Cars are coffins: One fucking speed

[idleidolidyll]

I didn't get a motorbike ride in this weekend.

True, my KTM is for sale and I'd have had to uplift it (again) to go for a ride. But that's beside the point: I didn't want to ride a motorbike.

ANZAC weekend featured the very first NZ Singlespeed Championships in the Redwoods at Rotovegas.

I entered knowing I had as much chance as a snowflake in a firestorm of winning a prize. No problems though, it was about supporting an event for singlespeed mountainbikes; yeeehah!.

I guess it's not a surprise that I also love single cylinder motorbikes. It's kinda the same; always the underdog but with the power to surprise.

Not this time though, my personal target was to not get lapped by the elite riders twice. And I would have succeeded had I not followed a rider into the wrong pit lane at the end of the first lap (14kms a lap). It turned out to be the 'shortcut' lap. Drink a can of Speights and you get to take a shortcut. The shortcut turned out to be a hoax and all those who indulged lost time! (I'd planned to shortcut at the end of the 3rd section of the figure 8 at the 21km mark).

It was all downhill after that: I stopped deliberately on the next section and had another can of Speights and then, in an exhausted drunken stupor (there's always an excuse), I turned right on my lap instead of left and had to do the hard section again without the awesome but relatively easy Diamond Back section in between!
This meant a fair bit of pushing as the hills were almost unclimable in my state and the technical sections were also hard as exhaustion set in.

I came out of my 4th section (28km) and decided to take the long cut and miss out on the next beer but the winner had already crossed the line and the race was over.

Awesome event with about 230 riders. I was in the Old Buggers Class and somewhere at the back of the field. We partied and had a prize-giving and the whole thing went off!

In the end though, I lost and won: because I did the hard section twice in a row, the elite riders were out of sync with me and ONLY PASSED ME ONCE!.............SUCCESS!!!!!

Roll on the next one, I won't miss my motorbike that weekend either.

The male and female elite winners could only claim their prize if they were prepared to be tattoo'd with the winers 'logo': the very same logo that gives them entry into the World Singlespeed Champs in the US later this year.

and here's my ride for the weekend (but fitted with suspension forks):

[The Pastor]

What the flying truck?

[jrandom]

The male and female elite winners could only claim their prize if they were prepared to be tattoo'd...

MTBers and tats, eh? It's funny because it's true...

[idleidolidyll]

MTBers and tats, eh? It's funny because it's true...

so much in that is true............but i don't have a tattoo!

yes, i have a 29" wheeled singlespeed mtb, a 26" singlespeed mtb, a 26" singlespeed Urban Assault Vehicle (stairs, ramps, stoppies, jumps etc), yes I have a singlespeed mtb for guests and yes, i DO have a 27 speed and yes, 3 of those bikes are titanium, one is carbon fibre and the other is just plain hilarious.............but no, I'm not an addict.....honest!

I know that mountainbike riding will make my motorbike riding better; it'll make me fitter and slimmer and hone my reflexes and my riding skills.

Trouble is, every weekend I face a quandry. If it's fine my friends often ring to arrange a lap of the Coro etc but the forest calls...what to do!
Thank Dog I live in Auckland where one of the best mountainbike tracks is at its best when it's pissing down. If I lived in Rotovegas the confusion would be greater and I'd probably be fitter.

choices bloody choices!

[McJim]

Single gear is hard yakka - well done III.

jrandom. That article you linked to made me laff. I made the jump from roadie to MTB in about '91 so we didn't have full suspension and complex bikes but it does put me in mind of the looks I got when I rebuilt my Mountain bike for the Motatapu Icebreaker this year. Most people hadn't seen a Mountain bike with only 21 gears on it

My inlaws are mad keen cyclists - road and MTB. Mother in Law looked at my bike and figured coz it looked so old it would weigh about a hundredweight. She got a surprise when she picked it up.

[jrandom]

jrandom. That article you linked to made me laff.

I've been reading the blog of the guy who wrote it for years.

When I'm in the mood, my Scotty Brown's jersey stays in the drawer and I ride in this:

[McJim]

When I'm in the mood, my Scotty Brown's jersey stays in the drawer and I ride in this:

You've certainly got the figure for it. I still wear all my road kit on the mountainbike ' cept the shoes o'course - got double sided spd pedals and a pair of shitmano MTB shoes that have seen better days.

[idleidolidyll]

eeeeekkk!!!!!!! lycra is contagious!

[Conquiztador]

But at same time a fraction dissappointing.

Here I was thinking I was gonna come across something that was for total nutters (and learn where to enter...), a race round a track with a motor bike set to use only one speed: Full noise. Until only one rider was left riding.

Ah well, I keep on searching.

[RantyDave]

and here's my ride for the weekend (but fitted with suspension forks):

Meh. Suspension is for children. In my day we had no suspension. No gears. The bike were made from stolen lamposts and I had to brake using nothing but the friction from me knackers.

Nah. Seriously, full respect. Nutcase.

Dave

[MisterD]

Well done III, I had to make do with the PXT blog on Vorb. I'll be there with bells on next year, wife's birthday or not.

[vifferman]

So, are these single-speeders geared kinda low? Judging from the small front sprockety-cog, I'd say the answer would be "Yes".

[MisterD]

So, are these single-speeders geared kinda low? Judging from the small front sprockety-cog, I'd say the answer would be "Yes".

I'm running 32:17 so just under 2:1. Perfect for single-tracky Woodhill stuff cos you don't get chance to spin it out and it's low enough to grunt up short hills...fast downhills you just roll.

By comparison, my SS roadie will be running 42:15 fixed.