Don't get it about single speeds

01-14-2005, 01:43 PM

I know some people are all dewy-eyed about the wonders of single
speeds. But last night, it was dark, and in the mid-30s, with the
gentle rain turning to ice pellets and a cold north wind blowing. I
was in my granniest of granny gears, grinding up a hill (~100m) on the
shoulder of a freeway frontage road, while the cars whizzed by. The
lateness of the hour and the long day at work left me feeling like I
was nearly out of gas as it was, and tried to imagine why, why, why,
anyone would ever want a single speed. As it was, I was periodically
hitting my brifter like one of those crazed cocaine-addicted rats in a
lab experiment, hoping that maybe this time there would be a lower
gear to get me up the hill. As it was, 27 gears weren't enough -- why
would I have wanted just one?

If I had a single speed, I probably would have to walk the bike for
about a third of the commute. Why would I want to do this now? Isn't
the point of riding a bike, *riding* the bike, not pushing it? I mean,
if I lived in some god-forsaken flat place like Florida, maybe, I
could get it. But anywhere where there's hills? Forget it! That's why
Goddess gave us deraillers! Right?

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Personal page: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]