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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #20 on: November 04, 2012, 10:04:00 AM
Foster


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« Reply #20 on: November 04, 2012, 10:04:00 AM »

I'm not a singlespeeder so I'm not sure if this is an appropriate spot for my comments, but I can speak to the durability of a 10 speed setup.  I ran a shimano xt 3x10.  Before the race I put on all new rings, cassette, and chain.  I ran full cable housing and my shifting was absolutely flawless for the entire race. 

When I got to steamboat the shop told me my drivetrain was "shot" and should be replaced.  Why replace something that works perfectly?

To this day I am still running the exact same drivetrain that took me through the TD and I've put a ton more miles on it...just added 100 more miles yesterday!  Come to think of it I just switched out the front tire before my ride yesterday.  That Geax Saguarro had way over 4000 miles on it!

Maybe I've just been lucky but personally I'm seeing no durability issues with my 10 speed setup.  Yes, when it finally fails I'll have to replace everything, but I think even folks switching chains mid race still end up with an entire drivetrain that needs replacement. 

I have over 4000 miles on my saguaro as well and it is still going good.  Best tire I have ever owned.  Will be going with those for the TDR this year again.
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #21 on: November 04, 2012, 05:15:19 PM
sthig


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« Reply #21 on: November 04, 2012, 05:15:19 PM »

I am considering ss. But worry about my knees
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #22 on: November 05, 2012, 03:15:38 AM
sthig


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« Reply #22 on: November 05, 2012, 03:15:38 AM »

On the TNGA this year, my cable housing snapped with the last day left (or so) to ride.  So I went from "never riding on a singlespeed" to "forced to ride on a singlespeed."  I fell instantly in love even with 10-15k climbing left.  When I got back home, I had my bike converted to a SS and I've enjoyed it ever since.  I don't have to worry about "what's that sound and how much is it going to cost to fix it" or "why am I ghost shifting...again!"

A few months on the SS and I had decided to do the TD13 on a SS (geared correctly) but this thread has given me some pause.  I really enjoy it, I don't mind the suffering...I'm just not sure I want to suffer 2700+ miles.  So a few questions to the vets who've ridden it on a ss and other people's thoughts as this is an interest to me too:

1. what about the basin?  is it totally awful on a ss?
2. there was some mention being hard on the knees and not spinning - is there a solution, technique? (I mean I have some, just wondering)
3. Tips for endurance riding on a SS (I'm pulling 60-70 mile weeks on hard terrain on mine right now for training and will be all the way up to the TD)
4. maintenance? I've read a fair amount about it here, I just seem to have VERY BAD LUCK with gears and always have.  With ss, I've had minimal trouble
5. what are the steepest grades on the divide and for how long do they span? (just for practice on a ss here in my region...I have the Appalachian mountains to practice on)

And thanks for starting this thread, I apprecaite it!
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #23 on: November 05, 2012, 04:06:16 PM
OllieW


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« Reply #23 on: November 05, 2012, 04:06:16 PM »

I’d give the Rohloff a chance, especially if you can find a pre-loved one. I picked up the one I used in the TD this year second hand, number 3800 of about 150,000 or so made so a bit of a veteran! Cost me about $550 and is still going strong. There are some guys (mostly German’s called Hans) who have clocked up 150,000km tours on their hubs so I’m not really worried about breaking it, especially not with my Divide emaciated legs. Stappy showed that there is bugger all difference compared with a traditional drivetrain, but I like the ability it gives you to just forget about looking after your drivetrain and ride. You get all the advantages of a singlespeed with durability but also a full range of gears. It kicked ass in the snow and mud and happily purred all the way to Mexico.
Alfine 11 is another option and much cheaper new, but the range is less and I’ve heard mixed reviews about their off road durability.
I reckon I’d have to be certified crazy before I did it on a single speed through. Mad respect to those dudes!
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #24 on: November 05, 2012, 06:20:04 PM
stappy


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« Reply #24 on: November 05, 2012, 06:20:04 PM »

Awesome! I was hoping you'd chime in Ollie, being a super star single speeder in real life. I think I was a little one sided in my original response. I stated that a ss would be slower, slower for me is more accurate. TD is so long, there's more than one way to skin the cat. You can definitely make the same distance with a different strategy. All the times where you are spun out, you are also being forced to rest to a degree. The matches you save on the flats you probably have to use on the climbs. Most climbs aren't overly steep and I could see them being quite good on a ss. Then I'd guess you might be forced to ride longer hours, ala Jefe, to cover the same distance. I know Ollie and I preferred faster/ shorter hours over slower/ longer. You need to know the type of rider you are.
I would add that I was envious of Ollie's setup when we were hiking our bikes over snowy passes in Canada. Following him as we post-holed through the snow, numerous poky branches and small tree tops rubbing my derailleur. I couldn't help but notice how nice and clean and impervious to obstruction, the derailleur-less dropouts of his bike looked.
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #25 on: November 06, 2012, 07:13:07 AM
DaveC


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« Reply #25 on: November 06, 2012, 07:13:07 AM »

I have no opinions regrading the TD.


I do think the "singlespeed is harder on your knees" things is complete armchair QB crap.  SS can be harder on your muscles, if you're not fit.  If you are in good shape and the gearing is not ridiculously far off for the conditions (and you're trained on the SS!), it is no harder on the connective tissue than spinning gears.  It may be differently hard on the muscles, but not categorically more.

Whether it is more efficient is a different question.
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #26 on: November 06, 2012, 09:11:17 AM
bmike-vt


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« Reply #26 on: November 06, 2012, 09:11:17 AM »

I have no opinions regrading the TD.


I do think the "singlespeed is harder on your knees" things is complete armchair QB crap. 
Whether it is more efficient is a different question.

agreed on the hard on your knees bit. gear down, train up. (but i'm no pro, not even close to an amateur)

i would rather choose for effective over efficient any day.
and that is a whole question that can only be answered by the guy or gal turning the pedals.
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #27 on: November 07, 2012, 04:43:41 PM
wookieone


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« Reply #27 on: November 07, 2012, 04:43:41 PM »

Single has advantages as mentioned, simple, no shifter thumb, less cost, less manitainence, etc

But the flats suck, the last bit out of the Divide Basin, I wanted to cry, out of food, running out of water, those damn seams in the pavement every ten feet, stuck going 17mph spinning like mad.
Same thing for the last 120 miles, especially the last 65, slight downhill pavement, feet too sore to spin fast, ass to sore to sit, stuck going 15mph, the end so close, falling asleep on the aero bars.

I have come to like gears, if I do it again I will most likely have gears, Jefe
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #28 on: November 08, 2012, 05:19:30 AM
Mauro_N


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« Reply #28 on: November 08, 2012, 05:19:30 AM »

Quote
Single has advantages as mentioned, simple, no shifter thumb, less cost, less manitainence, etc

But the flats suck, the last bit out of the Divide Basin, I wanted to cry, out of food, running out of water, those damn seams in the pavement every ten feet, stuck going 17mph spinning like mad.
Same thing for the last 120 miles, especially the last 65, slight downhill pavement, feet too sore to spin fast, ass to sore to sit, stuck going 15mph, the end so close, falling asleep on the aero bars.

I have come to like gears, if I do it again I will most likely have gears, Jefe

Hi jeff, I'm going to ride SS next year and was going to go with a 34,18 setup. I'm wondering how steep and long some of the passes are? Also what tooth setup did you use?

Any tips on riding the TD SS would be awesome.

Thanks
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #29 on: November 08, 2012, 05:38:12 AM
ONEPLUSONEEQUALSONE


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« Reply #29 on: November 08, 2012, 05:38:12 AM »

i tried a ss in 09 running 32x18 which i used riding and racing 6,12,24 hour stuff for years before tdr with some sucess. turns out the mountains where too tough for me and i ended up walking alot. i went to a 20t in butte but it was too late. i couldn't regain any momentum at all. then wet conditions and a slogfest from banack road to lima, where i quit, did me in. walked pretty much all of it and knee issues, cankle's the size of my thighs and the news of a soaked unpassable road after lima where my downfall. when another try was approved in 11 i decided to go with a geared bike (first one since about 2000) and it worked well. unless you are a tough guy which btw i thought i was in 09, ss tdr eats you up and spits you out. tdr takes everything you have with training for it, paying for it, and spending close to a month on it (for most of us) for me to try a ss again. too much invested and i hate to dnf at anything. my 2c.
later..
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #30 on: November 08, 2012, 06:56:38 AM
bmike-vt


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« Reply #30 on: November 08, 2012, 06:56:38 AM »

Hi jeff, I'm going to ride SS next year and was going to go with a 34,18 setup. I'm wondering how steep and long some of the passes are? Also what tooth setup did you use?

Any tips on riding the TD SS would be awesome.

Thanks



you can play with this:

http://eatsleepridegreatdivide.com/#/

and slide the points around to see various grades / sections / elevation gains
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #31 on: November 09, 2012, 01:08:02 PM
Mauro_N


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« Reply #31 on: November 09, 2012, 01:08:02 PM »

Thats great bmike-vt, thank you for the link.
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #32 on: November 14, 2012, 05:36:00 PM
wookieone


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« Reply #32 on: November 14, 2012, 05:36:00 PM »

Hard to say Mauro, I didn't do the Whole course, we had lots of snow reroutes. I live in the mountains and I usually run a 33x21 or 22, I rode 33x19 in the TD and it was fine for most, I walked seldomly. But everyone is their own beast. I would stick to the same gear, maybe go 33x18? But not sure I'd go SS again, due to the flats, it wasn't the steeps/climbs that got me, if you ride a SS alot you know you can walk pretty fast and it is a bit of a break for your legs. But the flats are tedious, esp. when your body, ass, knees and achillies start to ache. Can't think of any other SS advice, other than practice with your full kit, get it nailed, spin a lot, ride lots of road rides. Feel free with more questions if I can help I will!  Jefe
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the impossible just hurts more...
pedaling is my prozac...

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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #33 on: November 14, 2012, 06:26:23 PM
Pizzaz


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« Reply #33 on: November 14, 2012, 06:26:23 PM »

Planning to go SS next year (2013) as well - haven't decided on ratio as yet... probably 32:18 on the 29er.  Like most its not so much the climbing that I'm worried about but the flatter bits (well... more or less the combination I suppose).  Although once you accept that in a SS you are mostly going to be in the 'wrong' gear then somehow it seems less of a chore Smiley
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #34 on: November 14, 2012, 07:27:25 PM
THE LONG RANGER

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« Reply #34 on: November 14, 2012, 07:27:25 PM »

Flatter bits? More like the "bitter flats" Smiley
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #35 on: November 14, 2012, 07:30:47 PM
Foster


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« Reply #35 on: November 14, 2012, 07:30:47 PM »

Flatter bits? More like the "bitter flats" Smiley

Nice Pun
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #36 on: November 15, 2012, 06:18:40 AM
sthig


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« Reply #36 on: November 15, 2012, 06:18:40 AM »

well this thread has certainly given me pause to if I want to do it on a SS or not.  I'm still considering it.  I am so destructive on a bike and my track record for keeping a derailluer system together is bad.
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #37 on: November 15, 2012, 02:18:04 PM
Mauro_N


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« Reply #37 on: November 15, 2012, 02:18:04 PM »

Thanks guys, I have not considered the flats and spinning out, was just thinking of getting over the passes. Over here in sunny England I run a 44,15 fixed on the road and 34,18 on the MTB. Were I ride there is not much flat at all so i think i will have to gear down on the road and try to spin out a bit more. Jefe did you consider gearing slightly heavier say 34,17-15 and walk a bit more of the hills instead of spinning out on the flats?
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #38 on: November 18, 2012, 06:53:37 PM
Slowerthensnot

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« Reply #38 on: November 18, 2012, 06:53:37 PM »

I walked alot on some of the steeper climbs, but being on the flats was nice having 38x18, and being fixied spinning downhill is hard in a lower gear for long periods and the headwinds i faced in the basin were hell in that ratio.... but overall pretty happy with that setup and only replaced my chain in Salida and i did have to retire a tomi cog post divide
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  Topic Name: Single Speed for TD Reply #39 on: November 25, 2012, 06:52:27 PM
cackalak


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« Reply #39 on: November 25, 2012, 06:52:27 PM »

I'm an avid singlespeeder, and if I were to do something like the TDR, I would think I'd pick a taller gear and just plan on walking as much of the hills as possible. I usually run 32x20 free and 33x18 fixed, so I'd probably go down a couple of teeth in the back. I've done some longer flat rides and it absolutely sucked with 32x20 gearing.

I'm also running 170mm cranks, which helps with spin. I may actually go 165 next season. Minimum leverage loss and max spin gain.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2012, 06:56:31 PM by cackalak » Logged
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