Looking for your first bike? Looking to add another bike to your collection? In this video I explain why a single-speed commuter bike is the most useful bike you could add to your collection. I also go into detail on the life expectancy of various bicycle components.
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00:00 Outtake
00:20 Intro
01:10 About the Bike
02:06 It’s Cheap
03:06 It’s Quiet
03:50 Great for Training
05:10 Low Maintenance
BikesbyMike YouTube Channel: “Why I Don’t WANT Another Bike: N+1 or Not?”
Music Credits:
Bikes by Mike Intro Scene
“5 Cents Back” by Jason Shaw on AudionautiX: https://audionautix.com/
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Fast Forward Effect on First Clip
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50 Comments
What gear ratio you recommend?
I see people in new york ride 48t and 15 rear.
My area is kinda hilly.
Thank you soo much for the video.
My single speed is my 2×9 touring bike…..12 years old. With friction bar end shifter. No front derailleur, I selected the perfect spindle width so I have one gear with perfect chain line. Reliable, quiet and I still have my options when climbing. Just wanted to add I do all my repairs….but I rarely have to, this set up is so reliable just tire changes and I ride all year.
I rode a geared bike to work for 5000 miles then switched to a single speed for my last 1100 miles. The maintenance is not any less in my experience. No having to squirt oil on the derailleur every two weeks, but every time you want to try a different gear ratio, you have to buy a new freewheel and change the length of your chain. I also have to retension my chain fairly often. If you have vertical rear dropouts, you need a chain tensioner – that requires mainrenance.
I use a single speed beach Cruser for long rids when I want to train it sticks me to just one gear and builds me up faster try going up a long hill on a beach Cruser. You have to get better.
you can also buy puncture proof tires for single speed . i have puncture proof tires . didnt got a flat for a year now . i dont even know why people bother with the tubeless setup instead of just buy a stronger thicker tire . a few grams of extra weight wont kill you .
Recently converted my cheap walmart Kent bike into a singlespeed because it wouldn't be a great bike for most other uses (but because the crank is on the rear triangle and it has horizontal sliding dropouts it's uniquely crappy at everything except being a tensioner-less singlespeed full suspension mtb), but after redishing the wheels, putting a 44-14 gearing on the 29er, big izumi chain, and a few more optimizations to it, I really enjoy it. Rides reliably, is super quiet you're right, and can be challenging but that's why I'm cycling. Down 20lbs from when I really got into bicycling. Sure it's is 40lb mountain bike turned road/gravel, but if I think it's too heavy I'LL lose the weight. I just want a bike that won't break on me while i'm chasing fitness goals.
I seen other reviewers mentioned. A bicycle with more gears can go for long distance. Les gear only for short riding. Really can't go far on single speed. Also ned to hav 8 & above for touring.
I would love a single speed bike but it’s super hilly here. Maybe it’s fine for flat-earthers but riding one here would kill me 🙂
my cheap single speed was $50 used, came with a u lock
My single speed ain’t quiet, but I love it.
Can't lie, calling an $800 bike cheap is very funny to me. I ride a Surly 1×1 that I bought for $300 and changed the knobby mountain bike tires for some more road friendly tires and some swept back handlebars. Think I've spent maybe $500 total and I would be absolutely destroyed if it was stolen.
EDIT: Just realized you're in Canada and that price is much closer to what I've spent since I'm thinking in USD lol
I have a Wabi Special w/riser bars and the only thing that bothers me is my seat (B17 Brooks) is killing my behind.
I'm debating on getting a single speed/fixie but I do like the low maintenance aspect and the affordability too…I live in Hilo, Hawaii and there aren't a lot of big hills in my part of town where I live but there are a few hills that I usually have to get off my bike to walk…it might be nice to challenge myself to bike up certain hills and it's nice that the SS I am looking is pretty lightweight too ( like I think I could put it over my shoulder if I tried hehe), so my 2 flights of stairs to my apt should be no problem…
I love my single speed bikes. I've built them up over time and they're surprisingly fast for the money.
Got one running a 52/18 and the other is a 46/18. I can easily hit 20mph with some pressure on the pedals. And it costed me less than $200 each.
$800 😯 my single speed was £195 ( I don't know what that is in dollars ) but I think a lot cheaper . I've got 5 bikes if which 4 are in use and one needs the rear wheel respoking . I thought the single speed would be better for local runs but I've started using it for much longer rides and commuting 10 miles each way to work. It's a fantastic bike for winter as I don't want to mess up bike road bike and tourer . Plus there's nothing to go wrong , even if the freewheel fails you have fixed to get home , I actually like fixed and find I'm using it more . Well worth trying one of these bikes . I do all my own spannering so my multi geared bikes need more attention if used in bad weather whereas my single speed almost requires none 😊😊👍👍
You can also convert your old mtb or roadie into ss. It will be close to free.
one of my dream bicycle builds is a single speed belt drive with an onyx sprag clutch freewheel,
I just picked up a Rogue Milo; hoping it ends up getting plenty of use!
Great post👍, however I am confused by your numbers so will watch this post again. You see I use a single speed for my commute which is 26km round trip – based on that I’d be changing components daily. Like I said I’ll watch the post again as I may’ve missed something.👀 🤷♂️
Why not make a single. You don't have to buy everything new.
Under a $1000 is not cheap
Go to any bike shop and ask to see the mechanics bike . This is what you will see . The bicycle in its purest, most useful form . Mine even had a basket up front . I ran mine free wheeled . Fenders , rack, a basket .
I have a marin 3×9 but use my cheap steel framed single speed almost exclusively and for any environment.
never.
😂 Funny delivery 😅 great info 👍
I love my fixed gear and single speed bikes , simplicity at its finest . ❤
I have started to ride bikes after so many years
I am in my 60s and today I bought a single speed bike at a pawn shop. Crazy. I was so nervous riding down some streets as compared when I was 22 years old on NYC avenues. I have some health issues but I will slowly take my time. Thank you for your vlogs .
I have literally just remembered that as a kid, that's all I had. Single speed bikes. One was my grandfather's WW2 bike. It was gigantic. Had to ride inside of the frame (if anyone knows what I mean).
Second was a single speed Romet. In order to brake, you had to push the pedals back. Best bike ever for drifting in dirt.
The last one was a Russian bike from my godfather. He did try to make me happy, but the ratio of the discs was insane. I could barely ride that thing. It was too big.
So the irony is that I've Googled about fixed gear bikes, when i knew what to expect.
Fyi, I am sitting in my garden shed. It is pissing outside, and the roof is leaking, while I am working on a 1990 Raleigh bike.
Try commuting on a single speed in Sheffield with its many 7/10%+ hills.
You will arrive gassed out, hot, tired, very sweaty, needing a shower, a change of clothes and a rest all before starting work.
When iived there i converted my commuter bike with a 250w ebike kit. It was the best £400 i ever spent. Even after i moved away i still use it 7 years later.
I dont even use bar tape in my commuter bike 💀
I’ve been riding single speed specifically for the last 4 years. A klunker and a single/fixed gear. I just got the fixed gear and i’m ready to never ride anything else again. This year is gonna be awesome. We’re riding the fixed gear a lot this year.
As long as you live in flat city, why not? Otherwise, no way
I live in the UK and bought my Norco Heart bike new in 2014. I ride it regularly and because of it's simplicity it's my favourite bike. I've changed the seat for something more comfortable . Also fitted mudguards(fenders) as I live in the wettest city in the UK. I haven't had to service it in 10 years except for new tyres and a good clean. I'm not afraid to leave it in town with a good bike lock as its not attractive to thieves. If I had to I would definitely buy a single speed bike again.
I see your point, but what if you live in Atlanta Georgia or San Francisco California?
Do you have a particular brand or bike you recommend? I was looking at a State Bicycle 4130 fixed-gear bike. I purchased a road bike on Facebook to see if I liked it, and now am in the market for a good single-gear bike but one I can use on a packed gravel path as well as pavement. Thanks for the advice!
I ride a single-speed bicycle to work at a speed of 30 km/day and I'm happy. Riding is a joyful part of my day.
Absolutely! Have been commuting on a fixie for over 15 years, and got a cheap one for my son when he started commuting.
I can add that it is even less maintenance if you use waxed chain 🙂
It's all I ride. Having an expensive electric bike sitting in my basement with no ability to find or replace the battery has really soured me on e-bikes. Riding a speed bike in town provides no advantages I generally keep it in one gear anyway. Trying to shift up and down isn't worth the effort between lights.I only ride 2nd hand bikes I got from a charity. I own one with a peddle brake that I love, it doesn't go fast but other than pumping up the tires now and again it's always ready to ride. I don't care if other cyclists pass me or I have to walk up a hill. I'm commuting not racing.
I wish I would have found this video about 30 years ago. I'm 52 years old and have only recently started commuting by bike. I genuinely like the feel of a single speed on flat ground, and I love the low maintenance and the simplicity, but my fat ass and cranky knees would not be able to handle the commute in my area where it's pretty hilly. When I was a lot younger I could have gotten into better shape so that I'd be in my 50s now riding a single speed like a boss.😂
Im 60 and had my bike stolen last night in the Toronto Western Hospital racks…(Orange GT with my homemade flat steel bike rack). I gear up and down a lot when riding around Toronto there is no way I could use a single gear as I try to find a replacement bike.
I have an old 26'' mtb with v-brakes. Does it worh converting to a single speed due to the size of the wheels? Thx.
no way disc pads wear out quicker then rims pads surely
I got my road bike in 2013. In 2020 I got a single speed, and quickly fell in love with it. I ride my single speed more than my road bike. I ride my road bike to feel like I didn't waste my money. The simplicity of my single speed feels better (me and the machine), costs less to maintain, quicker to maintenance. My road bike has become my backup.
I started with a single speed 15 years ago and learned to do my maintenance with it. Gradually I started to build bikes and had gears etc. Single speeds are great and I still want one. I don't currently own a SS but my Moulton with two speed hub is quite close.
800$ "cheap"…
Thoughts on the $128 USD Walmart fixie/single? Concord envoy.
I have an '84 jugi sagres with butted valite tubing, i bought it for $35us. I put new tire, new chain and a single speed freewheel cog with a couple spacers, new bar tape and took the smaller of the two chain rings off and i have a single speed for around $70us. Theres no more economical way to ride. I have a fixed gear that is nicer in every way and i love to ride it, but i still ride my single speed more. People need to stop sleeping on single speeds outside of the bmx world.
I live in Florida and Florida is super flat, this will be the perfect bike for me
My single speed commute is fast, light and about to custom that you’d struggle to make an eBay listing I wouldnt find 😂
I just switched from my hybrid commuter to single speed that I built myself. Just a basic steel frame, rim brakes and bullhorn bars with some nice bar-end levers. It's just so cool and just as fast. Gonna change the freewheel from 18 to 16 now and get a stronger rear wheel since tarmac on my ride to work (13km) is in pretty bad shape and I'm 95kg so those wheels take a beating.