In future when taking the stairs at work how about carrying a co-worker on your back when you do. It will "make you fitter witout causing injurty".ldrcycles wrote:With an appropriate gear selection (you would not have the same gear for riding the Nullarbor Plain as you would around the Alps) a singlespeed will make you fitter without causing injury. And the fitter you get, the more enjoyable it is, as a singlespeed is noticeably smoother than a geared bike.
Without causing injury? Not quite so simple as that. Pushing too high a gear for lengthy spells can cause extreme back pressure on the heart, potentially dangerous over time (expansion of blood-laden leg muscles constrict the arteries). Not at all good for health if your sport weakens your heart catastrophically. Not great for the knees in the long run either.
On the other hand, if you make your ratios sufficiently low enough to reduce this sufficiently across a range of terrain then it is not a far stretch to imagine joint and RSI type injuries from more pedal strokes than otherwise would be necessary. (Speaking a little with myself in mind as I do all my riding at lower ratios than most and, at my age, I am concerned that I may not be able to continue.) Most riding is not all Nullabor flat or all hilly. Not one to the exclusion of the other. My daily ride has it all in relatively benign Perth. Factor in shifting winds to that as well.
Like the OP I can't see the sense of single speed either and am of the opinion that it's attraction is significantly tribal and a desire to be part of a sub-culture more than for performance or practical reasons. Some people just like to be part of minority sub-cultures (so says the guy that rides a unicycle ).
Actually, not quite true. SIngle speed is good choice for cycle polo. Though no different than selecting the appropriate gear from a multitude of gears and then leaving it.