There is a subculture of cyclists out there going back in time to when bikes had one speed. These people are rigging their bikes to have only one chainring up front and one cog in the back – a singlespeed bike. Why would one want to sacrifice the convenience of 24 or 27 speeds for the pain of one lonely gear? … Easy. Why the hell not.

And since there are fewer moving parts on your bike, there are fewer breakable parts, less maintenance, and less weight. So it works out well for the lazy and the slow (me). I stripped the geared parts off of my bike and slapped on a single cog and a single chainring crank. Simplify.

Unfortunately, I’m also a sucker for the creative and the different, so I’m joining another subculture of cyclists – the 29er world. Mountain bikes traditionally have 26” wheels. These wheels don’t work out that well for tall people; they make mountain bikes feel like glorified BMX bikes. Thus, the 29” mountain bike. Really good for tall people, maybe good for mid-height people, probably not good for people under 5’5”.

So I have a 29” mountain bike on the way. It will now come to three. Complify.

The real question is: will I take the singlespeed, the 29er, or the road bike to Dallas? Yes.