Single speeds aren’t magical…
Let me say right up front that I have nothing against single speeds (although single speed guy who’s whole existence is tied to his bike is a bit annoying). What I am talking about here is the reputation that they have developed for “training”. Riders who have experienced it will tell you how single speeding made them stronger and ride smoother on their regular bike. As a result of this anecdotal evidence a lot of riders are advised to get a single speed when they think about doing some training.
Here is the problem with this, though. There is nothing magical about single speeding, it simply taps into some training principles and methods most riders don’t take advantage of enough. By understanding what these are you can actually design a much more effective plan at improving your trail skills and endurance.
First, single speeding forces riders to stand up and attack climbs. Since you can’t downshift you have to sprint into climbs and carry your momentum as far as you can. When that runs out you have to stand up and start grinding. Since most riders are adept at using their gears keep a constant, steady pace while staying seated as much as possible, single speeding forces them to take an opposite approach.
What this does is build anaerobic endurance, leg strength and core strength. Great things to have but none of these things are revolutionary, unless you happen to participate in a sport that traditionally does little to no strength and anaerobic endurance training…oh wait, we do. Single speeding does nothing for you that you couldn’t get from a good strength training routine and by forcing yourself to stand up and attack the trail instead of always using your gears to make things as easy as possible. Like I told my buddy, I don’t need a single speed to make me stand up and be a man.
The second thing that single speeding does is force riders to stand up and flow the trail when they tap out their gearing. Again, since most riders sit and keep pedaling this forces them to work on trail skills in a way that they never have before. They start to appreciate the fine art of pumping terrain and cornering cleaner since these things add up to less momentum lost. Since you can’t just pedal and get up to speed again, keeping your momentum and “flow” suddenly becomes more important.
Again, you can improve your trail skills through attending a skills camp, reading a book (like Mastering Mountain Bike Skills) or even just looking online for advice on basic stuff like body position. You can apply it on the trial by forcing yourself to stand up and flow the trail instead of just sitting down and pedaling. You don’t need a single speed to enjoy this benefit, just a conscious understanding of what single speeds force you to do that you can on any bike.
One last thing in closing – I admit that single speeding will make you a bad ass. If you’re a boxer so will chasing a chicken, eating raw eggs and pounding on a side of beef (which worked well for Rocky and the boxers of the era he was portraying). Today, though, no one would argue that chasing a chicken is the best way to become a bad ass at boxing. All I’m saying is that while single speeding may be fun and have its place, as far as real training goes there are better, more efficient ways to become a bad ass on the trail than simply logging miles on a single speed.
-James Wilson-
First, I am a self identified singlespeeder. I love to stand to climb, I love to coast and pump terrain once spun out, and my performance is good enough for me and my riding group on a singlespeed as compared to riding a geared bike.
That out of the way, people ride singlespeed for three reasons in my experience. Neither of them has anything to do with training. There are the extroverts who love the attention, they will almost always find a way to work their singlespeed awesomeness and how much better it is to ride with only one ration into conversation. Then there are rustics, although it may not be the best term, who claim they don’t like the extra maintenance, weight, complexity and cost associated with standard bikes. The third group is the mystics, it’s just fun for this group and they don’t sweat the of what gear, how many climbs they clean, etc.
I don’t know a single rider using a singlespeed bike who does so for training purposes so I find it difficult to identify with James on this post.
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i love my single speed, its a challenge..been riding it 2 years
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Don’t understand the SS mystique as well, I find it a bit annoying\poserish; but I ride SS most of the time, I don’t live in the mountains, I can pack more exercise in the little free time I have, there is less wrenching required, flowing comes easier.
Could I get the same results with a regular bike? Yes, but it would take me more time.
SS is no magic for me, just a more convenient way to ride and get results.
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Here`s a funny SS example that shouldn`t hold water, but does;
I`ve got a friend who is VERY fast. I`ve got to be 100% on my game, giving everything I have to keep up with him on his geared bike. When he get on his (rigid. Yes, rigid) SS bike, I can`t stay on his wheel to save my life. He`s so much faster on that rigid SS it`s almost comical. And yeah, we`re talking some rough, technical terrain.
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Well….yes and no.
I started doing my reasonably hilly 15k commute to work on a single speed and it sure as hell helped my riding on the dirt. Then I started doing the DBcombo workouts and that helped even more. Then I started commuting on a geared bike and kept doing the DB combo workouts and my trail fitness and strength went down.
So I say single speed commuter = good, strength training also = good. Both together = excellent!
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bikejames Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 8:25 am
@ Paul – kind of what I’m talking about here. You could have simply not shifted gears on your geared bike and accomplished the same thing. What happened was you started to use the gears to make life easier which will result in a fitness decline. If you used the gears to make life harder (like shifting up to pedal up a hill in a harder gear or to remain standing and cranking on a flat or downhill) you would have actually seen an increase in your fitness levels.
Geared bikes can be used to make life easier to to attack harder – understanding and taking advantage of that can actually make a geared bike a better training tool.
Thanks for the feedback, though, and I’m glad the DB Combos program has helped you out as well…
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I ride muddy UK trails all winter on my SS. I see it as a good way of getting the most out of every ride, when the weather really want me to stay at home, and a way to keep riding in conditions that wreck drivetrains in a matter of hours. I never used to use the SS on group rides because I was worried about keeping up, but now I can keep up with everyone else (on rides less then 3hrs) and I’m never last up a hill even if I get off and push.
I am a great believer in James’ programs and strength training as a whole but if you can work on it while riding as well as in the gym surely that has to be a good thing.
This winter I’m looking forward to having more off the bike time for my strength training but I will still be ragging the SS around the woods at least once a week.
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In honor of a singlespeeder who was visiting from California, I spent a week in my middle ring and middle cog. It was:
1) Faster on the climbs, because I had to keep the gear moving.
2) The same on the descents, because I sprint at a high cadence then pump anyway.
3) A good way to find strength I didn’t know I had. Now I’m pulling taller gears with more confidence.
I suppose any gear is a good gear, when used in moderation …
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