Well, I did it. I finally got back on the steel stallion.
And two very good things happened. Not only was it absolutely therapeutic to
ride again, for the first time since the lung collapse three weeks earlier, but
I was reminded how much I love the single speed. On occasion, when the
opportunity presents itself, I pull my Redline Monocog 29er off the garage wall
and kick around some of the local trails. My dad offered me the bike last
November, which is a different story. At the time, I was skeptical and thought
if I didn’t like the bike—and I assumed I wouldn’t—that I would just trade it
in for credit at Recycled Cycles.
During last year’s gray November and early December days, I
trail tested the Monocog. After that maiden voyage, I struggled to understand
why anyone would ride single speed or rigid. The gearing felt tall especially
on the climbs. The trail feedback left me achy and sore. But I kept with it.
Actually, because I was lending my other bikes (the Giant Anthem and the
Specialized Stumpjumper) to the objects of my cycle evangelism at the time, I
spent a lot of time riding the single speed. This worked well because it
allowed me to better equip the newbies for success by lending them the forgiving
full-suspension bikes. And I loved it because the challenge of riding a
fully-rigid single speed allowed me to stretch myself physically even though we
were riding at a slower pace than would have otherwise represented exercise.
I learned or relearned a very interesting lesson over those
first few months. Arms and legs will suspend a rider just as effectively as
full suspension provided the rider rides in a standing mode. Riding in standing
mode, also addresses the gearing element. The extra torque coming from a
standing compensates for the lack of gears. What is interesting to me is that I
can ride just as fast—if not faster—on the tight windy, Western Washington
trails, as I can on any of my bikes. It’s just a different style of riding.
Riding full-suspension works best in the saddle. Riding rigid and single speed
is best in the stirrups. I will say this about the single speed, I do notice
that my arms are far more fatigued at the end of a jaunt on the single speed
then even on my hard tail. One time last year, near the end of a ride, my hands
just let go, launching me over the bars and into a berm on the downhill side of
a small rise.
I recently gifted my Stumpjumper to a good friend. And the longer I go without a full-suspension bike, the more I wonder about the legitimate application of any full suspension ride outside gnarly downhill or long-distance cross-country setting. And even that may not be entirely accurate when you consider that I have ridden Tiger Mountain and my longest cross-country rides more often on a hard tail than astride a full-suspension bike. When you roll the 29” wheels into the mix, it may just be that for my style of riding a full-suspension bike may no longer be necessary. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still lust after some fully-suspended goodness!
