One and Done

Been putting in lots of miles on mountain bike lately and really enjoying it. Rode Island Lakes blue trail on Saturday morning - great ride! Then covered local Olson Park on Sunday morning.

Have had several friends look at single-speed and ask, "why?". My Dad calls it a "no-speed". Which got me to thinking - why did I do that? Why does that bike give me such a stupid grin?

Simple.

No derailleurs to fall out of adjustment. No frantic scramble before a hill to get off the big cog. One less thing to think about. And fewer moving parts in any mechanical system are ALWAYS better.

Unique.

Serious mountain bikers see it in the parking lot at trailheads and you get lots of positive looks and comments. Novices are surprised. I like the shock factor somehow.

Connecting.

Without all that extra hardware, I just feel more connected to the trail. You pay more attention to hills and momentum to ensure no walk-ups. One less system to think about means that much more enjoyment, somehow.

Hearkens to a simpler time.

As I kid, I rode trails all the time on bmx bikes - it was one of my favorite things to do. My single-speed is a bit of an overgrown bmx bike. Plus, it's easy (and fun) to wrench on during downtime. And bmx bikes offered almost unlimited opportunities to upgrade and tweak components - a fun side benefit of any interest.

With an apparent Indian Summer upon us, looks like I'll get lots of opportunities to ride this Fall!

-Sean-