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How do you shake the single speed bug?


dinneR

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I sold both of my single speeds earlier this year. I'm thinking about a new bike. Possibly selling my Salsa Casseroll and getting something for bikepacking. Every SS I see for sale has me thinking. This one caught my eye. Kona Unit. SS, big wheels and tires. Three bottle mounts on the frame and two on the fork. How realistic is it to buy a SS bikepacking rig?

unit.jpg

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35 minutes ago, dennis said:

How realistic is it to buy a SS bikepacking rig?

I supposed one way to get an idea would be load up a geared bike, shift it into a gear ratio that matches the one on the Kona Unit, and leave it there for the entire trip. 

It wouldn't be an identical experience, but it might give you some insight into whether you'd become frustrated with a single speed for bikepacking and thereby save yourself the money you would have spent on the Unit.

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I rode the MS-150 one time and there was a guy doing it on a fixie. I talked with him several times during the 150 hilly western Pennsylvania hills. He did ok but at the end of the ride he said: "What was I thinking? I have a half dozen bikes at home and every one of them would have been a better choice for this ride."  I'll never do this again without gears. I imagine a freewheel would have been a big help as well.

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Why would you want to shake the SS bug? I have two and probably always will have at least one. Might not be the ticket for bikepacking, but that just means you need to add a bikepacking bike to the stable....in addition to a SS or two.

Dont listen to these fuddy-duddies and their knee nonsense. :runcirclsmiley:

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10 minutes ago, F_in Ray Of Sunshine said:

Why would you want to shake the SS bug? I have two and probably always will have at least one. Might not be the ticket for bikepacking, but that just means you need to add a bikepacking bike to the stable....in addition to a SS or two.

Dont listen to these fuddy-duddies and their knee nonsense. :runcirclsmiley:

Remember when geared bikes were considered progress?  You retro twits simply didn't have big enough hills to appreciate them. :)  

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I love riding a SS, but my knees and these mountains have other thoughts on the topic. I have no space for a lot of bikes, three is probably beyond the max. 

At the end of the day, I'll either stick with my Casseroll or pick up a Fargo if I can find a good deal on one. 

But damn that Kona sure would be fun to ride!

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2 hours ago, Wilbur said:

 retro 

My 4-yo SS with a carbon fork, hydraulic disc brakes and tubeless tires doesn't understand what you mean by this term.

If the hill is too steep for a SS, you resort to one of the four gears: "sit", "stand", "push" or "puke".

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2 hours ago, Old#7 said:

I wasn't able to get a Fargo, (first choice) so I went with Specialized AWOL comp. It's been in the stable for almost two years. I like it a lot. Not much bike packing yet but it's in my plans. 

image.jpeg

That Awol looks pretty nice. The new Fargos can run 29, 29+, and 27.5+ tires, so I'd like one of those if I can swing it. The 2018 has a purple one in their lineup. I've also heard they will be releasing a boost fork.

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On 8/31/2017 at 11:49 PM, dennis said:

Spoken like an engineer, let science help you answer the question. Whatever happened to the beauty of irrational behavior and the love of fat tires? 

So maybe this should be my road bike/bikepacking rig?

Fargo_29_GX_Carousel-1.jpg

 

I think you should get one of these.

20160904_090610.jpg.c81f513fd1892c3ffe5df73d44aeb3ec.jpg

 

:P:nodhead: The other light touring bike is a Casseroll.  Winter/mud bike is a Mukluk

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  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎9‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 1:20 PM, Digital_photog said:

I think you should get one of these.

20160904_090610.jpg.c81f513fd1892c3ffe5df73d44aeb3ec.jpg

 

:P:nodhead: The other light touring bike is a Casseroll.  Winter/mud bike is a Mukluk

It should arrive Friday. I'm debating whether I should keep my Casseroll. I love that bike. 

This will be my second Fargo. I sold the first one and my Mukluk a while ago. I have a 9zero7 now.

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1 hour ago, dennis said:

It should arrive Friday. I'm debating whether I should keep my Casseroll. I love that bike. 

This will be my second Fargo. I sold the first one and my Mukluk a while ago. I have a 9zero7 now.

Casseroll is a great bike.  Mine doesn't get a lot of use but I still can't get rid of it.

 

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13 minutes ago, Digital_photog said:

Casseroll is a great bike.  Mine doesn't get a lot of use but I still can't get rid of it.

 

I've ridden mine quite a bit this year. I've learned to appreciate riding pavement and it's a great bike for it. I joined a group ride. I'm always the only person on a steel bike with a rack and 40C tires.

I'm really looking forward to having a Fargo again.

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30 minutes ago, Indy said:

My single speed is my favorite bike to ride.  Though some trails it isn't really suitable for, so I pick my ride based on where I'm riding, for a lot of trails though, that is the SS.

I loved my SS, both of them. In the midwest on flow trails, things were great. In the rocky mountains, we have climbs that are 5-10 miles long and super steep. My knees could not take it any longer. 

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