I built myself a cool one out of a retro 80s MTB frame and it does look quite snazzy if I do say so myself and every second stop a middle aged white dude either gives me the nod or straight up chats me up about it. This has never happened with my other bicycles, but it absolutely happened with my old singlespeed.
I daily ride an intentionally shitty / beat up looking single speed just so that it won’t get stolen and still I have these guys at least once a week trying to hobby talk it out with me. Sometimes I think I should just try to sell it out of one of these conversations. Like the thieves know it isn’t worth shit, but the downtown rich kids / middle aged office warriors think it’s retro cool as hell.
Dude use this opportunity to convert downtown rich kids and middle aged office warriors into the riding shitty singlespeeds, it’ll radicalize them in 0 time
The “fuck this hill” to “hmm maybe this city could use more light rail lines and increased service windows” pipeline
Honestly yeah, should be required along with a year of service industry work
Nothing like a simple single speed conversion. Now back in my day…
yeah, nailed it, they often talk about how they used to ride roadbikes or singlespeeds but now their backs don’t really agree anymore and how glad they are that young people are still wrenching on bikes. YMMV as to whether that’s just joy or goes to “you’re one of the good ones”
converted my one year old surly karate monkey to singlespeed one month ago, completely in love with the simplicity and the simple fact that at some paths/parts I can’t simply go faster
using it for all mountain surfaces but downhill and also for commute, I’ll not come back to gears
you can guess the age :)
