110 Series
Crank: Truvativ AKA 
Pedals: Time ATAC Carbon
Bottom Bracket: SRAM GPX for now, looking at a replacement soon
Chainring: HBC Spiderless 32T
Cog: SingleWorks, Surly, Chris King from 17T to 21T
Chain: KMC Z610HX
Brakes: Hope EVO M4 front, EVO X2 rear
Seatpost: Thomson Elite
Seat: Specialized Gel Avatar
Seatpost Clamp: Chromag Quick Release
Stem: Thomson X4 80mm for now, change as needed
Handlebar: Crank Bros. Cobalt 1 XC Bar 700mm
Wheels: Hope Pro 2 front, Chris King SS laced to MTx33 rims


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## askibum02 (Jul 7, 2005)

How hard is it to build up a single speed from an older bike? I'm getting a new Trek Stache when they come out in October, and I was toying with the idea of turning the Jamis Eureka I've been riding geared to SS. 


Sent from my iPad while drinking the kool aid.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Not hard at all. For that frame you'd need a tensioner of some sort to take out the chain slack. A cog for the rear and spacers and a single up front and you're good to go.


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## Hairnet (Jul 23, 2013)

6'5" on my Kona Unit


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## AZ Freightrain (Nov 20, 2012)

6'5 300lbs riding SS Gary Fisher Rig..Got it last year and Love this bike


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## Funrover (Oct 4, 2006)

5'7" 285lbs Not sure on year of frame. Trek. 32x18 I love to ride this bike


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## rhys3697 (Oct 16, 2010)

I love riding my fully rigid SS Cannondale Trail 29er, though I've been looking at putting a suspension fork on it to make it a bit more usable, running 32/18 gearing, 6'2" and about 290lb's. Not a great pic, but it was brand new !


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## irideiam (Dec 24, 2011)

rhys3697 said:


> I love riding my fully rigid SS Cannondale Trail 29er, though I've been looking at putting a suspension fork on it to make it a bit more usable, running 32/18 gearing, 6'2" and about 290lb's. Not a great pic, but it was brand new !


Man I am sure there are forks out there that are also good for Clydes, but man I love my lefty PBR 90mm on my Caffeine posted above. Send me a PM if you have any questions........


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## texasnavy05 (Sep 9, 2010)

6'0" and 285# 2013 Unit 32/20 until I get into better SS shape. Sorry for the crappy phone pics.


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## cxagent (Dec 30, 2005)

6'4" 225 +/- 5 lbs
2012 Kona Unit XL
80mm Rockshok Reba fork
Stan's Flow wheels front and back (with thru axles)
Bars, grips, saddle, seat tube replaced to fit me
32/19 gearing

I like tis bike more every time I ride it. Since I was off my squishy for 2 months (cracked frame) I rode it a lot. That was when I lowered the gearing from 32/18.


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## Alias530 (Apr 1, 2013)

Lewy said:


> 6' 2" and currently 270lbs *down 25lbs in the last week.*


:skep::skep::skep::skep:

Unless you mean that you used to be 270 and as of a week ago you are down 25, you measured wrong or are doing something unhealthy to lose it. 25 lbs in a week??


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