Bikepack Racing Gears vs Singlespeed with Katie Strempke

Описание: Bikepack Racing: Gears Vs. Singlespeed
with Katie Strempke, Chumba Ultra Team Racer, Dispersed Bikepacking Gear.

Which way would you bikepack with your Sendero? Let us know in the comments.

Bikes Shown:
Chumba Sendero Titanium with gears
Chumba Sendero Steel Singlespeed
Both with Dispersed Bikepacking Gear custom bagsets

It was the Arizona Trail Race 800 in fall of 2023. I watched a fellow racer, Brad, aka “Ricky Bobby” hop on his bike, dump his gears and spin in a 28x51 up a steep hill. It looked effortless. I sighed, then continued to hike my bike up the hill like I’d done thousands of times over the AZT. That was the moment I started wondering, “is it time to race with gears again?”

After lots of contemplation, I decided to build up my new Chumba Sendero Ti with gears. I went with a full Shimano XT setup with a 30 tooth chainring for most of my rides, and a 28 tooth chainring for loaded bikepacking, including the Grand Loop race.

The Grand Loop was the first time I’ve lined up for a bikepacking race with a derailleur on my bike since 2018. Here are some reflections about bikepack racing with gears vs. on a singlespeed:

Advantages of Gears

It’s easier to manage my effort by shifting to an easier gear, which was especially helpful in the heat.
I can go faster on flat terrain and slight downhills.
I hike my bike less when riding with gears.
My butt surprisingly felt better despite spending more time seated, because I could shift into a hard enough gear that I was putting pressure through the pedals and was never spun out with all the weight on my butt.

Advantages of Singlespeed

No derailleur to worry about breaking.
I feel more in tune with how fast (or slow) I’m actually going since my speed is directly tied to my cadence.
The feeling of direct action of the chain with no lag
You get impressive quads & there’s no arguing that singlespeed is just cool!

I spent a lot of time wondering whether gears or singlespeed would have been faster on this route. I talked to other racers who rode singlespeed, including Andrew, who won the race overall, and their assessment was that the rugged terrain on the Grand Loop and lack of flat pedaling made this route ideal for singlespeeding. I was appreciative of my gears, especially during the heat of the day, which helped me better manage my effort, but there were definitely times where I knew I was going slower on my geared bike uphill just because I had the option of pushing the “easy button.”

Having the option to switch from gears to singlespeed is definitely a feature I appreciate about Chumba bikes and their decision to build all their bikes with sliding dropouts. For the rest of this race season, you’ll likely see me with gears, but I’m certain I’ll end up on a singlespeed again soon!