from Rookie’s keyboard,
Hello, friends
Bikes are awesome. If you have enough time, clothing gear and energy, they will allow you to reach practically any point on dry land. And that applies to even less sophisticated models.
How do you think people toured back in the day? They would take their heavy, single-speed monstrosity and just push through. Was it easy? Certainly no.
But since nothing better was available at the time, they weren’t tortured by the curse of having too many options.
But today, we have gears that make long-distance cycling not only easier but also faster, healthier and more enjoyable.
Of course, nothing is stopping you from relying on single-speed unit (something is better than nothing), but be ready for the following downsides:
1. Majestic Inefficiency 🙂
People smarter than me have proven that high cadence (rotations of the cranks per minute) gives you faster average speed and minimizes energy output.
Single-speed bicycles make it impossible to benefit from this principle because the machine’s gear ratio is constant, and therefore, optimal cadence is rarely the case.
The bike is either “under” or “over” geared most of the time.
During ascents, you often have to get out of the saddle (or else you will have to push the bike).
When descending, you will be spinning out because the speed of the bike will be higher than the one obtainable via pedaling.
The term gear ratio reveals the “relationship” between the chainring and the rear cog.
If the gear of the bike is 42/11 [42 chainring + 11 rear cog], then the gear ratio is 42:11=3.8:1.
For every rotation of the large chainring, the rear cog and subsequently the rear wheel spins almost 4 times.
If the gearing is low, e.g., 32 chainring + 34 cog, the gear ratio would be 32:34=0.9:1.
A rotation of the 32 chainring would result in slightly less than one spin of the rear cog and wheel.
Hence climbing is so much easier in low gear – the bike moves less per pedal stroke and therefore the rider doesn’t have to exert as much effort.
When the gearing is high, however, the bike has to move further.
To make this a reality, your legs have to generate more force. The cost is energy and joint stress.
2. Touring = Marathon
Marathon runners run at a far lower intensity than sprinters. This is the only way to cover long distances.
Cycling isn’t much different because it’s human-powered too.
Gears gives your legs a mechanical advantage reducing the energy needed to spin the wheels regardless of the terrain.
The result is low intensity pedaling – the kind needed for long distances.
Single speed bikes do not offer that possibility unless you’re on flat terrain, and your gear ratio is optimized for it.
Low gears aren’t beneficial just for climbing hills. They’re also helpful when there’s a strong headwind.
3. Joint Pain
Single speed bikes can harm the joints, especially the knees and hips.
Constan pedaling in a high gear could cause a repetitive stress injury if you don’t give the body time to recover.
Geared bicycles reduce the strain because you can find a gear ratio that matches your level of preparation.
4. Psychologcal Stress
The thought of climbing a big hill with a single speed bike is exhausting to me.
5. Higher Levels of Fatigue
The higher energy expenditure results in fatigue which accumulates and becomes quite pronounced when touring/riding long distances.
6. Limited cargo
A long trip requires extra equipment adding weight to the bike. The effort needed to pedal the bicycle would greatly increase due to the extra mass that has to be moved.
In this case, physical strength and endurance aren’t the only “bottleneck”. Your stability is affected too because you will have to get out of the saddle more frequently.
Some Advantages
To make this articla more complete, I will list the pros of using SS for long tours:
1. Simplicity
Single-speed bikes do not require derailleurs (a chain tensioner is sometimes necessary) nor shifters of any kind.
Another benefit of single speed machines is that they have a stronger, thicker chain that’s harder to break.
Unlike the chains on geared bikes, single speed chains don’t have to fit between adjacent cogs and can therefore be “fatter”.
2. Reliability
The simplicity of single speed bikes makes them more reliable because the system involves fewer moving parts.
A derailleur could bend and go into the spokes causing a complete failure of the wheel.
3. Cheaper
Shifters can be very expensive, especially when designed for road bikes. A set of brake-shifters could easily reach USD 200.
When you add in the derailleur, the cassette and the extra chainrings, it may turn out that 2/3 of the bike’s price go to gears.
4. Strength Development
If you start riding a single speed bike, your legs will have no choice but to get stronger over time.
5. Mental Toughness
Riding a SS model will make you tougher in the head too.
6. Street Credibility
My longest ride is 110km. It’s not a lot, but it certainly sounds impressive to people who aren’t into the sport.
Having said that, even dedicated cyclists would be impressed by such a distance if it’s all done with a single speed bike.
Gears = Speed
If SS bikes were faster than geared ones, all participants in the Tour de France would smash their derailleurs with a hammer before tomorrow morning.
The reality is that gears boost your average speed on all-terrain regardless of your level.
Ascents?
Gears win when there are multiple ascents which is the case for long-distance riding.
Flat?
Gears win because they allow you to modulate your speed on flat terrain too.
Descents?
Gears win because they provide a higher gear ratio that reduces the chances of spinning out.
Speed isn’t the only benefit. The strongest point of gears is that they spare your body and central nervous system.
If you can hit 100km in a day on a single-speed bike, you will greatly increase that number with a geared bicycle.
SS Touring Is Doable
In the past, the lack of gears didn’t stop cycling enthusiasts from conquering the world on a bike.
Standard gears weren’t a part of Tour de France until 1937 when the derailleur was introduced and allowed cyclists to change gears while riding.
Before, the riders had to remove the entire wheel to switch to a cog more appropriate for the terrain ahead.
Nonetheless, the cyclists of those times were covering amazing distances.
In 1903, when the first installment of the competition was held, the winner Maurice Garin, rode 2,428 km (1,509 mi) between July 1 and 19. His total riding time was 93h 33m 14s.
The competition was divided into stages some of which were brutally long.
For example, the first stage was Paris – Lyon and consisted of 467km/290 mi.
Garin needed 17hr 45min 13sec to finish that section.
You can see all stages in the table below:
| Stage | Date | Itinerary | Distance |
| 1 | July 1 | Paris – Lyon | 467km/290mi |
| 2 | July 5 | Lyon – Marseille | 374km/232mi |
| 3 | July 8 | Marseille – Toulouse | 423km/262mi |
| 4 | July 12 | Toulouse – Bordeaux | 268km/166mi |
| 5 | July 13 | Bordeaux – Nantes | 425km/264mi |
| 6 | July 18 | Nantes – Paris | 471km/292mi |
The bike of Maurice Garin was roughly 18kg/39.6 lbs and was as single speed as it gets.
The other participants in the tour were on similar machines too.
This is undeniable proof that men can ride serious distances on a bike even when it doesn’t have extra gears.
Below is a short list of long-distance cyclists who made their achievements before the invention of gears:
Thomas Stevens
Thomas Stevens from Britain was the first cyclist to circle the globe. His journey began in April 1884 and ended in December 1886.
He rode a large-wheeled penny-farthing bicycle.
Dora Rinehart
Dora Rinehart was an American cyclist from Colorado. During the mid-1890s, she earned the title America’s Greatest Cyclienne for her accomplishments as a long-distance cyclist. She had over a hundred 100-mile rides.
Alfredo Binda
Alfredo Binda was an Italian cyclist who won five editions of the Giro d’Italia in 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1933. As you can already guess, his bicycle didn’t have conventional gears.
Note: As I said earlier, this is a very short list. Before the 40s, every dedicated cyclist was riding large distances without gears.
It’s Possbile, But Should You Do It?
The advantages of SS bikes fail to outweigh the cons when it comes to marathon itineraries.
Sure. A SS bike is mechanically simpler and less prone to damage, but modern derailleurs are not as fragile as people often say. And even if a derailleur breaks, you can find a new one in every bike shop.
Besides, there’s a chance that the derailleur hanger would receive most of the damage during a crash.
For that reason, long-distance cyclists carry a spare derailleur hanger to minimize the possibility of having to ride “gearless”.
The Front Derailleur Is Very Tough
Many people love to have front derailleurs, but the truth is that front derailleurs are less prone to damage due to their function and position.
A rear derailleur can easily touch an external object whereas the front derailleur is protected and rarely fails catastrophically.
If your rear derailleur or shifter fails, you may still have the ability to change gears via the front derailleur.
This won’t be possible if the rear derailleur is destroyed because there will be nothing to tension the chain.
A Note On Fixed Gear Bikes
Fixed-gear bikes are EVEN less desirable for long distances.
They have all the downsides of single-speed bikes plus the inability to coast.
The lack of coasting could be dangerous during long descents when high speed is reached.
Another shortcoming would be the non-stop movement of the chain.
If your pants or shoelaces get caught in the chain when riding fast, you may quickly end up on the ground because the chain will keep pulling your foot.
In short, gears are your friend when distance is the goal.
Until next time, friends
– Rookie
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