Setting up the Single Speed

OK, so you are ready to turn your bike into a single speed, now what?

Well you can go online to one of many sites: Sheldon Brown being one of the best!  Single Speed Outlaw is not bad either. Unfortunately both of them are apparently afraid of pictures, so we can recommend Google Image Search.

So essentially if you don't have a dedicated Single Speed bike, your biggest problem is chain tension. If you want to benefit most from the single speed fun, you can take your shifters, cables, & derailleurs off and even your small & big chainrings if you have bolts/spacers that will work for the one remaining chainring, but your chain still won't stay where you want it.

Your best quick bet is then to find the gear you want on your cassette (something in the middle). Then we recommend using an old (or your normal) derailleur, with a small piece of a spoke and nipple replacing the cable or a dedicated true chain tensioner. Take as many links out of  the chain as possible still going through your tensioner, and voila you have a Single Speed.

If all else fails, you can just put your bike in a gear you like and wrap about half a roll of duct tape around the shifters making them no longer functional!

Just for a frame of reference, I have recently been riding in the area of the course on a 29er with a 38:20 (55.3 gear inches) gearing, which is about the same as a 32:15 or 34:16 combination on a 26" mountain bike. It's tough on some of the climbs, but fast on everything else.

Good Luck!

Give us a shout if you need help.

-the management

Course layout

Well the course is mostly finalized (but we aren't showing it to you.) 

We will however, update you with the distance and a suggested gearing in a week or two. But for now we can say that it will start with about 5km on asphalt of neutralized / non-racing parade together to get started on the dirt.

It is more than 11/16 single track or other small dirt trail, plus some double track / dirt / gravel forest road.

It was a bit muddy in a couple of spots over the week-end, so we're curious what the weather will bring us.

There are a couple of hills.

One will require running up with your bike a 100m, but pretty much everything else is rideable and fun.

It connects a bunch of trails few people ever set foot or tire on.

It also will pass one point three times, and we'll have a tent set up there, with water and support, and challenges you will have to complete in order to keep riding. 

Feel free to bring a friend to hang out at the two support points.

(Let us know beforehand so we sort out and helpers.)

We can guarantee that you have never ridden this specific course.  And that it will be fun.

That's it for now.

If you haven't already, click on the photo above.

The course is there somewhere.

Bike Brno

So we were at Bike Brno (the central europe bike tradeshow) a week or so ago, spreading the word about the race.

We had pretty good talks with the Park Tool guys at Pedalsport (who had a nice belt drive Norco SS 29er in their booth), the Rebel Bike guy who imports Singular cycles from the UK, the marketing guy from Ultrasport who imports Niner bikes, a polish guy from Kross who had a very pretty steel SS 29er, and the promotions guy at Progress Cycle. Plus a handful of good bike industry publishers and the local Champion Systems folks.

We lined up a solid set of prizes for winners and participants alike.

No one will go home empty handed.

We also brainwashed several bikers to come join us.

(On a side note, we have since arranged for several friend and family volunteers who will be offering riders encouragement as they go by, giving universal support, and organizing the tasks/challenges that all riders will have to complete during the race!)

So post a comment or email us to confirm who's coming.