Singular Cycles

2009-10-09T10:02:00.002+01:00

Racing News

Recent weekends have seen the last couple of outings for Team Singular in mountain bike guise before we delve into the depths of winter, and along with it 'cross. First I had the honour and pleasure of attending Singlespeed Italy in Finale Ligure, which I have to leave for another post the report is so big. Then last weekend was the 2009 running of traditional season closing cold and often wet 12 hour night race Dusk 'til Dawn.

Grant congratulates Steve on a fantastic 2nd place at Dusk 'til Dawn 2009 - Picture ©Andy Armstrong

Thankfully this year's was not wet at all, and only cold in the wee small hours. A bone dry week prior raised everyone's hopes for a dry D2D, in fact there was some concern about excessive dust. Racing for Team Singular were Steve Webb and Grant Taylor - both in the solo men's category. Steve, to the extent he does such things, had mentioned this was one he'd 'like to do quite well in'. He certainly didn't disappoint himself or anyone else on that front.

A wonderful set of photos from Andy Armstrong

We arrived mid-afternoon in an endeavour to be early enough to secure a trackside position for ease of pit-stops and on course heckling. Unfortunately we were nearly early enough and though Grant had arrived a little before use our compound was still not quite trackside. We were also seemingly surrounded by folks who like power so much they need to keep generators running the whole night...

A brief thunderstorm from around 6 lowered spirits and raised worry it would continue all night. It lasted but half an hour, just enough to dampen down the dust and keep things fast and firm. By the time 8pm came around I was ready for bed; and Steve, Grant and around 1000 other people were ready to ride for 12 hours through the night. Thetford is quite flat, but unrelentingly winding. A few roots to keep you on your toes in the middle of the night but nothing too technical. Steve was on a rigid Swift with Reynolds carbon wheels and Dugast tubs, Grant was on a Pegasus also rigid running tubeless Maxxis Crossmark tyres. Both ran a bit bigger gear than normal at 34-16 on the flatter terrain.

After the first few laps Steve came in for his first stop ('stop' meaning quickly guzzling a couple of gels and me cleaning and lubing chain) in fifth position overall and in his words 'not really feeling it'. A quick pep talk from the DS got him back out there but i wasn't sure whether he'd make it through the night.

A while later Grant came back in, and had been doing well up until that point holding down 21st position from 150 solo men. He managed to hide his fury at my mechanical oversight (not having tightened crank bolts sufficiently during my hasty bike build....) and maintained he'd had just about enough after his four laps anyhow.

Steve kept his head down and thankfully no mechanical mishaps were to befall him. Among the soloists Andrew Cockburn and Matt Page had gone out very fast indeed. by mid-way through the eventthey had near on a half hour on Steve, with another two competitors still keeping him in 5th. As is his usual style, he ground out the laps at a relentless tempo. Page was unable to maintain his early blistering speed, and Steve overhauled another two by dawn locking him in a battle for the podium. He kept it on - heading out for his 18th lap a little before 8am. Second place was a well deserved and excellent result. A huge thanks to USE Exposure lights, the Maxx-D and Joystick combination was just perfect.

2009-09-25T16:20:00.002+01:00

Kite 'cross protypes are here

Just before I flew out to Italy for SSIT (more on that later) the Kite prototype frames arrived. Out of the box they looked lovely. No decals as I want to play around with some different colour options They are essentially a lightweight steel 'cross race bike. Canti only, no rack mount, mudguard mounts or other such nonsense - if you want a tourer or commuter buy a Peregrine ;-)

There are a couple of different little touches which set this aside from many 'cross bikes. First, it's singlespeedable by virtue of the old-style semi-horizontal dropouts. Though this one doesn't, some of the prototypes have downtube cable stops, the type which take a threaded barrel adjuster, as well as a stop under the chainstay for the derailleur cable. Most likely production frames will have a similar arrangement.

The rear cantilever brake bosses are also a little different. They are shot through the seat stays to keep the brake arm lower to the stays and thus reduce torsional flex on the stays and therefore improve braking. Plus they are nice and low profile and look good.

The finishing is pretty close to what I envisage for production frames. The main frame colour could be a shade darker grey, and the downtube panel I think should be closer to black with a stronger pink logo. And of course it will get it's own Kite headtube badge, a left-over Peregrine is shown here.

I've only had a short spin on mine and intitial impressions are very good. Stiff, light and fast. Steering is very responsive without being twitchy, and it still feels good at speed. We have four of these in the UK and two in the US (Wisconsin and San Francisco) which will be getting to various 'cross races and rides over the winter. Testing all being well it's then likely we'll have these ready for production next year.

2009-08-18T11:33:00.005+01:00

Brighton Big Dog 6 hour

Photo thanks to Brighton MBC via picasa

The Brighton Big Dog is a new race for 2009, held through the sumptuous singletrack of Stanmer Park in Brighton on the south coast. A group of friends saw a gap for something like this in the area and pulled it off like seasoned event organising pros. The only thing they didn't quite manage was the weather, though it did remain dry.

I got down on Friday evening to the designated camping area (unfortunately a few miles distant from the race venue) to find the usual suspects already well settled with the mandatory pre-race barbeque and a few cold ones. My very quick camp setup which consisted basically of getting the esky out and clearing enough crawlspace in the van to sleep in. Relatively early night around midnight. A fitful, contorted night's sleep in the van ensued, wishing I'd dragged the box of seven half Peregrines (don't ask...) outside as well. I eventually did that at around 6am. Tasty bacon and egg roll in the morning along with fresh espresso, voltarol ideal race preparation. Got to the course around 10 to get ready for a midday start, PhillyD kindly assisting in setting up the stand. Had a good number of nice looking bikes there, three Swift SS's, two Hummingbirds (one SS 69er rigid, one geared and suspended) and my Gryphon. Quite a bit of interest in the bikes though we weren't in quite the ideal spot.

My expectations for the race itself were low as I'd not been feeling brilliant over the week - back not great, Dave the Ringer was an unknown quantity, and we had no Steve. We were to take on the open trio class, no singlespeed specific category. Issues with the PA system meant the race kicked off at 12.30 rather than the intended 12, handy in the end to have another half hour to get ready. It had been a little cool all morning, overcast though thankfully rain didn't look likely. Dom struck out for a blazing first lap, coming through probably top 15 overall in a 38 minute lap. His pace caught me on the hop as I had no gloves or helmet on, so just grabbed everything without thinking and headed off. Forgetting someone had taken my Swift for a spin and had dropped the saddle a good couple of inches. Due to my hasty depart, I'd not got a multitool with me either. So I did quite a bit of standing up over the course of the lap.

Out of the start area after a bit of flattish field you were straight into a pretty monster climb, long drag which then became singletrack climbing, eased off for a little bit then a short flat section of tighter stuff, then more climbing. It was a tough start to a lap. Then there was some really brilliant singletrack (well all of it on the course was great) nice fast downhills, a few roots to keep you on your toes, but most of it just perfectly packed sticky loamy soil that you could really just rail around, brilliant. The course ended up needing to be diverted due to wasps (many people stung on first lap) and made for a savage little climb virtually unrideable on a SS. Everything else was doable if you were feeling good. I was feeling only OK so walked a few sections. Back was pretty sore for the first one. It was around the 43 minute mark, well off Dom's pace... Hand over to Dave who'd never ridden big wheels previously and is at best an occasional singlespeeder so this was new territory for him. Didn't hold him back from putting in a 40 minute lap though.

Dom flew around for another and before you know it I'm out on the course again. Back felt much better second time out. Seat at correct height felt much better as well... We managed to avoid any flats or mechanicals and kept putting in steady laps without thinking of the overall race at all. Just enjoying the fantastic trails, great atmosphere, and friendly competition. My last lap I was feeling much better, the painkillers had really kicked in now and I had a strange sensation that my legs were really tired but I couldn't hurt them, back was not sore either. So I grunted up a few climbs I hadn't expected to, and was hoping to get back in enough time for us to get another lap in, but I was still a few minutes slow for that. Fortunate really as neither Dom or Dave were ready to go out anyhow.

In the end Dom and I did three, Dave two - all going a pretty solid pace and no major mishaps. Having not been paying any attention at all to where we were placed, so very pleasantly surprised to find ourselves in fourth at the wrap up. Seeing in the results that we were only 1 minute off third made me really rue that muffed first change and seat height mishap. The prize-giving ceremony was good fun, I was surprised to be called to the mtb style five placing podium, which I had to take to myself Dom and Dave already having headed off to attend to familial duties. I'd donated a frame as a prize for the event which was originally intended to be for the fastest singlespeed lap, though as there was no SS category it ended up a random prize draw. This was lucky really as Dom probably would have won it. Instead it went to a most deserving Nicky Hughes who'd placed third in the women's solo category and we'll be sorting a new Hummingbird frame for her shortly.

As a rarity among many events which are organised now by profit making companies, the Big Dog crew took the very generous and enlightened step of taking any profit they'd cleared from the event and sticking it behind the bar at a beach-front pub in Brighton. Unfortunately we had to head back to the campsite before going in to town so missed much of the free beer. In hindsight I shouldn't have been surprised how quickly thirsty mountain bikers can drink £1100 worth of booze, but I was at the time and only got one beer from it. Still, one free beer is better than no free beer.

Many thanks to Rory, Oli and all the other orgnisers and helpers in putting on what was the standout event of the year for me - and I've been to a few this summer.

2009-08-06T11:48:00.005+01:00

For Sale - Large Singular Peregrine tourer

Large Singular Peregrine frame which I built up for myself to tour on. This is really my dream touring build, but it's something I just don't get the chance to do enough of to justify a bike like this. It is in essentially mint condition, been ridden no more than 200 miles in total. Couple of very minor scratches to paintwork, nothing drastic. Viewing/test riding possible, I'm in Hertfordshire near Hemel Hempstead. Spent well over two grand, looking for £1400. Bags not included. If you don't want the dyno hub and lights that'd drop off a bit of money and we can sort something else out with front wheel.

This is the build list;
frameset Singular Peregrine Large
headset Velo Orange
bottom bracket Campagnolo chorus
cranks Campagnolo Record 180mm 39-50
rear hub White Industries
front hub Schmidt SON dyno
spokes DT Swiss 14/15 Competition
rims Mavic A317 disc silver
tyres Schwalbe Stelvio 700x28
cassette Shimano XT 8speed 12-28
chain SRAM PC 78
brake/gr lvrs Campagnolo Centaur
brake calipers Avid BB7 road
rear derailleur Shimano Dura Ace
front derailleurShimano 105
Seatpost Nitto
seat Brooks B17 Champion special
stem Velo Orange
bars Nitto Randonneur 48cm
bar tape Brooks leather
mudguards Gilles Berthoud Stainless
mudflap Gilles Berthoud leather
lights Supernova E3 front and rear
bell Japanese brass on HS spacer
rear rack Velo orange steel
front rack Nitto

More pics here

2009-08-03T12:11:00.004+01:00

Bontrager Twentyfour12

Racebike - seemed like a good idea at the time...

As a teenager obsessed with mountain bikes growing up in rural Australia my exposure to the wider world of mountain biking was for some time almost entirely through magazines, predominantly British ones. Names like Newnham Park therefore carry for me more than a hint of glory, now faded much like those old pages of Mountain Biker International. I'd never been to the Bontrager 24/12 before though had heard good things. So I was glad things worked in order to make it down this year. In so far as I have such things pertaining to racing, I had 24/12 in mind as something of a goal for this season, racing with Steve as a pair in the 12 hour race. Team racer Grant Taylor and friend from Velo Club Moulin Dean Taylor (unrelated in most respects) were facing off against us.

Due to motorway blockages and other annoyances Grant and I ended up travelling down together, and I was glad for the company. Plus I could get in some early heckling and try to undermine his confidence. When we arrived a little after nine we were glad to see Steve and Lorraine had already snagged us a nice little area adjacent to the course. Quickly threw up the easy up and settled in for a few quiet ones before sleep. We heard loud music just up the way, thought we should investigate. Of course it was the Trek 69er boys, which immediately meant any hope of starting with a clear head had been dashed.

Bikes at the ready

We were treated to what felt like a pleasant spring day, which given recent conditions was considered pretty good despite this being midsummer. The plan was to start off doing double laps and see how it went from there, with the underlying assumption Steve would probably need to pick up some of my considerable slack somwhere along the way. I was on a rigid Swift SS with the ultra fancy new Reynolds carbon rimmed Dugast tubular shod wheels. Steve was on the Pegasus with a suspension fork and Maxxis Crossmarksrunning tubeless.

As ever, Mr Webb got us off to a flying start, coming in around top 15 overall and I think second in our category after his two laps. I was feeling pretty good on my first lap and was getting along strongly on the second when the inevitable happened on one of the fast descents and I punctured. Thankfully it went down slowly and I could continue riding a little, but eventually went completely flat. I was prepared for this eventuality by way of a sealing CO2 cannister. Unfortunately unloading this only resulted in the valve extender coming apart and blowing off with sealant spraying everywhere... I wasn't prepared to sacrifice a £300 rim and €100 tyre to carry on, so I walked enough of the course until I was close to camp, went and grabbed another front wheel and off I went. The course was good fun (though perhaps not the most singlespeed friendly) and the whole venue and organisation was top notch.

An unwelcome grind after the road climb - Photo thanks to Raluca

I finished the lap but was feeling quite dejected by the end of it - the wind had left my sails a bit as well as my tyres. Steve of course was still up for it though and cranked out three solid laps in a row. Off I went again and by the end of the first lap I was already feeling a bit flat, I stopped for a bit of a breather and something to eat, it was a struggle to make myself go back out again, I really wasn't on great form. Nevertheless I headed out for one more, though it wasn't a quick one. I knew when I got back I didn't really want to go out again - after all we do this for fun and I wasn't having any... Steve got a couple more in then retired for some barbeque and beer at about 9pm. In retrospect you think 'only' three hours to go, but at the time there was just no way. It's been a busy season and just a fun race hanging out with friends and yelling at those still riding was perhaps what we needed.

2009-07-16T09:30:00.008+01:00

Big Update

Many people have been waiting for the arrival of the latest batch of production Swifts and Hummingbirds. I'm glad to say that finally they are here. Unfortunately they arrived at 4.30pm the afternoon before the inaugural Singletrack Classic Weekender which we were sponsoring, and was the start of 8 days away riding then racing again the following weekend at 10 at Kirroughtree for Steve and me. That meant I was unable to ship anything prior to the trip, however this week has been manic with getting frames prepped and out - I've nearly cleared the back log. So to cram all of these happenings in to one blog update...

Picture thanks to Trev.

The Singletrack Classic Weekender

This was probably the event I'd been looking forward to most for the whole season, I wasn't disappointed. Going back to the old days where racing would consist of competition across a variety of mountain bike disciplines, riders were required to complete 'classic' trials, downhill, and cross country to be considered for the overall. The format obviously appealed to many as the first running saw over 200 people entered. It seemed many more were intrigued but a little put off by mention of trials and downhill - they need not have been - it was nothing to concern anyone used to regular mountain biking. That's not to say it wasn't a challenge. I cleared four of the five trials sections and lost 20-something seconds in the DH meaning I would start with a 3 minute handicap in the XC. Steve unfortunately punctured in the downhill early on, though incredibly still ran the course in under 2.30 meaning a 5 minute penalty in the XC. There was a wonderful friendly atmosphere, great barbequing, more than a few beers, and an enormous bonfire - what more could you want? The XC was not easy - both because of the toughness of the course and the state of most of the competitors' heads. Through the first lap I wasn't sure I was going to make it for three, but somehow managed to grit it out and held on for 21st overall (3rd in the 'industry challenge'. Steve (as expected) did significantly better. He pulled back 3 minutes of his 5 handicap, finishing up just off the podium in fourth. A decent DH would have almost certainly got him the win, but that's racing. Thanks to the Singletrack team and all the volunteers who made it all happen.

A week away

Our kindly friends the Forresters (Kirsty had taken the women's category at the Weekender) put us up for a couple of nights to rest, recouperate, and sample some of the riding delights Calderdale has to offer. After going to visit the boys at Singletrack HQ, the impressively hirsute Ed Oxley of Great Rock generously offered to show us around some trails out of Hebden Bridge. We had a lovely few hours out, managing to time our pub stop perfectly with a deluge - thanks Ed! On the way back into Hebden Ed, Steve and Dom took on the steps of death, I was happy to take on filming duties...

The next day we'd planned a big long one heading out from Bingley. It wasn't quite so big as intended due to cumulative tiredness and general ennui, but we still managed 30 miles or so interspersed with pub stops more or less coinciding with intermittent downpours.

Wednesday we headed yet further north, about as north as you can go and still be in England. We stopped in at Rothbury to meet with Tim at Northumberland Bike Breaks and get some guidance and maps to our planned overnight stop at a rescue hut in the wilds a long way from anywhere. We didn't head off until about 6pm, but a few hours riding got us to our target just before sunset. Really wonderful to be such a long way from civilisation, it's been a long time since I've felt that.

10 at Kirroughtree

Thanks to further hospitality from friends we came back to civilisation in Edinburgh where we were able to shower and sort ourselves out before 10 hours of racing at Kirroughtree. Well, 10 hours between three of us - Dom was making the trip up with Dean for some Bongo loving. We didn't really know what to expect in terms of course or competition, so Steve and I headed out for a feel out lap. I also wanted to try out my intended race bike with the new ultra-flash carbon wheels and Dugast tubular tyres (more thoughts on that here) to see if I thought they were up to what was reputed to be a quite rocky course - I decided they were.

Despite predictions of rain beginning anywhere between 10am and 4pm, it dawned bright and sunny and stayed that way the whole day. The organisation was low key but efficient, and there was a good turnout with over 500 competitors. Continuing with our established fastest to slowest running order Steve headed out first. He led proceedings for much of the first lap but unfortunately derailed a chain on the final descent. Nevertheless he came through the first transition in first place in around 45 minutes. Dom then went out and came back 50 minutes later, and I did much the same (something of a surprise as Dom is usually a few minutes quicker than me - the wheels worked! :-) Having the EZ up set up close to the transition area made handovers a breeze, and we kept on churning out quick laps. I unfortunately broke a chain (first time that's happened for years) 2/3rds of the way through my second lap which cost a few minutes, but we were still well placed in third overall (no SS cat) mid-way through the race, less than 10 minutes down on the leaders. Dean and Dr Jon of Velo Club Moulin plus our host of earlier in the week Craig were all riding solo and each put in a fine performance - 5th, 9th, and 15th respectively I believe.

Hummingbird takes 650b

Marty our new North American dealer at The Prairie Peddler being the inquisitive chap he is thought the clearances on the Hummingbird looked quite generous so thought he'd try fitting in some 650b wheels. It's tight but they fit!

2009-06-22T17:12:00.008+01:00

Team Singular wins Mountain Mayhem singlespeed category

This year we really wanted it, the '08 running saw us edged out by the Trek 69er squad and some muffed handovers through a wet and mucky night. Adam's expecting wife meant he was replaced by Grant in our highest profile race of the season. We had some (quite literally) brilliant custom lights from USE Exposure, and fantastic Maxxis tyres courtesy of the folks at MMA sports - many thanks to Rory and Andy respectively. Steve was clearly on fantastic form, Dom always goes fast, and Grant and I would give it our all.

The lights all ready to go from USE

Our local man on the ground Jason went over during the week to secure us a nice spot alongside the course which gave us a good vantage point and also allowed us to know when we needed to head up to the changeover area. The team all arrived in good time on Friday evening which gave us the chance to barbeque, have a few beers and catch up a bit.

Having endured the quagmire of the past two Mayhems everyone was wishing for a dry one and indeed the days prior seemed to promise that. So it was with a little trepidation we retired on Friday night with raindrops pattering on our rooves. Thankfully rising proved it wasn't too heavy and strong wind plus intermittent sunshine and 2,500 riders going over the course conspired to dry things out quite quickly.

The bikes are ready

Steve being our fastest rider and best and most enthusiastic runner took on the Le Mans start and did us more than proud by finishing the run in seventh place - then following it up with a blistering 41 minute lap to put us in the top 20 overall from the start.

We swapped off riders every lap until it got dark when we kicked off the doubles, meaning we'd already done three each by that point. As expected, Steve kept churning them out, the fantastic USE lights turning night into day meaning he was still running around 47 minutes for his night laps. Unfortunately Dom then got the worst of a bit of a shower which quickly made certain sections of the course very slimy indeed. It was still pretty slick when I head out for my doubles at about 3.30am. I'd only managed about an hour's sleep, but felt OK for around 1 & 2/3 laps. I felt lucky at that point - glad to be out on the course during that magical time as the sun comes up.

Felix (Dom's son) gives the bikes a final check over

However coming up the final long climb I suddenly had no power left and the slightest incline forced my off the bike and walking. People I'd passed suddenly went zooming past. I was reduced to asking passersby if they had any gels or even water left as by that point my stores were depleted externally as well as internally. For a moment I even contemplated the prospect of the shortest route back to camp or at least a brief lie-down in the grass trackside. Thankfully Rory from USE came past and provided the motivation for me to push on to the top - from where it was more or less dowhill all the way to the end. Then handing over to Grant (who'd said prior 'I'm your man just to keep churning out the night laps when the going gets nasty') said, "I don't think I should do a double, it might take ages like yours did, tell Steve to be ready in an hour

And of course he was. I thankfully got a little more sleep, Steve and Dom kept flying around, Grant and I kept plodding, and when we we'd all had enough Steve even put in a double to finish - none of his having taken more than 50 minutes

In the end Steve did nine, Dom seven, Grant and I six each - 28 total. We were over a lap up on the next singlespeed team, and finished 8th overall in the sport teams category. Thanks to all those who gave us shouts of encouragement along the way.

Dom

Grant

Steve

Sam

2009-06-15T09:12:00.002+01:00

Steve Webb wins Bristol Bikefest 12hr Solo SS

Steve splattered and shattered after 12 gruelling hours at Bristol - photo Steve Makin

Last weekend was a big one racing for the Singular crew. A split in the ranks saw Grant and I head to North Yorkshire for this year's running of SSUK, while Steve and Dom were supposed to be racing at the Bristol Bikefest 12 as a pair. Last minute family illness meant Dom couldn't make it, so Steve stepped up and rode the solo category. Churning out consistent 30-35 minute laps saw him take the SS category win by nearly half an hour with 18 laps. His effort effectively put him third amongst all solo competitors as well. At least I know if I fall apart at Mayhem next weekend Steve can just keep going...

Grant and I didn't do quite so well in Dalby, but being at the front of the pack is not really what SSUK is all about. We had a great time, met up with some old friends, made some new, and just enjoyed a wonderfully put together weekend. As usual I put up a frame in the gift-giving ceremony, this one for the kids. Under 15's were invited to put their drinking skills to the test by downing 500ml of vitamin water as quickly as they could. Niall narrowly eeked out the win and though close to being ill after it was delighted with his new Hummingbird frame.

2009-05-14T15:52:00.004+01:00

Lotts Wood Round 1 to Singular

Summit MTB, a club local to us, puts on a series of races over the summer every third Wednesday evening. Last night saw the running of the first in that series. They make excellent use of a small piece of forestry comission land with a tight and winding course which gets more technical the faster you ride it. Steve Webb rode it at a fearsome pace and in doing so became the first singlespeed rider ever to take the overall win in these races. Incredibly the next two places were also on singlespeeds, Phil Moore and Dean Taylor of Velo Club Moulin. The boys were really flying at the front, though Steve ultimately put nearly two minutes into Phil over the course of the 55 minute race. I was sitting in fourth when one of the local flinty rocks made its way through my sidewall ending my day. We'll certainly be there for the rest of this great little series, if you want to make it along and perhaps even borrow a bike for a spin just drop us a line.

2009-05-12T07:39:00.002+01:00

Twittering

For those who really can't get enough Singular news, I've begun a Twitter account. While my ramblings here at least make some attempt at coherent prose, in keeping with this new wave of communicative development my twitter will offer you short vignettes of whatever I might happen to be up to at the time (bike related of course, I won't be posting what I had for breakfast...).

follow singularcycles at http://twitter.com

2009-05-11T14:00:00.006+01:00

Lots of news

As ever, lots of things happening in these parts. The new jerseys we had in have now all sold though there will be more on the way. Couple of minor tweaks to the design for these ones. Stefano from biciclista.it who manufacture the jerseys was at EHBE over the weekend with the new samples. We should have these in stock again in a couple of weeks - apologies to those who missed out.

Stefano modelling his creation - a fine figure of a man

The new batch of Swifts and Hummingbirds is in the final stages of paint and should leave Taiwan this week. We will see them here roughly three weeks after that all being well with shipping and customs. Those who have pre-ordered will see their frames a bit more quickly as they are being air-freighted.

In racing news the Gorrick 100 Enduro was held a couple of weeks back and once again Steve Webb put in a sterling performance to come home in fifth in the blue riband seven lap category. This was despite a second lap puncture which cost around five minutes. Without that misfortune he'd almost certainly have been nipping at the heels of the podium.

A recent trip to Afan forest with all the gang in honour of Adam's impending deportation to Australia

I've succumbed to some of the whims of fashion and kitted a bike out with some white bits to complement the startlingly white Reba I've been using for a while. It's come together pretty nicely both in terms of style and performance.

2009-04-28T15:19:00.004+01:00

New clothes and more

We've recently hooked up with biciclista to produce some Singular branded clothing for us. It's all really beautiful gear made to the highest standards in Italy. We have caps (one size fits most) at £13 each and jerseys at £55 each. They are not cheap but are top quality and unfortunately thats just the economies of doing small runs of custom clothing. Anyhow the results are fantastic - so if you want the clothes to match your bike just send me an email.

The last post mentioned Steve Webb's dominating win in the last round of the Gorrick spring series, and the fact he took out 2nd overall. Here's a nice podium shot.

2009-04-20T07:03:00.005+01:00

Another Win for Steve - Second Overall in Gorrick Masters Series

Things have been a little hectic at Singular HQ; a house move and lots of new frames on the way, plus trying to make the most of decent spring weather and get some riding and racing in. Yesterday was the last race of the Gorrick Spring series. Singular's man Steve Webb did us very proud by winning the last race of the series by a huge margin of over 3 minutes. I didn't make it as the previous night was a bit of a housewarming bash at our new place - Steve's restraint when faced with a fridge full of beer paid off.

Taking him to victory and consolidating second overall in the series was his prototype Singular Pegasus singlespeed. A special build with light Stans 355 rimmed wheels, Racing Ralph tyres, other decently light parts bringing the package in at a hair over 19lbs.

Finished some interesting builds lately as well. A couple of Alfine projects which took a while to get together but the results I think being worth it.

First is a special Peregrine built for the back tracks of Uganda. Rory came to me wanting something sturdy enough for his rounds out of the bush hospital in which he works; low maintenance, but still with some classic style. The result was a build aound a Shimano Alfine internally geared hub, Nitto cruiser bars and some fairly standard parts so as not to break the bank. More pictures here.

Previous to that I finished another custom build around an Alfine hub - Peter basically wanted the worlds toughest road bike. This was built around one of the few remaining Gryphon sample frames, the internal gear hub, and the newly released J-Tek shifter designed for use with an Alfine hub and drop bars. I was really impressed with both the finish and function of the shifter, highly recommended for Alfine/Nexus hubs with drop bars.

2009-03-05T10:22:00.003Z

More racing and new jerseys

Round three of the Gorrick spring series was run in lovely spring conditions at the original Gorrick venue of Crowthorne Wood. As per usual, us Masters set off at 9.45 the weather cool but the fun, winding course in excellent condition. Also as usual, Steve blasted off at the front of the pack, settling in at the back of a leading group of four riders for the first two of three laps. On the final he picked off a couple of riders to give him second on the finish line, and the same spot in the series.

Photo thanks to Joolzedymond.com

Dom unfortunately couldn't make it this week, and neither Grant nor I were able to sufficiently fill the hole left by his absence - both coming in with mid-pack finishes. The number 1 board is a result of having a surname starting with A rather than series standing... It's early days yet though and both of us felt a lot better this weekend than the prior round. Now the sun is shining occasionally a few more training miles should see some improvement.

The jersey I'm wearing in the photo above is a sample of a batch we will soon have in. The colours need to be tweaked a little but they are very high quality Italian made jerseys, plus they have a few nice extra little details which weren't on the first jerseys. We should have these available for sale in a month or so.

2009-02-17T19:51:00.003Z

Steve Webb storms to victory in Gorrick Round 2 for Singular

Singular race team '09 officially kicked off last Sunday at the always well attended Gorrick series - this round being held on the excellent Tunnel Hill course in Surrey. Postponed from the prior weekend due to excess snow and ice, it was impressive to see how good shape the course was in. Steve, Dom, Grant and I lined up in the Masters category at the ungodly time of 9.45. Being the early bird that he is, Steve shot from the start line with all the fast boys, with Dom not far behind him. Part way through the first lap he hit the front, and never looked back. A commanding lead stretched out to over three minutes by the end of the race - at a pace which would have garnered probably top 5 in the Elite category. Steve was on board a Swift SS nicely decked out with a selection of light but solid parts. The course was really ideal for a rigid singlespeed.

Dom Perry had the misfortune of breaking his chain at the end of lap 2, unfortunately surrendering fifth place in the process. A strong ride up to that point certainly bodes well for the season ahead however - someone just needs to have words with his mechanic.... Again he was on a rigid singlespeed Swift, this time a converted geared frame using a half link - it was the half link that failed. We'll have him on a proper SS frame for the next round. Though the burnt orange with silver parts and white saddle and grips did look cool.

Grant and myself were further toward the back of the pack, I just snuck into the top 30 by race end, while Mr Taylor suffered a bio-mechanical and was a few minutes further back. I was on board my prototype Ti Pegaus, also rigid with my favourite drop bars but running a 5 speed cassette out the back rather than the usual single cog. This was largely due to the recent failure of the Exzentricker bottom bracket unit and needing to get something to the line. It worked very well and with the shape I'm in at the moment I was thankful for a couple of gears.

Pictures © Joolze Dymond

2009-02-04T22:07:00.006Z

For those who may have checked this blog previously, this post marks the start of a slightly new direction. As I've now become slightly more proficient with using the software to edit the website proper, I will be using that forum to provide business related updates pertaining to new models, production schedules, parts availability and the like. This blog will become a little more like what a blog is 'supposed' to be and provide some day to day updates as to what's been happening, what's coming up, and thoughts and ideas for the future.

On that note, I'll share a few pics and background on a new build I put together on my Pegasus Ti frame. In general I've really been loving this frame, its recent guise as 'beefy' hardtail with flat bars, 120mm through axle suspension fork and strong wheels with chunky tyres was a revelation. Still coming in just over 22lbs (singlespeed) it was so confident through nastier stuff as to be a little dangerous in that it encouraged you to ride beyond your skills. In its new get-up it's back to being lightning fast and wanting your attention to tame it. The quite short On-One rigid carbon fork is back on there, some of my favourite midge bars, and (heaven forbid) some gears! Not many though, just a 5 speed controlled by a bar end shifter. As my local riding often takes me on a mix of everything from road to fairly tight trails a few gears can be nice - especially for someone just trying to get back in to shape. It's only 5 speed as it's on a DT singlespeed hub, the five middle cogs of a 9 speed cassette fit nicely and give a good selection of gears for general pottering. 34 up front and 15-27 (I think) on the back.

It's come together really nicely and weighs around 21lbs as it sits with cross tyres. The first real outing was a wander around our local woods a couple of days ago. I rose early to see a blanket of snow outside. Eager to get out and play in the white stuff I grabbed the pegasus and headed out.

Making your own tracks in fresh fallen snow has got to be one of life's great joys, whether you are on skis or a bike.

That's not the front gate of the Singular world headquarters....

DIY deep section rims!

I ride on snow irregularly so it always takes some time to gain confidence in the surprising amount of traction you can get in dry fresh-fallen snow. Once I did though it didn't take long to realise that this bike in this configuration is an absolute rocket. I think I'll race it this weekend at the Gorrick.

Apologies the photos are so poor, they were taken on my phone (the so-so camera being the one downside of my otherwise wonderful new E71) I will have to get some nice ones with the good camera.

Sam

2008-11-03T16:49:00.003Z

Dealer news

Following on from a hugely successful Cycle '08 at Earl's Court we have a few new dealers on board.

Ahoj češi! Rebel Bike in Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic are now stocking Singulars. I'm extremely happy about this as I have strong ties to the Czech Republic myself, having lived there for a few years before moving to the UK, and my partner being Czech. They are a great little shop with a big online presence, drop in and say hi to Zdeněk and the guys and check out some of our bikes. They have a couple of demos built up they'll be happy to let you take for a spin as well.

Up until now we've not had any UK dealers between London and Dumfires, having Longstaff Cycles in Stoke on Trent on board changes that. They are an extremely well regarded shop and frame builder with a wealth of experience and knowledge. We're delighted to have them as part of the Singular family. Located right next to the Peak District they'll be a great location for taking a test bike out as well.

The Netherlands has been one of the great success markets for Singular to date, thanks to Jelle at singlespeed.nl who's been doing a great job via his online store. However one of my main goals in building the dealer network is to put my bikes in a retail space so that people can see, feel and try before they buy. Therefore I'm very pleased to say that Bike 2 Build, the premier cycle retailer in the country, is now carrying Singulars. They have two retail stores, one in Vlaardingen, and the other in Ermelo.

Cheers, met vriendlijke groet, and na shledanou!

Sam

2008-11-03T16:24:00.004Z

Smaller Gryphons prototypes in!

I had the first Gryphon built over a year ago really just as something I wanted to ride myself. Basically just took the Swift and gave it a few tweaks to make it rigid specific and drop specific. I loved riding it and people kept saying they liked it as well so finally I had a few more prototypes made up in smaller sizes. A couple of folk around the traps are riding them, Dom left me in his dust (or rather mud spray) on Saturday aboard one and seemed to be liking it, Stu's been liking it so much he left it in a tree... Anyhow, as I'm about to order a batch of new stock I'll get some of these in as well - should be here Feb-March.

2008-10-15T17:09:00.003+01:00

A little while between posts as things have been rather busy getting new prototypes in and sorting out everything for my stand at the London Cycle Show which was held last weekend. The show itself went very well with many people making favourable comments on the bikes. A few sales have come from the show directly and we also picked up a couple of new distributors, more on that shortly. We had a nice little spot, possibly one of the smallest stands at the show but located right alongside the BMX display. So whenever that happened we'd be swamped by a horde of people shortly thereafter.

The Peregrines certainly attracted the most attention over the course of the show, though there was also a suspicious patch of drool left in front of the Ti Pegasus sample as below.

A huge thanks to Adam for helping out on the stand, giving up a weekend on which we saw possibly the last sunny weather of the year. Also to Steve for bringing to reality my very vague conception of what the stand would look like. Can't forget Andy either, who pulled together some lovely looking product sheets at the final hour.

Just in the nick of time the final prototypes of the Gryphon arrived in some smaller sizes. They're looking really fantastic and judging from the reception both they and the 26/69 Hummingbird received both will be going in to production shortly.

Thanks to singletrackworld.com for the pics, none of the ones I took turned out to well...

2008-09-04T10:23:00.004+01:00

SSWC '08 - The Report

Smooth dustiness at Anadel - Santa Rosa. Photo Deano T

The trans-global sideshow that is the singlespeed worlds this year headed to Napa, California for the first stop back on US soil for three years. Where the social element is nearly as important as the riding, singlespeed events tend to have a more relaxed atomosphere than those which allow our geared brethren. That was under threat this year before the event even got underway. Being held in a populous area of the heart of mountain biking, there were always going to be more people who wanted to attend than there were slots available for. Some controversy surrounded the entry process, but in the end there was a great crowd of people there who were very much in the spirit of the event.

Evening BBQ at the Wine Valley Lodge. Photo Simon D Barnes

I managed to get some riding in pretty much every day I was there, which after all was the purpose of the trip. Skeggs, Tamarancho, Anadel, Napa Skyline, Mt Tam, it was just an incredible treat to be riding such iconic trails in hot sunny weather in great company. Most of the UK contingent arrived at the Wine Valley Lodge on the Friday before race weekend. Having travelled over myself, it was really quite bizzare to see so many familiar faces. There were probably about 30 UK folk staying at the same place, along with a few Aussies, Canadians, and even some Americans thrown in. The hotel was one of those classic US style motels with ground level rooms ringing a pool and bbq area in the middle. It felt like being on a movie set, in fact I had that feeling for much of the trip. I guess my sole impressions of the US being formed via film and television that's to be expected.

Dust lines Photo Deano T

So to the race itself. I hadn't pre-ridden the course, there being too many other options to spend two days riding in the same place. Some had though, and returned with tales of 2 hour laps in 50 degree heat. I was a little worried. What seemed an uncivilised 10am start was in the end a sensible decision as the temperatures rose. We began with an opening half-lap loop, then it was to be three laps of the course proper. The course itself was excellent, the many (for me) pushing sections punctuated by some sublime smooth flowing sections, along with a few more testing rocky ledgy bits.

Team GB readying for the off. Photo Simon D Barnes

There was quite a bit of this

Thankfully broken up by a fair bit of this

I was somewhere around the middle I guess when I decided to call it a day after two laps. At the time it seemed like a good idea given the heat and the attractiveness of the paddling pool full of ice and beer, though in hindsight I regret not having forced myself out for another. Nevermind, there's always next year in Durango!

2008-09-03T13:33:00.003+01:00

Peregrine in Touring Trim

I posted some shots previously of the Peregrine in singlespeed monstercross mode, so here are a few showing a different side of its personality, set up for touring/commuting duty. We've had quite a few of these go out already within just a couple of weeks of their arrival, and people seem quite pleased so far.

2008-09-03T09:53:00.004+01:00

Here are a few more shots of the Pegasus as it was built and ridden over in California for SSWC and a bit of riding either side. I'm really enjoying riding it so far, very light and climbs like a rocket. Quite stiff but retaining that nice springy Ti feeling.

2008-08-09T16:57:00.005+01:00

Lots of new stuff happening lately here at Singular, production Peregrines just need to clear customs and they will be with us in the next few days. Last week saw the arrival of the Hummingbird samples, and today I just built up the first of our Pegasus titanium samples. Below are a couple of pics and a little more info.

Singular Pegasus

I've wanted to do a Ti frame for quite some time. For me, it's the ultimate frame material; light, strong, won't corrode, and has a wonderful ride. As we also know, it's also expensive, and it hadn't been a high priority when getting the company started. However I spoke to a few different manufacturers who worked in Ti, and finally arrived on one to produce a few samples. They took some time to reach production, though I have to say the wait seems well worth it. The finished product is beautiful, construction and weld quality very high.

Geometry is essentially the same as the Swift, though clearly with tubing profiles appropriate to the material. We'll do some testing of these, and all being good will put together a small production run before the end of the year. Weight of this large size frame is 1530g, the medium is 1440g.

Singular Hummingbird

Since we first released the Swift 18 months ago, people were immediately asking "will you do a 26" wheeled version"? I'm a great believer in the benefits of 29" wheels, though for those shorter in stature maneuverability may be reduced, and steering geometry must be compromised to work with available suspension forks without toe overlap. The Hummingbird is intended for people under about 5'8" who begin to run into some of these issues on a pure 29" wheeled frame. The twist here is that although the frame is designed for use with 26" wheels and a 100-120mm suspension fork, it can also be used with a 29" front wheel and dedicated rigid fork with a lot of offset. This gives many of the benefits of a 29" bike, but brings back maneuverability for shorter people thanks to shorter chainstays and wheelbase. The intention is to produce these in a 22.5" and 23.3" ETT.

SSWC 2008

The Singlespeed World Championships is drawing near, only a couple of weeks until one gear enthusiasts from all over the world descend on Napa Valley, California. I've very glad that again Singular Cycles are sponsoring the event, so one lucky person will be taking a Singular Swift SS frameset home with them. I'm also glad I'll be getting over there in person, not for as long as I might have liked, but I hope long enough for some California sunshine...

2008-07-04T23:45:00.004+01:00

Finally, the Peregrines are here! Well at least some of them.... When I got news from our manufacturer last week that they were all finished painting and ready to ship I threw caution and cash to the wind to get a few air-freighted over in advance of the main shipment. All I can say is that at least from my perspective the wait has been well worth it - they look simply beautiful, and the ride is all I'd hoped for. Getting this frameset to production has been a huge amount of work, a lot of revisions and adaptations along the way. I just noted that out initial prototypes were received over a year ago, so this really has taken a while to get off the ground. Production frames are now due to be here in the last week of July, so all of those who have pre-orders in don't have too much longer to wait. I will continue to offer the pre-order special of 10% off with £100 down for the next couple of weeks, see the bikes page for details. The tyre clearance has also worked out well for the production frames, as per the pics below, a Python 2.0 will fit in the rear, and a Racing Ralph 2.25 in the front - proper 29er tyres. Clearance is certainly not huge with these tyres in though - summer only... However with slightly narrower tyres clearance is more than adequate, and 38mm touring tyres and mudguards will not be a problem.

2008-06-12T11:44:00.006+01:00

Last weekend saw a fairly impromptu, short notice Singular pairs team head over to the Bristol Bikefest. Much fretting over what had been a fairly dismal weather forecast over the preceeding days turned out to be for nought and bright sunny weather covered perfectly tacky trails. 12 hours over a quite rooty, rutted course was always going to take its toll when aboard a rigid bike, though we'd hoped to make a slightly better fist of it than we did. As it was, we rode in earnest for about 7 hours, took a break for about 2.5 hours, then each came back for another couple of laps. The weather was just too nice to be punishing oneself around a race course, it may be the only nice weekend of the summer as it was last year...

Next weekend brings the big one, the Mountain Mayhem 24 hour race, in which we have a team of four competing. It's bound to be a lot of fun, with a bit of internecine rivalry thrown into the mix. We'll have a number of bikes there so if you fancy giving something a try just come by and see us - we'll have a red marquee with the logo on it.

Sam

A couple of pics from Bristol

2008-06-01T09:45:00.003+01:00

A couple of recent customers who've taken advantage of the discounted price we've had on the Swift frames have sent in some pics. Two very different builds for sure, but both looking good.

Al's gone for a drop bar and gears - first time I've seen that on one of the geared frames actually - looks great though.

Same frame, but a very different build for Chew - Mary bars and singlespeed.

2008-05-27T15:00:00.005+01:00

It's been a busy time for us lately, thus not having had any update for some time. However there are a few things to update on.

Firstly and most importanty, the status of the Peregrines and replacement Swift SS frames. The Swifts are on the boat and should be with us shortly, so we ought to have full stock of all sizes by the end of the month. Peregrines have now all been built and are just waiting to head off to paint. Because these are having an especially nice and intricate paint job they will take a good four weeks to paint, and then another month to ship - so unfortunately they won't be here until late July really. Here they are in their naked form.

SSUK '08

A few weeks ago the UK Singlespeed Championship was held at Drumlanrig, Scotland. Somehow I got cajoled into pitching to organise this year's event while possibly under the influence last year at the SSWC. So Kenny, Julie, Rik, Tom and myself ended up with the responsibility of pulling SSUK '08 together. I think it's fair to say it was all a bit more than we'd bargained for, but people's kind words of thanks and enjoyment of a fantastic weekend made it well worth it. Here are a few pics to give you a flavour of it.

A jumble of Singulars to add to the confusion of the Le Mans start Of course I had to have number 1... The new marquee was very welcome given the weather we got

Me

And a few shots of some Singular riders

Mick

Mike

Fran

Brian

Swiss 29"er shootout

Then two weeks after SSUK I was off to Switzerland for the 2nd Swiss 29er Shootout. Essentially a gathering of some German speaking 29er enthusiasts to get a bunch of bikes together and to try loads of different 29ers. I took a couple of bikes over with me, which people seemed to like. This was also a great chance for me to try first hand what a lot of other manufacturers are doing with big wheels; there was a good selection of bikes from Salsa, Redline, Surly, Ventana, Gary Fisher, and others. To be able to compare and contrast such a range of bikes back to back really highlights the differences, and the similarities.

The swiss cows liked the Gryphon

On the GF Superfly - I like the G2 geometry

I was really impressed by the Ventana. I've not had a good
long ride on an FS 29er and the El Patron was a revelation.

Other News

Our Ti sample frames are in production and are due to be here early June, so I'm quite excited about getting them built up and see how they go. I'm currently gathering bits to try to get mine well under 20lbs.

The Osprey road frames have been getting a lot of positive feedback, so we are looking more closely into whether they ought to go into production at some point.

The 26" wheeled bike (working name the Hummingbird) which turns into a nice rigid 69er currently also has samples in production, and they should be here by July also.

It's summer (at least that's what the calendar says) and that means there are a lot of events on all around the place. We will be at the Bristol Bikefest in a couple of weeks' time, Mountain Mayhem a fortnight after that, then the other definites on the calendar are SSWC in Napa, California and the London Cycles Show in October. I hope to squeeze a few other things in as well - open to suggestions if you have a good event on!

Best regards,

Sam

2008-03-31T12:54:00.002+01:00

As referenced on the front page, we have quite a few things we are testing at the moment, the new Peregrine forks, some new road frames, more Gryphon prototypes (pics below). We've also got some more interesting things in the pipeline with some Ti Swift frames and, shock horror, 26" wheeled frames for the little people on the way for testing. If all goes according to plan we'll be releasing all of these things before the year is out.

I aim to get to a number of events over the coming months, including SSUK, Mountain Mayhem, Bristol Bikefest, 24/12 and the London Cycle Show. I will post a full list shortly.

2008-01-14T22:24:00.000Z

Well, it’s been a long time in development but I’ve been taking pains to ensure that the Singular Peregrine will be everything I want it to be. Finally our production order is in. A lot of you have provided feedback at some point and some of these suggestions have been taken on board, many thanks for your interest. So the final configuration will look like this.

Three sizes – 59cm TT, 56.5cm TT, and 54 cm TT. Head tubes, seat tubes and tubing tweaked as appropriate for each size. I would have liked to do a wider range, but given the size of our business at present I’m focussing on those likely to fit most needs.

Eccentric Bottom Bracket shell and insert. There were a couple of calls for sliding dropouts, or regular horizontals, but I am sticking to my guns on the EBB as I think it’s the best way to offer singlespeed or internal hub gear capability with disc brakes both in terms of function and aesthetics.

Disc only – some people wanted cantis (one even a caliper!) but for the sort of multi purpose all-season use for which this bike is intended, I still felt discs were the way to go, and the majority of opinion was with me.

Fork – from the unicrown of the first protos I’ve finally gone with a nice lugged traditional crown. I think it fits the overall feel of the bike better and has the added bonus of giving extra tyre clearance without increasing fork length.

Braze-ons will be guides for both derailleur and brakes. This will maintain a (relatively) clean look for the single-gear crowd, while still giving an all-weather set-up for derailleur gears, or the capacity for a Rohloff hub if desired.

Paint will be slightly different from what we’ve had on the samples. The colour will be the same deep red with cream head-tube panel, but we’ll have a seat-tube rather than a down-tube panel. There will still be a green Singular down-tube decal and green lug lining.

We will maintain the original goal of clearance for up to 48mm tyres or 42mm with mudguards.

So to the final and critical questions – time and money! Time is a fairly confident but not quite definite March 2008. Price is slightly dependent on what the final costs of the lug-sets will be to me, though overall frame and fork price ought to be in the region £450 GBP. When these firm up I will be ready to take any pre-orders as this first run is quite limited. Here are a couple of pics to keep you interested in the mean time.

2007-10-29T07:23:00.000Z

Wow, it's been a long time since the last post on this blog, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been a lot happening. It's been a busy 'summer' of riding, designing and (I'm glad to say) selling bikes.

Firstly some news on the design side. The last post here was regarding the Gryphon prototypes. We've been testing those a lot and really enjoying the ride. The Ti fork I had made up is perhaps a little on the flexy side, hard braking and turning don't go well together. Have recently been riding it with a Pace carbon fork which is much more inspiring. Getting a nice steel fork together for these frames needs to happen before we go into production.

The main thing I've been working on though is the Peregrine and we now have the final drawings all ready to go. Finally worked out a good way to enable derailleur gears, hub gears, or SS while looking fairly neat in any configuration. Also have got a different fork together with a nice lugged crown. The first run of those along with more Swift SS frames should get here early in the new year.

Have also been working on a few other little projects, stay tuned for further details very shortly.
As I said, lots of frames going out the door lately, here are some pics of a few customers' builds.

Mike in Sweden

Mick in Yorkshire

Lynten in Singapore

Karsten in Germany

Erik in The Netherlands

Eric in France

Alex in Bristol

That's about it, all sorts of people from all over the globe - nice to see so many different builds out there, everyone giving their Singular their own flavour!

Sam

2007-07-14T22:56:00.000+01:00

Finally got the Gryphon proto together today. Our move has been delayed by a week which gave me a chance to get into the shed and catch up on a few things. One of which was getting this drop barred rigid specific beast together, another to fit a recently acquired Maverick SC32 to a demo bike - both came together very nicely. Yes, I know there are a few little corners I missed when polishing, but I got impatient and wanted to see it built! Silver Gryphon headbadge still to come.

Pertinent details: 853 frame polished to a sheen (will be clearcoated), Black Sheep Ti fork 440mm w 48mm rake, Stans wheels and other nice bits and bobs, don't know the total weight but it's pretty light, guessing around 22lb. Production of these framesets is still very much up in the air. Whether there is a market for a 'mass' produced drop bar specific, rigid specific 29er I'm not sure - if you like the idea let me know.

2007-07-06T11:55:00.000+01:00

Tour Fever has hit London and who should I see wandering the streets near Victoria station but El Diablo himself Didi Senft! I managed to break into some extremely broken German to interrupt his perusal of free magazines and ask him for a photo - he happily obliged.

The Singular distribution network is slowly growing - with Square Wheels in Strathpeffer, Northern Scotland, the latest to join the fold. Steve has had a demo bike up there for a while which he's been very happy with, so they will now be carrying stock of Singular Swift framesets in both geared and singlespeed versions.

The Gryphon prototypes we had come in are now being painted up in a nice new colour scheme, getting really excited about these ones. Build ought to happen next week and pics will follow shortly thereafter.

We also have a new road frame in the works using a classic Italian road geometry with some lovely lugs including a fully lugged fork. It won't be so touring oriented as the Peregrine, nor will it be an out and out race bike - really just a lovely road bike for every day folk with clearance for decent sized tyres and fenders. Keep an eye on here for more news on the Osprey over the coming weeks.

2007-06-12T15:44:00.000+01:00

Wow - what a fun weekend away! Weather couldn't have been better, trails were great, people even better - good times indeed. We made it over to the Bristol Bikefest over last weekend, and this year being combined with the UK Singlespeed Championships promised an even greater level of festivity than normal.

Singular had a fair fleet of bikes in attendance, with a few built up Swifts in geared and SS configuration, a complete Peregrine, and a few framesets including the just landed and still unpainted Gryphon prototype in 853.

There was a lot of interest in the bikes despite our somewhat out of the way location in the corner of the field. We didn't arrive until late Friday night, and couldn't secure a pitch in the trade area where we were also able to camp - so just set up our somewhat makeshift stand in the camp area and away we went.

Saturday was a 12 hour enduro in which we had a four man team. For some deluded reason which now escapes me we registered in the competitive teams division for a 9am start after some fairly heavy post-drive refreshments the previous evening. It's fair to say we all had a fairly painful first lap, but we managed to turn in laps of around 35 mins all day and finished on 20 laps. 25th in our class was not a bad result - we were certainly never in it to win it.

The more highly anticipated event, at least amongst our team, was SSUK itself. Due to kick off at the ungodly hour of 9am, some team-members managed to restrain themselves somewhat on Saturday night and managed to arise reasonably bright and chipper on Sunday morning. While we didn't set the world on fire - we did represent pretty well. Somehow I was 3rd out of the start area (learnt from the mayhem of Saturday...) which only meant a lot of people would go past me during the race... Ah well, these SS events are not about when you finish, it's all about how you get there - and we did it in style.

Thanks to all involved for a great weekend!

Sam

2007-05-15T16:57:00.000+01:00

Finally the Peregrine prototypes are here!

After a number of setbacks and unexpected delays, we took delivery of four frames and forks yesterday. There are a few things which already I can say will need changing for the production framesets, but overall I'm extremely pleased with how they've come together.

I built this one up quickly with a few bits I had getting around, and initial impressions are excellent. Quick and light feeling to the ride, but reassuringly stable. These will be extensively tested over the summer by a few eager volunteers in a number of guises- geared road tourer, doublespeed rambler, we might even try a Shimano Alfine group -more reports to come...

The beautiful solid silver Peregrine headbadge with thanks to Jen Green at headbadges.com (silver Swift headbaadges are also now available).

2007-05-15T16:32:00.000+01:00

We've had a number of pics come in of some customers' bikes over the past couple of weeks. All singlespeeds, but some quite different set-ups.

This is Moose enjoying his new build at McMoab in Kirroughtree, Scotland.

This is from Frank in the Netherlands - a very familar setup!

I really like this build from Lars in Sweden, though I fear I may like his whiskey collection even more ;-)

2007-04-16T18:55:00.000+01:00

Singular Dominates First Dutch Singlespeed Cup Race

Hubert finished building his Singular Swift SS just the night before the first round of the Dutch Singlespeed Cup. The lack of opportunity to get used to his new steed didn't seem to hamper his efforts whatsoever as Hubert put five minutes into his nearest rival over the course of an hour and a half. Congratulations to Hubert - keep up the good work. Thanks must go also to Jelle at singlespeedcentral.nl who distributes Singular framesets in the Netherlands and stocks a fine range of 29" and singlespeed parts.

Sam

2007-03-13T22:50:00.000Z

Well, it's been a while between updates but it's been a busy time. A few Swifts out and about now some pics above and below from Singapore and the Netherlands - prizes for guessing which is which ;)

There have been a couple of little setbacks on the prototype Peregrines but they ought to be here not long after easter. They're looking very promising and I'm quite excited to get one together for myself.

Currently pulling together a bit of a schedule of events over the course of the summer which I'd like to get to. I'm proud and excited to say we are sponsoring the Singlespeed World Championships in Scotland this summer, which has the makings of a fantastic weekend. Also will definitely be at the SSUK weekend in conjunction with the Bristol Bike Fest Enduro. We'll have a team in the enduro Saturday and of course in the main event Sunday. Would love to get down to the foot of Ventoux for the European singlespeeds, but time may get the better of us...

Chipps at Singletrack magazine is trying out a frameset of ours at the moment. I gather he likes it thus far though there ought to be a more detailed report coming.

2007-01-30T20:06:00.000Z

Things are moving along quite nicely over our first few weeks since frames arriving. So far we've had frames shipped out to Sweden, the Netherlands, Scotland, Germany and Canada - more framesets sold overseas so far than here in the UK!

Jelle at singlespeed.nl is selling our framesets in the Netherlands, he's able to supply all the bits you might need to put together a complete build as well if you're not keen on doing that yourself. He carries lots of nice 29" and singlespeed stuff so if you're in the Netherlands check him out.

We sent a frame up to the good people at Singletrack (my favourite mountain bike magazine) last week so theywill be putting it through its paces over the coming months - expect to see some updates on their website and possibly a writeup in the mag if we're lucky :) See Chipps' first thoughts here.

I had a great ride in the North Downs on the weekend, caught up with Biff of The Outcast fame and a few others. Unfortunately the french wench (my beleaguered '92 Renault van) was in a bad mood on the way down and after overheating didn't want to start again, so I was late getting there... However we got started not too far behind the rest of the bunch and caught them after a while. Joe was our guide for the day and knows those woods like the back of his hand, so I saw lots of bits I'd not before - wasn't too boggy either which was nice...

Jase with his new steed (French Wench at left)

I was trying a new tyre combo of Maxxis Ignitor front and Bonty XR 1.8 in the rear - fast? yes - traction? surprisingly not bad - flat protection in rock gardens? woeful.... This was the second ride on this setup and I've punctured both times. I think I need to run a bit more rubber, pressure or both until riding some smoother trails...

Sam

2007-01-25T07:53:00.000Z

So the first framesets have been shipping out over the past couple of weeks and people seem to be happy with them. We've got bikes being tested with a couple of the mags as well, so keep an eye out for some write ups.

The above pic is from Johan in Ontario, Canada. He's had one of our prototypes for a while now and a bunch of guys over there have been giving it a try. Here's a comment from Jeff who gave it a spin..

"Just got back from a mtn ride on your Singular. Took it off road for a few hours and dude, I f**king loved it! I'm totally game for one, I dig it. I can't get over how fun it was and how challenging it was to ride off-road. Wished I had a few more gears but meh, I'd ride one anyday. Total riot. F**k the HiFi, 29ers climb like a dream and roll over s**t real well."

Apologies for the profanity, Jeff gets a little excitable :-)

2007-01-18T07:49:00.000Z

Singular's first big win!

Rik Allsop plugged his way through the mud of the Strathpuffer 24 hour race to take the win in the pairs category together with Alec Laughlin. Rik's rigid singlespeed set up meant very little to go wrong, and those big 29" wheels just kept on trucking through the mud - of course he has a big engine as well.

A huge congratulations to Rik and Alec.

2007-01-14T16:56:00.000Z

Well it's all been happening. Frames arrived on our fair shores this Thursday. I'm glad to say it all came through with no problems and no damage.

I'm really pleased with how the finished product has come together - they look fantastic.

There have been a few updates to the website with more coming.

We're now ready to take orders and get frames shipped - so what are you waiting for?! ;)

Sam

2006-12-13T12:00:00.000Z

Production frames are now making their way across to us on the high seas - exciting times! Scheduled delivery date is January 15th - there were some delays with the painting unfortunately. Anyone who has a deposit down and has been waiting on a frame has my apologies, sympathies - and a free t-shirt with their frame once they get here.

I'm really happy with how they've come together, and hope you are too. Here are a few pics from the factory floor to whet your appetite!

Sam

2006-10-22T10:44:00.000+01:00

A group of us headed over to Afan forest in Wales last weekend for some great riding. I had a couple of friends along who've not ridden much before but were loving it as you can see from the smile on Jonesy's face above. I hear a lot of negative comments on these sort of 'trail centres' and while it's not quite the same as getting out into the wilderness, they certainly pack a lot of fantastic trails into a fairly small area. Nice to be able to really let it go without worrying too much about what's coming around the next corner.

Frame production is now underway and we're still looking good for December delivery. Finally went with the same colours as we had on the protos as everyone seemed to like them. Swifts will be in the coppery red colour, while the SS is in blue. They will have metal headbadges, and sterling silver versions will be available at an additional charge. All frames will come with a seat clamp and fully prepped - seat tube reamed, bottom bracket and head tube faced and chased. Get your pre-order in now to ensure you can get the size and type you're after!

Sam

2006-09-22T19:28:00.000+01:00

Again it's been a long time between updates, but there's been a lot going on. The full website is finally done at www.singularcycles.com, I'm really happy with how it's turned out. There'll be some more detailed photos and info on parts shortly.

The manufacter has started working on our first batch of frames so that's been keeping us busy. If things go to plan we'll have them through before Christmas. Soon need to make a final decision on colours. I think we'll stick with blue for the SS and the coppery red on the geared version - strong feelings either way anyone?

Been riding my fixed gear a fair bit of late, which is an old early 80's Holdsworth from 531 ST tubes, nice lugs, made for 27" wheels. I've got a canti fork on it and can run 35/43mm tyres with/without mudguards - nice for comfort and traction. It rides really nicely, but I'm looking forward to getting the first Peregrine protos through for a similar sort of use. Bit of commuting, touring, lightish trail riding, probably some cross races through winter.

Enjoy your ride

Sam

2006-08-21T23:12:00.000+01:00

Just got back from a fantastic weekend over in Stockholm for the Singlespeed Worlds. Despite complaints from some quarters of a lack of organisation, it all seemed good to me...

Anyhow, how are things going with Singular? Despite a lack of recent updates, all's actually been moving ahead at great pace, the full website is very close to completion and will be up in the next couple of days. Frames will be here before Christmas, and everything's pretty well in our world - lots of riding, designing and getting everything else sorted out. Designs are nearly finalised for our second model - a modern take on something like an old XO-1, a real all-rounder. Singlespeedable, discs, lugs, rack mounts, three bottle mounts, clearance for 29" tyres or big touring/cross tyres with mudguards - should be nice....

2006-07-31T22:00:00.000+01:00

I've had a few new prototypes arrive along with a new fork design.

The new frames are looking really nice, these are in a smaller size - 23" ETT, and use thinner stays. This brings the overall frame weight down to a little over four pounds - very decent indeed.

One of these is the first geared specific Singular - this one built up for my girlfriend. I have to say I'm really happy how the colour on this one has turned out - it's a beautiful metallic coppery colour. I think that this one along with the airforce blue could be the colour options offered for production.

The new forks are the real revelation. They're a unicrown design using Reynolds 520 blades. They've got just they right amount of give for a lovely supple ride without being overly flexy under braking. As an added bonus they also look much cleaner and nicer than the original segmented fork.

Sam
sam@singularcycles.com

2006-07-23T11:20:00.000+01:00

Here's a pic of Johan on his Singular in Ontario, Canada. He's loving the bike and has also had some good comments back from others who've taken it out for a spin. If you're in his neck of the woods drop me a line and we should be able to sort out a ride.

Next batch of prototypes frames in a smaller size (23" ETT), and some different forks have just landed and are being built up this weekend. They're looking really nice - frame is significantly lighter as are the forks. One of these is a geared version which is in a lovely coppery colour, the others are EBB of a light blue colour which didn't turn out quite as expected, I think we'll stick with the original blue...

More pics of the new frames coming once built.

Sam

sam@singularcycles.com

2006-07-03T18:41:00.000+01:00

pic courtesy of simonbarnes.net Gabor at SSUK 2006

So what sort of bike is a Singular? The name might suggest something a little different, out of the ordinary, and that'd be true.

The first bike out of the stable, the Swift, has some attributes which are decidedly modern; disc brakes only, 29" wheels, (eccentric bottom bracket for the singlespeeders if you want it), a rangy top tube, and a nice amount of standover. But then you have decent length chainstays for better climbing (forget all this shorter is better malarkey), relaxed angles of 72/72 head and seat, a lot of fork rake to maintain quick handling with the big wheels, and a fair amount of bb drop. So you have a bit of old, a bit of new - taking the best of both worlds for an all-day, every-day bike that's joy to be on.

The overall style is also a little old-world I guess, which is how I like it. Nice air-force blue paint with cream panel and deep red lettering.

I've got two Swifts in west London you can take out for a spin, and there is also one at Cyclissimo Sports & Equipment in Ontario, Canada. We will also soon have a couple up in Drumlanrig, Scotland to try out on the lovely trails up there. So get in touch and give one a try.

More info about future models coming soon!

Sam

2006-06-19T15:19:00.000+01:00

Singular Cycles intro

I’ve been passionate about bikes from the time I wobbled off down the drive to today, they’ve always been a part of my life in one way or another. In the early days they were sort of taken for granted, I had a bike just like everyone else. Before long though there was a growing interest in fixing, upgrading, or improving my bikes in one way or another. This passion and a few things I picked up along the way have brought about Singular Cycles - my avenue to create some unique bikes which enhance the joy of riding on two wheels.

Over the past number of months and years, what started as an idea - a dream even - has slowly been taking shape, firstly in my mind, and now in reality in the form of bikes to ride. The first batch of prototypes has been on the ground for a few months now, and have been being put through their paces in a variety of conditions on both sides of the Atlantic. Feedback so far has been very positive and the next batch of improved prototypes in different sizes will be here in a couple of weeks.

We plan to make some of these prototypes available for testing at various locations in order to get your feedback. Stay tuned for more details!

Here is a pic of the first proto built up with my somewhat idiosyncratic component selection. I agree it’s not for everyone but it works for me.

This page will be updated regularly until the launch of the official site in a month or so, I'll have more details about frame sizing, pricing, distribution and different models as we go.

If you have any questions in the mean time please email me on sam(at)singularcycles(dot)com.

Have a great ride,

Sam