With many of the more common mountain bikes coming with a wide range of speeds, perhaps you are wondering why anyone would want a mountain bike that only has a single speed. Or, maybe you are looking for a mountain bike that is simple and without all the fuss of gears that you know you will then have to care for.
As a general rule, if you are a new biker or even if you are an experienced mountain biker who is just looking for a simple bike that is lightweight and yet still has all of the basics that you will need, then a single speed bike is probably just the kind of bike that you are looking for.
However, there is a lot more to single speed mountain bikes than meets the eye. In order to really decide if this is the right kind of mountain bike for you, you should first take a closer look at what some of the main pros and cons are behind this kind of bike.
The Reasons Why You Should Get A Single Speed Mountain Bike
Firstly of all, as mentioned, a single speed mountain bike is a great option for beginners. The reason for this is quite simple: when you are first working at learning how to handle a bike on the trail, having only one speed means that you have one less thing that you have to think about.
Learning how to shift gears, when to shift gears, and what gear you should shift into is something that requires a bit of a learning curve and often months of fine tuning in order to learn what works best for you. Now, imagine trying to work on all that while you are also trying to learn how to handle your bike, turn on different terrains, and while you are likely also still figuring out where to set your handlebars and seat to.
That brings me to my next reason why you should go with a single speed mountain bike. This is that it is much simpler. This simplicity can really help you focus on the technical features and, not only that, but it also cuts down on the weight of the bike itself which is something that most mountain bikers would definitely consider to be a plus.
Most of the time you can feel very little difference between 30 gears and 10 gears, and if you are really a beginner you may have a hard time feeling any difference at all. So why have it there if you can feel no benefit from it and may not even know how to use it correctly?
These gears constantly moving around does make a small amount of noise as you ride through the cross country trails. If you are the sort of person who tends to find this type of small noise to be annoying, then you should definitely stick to a single speed bike, or even if you simply prefer the sounds of a quieter ride.
The next reason why you should get a single speed mountain bike is that it is cheaper. This is not only cheaper when it comes to expense, but it is “cheaper” when it comes to time too. Single speed bikes not only tend to have a lower up-front cost, they also have less parts that will eventually where out and need to be replaced, thereby saving you money there as well.
Generally speaking, the more small parts that there are to almost anything, the more possibilities there are that something will go wrong with it somehow. This principle can really be applied to having extra gears which can be broken, jammed, bent out of shape, and all sorts of things, none of which can happen if you don’t happen to have them in the first place!
The fewer parts also has another advantage. If you have any sort of an accident where you crash into anything – or simply crash into nothing – then there are far less chances that you messed up anything important on your single speed bike. And if you did do some damage to your bike, these would cost less to repair than they would on a bike with gears. This can let you breath more easily and worry more about yourself if you got hurt in the crash.
If you ride through mud or anything, then any gears that you have will also need to be thoroughly cleaned and quite possibly oiled again as well. Doing this will take more time than it would to clean the chain of a single speed bike. This will also take more of the oil that is used to lubricate the gearing and chain setup.
Finally, riding on a single speed mountain bike will simply make you an overall better biker than you would otherwise be. There is more than one reason why this is so. Firstly of all is the fact that you are not relying on different gears to help you push up a hill or anything else, you will have to do it all solely out of your own effort.
The other reason is that once again it gives you less to think about, allowing you to focus on what is around you and allowing you to think more on finding the best line down a hill than having to wonder what speed you should be in. This will help you to perfect your technique sooner than you would otherwise get to.
It will also make you a better rider in that it will build your muscles up more, even if you thought you were already used to mountain biking. This, in turn, will also help you burn more calories and get the most amount of exercise into even a shorter ride.
And, before I end with talking about the advantages of single speed mountain bikes, there is one last tongue in cheek benefit to having them: any time you are struggling with something or are lagging behind, you can always blame it on your bike – never the possibility that you might be a tiny bit out of shape! However, when you do reach the point where you are able to keep up with your fellow mountain bikers, then is the good time to consider upgrading to a geared bike so that you can leave them in the dust.
The Reasons Why You Should Not Get A Single Speed Mountain Bike
If you are one to succumb to peer pressure, then maybe you should consider getting a mountain bike with just a few speeds on it. The reason for this is that riding a single speed mountain bike can get you some pretty skeptical looks, depending on the people you are biking with, because most mountain bikers are very fond of their different gears.
Despite all of the advantages of riding on a single speed mountain bike, there is no doubt that some things are harder to do on it. One of these is that it is harder to go uphill on a single speed than it is if you are on a geared bike –assuming, of course, that you know how to use the gears and are in the right one.
While this will build up your muscles eventually, you have to actually keep at it to get there first. In the meantime it can make the mere sight of a steep hill seem discouraging and, especially if the area you live in is really hilly, can make you have to work harder at being motivated enough to even get on your mountain bike to go on a ride. However, even should you feel this way you should never switch back and forth between a single speed and a geared mountain bike.
Finally, if your goal is to be able to keep up with your riding buddies, then you should know that you will likely not be able to do this at first until you get more practice with this kind of mountain bike. Getting this practice in will result in more sore muscles that will hurt for longer at first which is something that no one will enjoy.