Best Single Speed Bikes | Simple, Fast & Affordable!

The best single speed bikes should be simple, but that does not mean they lack practicality or versatility. You just have to be sure you select the right bike for you. In this video, Ed Westrop presents the results of months of testing five of the best single speed road bikes available in 2024. The Elops City Bike is the best single speed bike for those on a budget, the Quella Oxford is best for those who want to go fast, the Steed Thoroughbred is our all round winner, while the Temple Lightweight is best for those who want a more luxury option. However, it's the Genesis Flyer which stands as the best single speed gravel bike, and also means it's the most versatile bike on test. Which would you pick?

00:00 - Intro
00:53 - Elops City Bike
04:20 - Quella Oxford
08:14 - Steed Thoroughbred
12:13 - Temple Lightweight
16:12 - Genesis Flyer
21:40 - Outro

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#cycling #bikes #bicycles

[Ballacks]

So nice to see some cycling content about bikes that I can afford. Thanks

[SamuelBlackMetalRider]

The ELOPS has a MASSIVE tire clearance. So much so that I turned the frame into a TRACKLOCROSS with 700/40 Gravel tires and a wider carbon flat bar (78cm) and a much better crankset. Buy the bike, keep the frame & wheels, change everything else

[amitkumar-wjgn]

Please do more of single speeds. Wabi and Dosnoventa would be nice to feature among several other brands.

[onebigdarkroom]

State Bicycle deserves to be on this list, their single speeds and even their entire line has the most affordable, direct-to-consumer ready to ride bikes with immense value

[gregkennedy]

I have the Wabi and I use it for gravel riding and I love it. I sold my road bike and my mountain bike ! I just ride my single speed now .

[saijunmak]

I have an earlier model of the Genesis single speed. Absolute blast - it really is like he says - fun, fast, comfortable. I've been out with mates on hardtail and full sus mountain bikes and left them eating dust 😀

[davidrobinson]

Handy hack for bikes that lack eyelets for fender or rack, or for adjusting the fit of either:
I discovered this by accident. My current fave is a '79 mint Panasonic. 27" wheels. My front rack is designed for 700c, so the mount was bad and the bike only had rear eyelets on the front fork.
I found a thin cone wrench, with two holes pre-drilled to hang it on a peg.
I hacksawed it in half, then joined it to the rack using the pre-drilled hole, and the wrench -end then easily fit over the axle itself. Bingo, my rack is now joined at the fork blades with two clamps ( which is the intention with this rack) and it's sitting securely on the axle, held on with the quick release. It seems a super solid ride from testing so far. It looks cool too.

[vovole]

Got the Elops, very happy with it. Very light and happily surprised by how good the bike is overall.

[david]

In the United States, the reasonable single speed is the one from State Bicycle. Single speed is the one that I used for my “last mile” transit plan and it worked very well. They are dead simple and they make it easy to use. You have nothing to go wrong when you’re just trying to run errands. Most towns are pretty flat and you won’t miss the gearing like you think you will. As long as they aren’t geared for track cycling you’ll do great.

[PRH]

Very good review, excellent really, by a person who really knows what he's talking about. Wish all bike reviews were this good.

I ride a single speed often, so was particularly interested.

[robhaldane]

I bought this version Flyer when it first came out. This year I put road tyres on it and im loving it even more now.

[stevekelly]

The Ribble Urban 725s is awesome! Triple butted Reynolds 725, smooth as silk- I love mine.

[Jeffdurbla]

Single Steed would be an awesome single speed bike mame

[BruceWalkerPhotography]

Fascinating! I love the simplicity and elegance of these. I would have loved to hear more discussion about the rim brakes - performance, wet and dry, stopping distance and such.

[gfxsham]

I would recommend the Fuji Feather above all else

[kris]

Built myself a single speed/fixed gear bike for less than a 400€
New frame and fork, but older wheels and other parts!
7.7 kg! I'm happy!
Who needs this...??
Greetings from Croatia 😎

[ianguignet]

had a genesis day one for years amongst my many whips. rode it to death. lovely machine

[drewstreet]

Love my single speed, 1970 viscount kp krisps was a 2x5 but is now a 48/17 single speed with blb cranks and rear wheel and the same from campagnolo front wheel i fitted before, its white with all silver components, tanwall 23c tyres and cinelli pink bar tape, despite the 48/17 ratio i can still get up all hills near me and the really steep ones just build up momentum and then sprint up

[MegaSpartan]

I have a Quella Cambridge. I use it for my daily commute. I like it. But the bike is harsh and the wheels aren't that great. The only reason I keep them is they look good. So to mitigate the harshness, I changed the tyres for some Hutchison fusion 5 and the innertubes to some lightweight butyl ones. With the right pressure, the bike is confortable while still fast. And I changed the brake callipers for some campagnolo ones for better breaking performance.

[treyhorn]

Too cool. I've never owned a single speed. Now I'm going to research them.