True story; a couple years back after I had registered, ridden the course and was milling around I met a man. This gentleman was obviously in a spot of trouble, he looked at me and asked if I knew if any mechanics at the venue. I looked around and noticed one my friends who also a mechanic, I directed the question in his direction ‘do you know any mechanics?’. He just smiled and said ‘no, not today’, although both of of us knew the correct answer would have been in the affirmative. I can appreciate the sentiment and hey, it was race day and we both had better things to do than adjust a derailleur that morning. That’s when I knew I had made the correct decision to rock the singlespeed.
I could say there are better ways to race, but for me there are not. Singlespeed is lighter, less hassle and since carrying your bike is mandatory, just as competitive. My first CX race was on a mountain bike(it sucked) the second was a geared(better), but for my money singlespeed is the way to go. After a pre-ride the course course conditions will determine the proper chainring/cog set up. The rule for off-road singlespeed riding has been 2 to 1, for a lighter bike used in CX I start with 38/16. I’m not saying this can’t be fine tuned, but how many people carry along a full set of chainrings and cogs? I just might consider it, if I was doing this for anything other than extreme recreational riding. What about a set of 3 chain rings and 3 cogs, plus a chain tool, allen wrench and maybe an extra chain? I will admit it could be tough under some conditions to pre-ride, breakdown, reset the ratio and pre-ride again. But how bad do you want to win? I’m thinking of testing out a derailleur/chain tensioner set up that will allow me to flip/flop a rear tire with two singlespeed cogs of differing sizes.
Why does singlespeed make sense? Considering the mud/slush and general bad conditions of most venues and the weather in northern climes during CX season it’s a no-brainer to me. Add into that the fact that dismounts and re-mounts may cause your chain to shift out gear and I’m sold. The weight saved in eliminating a chainring, multi-speed freewheel/cassette and derailleurs is significant. Anyone who has ever had a derailleur caked with frozen mud can appreciate the fact that the elimination of one could be a positive benefit. More than once while winter riding I have been forced into riding with a de-facto singlespeed on my geared bike, ice clogged cables are an interesting problem.
So, as you fine tune your rig(or rigs) for the upcoming season consider what needs replacing and what can be eliminated altogether. I’m spending an inordinate amount of time fine tuning my set-up in the garage this summer, with the hot weather. When the winds of fall start blowing I’ll be more than happy to start the season free and clear of unnecessary parts. Good luck and may all your barrier jumping be free of stutter steps.
