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A different take on the Durango
single scene
written by Missy Votel
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| Local single speed
devotee Bob Gregorio takes his vintage Shelby Eagle
for a spin on a local trail Tuesday. Gergorio has
had the bike, which came from Ohio, for more than
30 years./Photo by Todd Newcomer |
While the world of mountain biking surges
ahead into the brave new world of air-loaded, spring-coiled,
titanium-forged, ultra-lightweight technology, there is
a small but growing counterculture of riders snubbing
their knobbies at such notions and returning to the basics:
a no-frills frame, two wheels, a seat, a chain and not
much else.
“ It’s kind of an anti-trend, some would say,”
said John Bailey, a wrench at Mountain Bike Specialists,
who just so happens to ride – and win races on –
a one-speed mountain bike.
Bailey is among a small contingency of local riders who
have traded in their multiple chain rings and derailleurs
for the simplicity of what is known in cycling circles
as the single speed.
“ It’s pretty much my bike of choice now,
I use it on my lunch rides and as my transportation,”
said Bailey, who has been riding single speed for six
or seven years. “It’s going back to the roots,
that’s what a lot of people call it.”
As owner of the Durango Cyclery, Russell Zimmerman could
have the pick of the litter of mountain bikes. Nevertheless,
he prefers his Durango Bike Works hard tail single speed
with 29-inch wheels.
“ I ride it predominantly when I have time to ride,”
he said, “I love how quiet it is. No chatter; no
clatter.”
Although single speeds are just now making their way into
the mainstream cycling consciousness thanks to Web sites
such as carsrcoffins.com
and singlespeedoutlaw.com,
they are nothing new, said Bob Gregorio, another local
single-speed aficionado and Cyclery wrench to the stars,
although he won’t admit it.
“ Ever since there have been bikes, there have been
people riding single speeds, and there’s a reason,”
he said.
And while anyone who has ever been passed by a superhuman
single speeder may think it’s to remind the rest
of us that we are mere mortals, all three insist riding
single speed has nothing to do with machismo – the
overdeveloped thighs and lungs are just a side effect.
“I ride single speed for its simplicity,”
said Bailey.
Zimmerman, who has been working at bike shops his entire
life, also touted the simplicity factor. “Basically,
there are two parts to the maintenance: putting air in
the tires and oiling the chain,” he said.
“ It’s so exhilarating, so pure,” echoed
Gregorio, who admitted that nostalgia also plays a role
in his choice. “Back when I was a kid, single speeds
were all we had.”
A confessed bike junkie, Gregorio has a quiver of bikes
but prefers his 1973 Shelby Eagle single speed, which
he still races every year at the Road Apple. “It’s
my old favorite,” he said. “I built it up
with old parts. It really is what first turned me on to
biking.”
And while many single speeders opt for the old school
approach, Zimmerman said it’s not the only option.
More and more manufacturers are coming out with conversion
kits and single speed models, he said.
“ It’s definitely up and coming,” said
Bailey, the most technologically advanced of the three
with a Cannondale 1FG (“let’s just say it
stands for ‘one fun gear’”) with disc
brakes and front suspension. And while his single speed
has a few more bells and whistles than most, he said without
a complicated drive train and gears, it is still a mechanic’s
dream.
“ It’s pretty clean and straightforward,”
he said. “One thing about it that I enjoy is I never
touch it maintenance-wise.”
But the beauty of the single speed goes beyond the grip
of the bike stand, they say. Since most single speeds
are geared somewhere in the middle, neither great for
climbing nor downhill, and are outfitted with longer cranks
and handlebars for more torque, they require different
handling. “There’s a rhythm to it,”
said Gregorio. “You have to look further ahead and
keep your head up more.”
Gregorio also said riding single speed is not for the
tentative rider or one who tends to be a little brake
happy.
“ If you let your RPMs drop, it hurts more,”
he said. “Momentum is your friend. You gotta hang
it out on the downhill and throw yourself into the curves.”
Riding single speed also is a great way for riders to
improve and concentrate on their form, said Bailey, a
regular on the extreme adventure racing circuit
“ It teaches great technique,” he said. “You
learn to work the terrain.”
Zimmerman said he likes single speed riding because it
allows him to push the envelope.
“ You’re really exploring those outer fringes
of cadence,” he said. “One time you’re
going so slow you’re about to fall over and another
time you’re spinning like a freak.”
While all that may sound daunting to a prospective single
speeder, Zimmerman insists riding single speed eventually
becomes second nature – much like, well, riding
a bike.
“ It’s just a different style of riding,”
he said. “You get more in tune with gravity and
learn to pick routes that are less steep. You learn to
gain momentum before you come into a climb. After a while
it becomes instinctual.”
Nevertheless, the learning curve is not without its fair
share of humility, he said.
“ The Meadow Loop takes on a whole new meaning,”
he said, adding that he has yet to clean the top of Telegraph
on his single speed. “I’ve come within diving
distance,” he admitted.
He also noted it can be lonely at the top for a single
speeder – once he or she manages to get there.
“ Single speed is not always the best choice,”
he said. “Something like Kennebec can be a lonely
experience with geared riders.”
However, when it comes to impassable climbs, Gregorio
noted single speeds do have a slight edge.
“ At those points when you’re pushing your
bike you still have an advantage because your bike is
lighter,” he said.
Nevertheless, in true bicycle purist fashion, Gregorio
noted that it’s not whether you win or lose –
or even how you play the game. What matters most is that
you’re playing, period.
“ To me there’s not a lot of difference between
single speed and geared bikes,” he said. “It’s
all just about rolling into the future. And if a single
speed is the way you choose to do it, it’s a beautiful
thing.”
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