1 year on 1 gear // The Big Single Speed Post

// The Reason

Ok. Where to begin? I got my single speed XC bike a year ago. Since then I've had countless hours of suffering and hard work, but mostly tons of fun and smiles that only a single speed bike can give. 

Over the last year I had many people asking me why am I riding single speed. The answer and the reason is simple and since I always had a post like this on my mind here we go, let's see:

I'm riding single speed for many reasons. One of them is that I had a significant change in our life. We moved back from Ireland to Hungary back in 2014. New life, new home, new job...so I have very little time left for training and racing. Thanks to this I wanted to give a new spark to my mountain biking life, so I got a single speed XC weapon.


Riding off-road on a bike that has only one gear isn't completely new to me, I've had some experience from a few years back. I knew what I'm getting into and I wanted to get into it for sure. And there's no regret! :)


The other reason is that I like my life to be as simple as possible. I have enough things to take care of and if my bike maintenance (including costs also) is as little as possible it is good for me then. I always keep the bike in a good condition, so there's no problem with that. But keeping a single speed in order takes incredibly little time and effort. What's not to like?! :)

The system itself...simple as hell. 

// The Ride

What it takes to ride off-road trails on a single speed bike? It takes will...dedication...commitment. It takes the rider to want to ride a bike with only one gear. It takes to like the challenge and to like suffer for the achievement. When you start to climb a long uphill trail and in your head there's only one though and one will: to fight for it!... You have only two options. To push hard or to stop... And to beat the trail under so limited circumstances definitely feels fantastic!!

A message that has a perfect place on a single speed MTB

It is hard and and sometimes it feels like I'm on my very limit to keep the bike going. But it is also a very unique riding experience indeed. The way the bike is very tight and quiet is nice and it gives a more "pure" feel to the ride indeed. It also teaches you to tackle trails and situations in a completely different way. The rider and the bike come together in every detail in order to stay in motion...to get up that climb...to beat that technical singletrack. It is truly a fantastic type of mountain biking.


// The Conclusion


Did I regret to make my choice and commit to single speed mountain biking? Definitely not! I've done almost 1800 km on it since I got it and I loved every minute! Every time I get on the bike and go for a spin it gives me new challenge, lots of tears and sweat and a huge smile on me face when I get back!! :)

// The Advice

This will be nice & short: give it a try! Don't commit to it if you don't want to but give it a try! You either love it or hat it but it's worth a try for sure!!