Why would anyone want to ride a single-speed? I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that question in the nearly 15 years that a single-speed mountain bike has been hanging in my stable of bikes. Having been a longtime believer in the KISS design principle, the single-speed beautifully embodies that idea. Wanna go for a ride? Hop on it and go with no worries of shifting issues. Oh no, a hill! Pedal harder or pop-up off of the saddle for a little more power. With little noise and such simplicity, the single-speed is one of my favorite bikes to grab when going for a ride.
After building my first 29er last year, I caught a bad case of the 29er bug. The larger wheels of a 29er—a mountain bike using 29-inch wheels—just handle the rocky trails along the Front Range of Colorado so much better that the 26-inch (26er). The 26er single-speed mountain bike that was hanging in my garage was an older Seven Verve from the mid-1990s. Don’t get me wrong, it was (and still is) a great bike, but the horizontal dropouts along with the 26-inch sized wheels sitting next to my new Moots Mooto X YBB had me longing for something new.
So the search began. Continue reading Review: 2012 Lynskey Ridgeline-29 SL, 29er Titanium Frame