Single Speed on the Trail

I am surprised.

I took my freshly built single speed out for a maiden (trail) ride yesterday. I wasn't sure how well it would function so I chose a place that is much easier to get back to the parking lot... just in case. Bass River... a fairly flat, flowing trail with occasional log piles thrown in for good measure was the place to go. A favorite among the single speeders I know.

From tooling around the 'hood, I already knew the bike handles pretty well. But its manners on the trail were quite superb. The Panaracer Fire XC Pros dug in without hessitation and remained mannered when slipping through some soft corners. Thrashing the bike around was easy with the wide bars and the giant bar ends. I didn't get to use them too much at Bass, but I'm sure I'll test them out more on other trails (next up is Cannonsburg SGA). Slipping through the trail, I noticed I didn't brake too much and was quite happy with the cantilever brake set up. Not terrebly grabby but excellent modulation and control. The fork did its job but I could feel the stanctions giving while attacking the log piles. But I expected that from such a lightweight fork. I get a bit of that from the SID on my FS rig as well. The drivetrain was exceptionally smooth. The Kooka Bonny cranks spun smoothly with no apparent flex. And the White Industries ENO hub and Shimano freewheel paired up as if nothing was there. No grinding or thrashing from the SRAM PC-1 chain. Only the sound of grinding leaves, the wind and my grunting.

It took about a half a lap before I stopped looking for the shifters and settled down into a rhythmic groove. The whole experience was quite nice and refreshing. I could look around quite a bit more than with my geared rigs, albeit seemingly more distracted by my surroundings. I found at times that I could not spin the pedals fast enough to keep up with the momentum the bike was picking up, so I could rest up. The 34-16 gear ratio never got to be grinded on due to the flatness of the trail, but as mentioned before, that'll come with its introduction to more challenging terrains. The only complaint is that the aluminum frame and seatpost made it quite clear to my rear end that the bike is stiff.

Overall I like this bike and how it rides... right off the bat. Its simplicity is welcome and its ride is to die for... many more happy trails on this one!