.JPG)
Another point of difference is that the Mary SS has 29 inch wheels. I took a leap of faith with the wheel size - I had never test ridden them prior to buying the bike. I did manage to check the standover clearance on the frame, but I was 7 months pregnant and did not feel like taking the bike for a spin! It just seemed like it should work, and it does. The big wheels might take a little more effort to get up to speed, but once they are rolling, they want to hold that momentum and keep turning. A perfect fit with the principle of maintaining momentum on a singlespeed. Big wheels keep on turnin'...
After riding the Mary SS in the standard configuration for a while, I knew I had made the right decision. The only thing was, I was riding a lot of pavement - not much offroad action. So, I took another leap of faith. I decided to urbanise the Mary and turn her into a fixed gear bike.
Fashion Biking 1.01
There's is a fair bit of scoffing going on with regards to fixed gear riding at the moment. At the first mention of riding a fixed gear bike, people label you as a "fashion biker" and file you in amongst the throngs of hipsters wearing "kicks", "knicks", and carrying a messenger bag, whilst riding an old school track bike, or converted road bike.Well, I would file myself under the "unfashionable" section of fashion bikers. For a start, I converted my mountain bike (the Mary) and did so using a Tomicog which mounts on to the disc rotor mount of the rear wheel (you just flip the wheel around). Ghetto. And of course, I'm just not the "fashion" kind of girl.
I changed the gearing from 32:20 with the freewheel set up to 42:16 with the fixed cog. I also put on some Maxxis Overdrive tyres to enable a bit more speed on the pavement.And the conclusion? Fixie is fun! Not being able to stop pedalling adds a whole new dimension to your riding. The dimension of shear terror! At first, you forget you can't stop pedalling. So the pedals kick back and try to bounce you up and forwards. Then you realise the only way to stop is to use a combination of the front brake and your legs (remember there is no rear brake - the fixie cog is on the disc rotor mount!). This is where a smidgen of terror creeps in... you really need your wits about you to ride in traffic.
As a consequence of frequently being at my wits end (after days on end with two little kids), I chose to stick to the river pathways and avoid traffic wherever possible. This made my rides mentally relaxing, but physically challenging. And exploring the river paths was interesting. Old unpaved 'singletrack' type sections had been transformed with smooth concrete paths and wooden bridges. Nice.
Needless to say, the dirt was calling. A few weeks ago, I converted Mary back into her original configuration. Fat tyres, smaller gear (back to 32:20) and a freewheel. It was a bit odd being able to stop pedalling and coast. Kinda like driving around the corner with the clutch pushed in! Pretty soon I was back in my element, climbing the hills at the lake, carving turns between the trees, and finding anything I could to jump off.
Since then I've been out to the Pukete track a couple of times. The course out there is just over 10km long now - provided you know where you are going and don't skip any bits!
The only changes to Mary SS from the stock set up are: Crank Brothers Candy Pedals (2006 Interbike Edition), WTB Deva saddle, Crud catcher (front only now), and ESI Grips (kindly gifted by Jeff at Kiwibikes in Rotorua). I love the grips - they are silicone and feel fantastic. I have raved a bit more about them here.
For the fun factor and ability to ride anywhere... I like the Mary setup as an offroader. If I had the luxury of owning multiple bikes, then a dedicated urban fixie would be great.
A sister for Mary SS
Whatever I got from my Mary SS, it must be contagious because Andrew got one too! Not exactly the same, Andrew chose the Mary XC with a full compliment of 27 gears and front suspension. He also got the bigger size, making my Mary SS look small for once.
Plans are afoot to get ourselves out for a ride together. You can expect a report, pictures, and beaming smiles for weeks when that happens. :)
Gears and suspension... tell him he's soft!
ReplyDeleteThose Haros are nice bikes. I got to see a few at the NZSSC and thought the frame in particular was a lot classier than the GT, Avanti, Kona and Raleigh off-the-shelf singlespeeds. The powder-blue colour is gorgeous.
At the get-across (bridge) rally I actually saw a group of "Hipsters" on fixies riding back into the city. They had the required clothing and I got the impression they were more into the "scene" than the actual cycling component of it all.
The only other fixed gear I have ever seen was last week on the North Shore when a guy past me riding down to Devonport on a beautiful Masi. He didn't say hello of course, must have been a roadie on his day off.