SimpleOne

[David Spranger]

After only a week of riding my SimpleOne, I find it is fast becoming my favorite bike. I cannot pin down what quality it has that gives me such a joy to ride. I own a Rambouillet and a Surly LHT and it would be easy to make the argument that either one of those is way more practical for my purposes than the SimpleOne. I do love both of those bikes and would not easily give them up, but the SimpleOne has become my new best friend. I am grateful that I bought one before they disappeared.

David Spranger

[Peter Pesce]

My new-to-me Quickbeam had a similar effect on me. My LHT is still the hauler/grocery bike, and my Sam is still the long-rides-with-hills bike, but I commute mostly on the QB now, and try to find more and more reasons to ride it other times too.

My QB is set up with alba bars, and there's just something about the relaxed feel of my riding position combined with the simplicity of the one gear that makes it the most enjoyable ride..

-Pete in CT

[iamkeith]

Yer killin' me. Your post is exactly what I didn't want to ever
read.

A single speed bike makes absolutely no sense for me, living in the
mountains and given the kind of on-road riding that I do. But as much
as I love my decked-out Rambouillet, I thought I might enjoy riding
something lighter and simpler just for the sake of it - extravagent or
not. So I thought about getting a Simple One both before and after
the close-out deal, but never quite jumped. (Having a kid in college
makes spontaneous, irrational purchases difficult, even when you know
it's the bargain of the century.) Sigh...

So I'm wondering: Why did they discontinue these in the first place?
Anybody know? Even though I wasn't in a position to get one quite
yet, it was the ONE current model that I actually covetted or "planned
to eventually buy." Everything else just seems to functionally
overlap too much with the Rambouillet that I alread have. I'm
curious...

[Minh]

Keith,

I think the reason the SO was retired is that it';s a hard bike to justify on paper. If you can only have 1 bike it doesn't feel versatile enough, if you already have a bike it's hard to see the need. But let me tell you, once you get it, it's a great bike. It's my favorite bike of the 4 i own, it just doesn't make sense on paper (a singlespeed steel bike, really?), but the combination of classic rivendell fit, lightness, speed, make this a great bike. i could be overstating it since its the only singlespeed i own, but i love mine. now that it's discont. wait a few years and snap one up second hand!

[ted]

At the risk of stating the obvious, they are probably discontinued
because they don't sell. Despite a substantial time lag between the
last of the Quickbeams and the introduction of the SimpleOne it seems
they just weren't selling. Why else would they have been cleared out
at a steep discount. However, their not selling seems inexplicable to
me. Despite the bazillion "fixies" on the market, I don't think
anybody else has offered a dedicated single speed / fixed gear bike
with a real fork crown, fender eyelets (with room for fenders), and
all those braze on rack mounts.

I remain very happy with mine, and very glad I put money down on it
just as soon as I could.
I feel for those who were thinking they would get one after a while
and missed their chance.
They may be slow making it to the used market. I know mine isn't going
anywhere anytime soon (probably not till I'm dead and gone).

[Matt]

>they are probably discontinued because they don't sell.

I remember reading on the Blug that he/Grant attributed the slump in SingleOne sales to the Sam Hilborne.  People who were interested in the SO were opting to buy the Hilborne instead.  

[RJM]

I would have bought a SO instead of my Sam, but the Sam actually came in my size (small).  The SO would make a great 2nd bike for someone who has an Atlantis or Hunqapillar I would think. 

[Peter Pesce]

I have a Sam and a Quickbeam and have them set up quite differently, so they don't really overlap at all. I suppose you could make a single speed, stripped-down Sam, and do a 3x5 hack on a QB or SO and load it with luggage, but you'd be fighting the inherent nature of each bike. Riv seems too successful, sometimes, at making its bikes super versatile, so there is a lot more range overlap and cross-shopping between them.

I think it's also hard to appreciate the joys of a simple single until you've tried it. I know I sure didn't.

Pete in CT

[charlie]

The SimpleOne is the only Rivendell bicycle I own.....I would like a
"Hunk" or maybe a "Sam" not sure yet. Haven't ridden the SO over the
winter much since my racked and lit ride is my Trucker. Sunshine is
coming and I plan on a gear modification/addition for the SO.

[Montclair BobbyB]

I sometimes find myself sitting there late at night with that SO frame
in my basket, and my finger on the mouse... sweating and fidgeting
nervously...
The ONLY thing that keeps me from pulling the trigger is my old
Japanese Nishiki Prestige, which I have set up as a SS... NOT having 2
kids in college, bills up the wazoo, or lack of space in the
garage...
No, it's having that old SS to simply jump on and pedal (with no
shifting) that saves me.

So advice to those who suffer like me... Get yourself an old Japanese
frame, convert is to a SS, and hope your willpower holds out...
Ultimately I may succumb to my urges, but for now (thank God) my
SShiki keeps these impulses at bay....

BB

[Matthew Hoult]

So advice to those who suffer like me... Get yourself an old Japanese
frame, convert is to a SS, and hope your willpower holds out...
Ultimately I may succumb to my urges, but for now (thank God) my
SShiki keeps these impulses at bay....

BB

That's good advice, BB.  SSki's are beautiful, wonderful, powerful things.  But a word of caution:  SShiki's can also be the gateway drug.

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

"Despite the bazillion "fixies" on the market, I don't think
anybody else has offered a dedicated single speed / fixed gear bike
with a real fork crown, fender eyelets (with room for fenders), and
all those braze on rack mounts. "

Well, except for the "dedicated single speed" part, the Surly Cross Check is an obvious SO/QB competitor. I run my CC as a fixed gear most of the year. It easily fits a 700x40 with fenders, and accommodates front and rear racks. I've occasionally lusted after the RBW single speeds, but my CC is a bike I can beat up, ride it in winter, throw it around when I portage it over rough terrain, and not feel remorseful if something bad happens to it. I have a compact double crank and geared rear wheel for it, and can convert it to a touring bike in under an hour.

[ted]

Sure, and its great that works so well for you. Probably does, or
would, for most other folks too even.
But as you start "except for the dedicated single speed part". I don't
think that should be overlooked so cavalierly. Things like the 120
rear dropout spacing matter to some of us.
Any touring frame can be built as a ss/fixed bike but I don't think
that really makes them direct SimpleOne/Quickbeam substitutes.
The SimpleOne may have been superfluous but I still think it was a
unique offering.
For me, it does what it does better than a converted touring bike.


On Apr 8, 7:58 am, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote:

[PATRICK MOORE]

Curious: apart from the rear spacing (and there are fixed/flip-flop
hubs available in 126, 130 and 135), why would the SO be better than a
converted road bike, touring or otherwise? I've converted many racing,
touring and mountain bikes to fixed/ss and found them wonderful.

Is it the handling? I know that my two Riv fixies are the darlings
just for that reason.

Note: you can always convert your Sam Hill, Ram, Rom, Legolas or what
have you to fixed/ss -- just take out your Dremel, hacksaw and Vise
Grips ...

Patrick "I've done it, too" Moore

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[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Obviously, not everybody will want a single-speed conversion on a non-dedicated SS bike. My point was more to explain, in part, why maybe the SO/QB wasn't a better seller because of frames like the CC that, in function, do the same thing, for less dough.

Another factor that I think relevant to lagging sales: my exhaustive demographic research suggests that RBW's target market is 58-year-old upper-middle income types who own multiple bikes (including, perhaps, a "vintage" frame that can be converted). Single-speed popularity tends to be driven, I dare say, by relative youngsters who have only one bike that they ride and lock up everywhere. It's not practical or fashionable in this crowd to have a nice/expensive/new bike. Far more street cred is attached to machines lovingly assembled from dumpster frames and parts.

[ted]

Patrick,
Perhaps "better" is to strong a claim.
Certainly any bike can be converted to SS/fixed. I have done it too
too.
Anything extra you want gone can be cut, ground, or filed off.
Anything missing you want, short of room or a higher bb, can be brazed
on (at least where I live such service is not hard to find).
With White eno hubs even vertical drop outs are no real problem.
All the track hubs in my garage are 120s, and I think that is much
more common and standard.
The SO/QB are/were perfectly suited as built. I think that makes them
a unique niche product.
That that niche is too small to be commercially viable seems to have
been proven by demonstration.

> > For more options, visit this group athttp://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.

[ted]

Jim,
Hmmm. Not quite 58 but yea guilty. It doesn't take me any time to
convert my fixed to a geared bike. I just grab a different bike.
The "vintage" frames in my garage date from when I bought smaller
bikes by a size or two. That and stuff like standard fixed gear rear
dropout spacing, lugs, quill stem, paint job, personal finances, etc.
all figured into my decision to buy an SO.
If I am the demographic then I say they "should" sell well.
I think all of riv's bikes are subject to comparison with "frames like

the CC that, in function, do the same thing, for less dough."

Doesn't the CC compare even more directly to a SH than to a SO? Why
would this be a particular problem for the SO more than riv's other
offerings?
I think the reason they didn't sell as well as some folks might have
hoped lies in the gap between ideas and reality. More people say they
would love a ss, are really tempted by a ss, think they might like a
ss, but when it comes right down to it wont buy one.
I got my first fixed gear ~30 years ago (built on a cheep used road
frame the shop threw into the deal cause the wheels and crank etc cost
so much). I know I want a fixed gear on hand. The SO built into a
nicer bike better suited to how I use it than the other fixed/ss
builds I had been using the last few years. I could pay for it. I
splurged and bought it. Now they are gone I am even happier that I
did.
I think the real problem with selling the SOs is how few folks
(excepting a certain demographic you alluded to) have an existing
affinity for riding fixed (or ss) that is grounded in experience.
Without the certainty that they want what it offers buyers find the $$
just "a bridge to far" as it were.




On Apr 8, 1:25 pm, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Peter Pesce]

The problem with a lot of conversions is tire clearance. I've been looking for an older road frame that would fit more than 28s and in my neck of the woods (NYC Area) there's not a lot out there, and when something shows up its rare that it sells for less than a new Surly or Soma.
The SO / QB also has that great dropout geometry that makes gear changes a breeze and for which I think Riv is justified in getting paid.
Sure, it's possible to make anything "work." After catching the SS bug I spent $100 on parts to convert my old GT mountain bike to a rigid single. Did it make any financial sense? No. Is it pretty? No. It's a total kludge. It's got a massive load of hub spacers and a not particularly pretty chain tensioner. But it's fun to ride!
There will always be a bike that does "pretty much" what a Riv does for less money. But thats not why we're here. We all feel a Riv is special in some way. And worth it.

Pete in CT

[EricP]

Well, in theory, one could have a Surly Cross Check set up for single speed, and still end up ordering a SimpleOne.  In part due to longer chainstays, slightly lower bottom bracket, kewl green color and being the last of the completely different Rivendell models.  But that of course would just be in theory.<g> 

 

As a bike, the Cross Check is an excellent bike with a 130mm wide single speed hub.  And I can convert mine to a 1x8or9 in about a half hour.

 

Eric Platt

St. Paul, MN

[newenglandbike]

I think one of the cool things about the QB and Simple One is the 120mm rear spacing combined with the relatively huge tire clearance, which AFAIK is pretty unique.   You can run a fairly narrow tread crank setup with a 107mm BB and have get a decent chainline, and yet are able to fit tires up to 45s on the QB, or even 50s(?) with the Simple One.     You also got the Rivendell geometry, lugs, rack and fenderability, build quality, etc.    All this is on top of those awesome 2 inch long angled dropouts.    I shift my QB now and then between roads and trails, and it comes in handy with for example 40/16, 40/19, 32/19 and 32/22 available.   It's a shame they were forced to discontinue them, I wish they had been more of a hit.

[PATRICK MOORE]

This explains my question to Ted earlier.

FWIW, in response to the poster who decried his mtb conversion
experience, I converted a nice old top-of-line Diamond Back Axis Team
into a ss all rounder with 60 mm Big Apples, fenders with air and a
~63" gear. Felt and handled wonderfully, but of course, in no way a
Rivendell. (160 mm Q btw with a custom Phil **145 mm** bb assembly! TA
Cyclotourist single.)

For me, the single most important qualities of the Rivs I've owned are
their impecable fit, feel and handling -- tho' I have reservations
about the Sam Hill. Everything else is relatively incidental.

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[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Some trivia about 120 mm spacing: many of the typical 120 mm SS hubs have a 130 mm version available that has the same hub body on a wider axle and the same 42 mm chainline. My White Industries eccentric flip-flop hub is 135 mm with a 42 mm chainline on the fixed side.

In other words, there is not necessarily a difference in chainline in the different width hubs UNLESS you're using one of the 135 mm SS MTB hubs on the market. If the chainline is 42 mm, regardless of overall hub spacing, you can use the same narrow BB and narrow-tread crank, provided the chainring and crankarms clear the chainstays.

120 mm is only an advantage if you already have a stash of hubs/wheels in that size and/or you believe that maintaining "traditional" dimensions is important and/or you want to run genuine track-bike parts (which Riv doesn't). 130 mm or 135 mm would give the added advantage of being capable of accepting a cassette hub with a spacer kit and 1, 2, or even 3 cogs. Not that 120 mm spacing detracts from the coolness or quality of Riv's SS attempts - just trying to point out that the argument for/against one hub width dimension and another is not one-sided.

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Also, in reference to Ted's comment about the Cross-check being more an analog to the Hillborne than to the SO:

That's definitely true if you're talking about the Cross-check as a geared bike. In that case, the two bikes have a lot of similarities, except one looks fancier and costs $600 more (for the frameset only). The price difference is more profound if you compare the CC stock complete bike to a similarly equipped Hillborne, which is not available as a mass-market complete bike. But lots of people, for various reasons, think the price difference on the Riv is plenty acceptable. Lots of people are willing to shell out for a special bike. Cool.

But single-speeds are different. People think "single-speed" and in the same thought they think "beater" or "winter bike" or "bar bike" or whatever other utilitarian, un-romantic category applies. In that case, you look at that $600 price difference and you think about rust and dents, and that Surly, what it lacks in panache, it makes up in ruggedness and, ultimately, in the worst case scenario, replaceability. In the case of single-speeds, the preciousness that many of us assign to Rivendell bicycles is a drawback. And that's why I say more mundane frames like the CC make it hard to sell the QB/SO.

[ted]

Jim,

Thanks for the info. I didn't know that flip flop hubs in the longer
spacings were so readily available.
They must have a fair bit of axle showing though. When I had a ss
freewheel mounted on an old campi hub recently all that axle sticking
out looked a bit odd to me. I suppose they (the longer axles that is)
might be more likely to bend too, though I don't think I would worry
about it much.

On Apr 9, 2:52 am, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote:

[PATRICK MOORE]

My ss/fixed hubs are all spaced 126, 130 or 135: never a problem even
with heavy rear loads. I weigh 175 and often carry 40 lb or so.

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But in you is the Presence that will be
When all the stars are dead.

Ranier Maria Rilke, Buddha in Glory

[ted]

Jim writes: "People think "single-speed" and in the same thought they

think "beater" or "winter bike" or "bar bike" or whatever other
utilitarian, un-romantic category applies."

I figure Jim's dealt with way more folks buying bikes than I have so I
wouldn't take issue with him about what "people" in the aggregate
think. But I sure don't think that way. When I got my first ss/fixed
bike (after grade school that is), I was concerned about winter in the
midwest. I didn't want rear derailers freezing up packed full of
slush. I wanted fenders so I wouldn't get covered with slush. I
thought the 1/8th inch chain would lower the loads and wear better.
But I wasn't particularly thinking cheep. I got campi track hubs,
moderate weight tubular rims, suntour superbe cranks, lyotard platform
pedals (ok they weren't expensive but they were nice), and chinelli
bar and stem. If I could have afforded a better frame I think I would
have.

I understand fear of theft driving a desire for cheep. But not fear of
the elements. I have never hesitated to take a nice bike out into the
rain or snow because I was afraid it would get wrecked. I also see no
conflict between utilitarian and aesthetics/elegance/beauty etc. Have
you ever used snap-on tools?

Clearly not enough people will pay 1k for a dedicated SS frame and
fork to support the SO/QB in the marketplace. I just find it odd if
thats not because almost nobody (outside of hipsterdom which, as noted
previously, has a different aesthetic) really knows they like riding
em. Of course I think lots of things are odd.

On Apr 9, 3:16 am, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote:

[EricP]

Yes, even though the axle is longer on my one single speed wheel, it's had no problem holding up my 230 pounds even with panniers and gear.

 

FWIW, a Phil freewheel hub has a long axle on the non-drive side to make a low dish wheel.  Have one on my Sam Hillborne and it has held up just fine under my weight in all kinds of riding.

 

Eric Platt

St. Paul, MN

[Peter Pesce]

"Clearly not enough people will pay 1k for a dedicated SS frame"

Maybe part of the problem was the fixation (no pun intended) on "single." Even though some have disparaged the thought that the SO/QB would be used with an IGH, I'm thinking why not? In fact, maybe it should have been market to work specifically with an IGH. Maybe the true ancestor of the SO/QB is really a classic Raleigh 3-speed? Maybe "Valvoline" green should have been "British Racing Green" instead?

Positioned this way, people who aren't one-speed fans would have thought differently about the bike. Wouldn't a re-born classic 3 (still maintaining the versatility to be all the other things the SO/QB can be) be just the ticket from a company that's all about nice, practical everyday bikes?

It's all academic now, of course...

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Grant has stated his reluctance in the past to get involved in bikes with IGHs. I don't blame him. It's a case of a lot of people having unrealistic expectations that don't match reality.

[RJM]

On Tuesday, April 10, 2012 10:54:10 AM UTC-5, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery wrote:

Grant has stated his reluctance in the past to get involved in bikes with IGHs. I don't blame him. It's a case of a lot of people having unrealistic expectations that don't match reality.

 

I kind of agree with Grant on this; plus, I can't find too much wrong with derailer systems.

[Peter Pesce]

Not sure how many people have unrealistic expectations of Raleigh 3 speeds, but OK. I can understand steering clear of IGHs if they're not your thing.

Seems like the only expectation that was "unrealistic" in this case was that the SO would sell. I'm just throwing out a hypothetical (and apparently heretical :-p) idea that might have made a difference. We'll never know.

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

The biggest issue with IGHs is that they appeal mostly to people who want to avoid doing bike maintenance. In SoCal, that's probably ok, but in places where people will ride them through sloppy conditions, water and grime and salts get in, but can't get out. The hub keeps working until it doesn't, and then it's too late to fix it because most of the time you can't get parts for the most popular models (namely, Shimano 8sp models). Rohloff is sealed and mostly immune to these flaws, but that's out of most cyclists' league. Old SA 3-speeds are another thing, too, because parts are available in surplus and cheap, and the hubs are sloppy enough to function (to some extent) even when internal parts are worn or gunked up or out of adjustment.

Then you have the issues with more difficult flat fixes, shifter/handlebar capability, weight (perhaps), many bike shops that don't know how to service them or carry parts, etc, etc. And, besides all that, modern derailleur systems, work REALLY well with a modicum of TLC. What problem are we solving? Don't get me wrong, I think IGHs have some neat advantages, but the people who want them are often the people who will have trouble with them and be disappointed.

[Imladris]

Whenever I get the urge to own a "fixie", I just start riding in one
gear and never stop pedaling. Then, when I hit a steep uphill or
downhill, the urge passes and I shift. ;-)

As a practical question, why couldn't a Rambouillet (or a Roadeo) be
set up as a single speed and converted back when you need gearing?
The SimpleOne seems to be outside of the Rivendell velosophy of
practical, but beautiful, bikes. Also, once you throw brakes on a
fixie, you alienate the one demographic (in NYC, anyway) that seems to
want to ride one.

[Way Rebb]

The last single speed I had was as a kid and his StingRay. Getting a
bike with gears was a revelation. I remember actually riding, not
pushing the bike, up 73rd in Oakland with a big smile on my face. I
doubt, in fact I know, I'd never get a single speed. I can get the
same effect by not changing gears for a while. Maybe if it had all
the braze ons for a Rohloff or something like that. Some people seem
to like them, just not for me.

[Seth Vidal]

On Tue, Apr 10, 2012 at 1:30 PM, Imladris <dgoldbe...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Whenever I get the urge to own a "fixie", I just start riding in one
> gear and never stop pedaling.  Then, when I hit a steep uphill or
> downhill, the urge passes and I shift.  ;-)
>
> As a practical question, why couldn't a Rambouillet (or a Roadeo) be
> set up as a single speed and converted back when you need gearing?
> The SimpleOne seems to be outside of the Rivendell velosophy of
> practical, but beautiful, bikes.  Also, once you throw brakes on a
> fixie, you alienate the one demographic (in NYC, anyway) that seems to
> want to ride one.

Ram or Roadeo have vertical dropouts (as do almost all rivs except for
the oldest ones and the qb/so.

You can single-speed a bike with vert dropouts but you need a chain
tensioner and then, well, that's just like having a derailler.

-sv

[Allingham II, Thomas J]

Or you can use one of the lovely White ENO hubs, which I've done on current Bleriot iteration

-sv

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[PATRICK MOORE]

For me, the most appealing thing about riding fixed -- and I am, for
once, completely serious -- is that it gives you no other options when
you reach that hill or turn into that wind except adapting your riding
style to the new conditions. I never understood what they mean by
"feeling more 'at one' with a fixed gear"; seems bogus to me but I am
not dogmatic on this point. Again, the principal and great appeal of
the fixed gear is precisely that it forces to to adapt, succumb,
surrender, change, accept the challenge.

[Serious mode off.] I further state, asseverate, insist, proclaim,
announce and assert that fixed gears can certainly be wonderfully
practical errand and commuter bikes!

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[Lyle Bogart]

" I further state, asseverate, insist, proclaim,
announce and assert that fixed gears can certainly be wonderfully
practical errand and commuter bikes!"

 

I agree, absolutely.

 

lyle

lyle f bogart dpt

156 bradford rd

wiscasset, me 04578

207.882.6494

206.794.6937

[dailyrandonneur]

I purchased the SimpleOne after hearing my wife rave for years about
the ride of her Quickbeam. She was right. The SimpleOne is
tremendously fun to ride and has that Riv feel that I like so much in
my Atlantis and Rambouillet.

It replaced a Kogswell singlespeed that was half the cost, and was
fine, but not the blast that I get from the SimpleOne.

I can see how it would be hard to sell to someone who is not an
enthusiast. We talk regularly to people who are looking to buy a new
bike and they are all fascinated with Surly right now, but even those
seem pricey to them. They have to get past the bargain basement stuff
on Craigslist, then move past Ebay, then Linus, etc. before they even
consider a Surly. You'd be amazed at how many Linus singlespeeds are
being pedaled around D.C. right now.

There seems to be the prevailing attitude that singlespeeds should be
cheap. Maybe it's the notion that the smart person buys a cheap beater
frame and converts it to single speed or fixed gear, and that you're
crazy to pay Rivendell prices for a new frameset. I don't even try to
convince anyone of the value of the SimpleOne anymore -- it is way,
way out of most peoples' price expectations. The tough economy is
another factor that I think has contributed to the popularity of Linus
and Surly, though they've raised prices as well.

All said, I have to hand it to Grant to even bring the QB and SO to
market. It's a brave act and one I'm grateful for.

Ed Felker
Washington, DC

[ted]

Ed wrote "... I have to hand it to Grant to even bring the QB and SO
to market".

Hear Hear, and put me down for grateful too.

[EricP]

Was that way myself until a about a year ago.  Over the past couple years have been on rides with folks riding single speed (or fixed gear) bikes and was jealous, for lack of a better term.  Especially on the SoCal Riv Ride back in 2009.  Was really yearning for a Quickbeam by the end of the ride.  Decided after getting a Cross Check last year to give it a try. Had Jim Thill build a wheel and put it on the bike.  And took it for a ride.  Then another.  Then another.  I liked it.  A lot. 

There are some limitations with my single speed riding - climbing is slower and will often look for alternate route rather than heading for steep hills.  Then again can probably get around 90 percent of the Twin Cities metro area without having to do an ugly (to me) climb.  And climbing even out of my side street in winter with studded tires was more chore than I'd like.  But overall, it's a fun alternative to shifting.

 

Plus, a single speed is a great excuse why I can't keep up with faster riders.  Which is just about every body else out there.

 

Eric Platt

(Counting down the days until next Monday)

[PATRICK MOORE]

Amen to that one! I use it whenever I am passed by a younger man or
woman on a racing bike.

[ted]

I have even had them (the faster faster folks I mean) volunteer it for
me.
They have said you ran out of gear or some such with out any prodding.
Sadly I know I'd of been dropped no matter how big a gear I had.

[newenglandbike]

Now and then on hills I'll just get off and walk, which I like doing actually, it is relaxing.    Not that the ride isn't-   it is relaxing too.   

[clyde canter]

OR....you can saw off the axle flush with the locknuts and use a good old-fashioned all steel quick release.  I found this on Sheldon's site somewhere. It actually works quite well on V-dropouts.  If it didn't,  horizontal dropouts wouldn't work because the pull is much greater on the pedal stroke than are required to hold the rider's weight...ie evertime you sheared down on the pedals the wheel would be pulled out of the dropout.

Doesn't allow quite as much tensioning room as dropouts or track ends but most ring/ cog combinations should work. A much prettier and cheaper "fix" than a tensioner or eccentric hub or BB.

[clyde canter]

. The article is for  fixed conversion, but I did this on an old beater using a BMX cog and spacers on a 7 speed wheel. Couldn't make it slip no matter how hard I pedalled.  Looked nice too.

 

Quote as follows:

"I used a more drastic solution: on my Bianchi Osprey. I cut the rear axle short so that it didn't protrude past the surfaces of the locknuts. Thus, only the quick-release skewer went through the dropouts. Since the skewer is quite a bit thinner than the actual axle, this gives me considerably more adjustment room.

If the skewer is properly tightened, the axle is held in place by the friction of the locknuts being pressed against the inside of the dropouts. If this were not the case, horizontal dropouts would not be usable, since the forward pull on the chain creates a larger force against the axle than supporting the rider's weight does. Just to be on the safe side, I carried a spare skewer along with my spare tube.

I rode that setup for a couple of years with no problems, but later got a deal on a Bianchi B.a.S.S. purpose-built singlespeed frame that fits me better, is notably lighter and has horizontal track-type fork ends, so I'm no longer using that setup"

From this page:

http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html#vertical

 

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Ha! I have an eccentric ENO hub on my Cross-Check with long horizontal dropouts. Now I can adjust through a more or leas continuous spectrum of chain tension, wheelbase, BB height, and trail. I should send it to Jan for scientific analysis!

(PS: I had the wheel in a v-dropout fixie before I got the CC frame, and it made sense to just keep using it even with h-dropouts. People who notice this always suspect that I have a wacky technical agenda with this system, but I don't. Honest!)

[David Spranger]

This thread has taken a lot of directions, all very interesting. Three weeks in now, I still LOVE my SimpleOne! Still very happy I bought it before they disappeared. It has been my only ride during this time, though this morning, on the way to work, I regretted not using one of my geared bikes as I was heading into a strong head wind along with the usual hills.

[clyde canter]

Dang!  That's neat you brought that up.  White should use the wheelbase aspect as a selling point.  I found "that" the coolest thing about the ENO hub....the fact you get a centemeter of play for tire clearance.  If you get the ring/ cog combo to work  by having the wheel down and rearward you can gain a bit more tire room on frames with tight clearances.  In your C-C's case you can offset the center of gravity change at the BB.  Expensive solutions to minor problems true, but I like it!

 

 

On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 11:06 AM, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thil...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ha! I have an eccentric ENO hub on my Cross-Check with long horizontal dropouts. Now I can adjust through a more or leas continuous spectrum of chain tension, wheelbase, BB height, and trail. I should send it to Jan for scientific analysis!

(PS: I had the wheel in a v-dropout fixie before I got the CC frame, and it made sense to just keep using it even with h-dropouts. People who notice this always suspect that I have a wacky technical agenda with this system, but I don't. Honest!)

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[clyde canter]

I own a Quickbeam and LOVE it.  I should have stated so in my post. It is by far my favorite and most intelligently designed SS bike I own (one of two dedicated SS's and 3 geared conversions.)  Of my V-dropout conversions I like Sheldon's short axle solution best.  Apologies for contributing to the deviation to your original post (scrolling up to see what it was).

 

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[PATRICK MOORE]

The downsides are (1) it can interfere with rear brake pad positioning
if you switch between cogs of different sizes; and (2) it can make the
tire crowd the brake bridge. This happened to me on the ** cut down,
dremeled, hacksawed, mutilated Rivendell ** fixed gear conversion (my
'94/5 Waterford 26" Road): snow would pack up under the fender at the
bridge. Of course, I fixed that by rotating the ENO the other way.

I also took a big rattail file to the vertical dropouts of that
DiamondBack mtb to allow the ENO to accomodate a 3 t difference. But
you have to be careful that you file evenly -- a tiny error in
symmetry will make the wheel cockeyed. (There is a metaphysical idea
skulking in there somewhere, something about a tiny error in the
beginning leading to a major awkwardness in remote effects blah blah
blah blah...).

--

[clyde canter]

 For gear changes like you mentioned you just cant beat that longish slot on the QB/ SO.  There's really nothing better available...IMO.  You really have to have a LOT of brake slot available to have many gear options with the ENO (IMO anyway).  I suppose one could have more than one chain for different applications, getting it to work with a rear brake and all, or just eliminate the rear brake outright if you are riding fixed and need the gear inch difference with the same chain length I suppose if you DO need all that many options and you DO have vertical dropouts and DO want to be able to coast, maybe its best to just  keep the durn thing set up with all them geary bits it came with <wink>.

But where's the fun in that right?

[PATRICK MOORE]

I agree: the long axle slot, preferably sloped to match the angle of
the rim, to ensure continuing brake pad alignment, is the darling.

For my part, on this DB off road fixie, I removed the rear brake.
(Hacksawed off the seatstay canti posts too, dammit! -- for that clean
and uncluttered look.Turned out nice and minimalist with all braze ons
removed.) I wanted a mid 60s gear for pavement and a mid 50s gear for
dirt; thus 18 and 21 t cogs, 46 t ring, for 66 and 56. OTOH, I found
that trying to spin downhill on steep, dirt roads in a sub-60" gear
was so annoying that I later switched to a single 19 t cog for just a
63" gear (still no rear brake; didn't need one). I'd rather walkup
hills than flail impotently and despairingly on fast flats and down
hills.

[Tom M]

They both sound like great bikes, but I think Rivendell was late to the single-speed party. The Quickbeam copy says something about single-speed riders getting tired of their bikes and the QB being a better alternative to single-speeds. Then, a few years later, comes the Simple One. I think the slanted rear dropout is pretty brilliant, but there are lots more single-sppeds out there now than when the QB came out. So the Simple One has lots of competition, and not just on price — the aesthetics of some of them are nice as well.

--Tom

 

 

On Tuesday, April 10, 2012 8:21:11 PM UTC-4, ted wrote:

[clyde canter]

I have came to  accept that occasionally  walking up (and sometimes down)  hills is part of the ss/ fixed gear experience.

I think that adds to the beautiful simplicity of such a bike. Just my two cents.

 

[clyde canter]

I've often wanted to try pegs on a fixed gear for coasting, like on this old beauty:

http://events.mnhs.org/Timepieces/SourceDetail.cfm?SourceID=694

But how?