person
Blake Cannon
Why fewer gears, a favorite ratio, and the dumbest idea that worked.
Why single speed? It started as an excuse to use up spare parts instead of buying more. I like tinkering, and a single-speed drivetrain is a smaller math problem than a geared one: one chainring, one cog, done. It also turned out to be the best way to ride with my wife and kids without a derailleur handing me an unfair advantage. One gear evens things out a little.
Favorite gear ratio? 32:20. It climbs well enough not to be miserable and spins out at a speed that's honest about how fast this is all actually happening.
Dumbest idea that worked? Sharing one chain's worth of donor parts across two different bikes because it was easier than buying a second chain. See: the Karate Monkey profile.
- colorado
- mountain-bike