geared vs single speed which do you prefer

[heartlandcruisers]

ok I am not sure if a post like this already exists or not,but I figured I would bring up the topic.
As i was out cruising my road bike I realized just how much I hate geared bikes.
I rode my single speed cruiser and I loved it.
So, I ask this question to my fellow rrbers which do you prefer cruising with?
I know geared comes in handy on hills but I live in a relatively flat area.
any input is welcomed.
When i say geared vs single speed i also consider fixies single speed so captain obvious here had to say that lol.
Sean

 

[Araya51]

I like the single speeds.. I'm building a lugged frame SS with full Camy equiped parts rider.. pretty much 99% of my bike are SS and one of them is a geared cruiser.. It's on my to do list when I finish the rest of my other projects..

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Totally depends on what you want to use it for, if you are just cruising and it is fairly flat then you have no need for a multi speed set up, and would probably do better without one...

Got hills? = Need gears...

Depends on the bike too...

Luke.

 

[Wildcat]

I like having no cables, shifters, or gears to adjust. That usually means a one speed, but there's the 2 speed hubs. Simple like a one speed but an extra gear, higher or lower, as you wish. I used to call a yellow band kickback my favorite hub until the new 2 speed automatic came out.

 

[B607]

I used to call a yellow band kickback my favorite hub until the new 2 speed automatic came out.

I'll have to try one of those. In the mean time, my 2 speed kickbacks are about my favorite hub. We have flat ground here, mounted on a heavy cruiser bike, it's about all you need for the occasional hill. Gary

 

[heartlandcruisers]

I'll have to try one of those. In the mean time, my 2 speed kickbacks are about my favorite hub. We have flat ground here, mounted on a heavy cruiser bike, it's about all you need for the occasional hill. Gary

yeah i kinda like that automatic hub i didn't know those existed.
the only reason i dislike geared bikes is the shifting so an auto hub would be perfect
another reason i love this site im always learning new things i didn't know
Sean

 

[Wildcat]

They came out in 2011. They shift centrifugally at a certain rpm, so on my 20" wheel, it hits second gear at about 8mph. On a 26" wheel, that would be about 12mph. Many people want a higher speed to shift at, but for my folder in traffic, it's just right, and for a heavy cruiser, would be just about right. You can also change the cog or chainwheel to make pedaling easier or harder. But the other 2 speeds that kick back to shift lets you choose. I am used to the SRAM automatix now and like it better. Sturmey Archer makes a kickback hub and I think there's another brand too.

 

[whitefiretiger]

Unless I'm going to work I tend to run single speed coaster brake.
Going to work I ride my 21speed but to be honest I'm thinking about just going to a 7 speed because that's all you need 90% of the time.
Has a 2 speed kick back but it broke and have yet to get another.

 

[mikeeebikey]

I run gears, not many.
Wind, is the fight here, not many hills!
But as I age, I find recovery time catching up to me. If I exert 90% it takes me 10 minutes to get some leg back! So I use a 3 speed and don't stand so much.
Prefer Internal gears, as deraliers, chain and cogs get expensive!

 

[Bicycle808]

They came out in 2011. They shift centrifugally at a certain rpm, so on my 20" wheel, it hits second gear at about 8mph. On a 26" wheel, that would be about 12mph. Many people want a higher speed to shift at, but for my folder in traffic, it's just right, and for a heavy cruiser, would be just about right. You can also change the cog or chainwheel to make pedaling easier or harder. But the other 2 speeds that kick back to shift lets you choose. I am used to the SRAM automatix now and like it better. Sturmey Archer makes a kickback hub and I think there's another brand too.

SRAM reintroduced the old Fichtel and Sachs Automatic design, first released in 1966. SRAM bought Sachs in the 90s. Really cool design, but it's been around for close to 50 years! http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/fs-torpedo-automatic/

 

[DJ Bill]

You young whippersnappers might be OK with single speeds but us old geezers need gears to get up the hills.. Especially us out of shape geezers. However I don't see the need for more than 5 speeds and the added complexity of a 21 speed setup for me is only more stuff to get out of whack. I rode some 3 speeds in my youth, preferred my 5 speed to the old Sturmey archer equipped bikes. (The typical English 3 speed was heavier too...)

If I am riding only flat terrain...yup, a single speed works and is nice and simple. They look cleaner and less cluttered too.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

If I am riding a multi speed dérailleur equipped bike, I usually ditch the front dérailleur and multiple cogs and just run the rear 5/7/8/10/whatever speed cluster, usually that is plenty of gears for anything around here and saves a huge amount of adjusting headaches as the chain is always central at the front. Saves on drive-train noises too!

Luke.

 

[tonygameboy]

When I built my mountain bike last year I realized why I hated geared bikes! I just couldn't adjust the shifter and gave it up to the LBS for $20.


I LIKE BIKES

 

[A.S.BOLTNUT]

Don't like Cables ....
Keep it Simple....


~RafaeL~

 

[Bicycle808]

Horses for courses. Generally speaking, I like singlespeeds. But, I have derailer-equipped bikes and I like those too, depending on the kind of riding I'm doing. If I'm riding with ppl on derailer-equipped bikes that I know will outpace most of my SS bikes, I tend to take my road bike, with 2x9 (I'm running a 9outta10on7 cassette). If I'm riding unfamiliar trails with friends, and there's a chance that it's gonna be too hilly for SS, I take the 3x9 full-rigid Kona. (BITD, I feel like I was faster on all but the hilliest trails with my SS. I gotta get back into that kinda shape again....)

Like many of you, i like the low-maintenenace and clean looks of a bike with no cables. And, I do have a few bikes that are SS/coaster-only equipped, but I generally like to run a front brake as well. As I see it, if I ever get smacked up on the street in a collision of any sort, and my brakes were inadequate, that's at least partly on me. I still ride coaster-only bikes on the street, but I'm really careful about my speed and my proximity to other road users. Beyond what would happen if my hub quit or my chain broke, I've also seen plenty of panic stops where the c/b locks up and the rider skids for a longer time/distance than is ideal. Tossing a drum up front goes a long way towards maintaining my peace of mind, and I personally feel like it's a more responsible option for actual riding on public roads. (But yeah, I do "cheat" from time to time...)

 

[Raoul Dude]

I envy people who are young enough and/or live where it's flat enough that single speeds are a viable option!

Ohio is pretty flat, but there are enough hills that I greatly appreciated going from my Huffy Cheater Slik to a 10-speed Schwinn Varsity, then a LeTour IV. My dad convinced me that I needed an old 26" balloon tire cruiser for delivering the newspaper, and I came to (temporarily) hate that thing every single day when I had to ride it up a particularly steep hill, still loaded with about 50 big-city evening newspapers.

After that I stayed with multi-speed sport/touring bikes and mountain bikes for many years, and now I have two 7-speed cruisers as well. I keep seeing some single speed cruisers on craigslist and at garage sales but can't bring myself to buy them. Maybe if I eventually move to somewhere flat (like the beach!) they'll be an option again.

 

[whitefiretiger]

Most of my ss bikes have slicks (true slicks aka smooth rubber) that makes it so much easier to ride its crazy.

I used to do time runs on a beach cruiser ss coaster brake but I built the wheels and ran the skinnyist slick 700c tires I could find; by no means was that a flat path we used for the time runs.

 

[Bicycle808]

Oh, and I just wanted to add that derailer systems are easy to set up and maintain, if you know what you're doing as far as what works with what, and if you understand cable tension. Most derailer problems can be traced to improper compatibility, improper set-up, or a bent hanger.

 

[whitefiretiger]

Oh, and I just wanted to add that derailer systems are easy to set up and maintain, if you know what you're doing as far as what works with what, and if you understand cable tension. Most derailer problems can be traced to improper compatibility, improper set-up, or a bent hanger.

I loled because I got a bike that was brand new for $20 because they couldn't get it to shift right. Was simple fix; it came with standard 2:1 ratio shifters but had SRam 1:1 ratio derailers .

 

[Wildcat]

SRAM reintroduced the old Fichtel and Sachs Automatic design, first released in 1966. SRAM bought Sachs in the 90s. Really cool design, but it's been around for close to 50 years! http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/fs-torpedo-automatic/

Good info. I saw those hubs before in pics, didn't know they were automatic. If I ever see one, I'll buy it. Either version as they are rare, made only a few years.