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DBMX119

DBMX119

Member
I've been thinking about setting up a single speed bike for a while but have never been able to decide on a setup, what frame, eccentric BB?, etc. Up until recently, its just been in my mind as a "someday" project.

Then Giant released the new XtC Advanced with horizontal drop outs, that makes setting up an SS super easy. They offer an OE SS model, but I'm not pumped on the 27.5+ set up and a few of the components. The last few months I've been talking with Fullerton Mike and Andre at FB about getting a frame and building one up from scratch.

Well apparently "someday" was Friday when I casually Andre asked "Whats the deal with that frame?" He did a quick check, saw one in inventory at the DC and asked if I was serious. I had a bit of a laugh, gave him the number for my credit card and told him to order it.

Then it showed up and I was REALLY happy to see it was not the gray and yellow color on the website.
I can't that Mike and the rest of the crew at Fullerton Bikes enough for all of their help and support. They treat you like family, love bikes, and love getting people on bikes.

So now the fun begins on the build and figuring components, wheels, etc. I'm sure the questions for J and the rest of the single speeders will start as well. ha ha.

First question: What should I think about for gearing on a 29er?

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Very nice! I think most people start out with 32x20. Judging by your avatar though, you look experienced and race? Probably start with 32x18. Andre raced with 33x14 at OTH a while back and did real well, but that's Andre. I got 34x17 on my 26" SS but use it mostly for the Floop and an occasional B*. I like to go faster on the flats and I'll just walk if something's too steep.
 
And I don't know why the pic is showing up twice. I've tried deleting it for some reason its not working. ha ha
 
Grego said:
Very nice! I think most people start out with 32x20. Judging by your avatar though, you look experienced and race? Probably start with 32x18. Andre raced with 33x14 at OTH a while back and did real well, but that's Andre. I got 34x17 on my 26" SS but use it mostly for the Floop and an occasional B*. I like to go faster on the flats and I'll just walk if something's too steep.
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Yeah, I race XC. Not super serious, but race super sport at OTH and do some Kenda Cups. Right now I'm running 32 with 11/42 and am not in the 42 too often. Well, except for the Main Divide. I seem to live in it on that. ha ha. I ride my CX bike everywhere (B*, Bommer, El Moro, etc) and I run a 44 with /a 1140.

I was thinking about starting with a 32x19. Andre laughs and says that's his gearing for "climbing days".
 
Nice... If that had been on the market when I needed a frame, it would have been a strong contender. :thumbsup:

As far as gearing... I've only been at the single speed thing for a little over a year now. I started with 32x20 on the el Mariachi, and had some good rides. When it came time for longer days, however, it was too much. I managed a couple 4,000 foot rides, but couldn't push it past that... I dropped down to 32x22, and that is presently the sweet spot for long climbing days. I may spin out on the flats, but it's been the magic number for the few 10,000+ foot days I've had this past year.

Your mileage will most definitely vary... But, I will say that a good cog is worth its weight in gold. I had a Wolftooth ring on the front, so I went with Wolftooth for the rear cog. It was smooth as silk... while it lasted. I bought two of them in 22 tooth, and neither lasted more than 1000 miles. @mtnbikej got 6,000 out of his steel Surly cog, so I picked up one of those in 22, and a spare in 21. I expect it to last quite a bit longer than the aluminum cogs...
 
Gearing is all going to decide on where you ride and how long you ride. I can climb blackstar with 32:19 no worries but add 20 more miles to blackstar and I want a bigger cog. I have been at 32:21 for 4 years and for me the perfect long day gearing. I would rather spin on the flats and pedal the climbs, others want the opposite.

I think starting with 32:20 is a good starting point. Give it a month and a few good rides and go from there. To easy drop down or to hard add a tooth or two.
 
DBMX119 said:
I've been thinking about setting up a single speed bike for a while but have never been able to decide on a setup, what frame, eccentric BB?, etc. Up until recently, its just been in my mind as a "someday" project.

Then Giant released the new XtC Advanced with horizontal drop outs, that makes setting up an SS super easy. They offer an OE SS model, but I'm not pumped on the 27.5+ set up and a few of the components. The last few months I've been talking with Fullerton Mike and Andre at FB about getting a frame and building one up from scratch.

Well apparently "someday" was Friday when I casually Andre asked on Friday "Whats the deal with that frame?" He did a quick check, saw one in inventory at the DC and asked if I was serious. I had a bit of a laugh, gave him the number for my credit card and told him to order it.

Then it showed up and I was REALLY happy to see it was not the gray and yellow color on the website.
I can't that Mike and the rest of the crew at Fullerton Bikes enough for all of their help and support. They treat you like family, love bikes, and love getting people on bikes.

So now the fun begins on the build and figuring components, wheels, etc. I'm sure the questions for J and the rest of the single speeders will start as well. ha ha.

First question: What should I think about for gearing on a 29er?

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Happy New Bike Day!
 
SS's are fun.

Listen you your knees....not your ego.

Like @singlespeedrider and @Faust29 have said....it really depends on what you want out of your SS ride.

I started with 32x22....ran it for a few years. Got stronger, but didn't think I could push a bigger gear. Actually, I think it was more fear of destroying my knees. Eventually I decided to just go for it. Moved up to a 32x21. Really didn't feel that different from the 33x22. Was still able to do the long/big elevation days. I wanna be able ride the climbs at mile 60-80/8000+'...so I run a little lighter gear than many.

My warranty Highball didn't like the 32x21 gear combo....so I bumped up to 33x22. While it was easier than the 32x21.....it was more spinny than the 32x21. I tired of it, so I tried 33x21...my knees right away said "hell no". Spent the next week recovering from that. Did the math and found that 34x22 was actually closest to 32x21, and went with it. First ride felt a little tougher, but my knees were ok with it. It has now been about 6 months on that gear with no problems.

For short rides(10-20 miles/2-3000') I could probably run a 32x19/32x20.....but for the long days I prefer to pedal rather than walk.

@DBMX119 you are a strong rider....so you should be able to handle which ever gear you choose. You just gotta decide what your ride priorities are. If you want a short ride rocket then 32x20/32x19 are the way to go. If you want a long ride(VQ type day) then go easier with a 32x21 or 32x22.

You will find that you can pedal up climbs in a much harder gear than you think you can on your geared bike. When you don't have a choice, you find out you are much stronger than you think.

It is better to start light and work your way up....than it is to start to heavy and destroy your knees.

A lot of guys see SS as a macho thing...so they think you gotta run these crazy gearing.

Most of all....have fun with it....and be prepared to hang your other bikes up.
 
Ran 34:17 on 26" (about 32:18 on 29") SS and it was perfect for B*, Luge, etc. Didn't mind the occasional HAB and was OK for flats. Start at 32:20, then decide. On the other hand, if I had it to do all over again, I might not have pushed so hard; not sure that it wasn't more deleterious than helpful. Unfortunately, the sample size is one.
 
DBMX119 said:
I've been thinking about setting up a single speed bike for a while but have never been able to decide on a setup, what frame, eccentric BB?, etc. Up until recently, its just been in my mind as a "someday" project.

Then Giant released the new XtC Advanced with horizontal drop outs, that makes setting up an SS super easy. They offer an OE SS model, but I'm not pumped on the 27.5+ set up and a few of the components. The last few months I've been talking with Fullerton Mike and Andre at FB about getting a frame and building one up from scratch.

Well apparently "someday" was Friday when I casually Andre asked on Friday "Whats the deal with that frame?" He did a quick check, saw one in inventory at the DC and asked if I was serious. I had a bit of a laugh, gave him the number for my credit card and told him to order it.

Then it showed up and I was REALLY happy to see it was not the gray and yellow color on the website.
I can't that Mike and the rest of the crew at Fullerton Bikes enough for all of their help and support. They treat you like family, love bikes, and love getting people on bikes.

So now the fun begins on the build and figuring components, wheels, etc. I'm sure the questions for J and the rest of the single speeders will start as well. ha ha.

First question: What should I think about for gearing on a 29er?

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Mike @ Fullerton Bikes Is a Freeking AWESOME guy!
 
Thanks!!!

After reading everything I will probably start with a 32,21 and see how that goes. I like the long days and long climbs so it's probably a good start.

And @mtnbikej - I get it for sure. I was shocked the stuff I was able to climb on my cross bike when I ran out of gearing. I had to convert my Niner RKT9 to SS this summer when I broke my derailleur on SART. It was at 32,19 and I ended up doing the big fire road out without any issues. I know I wouldn't have been anywhere near that gear if I had the choice at the bottom, but it wasn't bad!
 
Congrats on the new bike! I love building up new frames. Kind of like being a kid with an erector set. I run 32-22 on my SS, but I'm old and slow. That's my gearing for long 10 mile rides with 1.5k of elevation. lol
 
I haven't been on my SS in a long time, but I think it is set up with 34x21.
When I did ride it, most of my rides where under 2 hrs long.

A formula that was passed on to me is: chainring divided by cog times wheel size= (or grater then) 44.

current set up 34/21x29=46.95
When I get back on it (Probebly in January) I'm planning to switch to 32/21x29=44.2
32:22 (42.2) it's just too painfuly slow on the flats IMO.
 
I'm flat landing a 37x18 on my ROS9 at the moment and feel like I can gear it up some more, since I've been able to hit 14 mph average and max out at around 23 mph (spinning in saddle). I manage to force it on sustained climbs, but need to do it at my own pace... I'm no good at trying to stay behind others, since they force me to crank very inefficient low RPM, when my efficient zone is spinning 60-90 RPM. On steeper climbs, I find that I spend more effort pushing my bike up the hill than I do riding it on a geared bike.

When I was in NY, I did a 32x18 on a 29er, and was able to climb actual mountains with it. If I were to go back, I'd try to match that ratio, but use larger rings, such as a 37x21, to further reduce drivetrain losses and wear.

I hit higher average speeds on my SS for some reason. I only do about 12.5 mph average on the same course on my trail/AM FS bikes (note: this is mostly flat land riding, such as riding around the base of hills/mtns).
 
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So I originally planned on taking my time building up the bike and doing updates on here along the way, but then life and work got in the way and I never seemed to find time to post. Then I received notification of a larger than expected end of year bonus and I kicked the build into high gear.

The original idea was to do an economical build to see what I thought and could always upgrade along the way. But then I struggled to find wheels with boost spacing (everyone was back ordered) and that kind of went out the window too......

The final build is as follows:
Giant stem.
Giant carbon seat post.
Evne bars
Wolftooth 32 chain ring and 20 cog
Shimano XT brakes

Then this is where things got a bit out of hand compared to when I started:
Raceface NextSL cranks
Fox Factory Series 32 SC FLOAT29 forks
and Enve wheels, which I transferred to my Niner RKT, and put the Stans Arch's on the Giant SS bike (It couldn't get all the goodies).

Anyway, I got out on a ride on it Sunday evening and I really enjoyed it. There was a lot to get used to since I also haven't ridden hard tails in a few years, so I went out to El Moro (familiar place) , rode around and did a few climbs to see what I thought. I took it up I think I can and Moro Ridge and was surprised how easy it climbed. I feel like it was a completely new experience on the same old trails and its got me motivated to get out and ride trails I've ben burnt out on for a while now. I'm looking forward to getting out on more rides on it soon.... As soon as the rain stops long enough for things to dry out.

IMG_7315-50.jpg
 
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DBMX119 said:
So I originally planned on taking my time building up the bike and doing updates on here along the way, but then life and work got in the way and I never seemed to find time to post. Then I received notification of a larger than expected end of year bonus and I kicked the build into high gear.

The original idea was to do an economical build to see what I thought and could always upgrade along the way. But then I struggled to find wheels with boost spacing (everyone was back ordered) and that kind of went out the window too......

The final build is as follows:
Giant stem.
Giant carbon seat post.
Evne bars
Wolftooth 32 chain ring and 20 cog
Shimano XT brakes

Then this is where things got a bit out of hand compared to when I started:
Raceface NextSL cranks
Fox Factory Series 32 SC FLOAT29 forks
and Enve wheels, which I transferred to my Niner RKT, and put the Stans Arch's on the Giant SS bike (It couldn't get all the goodies).

Anyway, I got out on a ride on it Sunda evening and I really enjoyed it. There was a lot to get used to since I also haven't ridden hard tails in a few years, so I went out to El Moro (familiar place) , rode around and did a few climbs to see what I thought. I took it up I think I can and Moro Ridge and was surprised how easy it climbed. I feel like it was a completely new experience on the same old trails and its got me motivated to get out and ride trails I've ben burnt out on for a while now. I'm looking forward to getting out on more rides on it soon.... As soon as the rain stops long enough for things to dry out.

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Very cool.

SS'ing has a way of changing your view on trails you have ridden 100's of times. Trails that you are burnt out on, all of a sudden have a new freshness to them. The unclimbable, become climbable.

Plus, they are great on days like today, if you really wanna go out in the rain(on sustainable trails of course).
 
I just went and checked out this bike at the path. I really liked it as a whole but was heavier than I was expecting. What did you end up for the final build weight? I'm not a total weight weenie but it is a single speed so don't want a tank.
 
singlespeedrider said:
I just went and checked out this bike at the path. I really liked it as a whole but was heavier than I was expecting. What did you end up for the final build weight? I'm not a total weight weenie but it is a single speed so don't want a tank.
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I actually don't remember. I know we weighed it at the shop and I was shocked by how light it was, even with the stans wheels. I'm not a weight weenie either, but I did get the Next Sl cranks, which are light. ha ha

Did you check out the OE SS model, or one that was built up? The one Giant released with the 650+ wheels was pretty heavy.
 
DBMX119 said:
I actually don't remember. I know we weighed it at the shop and I was shocked by how light it was, even with the stans wheels. I'm not a weight weenie either, but I did get the Next Sl cranks, which are light. ha ha

Did you check out the OE SS model, or one that was built up? The one Giant released with the 650+ wheels was pretty heavy.
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I looked at the 650+ spec frame that was all stock. I know that I can loose quit a bit of weight just going to my stans crest 29er wheels along with my carbon bars and xt m8000 brakes. Really just leaves me with the cranks to swap something lighter.
 
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