Also tried it as a dinglespeed with chain tensioner 32x18 and 28X20 - nearly enough in any conditions. Talking about mud, soft snow, peatbog, etc Moe - is that some kind of eccentric rear axle? Singular's new Puffin should be SS compatible, as Aiden Harding just rode a preproduction model in the Iditarod Trail Invitational 1000, coming in 2nd overall.
Where would I start? I just enjoy the ride more.
- What tensioner are you using?
I mostly ride SingleSpeed 29er these days and love it. The more I think about it the more a single speed fatbike would make sense. Where would I start? I would want to build up lightish. What frames have SS dropouts? Have any of you built up some SS fat rigs? Any help appreciated as I have no idea where to start and fatbike SSing isn't exactly mainstream google material. The purpose of the build would be to rail trails, not to go touring. Good old fashioned fun railing single track. Looking forward to hearing from SS fatbikers or people with similar ideas feeling like sharing. Thanks in advance, Fatback offers rocker dropout frames for SS conversion. Surly has always been ss compatible. Singular's new Puffin should be SS compatible, as Aiden Harding just rode a preproduction model in the Iditarod Trail Invitational 1000, coming in 2nd overall. Pretty sure every brand has been used as a SS at some point. People have been riding and racing SS fatbikes since fatbikes have been around. A little searching will turn up lots of info here. I've been running a regular dropout Fatback ss with a DMR tensioner since '09. My bikes are usually singlespeed. One problem with doing this with fatbikes is that you can ride in deeper snow or softer surfaces than an ordinary bike, but you need much lower gearing for this. The lower gearing is usually much too low for other surfaces, ie if you gear for the trail, you'll be pushing the bike in the snow, or if you gear for the snow, you be spinning like a blender on the trail. I have solved this by setting the bike up as a dingle speed. Singlespeed compatible bikes: Any of the Surly variants, Salsa Mukluk with alternator dropouts, Singular Puffin, some 907s, and a host of others. Have you actually got your Puffin Velobike? I haven't seen any builds yet. You were just listing it as an option. I decided not to order one, because on any future fatbike I want the option of fitting a hubgear. That limits me to bikes with a 135mm offset rear although I am working on a solution for that. My bikes are usually singlespeed. One problem with doing this with fatbikes is that you can ride in deeper snow or softer surfaces than an ordinary bike, but you need much lower gearing for this. The lower gearing is usually much too low for other surfaces, ie if you gear for the trail, you'll be pushing the bike in the snow, or if you gear for the snow, you be spinning like a blender on the trail. I have solved this by setting the bike up as a dingle speed... I usually run singlespeed also, until the snow comes around. That's when I throw the gears 9 of 'em on so I can crawl along in the white stuff. When you're figuring out gearing, start with your preferred 29er gearing, add 1 tooth to the rear cog to compensate for diameter difference and then another tooth or minus one of the chainring for pulling the weight. I went from a Custom SS 29er last year to a 2013 Mukluk SS build. I love it, not a single regret. I figured I would end up needing to go 1x9 or 1x10 on my Muk, however I'm very happy with it in the SS mode and have no plans to go geared in the foreseeable future. SS and snow doesn't mix, I went fine as long as I could stay seated and spin. Once I stood it was goodbye rear traction!! It was a relief to remove the derailers from my Mukluk this year using the alternator dropouts. My previous winter bikes were normally fixed-gear 29ers. So just running the 170 rear hub with a single cog and spacer kit. Ridden a mix of snow and dirt since January. SS on snow is like SS on anything else, you live with the gear you bring. Most snow you can't really climb anything too steep anyway, and I can't recall my rear nate spinning out being a big problem. Front end washout is more likely. I did put on a 70mm stem and wide riser bars. Probably will put a Bud up front next winter. Shifty bits in a box in case I ever think I need them. Darn 3 boxes of shifty bits in my basement now. Here is my 2012 Necromancer I made into a SS. All steel and keeping it real. She weighs in at 28. Went from a sub 20lb 29er SS to this and haven't ridden any other bike in the last 18 months. All of my bikes are SS and this is the only one I ride 12 months out of the year. Normal gear is 34x16 for trails and back roads. Went to a 34x19 for 1 winter race where I placed 1st. I was the only SS on the course. Here is my 2012 Necromancer I made into a SS. All steel and keeping it real. She weighs in at 28. Went from a sub 20lb 29er SS to this and haven't ridden any other bike in the last 18 months. All of my bikes are SS and this is the only one I ride 12 months out of the year. Normal gear is 34x16 for trails and back roads. Went to a 34x19 for 1 winter race where I placed 1st. I was the only SS on the course. Nice clean looking rig!! My bikes are usually singlespeed. One problem with doing this with fatbikes is that you can ride in deeper snow or softer surfaces than an ordinary bike, but you need much lower gearing for this. The lower gearing is usually much too low for other surfaces, ie if you gear for the trail, you'll be pushing the bike in the snow, or if you gear for the snow, you be spinning like a blender on the trail. I have solved this by setting the bike up as a dingle speed. I totally agree with this theory, which is part of which drew me to the Blackborow DS. Just got it Tuesday and have only rode dirt. Tomorrow I go up to the high country to ride some snow. Virtually any singlespeed bike can be made a dinglespeed. Purists will complain, but I think DS is as much a singlespeed as a track bike with a flip flop hub. I rode a rigid SS all summer and really fell in love with it. Now that I have a few rides on my Boris Im really blown away by the grip from the big tires. I could very easily see a light weight SS fatty summer bike build in my future. As far as a frame I havent really gotten that far but pretty much any frame can be a SS with a chain tensioner, so... There was a guy racing PMBAR 60-70 miles of grueling terrain in a day this year on a single speed fat bike. He claimed the weight was down to about 21 pounds. Not sure how accurate was but the bike was light so I am guessing he was about right. It's not anymore difficult than any other SS to be honest. And I too live in the mountains, so I do my fair share of climbing. I've simply come to love single speeding, so I bought one of the BD SS fat bikes about a month ago, did a few upgrades and I love this thing. Headed out for a ride here in a bit actually. As someone above mentioned, it's a great way to try a SS fat bike and see if it's for you, on the cheap. I ride in mountain areas mostly, and this doesnt make sense to me. Unless riding with gears is too easy, then why make it purposely more difficult? If you ride flat, or use it on packed trails, then I understand less maintenance.... Yes, you work harder on the climbs but you get to the top 3 times faster, so you spend less time climbing. I like SS because its so simple. There a very few parts that can break. You stop thinking about timing your shifts, how many to shift, letting off the gas briefly, all those little things that take a little additional focus. I find I look for smoother lines with more flow to keep momentum. There are sections I just can't clean in SS, but there are sections I've cleaned with an SS that I have not with any geared bike as well. All that said I am having good luck with my new geared setup, xt 1x10. Saul, I'm not much of a purest about SS. I just enjoy the ride more. I might consider doing a DS setup on my regular bike too. Does the DS change effect the dishing of the rear wheel? Still Jonesing on the fat bike. My spouse isn't as multiple bike friendly as I am. Hard to hide a fatty from her in the herd! Lighter, stronger, funner, cheaper, less maintenance. Not a bad way to go. Sit and spin can also be nice. I appreciate them all. Will be getting a geared Instigator for sit and spin climbing and fast descending. I will say that the most fun are the track bike on the street, and the SS Pugs on the trail. Pick a line, pedal your ass off, repeat. Salsa Mukluk with 29x3 front and 26x4 rear tires on 47mm rims. Singlespeed 28X16 in summer, 1x9 in winter pretty snowy where I live. Being SS just excelent for summer trails! Love it less in geared mode but don't want to limit myself in speed on fast snowy trails by chosing very low gear for deep snow. Also tried it as a dinglespeed with chain tensioner 32x18 and 28X20 - nearly enough in any conditions. Maybe I'll change 1x9 for dingle soon. Maybe it's because I'm a terrible rider or just because I haven't really tried it yet but, SS on snowy singletrack sounds like it might result in a lot of pushing, I find that charging a snow covered hill will result in a weight shift that will make my clydesdale ass break thru the crust and spin out I guess we'll find out tonight, finally got some snow here, the blackborow DS and I will be out for a night ride Salsa Mukluk with 29x3 front and 26x4 rear tires on 47mm rims. Singlespeed 28X16 in summer, 1x9 in winter pretty snowy where I live. Being SS just excelent for summer trails! Love it less in geared mode but don't want to limit myself in speed on fast snowy trails by chosing very low gear for deep snow. Also tried it as a dinglespeed with chain tensioner 32x18 and 28X20 - nearly enough in any conditions. Maybe I'll change 1x9 for dingle soon. What tensioner are you using? Do you have any problems with it? I'm getting ready to go with a DS setup on the Muk I just got. We'll see if I can really commit to this setup. I'm really looking forward to the simplicity of the setup, but I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not at least a little concerned that I'll feel really limited by it. You will love it. I think you will be surprised with how quickly you adapt to it. And if you don't, that's ok. Just give it a fair shot for a few weeks and you will feel faster. Or you will hate it. I am already planning a DS conversion for my upcoming Alaskan frame. I have had great luck with the Surly singleator in the past and plan on using it for this build, too. What tensioner are you using? Do you have any problems with it? I just got a Surly Wednesday and I'm already hating the gears after riding my SS KM almost exclusively for 5 years. Trying to figure out what gearing I want is tricky though. I live in the Los Angeles area so we have A LOT of climbing. Been trying to stay in one gear to see what feels the best and then figure out the ratio on Sheldon Browns gear inches calculator, but I can't figure out if it takes into account the derailleur or not as well. My monkey is currently at 32x21. If anyone has suggestions love to hear it. I saw the one post in hear about adding 1 tooth in rear for bigger tire and 1 tooth for extra weight but after doing some pretty decent climbing on this thing 32x23 still seems like it would be pretty freaking rough. I just got a Surly Wednesday and I'm already hating the gears after riding my SS KM almost exclusively for 5 years. Trying to figure out what gearing I want is tricky though. I live in the Los Angeles area so we have A LOT of climbing. Been trying to stay in one gear to see what feels the best and then figure out the ratio on Sheldon Browns gear inches calculator, but I can't figure out if it takes into account the derailleur or not as well. My monkey is currently at 32x21. If anyone has suggestions love to hear it. I saw the one post in hear about adding 1 tooth in rear for bigger tire and 1 tooth for extra weight but after doing some pretty decent climbing on this thing 32x23 still seems like it would be pretty freaking rough. No the derailleur doesn't come into play. I sure like having the dinglespeed set up on my fatbike. The lower gear comes in handy. I like the idea of a dingle speed but hate the idea of having to stop and swap. What kind of terrain were you riding that in?
I know that this has been discussed off and on for ages but I'm a little confused. I'm still a man today. Trying to figure out what gearing I want is tricky though. I just enjoy the ride more. What tensioner are you using. I live in the Los Angeles area so we have A LOT of climbing. I really want a fb but am not a fan of gears so I'm not sure a fahrradlicht singlespeed is doable on these bikes. There was a guy sincere PMBAR 60-70 miles of grueling terrain in a day this year on a single speed fat bike.