I picked up an old (70s) steel ten speed a while back. The derailleurs are kind of junk but the frame is solid. I’m thinking of converting it into a single speed or fixie for tooling around - no commuting. For those that ride single speed in the Burgh any advice? I’m thinking of using 42 crank : 16 cog ratio. Is that decent for riding the east end and taking on an occasional hill?
smitfrompitt
2018-09-13 22:46:12
42x16 is probably a great starting point. I think that's the ratio that came on my all-city nature boy when I got it, just about 70 gear inches if you've got 25mm tires. I'm running 40x15 on it now, which is just a little steeper of a gear ratio than yours.
benzo
2018-09-14 09:47:00
I tried out a fixie for a winter bike a couple years ago. Thought it would give me better control and feel on slippery roads. I'm not the strongest or most fit rider, but I ride a lot. It was a fun experiment, but my daily commute goes up over Mt. Washington and I didn't love it. I don't remember what exact ring/sprocket combo I used, but it was right around 70 gi close to your 42/16. I didn't have too much trouble standing and grinding up the hills I needed to traverse, but going down was miserable.
Then I got a sturmey-archer S3X hub. It's a fixed gear 3-speed IGH. That was a little better, but still not great.
For a fixed gear, I would say it depends on 1) What hills you're riding, 2) How strong you are, and 3) How much you like spinning.
I've heard of people around here who ride fixed and just unclip and put their feet up on the downtube to get down hills fast. That's certainly not a trick I'd like to try.
If I was building another easy-to-maintain winter bike, I'd probably go with a single speed or 3 speed coaster brake rear with fairly low gearing, somewhere in the 60-70 gi range.
clengman
2018-09-14 09:51:10
I ride a SS for commute and for fun. My ratio is 44X17 which is close. I make it up Greenfield daily and, while you will spin out on steep hills, you can still get good speed on the long gradual ones. If you are solely in the east end then the biggest issue would be going from Shadyside or East Liberty to Squirrel Hill or up the hills in Garfield or LVille. You should be able to handle them just fine.
deezus57
2018-09-14 10:51:08
I have a 38 X 11-34. No, that's not an SS. But bear with me.
I find myself mostly on the 11 or 13 cogs. But ranging more widely I end up using the full 11-34. If I had to do SS I would probably set up a 38/15. But, you know, cycling is more fun if you can match your gears to the terrain (of which Pgh had plenty).
Consider an MTB rigging: with a long cage, you can get a wide range with just a single ring and go pretty much anywhere. Even if you can get yourself up (say) Sycamore in one shot. Your knees will appreciate it.
My commuting is mostly on the plateau (though I start/end in SqHill).
ahlir
2018-09-14 21:52:54
