Great big Singlespeed thread!

[Andy R]

Those brakes are Avid BB5? Why would they not be up to a "serious ride"? They have the same potential power as the BB7's (which can be very good) but without the inboard pad adjustment.
Set the caliper up so that the inboard pad only just clears the disc without rubbing and then adjust the outboard one. That way you waste the minimum of effort flexing the disc.

 

[lumos2000]

they need new pads and from what ive been reading is that the bb7 are a lot better, the bb5 didn't stop me in the rain the other day so im thinking rather than spend money on the bb5 I might as well go with the bb7s or cheep hydros

 

[Splatter Paint]

I've just built my first SS, the first thing I noticed is the rear tyre breaking traction on the climbs. I have a Panaracer Fire XC pro on a the mo, what do you guys run?

I have On One Mary bars, bloody weird to start with but they've really grown on me. I ended up at 21lbs all-up weight, is that lardy?

SP

 

[Andy R]

I've just built my first SS, the first thing I noticed is the rear tyre breaking traction on the climbs. I have a Panaracer Fire XC pro on a the mo, what do you guys run?

I have On One Mary bars, bloody weird to start with but they've really grown on me. I ended up at 21lbs all-up weight, is that lardy?

SP

On-One Smorgasbord Trail Extreme 2.25" at about 20psi. On the front a 2.4" Chunky Monkey at about 16psi. Both damn good tyres.
21lbs isn't lardy BTW.

 

[Splatter Paint]

Thanks for the tyre info, but at 750g they're heavier than what I've got now (575g). Maybe a 2.1 Nobby Nic evo on the rear and a 2.3 Racing Ralph up front? The only obvious way I can see to drop weight effectively is to change the fork which is 1.1kg for a carbon one. Any other changes will be too minor for the cost involved...

SP

 

[suburbanreuben]

I've just built my first SS, the first thing I noticed is the rear tyre breaking traction on the climbs. I have a Panaracer Fire XC pro on a the mo, what do you guys run?

I have On One Mary bars, bloody weird to start with but they've really grown on me. I ended up at 21lbs all-up weight, is that lardy?

SP

There's nowt wrong with Fire XCs. THey've been around for nearly 15 years for a reason!
Brute power isn't everything; learn to read the trail.

 

[Andy R]

Thanks for the tyre info, but at 750g they're heavier than what I've got now (575g). Maybe a 2.1 Nobby Nic evo on the rear and a 2.3 Racing Ralph up front? The only obvious way I can see to drop weight effectively is to change the fork which is 1.1kg for a carbon one. Any other changes will be too minor for the cost involved...

SP

If you go this route I'd put a 2.35" Nobby Nic Trailstar on the front, it being a grippier tyre than the Racing Ralph and it's on the front that grip is more important, for braking and cornering.
Losing traction on climbs is more likely to be a combination of tyre pressure and technique/weight distribution than tread pattern, in my opinion anyway.
The On-One tyres may well be heavier than what you're using but they're some of the best tyres ever I've used on wet rocks and roots and the sidewalls are far more damage resistant than even the Schwalbe Snakeskin versions (but then they are made by Maxxis).
They like low pressures too

As far as weight goes - well, I'm probably the wrong person to talk to about weight as my singlespeed probably weighs about 24lbs and I weigh about 155lbs, so neither of us are lightweights . There's far more to a nice riding bike than weight though.

 

[suburbanreuben]

I've just built my first SS, the first thing I noticed is the rear tyre breaking traction on the climbs. I have a Panaracer Fire XC pro on a the mo, what do you guys run?

I have On One Mary bars, bloody weird to start with but they've really grown on me. I ended up at 21lbs all-up weight, is that lardy?

SP

There's nowt wrong with Fire XCs. THey've been around for nearly 15 years for a reason!
Brute power isn't everything; learn to read the trail.

That didn't sound right...
You do need to move around quite a bit to maintain traction; it's quite different to running gears, but you'll pick it up fairly quickly, hopefully before your plums meet the stem.
I have just built up my first geared bike for over 6 months and at first rode it like an SS, but the constant worrying about whether I'm in the right gear for mashing led me to conciously try to sit and spin wherever possible. Blimey, It's hard work !
I've fitted nobby nic snakeskin tyres and they're not bad; a bit slow but they grip like buggery and the rubber feels very thick.

 

[velomaniac]

As above, if you lose traction its because you've moved weight away from where its needed, Geared bikes suffer the same if you move your weight too far forward under power.

 

[Splatter Paint]

The XC Pros were a little worn, but I was surprised at them breaking loose so readily. I was stood up on the pedals climbing though. I've done a fair bit of riding since 1990, so I'm not a novice with regard to climbing! I'll just have to hone my SS skills and experiment with body position when out of the saddle. I was running the minimum recommended pressure to maximise the grip.....

The frame though is an absolute peach, Specialized S-Works M4 which is stiff but still feels nice to ride. I have a Cannondale Fatty R fork to finish it off. I must get some pics up.

SP