That’s right…I finally said it. I really do miss my singlespeed. Now, to clarify, I don’t particularly miss the Curtlo as much as singlespeeding itself. The Curtlo was an incredible bike built by Doug Curtis. It rode beautifully and one of the best rides I have ever been on was a ss ride on this bike at Tsali with Jason. It was just one of those days where everything was on. I think we did somewhere around 33 miles that day if I remember correctly.
For those of you that don’t know the story, I sold the Curtlo for an engagement ring. Trust me…it was the right move, but since then, my bike big dreams have gotten the best of my head and now my only ride is a 36 lbs rocket that is blogged below. Even if I still had a singlespeed, it would still be the bike that I would ride most of the time. I just have too much fun on that bike to leave it at home.
Where I really miss the singlespeed is on days like today. I really only have time to get in a quick ride at Blankets Creek, and I would love to be able to throw on a simple, light hardtail and just blast around the local trail for a lap or two without having to worry about gears or suspension. There is something really great about the simplicity of a singlespeed. Your mind just kind of wonders off to another place. It is very similar to the way I feel on a great downhill run where all you are thinking about is the trail ahead of you and how to make the best run at it. You aren’t thinking about what gear to be in, where to set the suspension or even how to ride that section…you are just riding as pure as you know how.
It doesn’t have to be a 29er, 26er, rigid, hardtail, steel, aluminum, etc…just a singlespeed with the ability to go fast and carve the corners. Who knows…I just might have one the the near future, but in the meantime…I still really enjoy my heavy ride.