Peak100 on a singlespeed. Advice needed.



daisymoobeer

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Jan 31, 2012
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Hi everybody,

I'm doing Peak100 http://www.peak100.co.uk/ in April (65 hilly miles in the Peak district) and want to do it on my Langster (singlespeed Specialized). I LOVE my singlespeed. None of that "what gear shall I be in" rubbish.

I live in the Chiltern Hills and regularly ride 50-milers there on my 42T x 20T (yes, I changed the rear sprocket so I could get up the 1 in 7's !). However, comparing the profiles of my regular rides and that of the Peak100 event, I'm really only on the foothills of the Peak District.

My mate who I'm doing it says I'm mad to do the ride on my singlespeed and should instead use my road bike (24-speed).

Shall I go for it on my singlespeed and perhaps bomb-out and/or walk a few of the 1 in 6's ?

BTW - I'm in my mid-40's, pretty fit though (I can average 15 mph over 50 miles in the CHilterns) and 13-stone (so not the best build for a climber), love hills but definitely NOT Lance Armstrong.

So, pls vote :

Singlespeed or 24-speed road bike for Peak100 ?

Cheers.
 
Originally Posted by daisymoobeer .


I live in the Chiltern Hills and regularly ride 50-milers there on my [COLOR= #0000ff]42T x 20T[/COLOR] (yes, I changed the rear sprocket so I could get up the 1 in 7's !). However, comparing the profiles of my regular rides and that of the Peak100 event, I'm really only on the foothills of the Peak District.
FWIW. I'll cast a vote for your SPECIALIZED Langster ...

But, I would definitely change the gearing for the Peak100 ride ...

If your Road bike's crank has the same BCD and if it has a 39t middle chainring, then I would borrow the 39t chainring for the ride ... minimally.

Based on myself ([COLOR= #808080]a poor benchmark[/COLOR]), I would also consider getting a 22t ACS CLAW Freewheel to lower the gearing further.

AND, because I once wondered about the need-or-lack-of for more than one gear when riding on mountain roads, I cobbled one bike together with a[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR][COLOR= #ff0000]32t[/COLOR][COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]Chainring + [COLOR= #ff0000]22t[/COLOR] Freewheel:


The resultant gearing is approximately the same as a [COLOR= #ff0000]39t [/COLOR]Chainring with a [COLOR= #ff0000]27t [/COLOR]Cog. That may be too low a gear for you ...

A 32t Chainring + 20t Freewheel is incrementally lower than a 39t Chainring + 25t Cog which is roughly similar to a 34t Chainwheel with a 22t Cog ... et cetera..

The key to a successful ride with your Langster will be choosing the appropriate gearing.

Sounds like the Peak100 is a great ride, BTW ...

Good luck!
 
Thanks for your reply. Sorry I was so late replying.
The jury is still out regarding this dilemma. Apart from the fact that my road bike is obviously heavier than the Langster, I could always put it in 12th gear and try not to change, thus simulating a singlespeed. Then if I start to suffer I can always bottle it and go for the granny gears.
Anyway, did 65 miles today in the hills on my singlespeed and some of the hills were painful. I was supposed to take my road bike but the bloody qr skewer broke when i tried to fix the puncture. Grrrr.
 
FWIW. I'm still voting for your Langster ... with lower gearing ...

If you haven't already done so, I think you should consider a 39t-or-38t Chainring + 22t Freewheel instead of your current 42x20 gearing ...

  • ACS makes a 22t Freewheel
  • someone makes a 23t Freewheel (I forget who, at the moment ... however, it is much more expensive -- figure £50+).

BTW. I had considered "bolting" a 24t MTB "granny" (64BCD) chainring to a 16t Freewheel to achieve a lower gearing ([COLOR= #808080]I was trying to figure out what I could do with the 16t Freewheel which I wasn't using[/COLOR]) -- my recollection is that the bolt holes on the granny matched up with the troughs between the teeth on a 16t (but, maybe not!?!), so 'regular' BMX chainring bolts should have been "okay" to secure the chainring (again, maybe not!?!) ... spacers/washers may be necessary to snug up the chainring bolts.