It's August! Riding through the heat.

[north woods gal]

Gosh, no, didn't mean to imply that there's anything wrong or inferior to shifting and having gears on a bike, Crankin. My bad if it came across that way. If anything, we single speeders are the weird ones. Choosing to go single speed in this day and age of truly great shifters and derailleurs is totally a personal call and, yeah, a bit nutty. (As we all know, I'm definitely a bit nutty in a lot of my bicycling preferences in other things too.) No way would I ever try to talk anyone out of giving up their geared bikes for a single speed. Going single has a lot of benefits for my riding, but going single might be a really bad idea for some folks. One of those things you just have to try and see.

As for hills, though, you'd be surprised at just how effective a single speed can be for climbing hills, but you have to carefully get the gear ratio just right for your area and you absolutely have to learn the proper technique for tacking hills with only one gear. Our area is about 85% gentle ups and downs and about 5% really steep climbs and, maybe, 10%, at best, actual flats. Have done every one of those steep hills with one gear, now, and try to include one or two of those hills on every ride for the sake of staying in shape. The gently rolling stuff, though, is a blast with a single speed. Lots of fun. In other words, single speeds are not just for riding the flats.

We're off to the St. Pete's area in Florida, tomorrow, for one week while my DH attends a conference for folks with his disability. I'll be renting a bike and doing some riding in the area, though, as always, I'll have to take what I can get as far as a rental bike and area biking.

[north woods gal]

Good tip, Sheila. Might have to try it. The forecast is for storms all week, down there, but, as always, I'll get out and ride, one way or another.

No, those are a Salsa Bend 2 with 23 degree sweep. Nice and comfortable bar for my trail riding. Have to get a shorter stem, though. Have a 65mm on, now, and just too much reach for me, now, with my preference for riding more upright.