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As I was fixing a flat on my Rudge tonight. I realized I hadn't ridden my MTB since I put a new bottom bracket in it last week.. I ride every day at least once to town ( a couple miles away) and usually get another ride in even if it is just down to the bar.
90% of the time I take a single speed , If it's a grocery run I take a 2 speed cause it's got huge baskets. 5 of the 8 riders I'm staring at are single speed and my go to's, unless I'm going dirt climbing.

I'm an old asre grampa and still feel like a kid riding coaster brakes and freewheel's. :inlove:

Do gears do it for you? or is KISS your thing?

giant-big-wheel.jpg
 
As I was fixing a flat on my Rudge tonight. I realized I hadn't ridden my MTB since I put a new bottom bracket in it last week.. I ride every day at least once to town ( a couple miles away) and usually get another ride in even if it is just down to the bar.
90% of the time I take a single speed , If it's a grocery run I take a 2 speed cause it's got huge baskets. 5 of the 8 riders I'm staring at are single speed and my go to's, unless I'm going dirt climbing.

I'm an old asre grampa and still feel like a kid riding coaster brakes and freewheel's. :inlove:

Do gears do it for you? or is KISS your thing?

giant-big-wheel.jpg

The less parts the better. I liked riding MTB but gears were always a hassle. I ride a single-speed w a coaster brake and it gets me 99 percent of where I need to go.


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My balloon-tired MTB is one of my go-to bikes. It has lights for night-time return trips, and an added rack for attaching bags for groceries. I also have added other improvements, such as fenders, comfort seat, and a Wald kickstand.
But the gear shifters get stuck, so I keep it in 28-17 for a 1.65 gear ratio. I have new shifters, but I plan to replace all that when I add a Wald 5"-rise handlebar instead of the straight bar.
I have a 3-speed, that I keep in the middle gear 43-23 (1.87) unless I am going to the beach (1 steep dune); that one has lights and fenders also.
I have a new project bike that entails a 26T skip tooth; the lowest gear that I can get that one is 26-11 or 2.36, which is slightly higher than my Huffy Good Vibrations 44-19 (2.32) - which I will also reduce to 43-23 when I eventually get it back together again.
I have a GT Dyno cruiser, which I added a 3-speed hub, but that one too is stuck in middle gear, because I have not yet installed the cable/shifter - waiting on some front end swap-outs (wheel, fork, stem, bars and grips, etc.).
 
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Horses for courses, right? Singlespeeds suffice for most of my riding, but i'm glad to have some bikes with derailers and IGHs, too.
 
I ride them both. Coasters have a downside for me tho. When on group rides, people stop on hills by traffic lights and ect. It can be tough to maneuver the pedals to get a comfortable starting position while surrounded by fellow riders. :eek:
 
I stick to the single speed coasters, only have a couple hills here and I don't ride them.
But I have a few three speed hubs, so I'll eventually end up with something geared.
 
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