Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - What exactly

is a single speed as simple as it sounds like everyones first bike.

It's a bike with only one speed/gear ratio.

does this style make a good commuting style bike.

Only if you live in a flat area, or have strong legs.

The draw to SS is the simplicity, and the lightweight.

One gear, one motor!

Riding a SS will make you stronger, you have no choice but to make that uphill climb, or walk. You learn to spin with a smoother cadence, and pain becomes your friend.

If you really want to go hardcore SS on the road, try a fixie (Fixed Gear-no coasting), when you're riding fast, you're pedaling fast.
Riding a fixie, will give you an appreciation for bike handling skills and the limits of your body!

L8R

Fixed gear is the only way to hurt yourself!! :crash: I had my commuter hooked up as a fixie for a few days, but I couldn't get the chain tension right, so I went back to freewheel. But in those two days, my spin got much better. Plus it was tons of fun, right up until I tried to coast.....:mad:

The first couple weeks on my fixie, heck the first couple months, it felt really akward. You are so conditioned to coasting that it is an automatic response. It's kind of a shock when you start coming to a stop and you realize you can't stop pedaling! After about 5 months of commuting on it ithough riding it has become second nature. I not an expert fixie rider by any stretch of the imagination, but I no longer have to concentrate when I ride. They really are fun once you get comfortable on them and they teach that you that you really don't need to shift as often as most riders do. I have geared bikes that I still ride, but after getting comfortable on a fixie, I think I'll always have one or two of them parked in my garage.

Tips on riding a fixie, take a spin class! That'll help getting you used to not coasting! Plus, it's a much safer training ground! I did this and it made the transition much easier!

L8R

Tips on riding a fixie, take a spin class! That'll help getting you used to not coasting! Plus, it's a much safer training ground! I did this and it made the transition much easier!

L8R

i took a spin class one time and i never EVER sweated that much. it was embarassing.:eek: :)

Only if you live in a flat area

That must be why they're so popular in san francisco.

I have geared bikes that I still ride, but after getting comfortable on a fixie, I think I'll always have one or two of them parked in my garage.

+1:)

That must be why they're so popular in san francisco.

and portland.

Fixed gear is the only way to hurt yourself!! :crash: I had my commuter hooked up as a fixie for a few days, but I couldn't get the chain tension right, so I went back to freewheel. But in those two days, my spin got much better. Plus it was tons of fun, right up until I tried to coast.....:mad:

No. The way to hurt yourself is to get back on a freewheel after only riding fixed for a while, and react just a little too slow when you realize you can't stop with your feet.

Luckily, the pedestrian was soft.

and portland.
and Montpelier... no wait, that's just me :P

heh. i guess vermont would be hilly, at least from the pics i've seen.