Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Single Speeders?

I am intrigued by the growing cult of single-speed and fixed gear cyclists, However I need some guidance on this question:

Should I go Fixed Gear vs. Freewheel.

Here is some bio info that may be of use.

1) I have never owned a proper road bike. I used to ride a Cannondale hardtail MTB with Nimbus street tires.

2) I was an avid recreational riders in my early to mid twenties.

3) I am 29 and bike-less for 3 years now. I am lusting for a new bike.

4) I have a screwed up knee. I am due for an MRI. It is prolly a torn Meniscus.

5) I am a big oaf, 6'4". I am 240'ish (I lift wieghts...and eat) but WILL drop down to 210-220. No less!
My size is what makes me squeamish of "Road Bikes" (I brake things)

Any serious or smart-ass response will be make my heart joyous.

fixed gear is definitely more enjoyable, for me at least, than riding a freewheel. i'd be very very cautious about what sort of gearing you decide to go with should you decide to ride a singlespeed, given the condition of your knee.

if you're squeamish of breaking a road bike but want to ride fixed, you can setup a mountain bike as a fixed gear also, so long as it's got some sort of horizontal dropout. no chain tensioners on a fixed, of course. surly and kogswell both make relatively inexpensive fixed gear hubs in a 135mm size.

Id be thinking maybe a freewheel would be a good thing. If your knee is hamburger to begin with, the fixed gear isn't going to help, especially if youve been off the bike for awhile. go with a flip flop hub if you think you might want to ride fixed later. get a crosscheck and throw a flip flop on it and ride a nice easy ss gear for awhile and see if your leg falls off.

i have really bad knees and i ride fixed...
also, i weigh around 235/240 and have been almost strictly on road bikes for the last 3 years...

seriously, if you wanna get back into bikes but you're worried about breaking things, my best suggestion would be to get a single speed or fixed road bike and start riding in traffic...
some people would probably disagree, but you'll really get the trick to being a big guy on a scrawny, simple bike...

with a blown knee, a single speed is definately doable, and fixed isn't that out of the question (just make sure you ride with a brake)... and big guys can ride road bikes...

Work your way up with the gears. I'm the same age as you but I'd been off a bike for a lot longer. I started with a SS mountain bike convert about 3 months ago with about 56 gear inches on slicks on the road. After about 6 weeks I changed out gears and went to about 63 inches. Just got my fixie road bike together and I'm at 70 inches and I'm comfortable with it. I'm certain there is no way in hell I could have ridden 70 inches starting out. It would have been ugly and demoralizing. Personaly I'd get a cog and some spacers for your MTB (if you still have it) and do a conversion on the cheap. Lets you switch rear cogs for realy cheap to free and will let you know if the whole SS thing is for you. Ride for two months, get strong. Then get a fixie. :)

Thanx for the info.

BTW - I have been drooiling over a Redline Mono Cog.
It seems like a good way to break into single-speed with the option of converting it into a fixie.

I have a bad knee and ride a fixie. For some strange reason, if I'm having pain in my knee I jump on my fixie and ride 20 to 40 miles (either a group ride or by myself) and my knee pain seems to go away the next day. Riding fixed actually seems to help my bad knee. I can't explain it except maybe because of the "backpedaling" I do for braking. Geared bikes don't seem to help with my knee pain.

Anyway, for big guys like you I would suggest a sturdy SS compatable cyclocross bike like the Surly Crosscheck or the Gunner cross bike (can't think of the model name right off hand!).

Since you have a bad knee I like Familyman's conservative approach. Start with a single speed with a very low gear in the 54-55 inch range such as 42/21 or 39/19. Ride that for a while to get your knee accustomed to the motion then gradually work your way up. Macho mashing a big gear can mess up even healthy knees. I have two bikes set up singlespeed - a fixie with 39/17 (62 gear inches) and a single speed with 48/18 (72 inches) for a little harder effort. I don't know that I will ever increase the gearing though I may reverse the gearing to make the fixie the bigger gear and actually lower the freewheel bike to 39/18 for easy spinning. Your knee will thank you for learning to spin an easier gear faster vs mash a big gear slower.

Your size isn't much of a factor. Just stick with sensible wheels. I scratch my head at larger riders who insist on destroying lightweight wheelsets. I mean if you weigh over 200 pounds like you and me, does it make sense to buy $600-800 wheels that are a few ounces lighter?

OK, this went off on a tangent. Anyway, grab a gear and join the gang!

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum and have been reading your posts with great interest. I ride a traditional road bike and have been thinking of building up a SS/FG. Talking to people in NYC, it seems a good compromise is to install a flip-flop hub in the rear.

Any opinions on that? Also, I've been strongly discouraged (by a couple of shop owners) to ride fixed in the city, but am I going to listen......?

ZK

BTW - I have been drooiling over a Redline Mono Cog.
It seems like a good way to break into single-speed with the option of converting it into a fixie.
There aren't any mono cog models large enough for your (our) size, and I think it uses BMX-spaced hubs and dropouts, so it's got some incompatabilities with usual mtb stuff.

Personally, I recommend getting a flip-flop hub so you can ride it on the freewheel, and then turn the wheel around and put on a fixed once your legs and lungs get used to biking again. Fixing can be pretty hard on the knees, mainly because some people push against the motion of the pedals to slow down instead of (or along with) using brakes. It's harder on the knees when the gearing is higher.

There aren't any mono cog models large enough for your (our) size, and I think it uses BMX-spaced hubs and dropouts, so it's got some incompatabilities with usual mtb stuff.

Is a 19" way small for a 6'4ish guy? Or is it just kinda small?

What would be the negatives? I've read that BikeMess'ers prefer a bike slightly to small due to it's handling.

When I upgraded from my 30-year old road bike, I got a flip-flop hub and rode single-speed for 2 weeks. It was really fun, great for city riding. Then I tried the fixed side of the flip-flop and never went back.

Dirty Tiger,
Slowing down on a fix is definitely harder on your knees. On the other hand, a nice circular spin, which a fix will help you achieve, is much better on your knees than mashing down on a coaster bike.

Either way, remember to stand when you're really cranking. As mentioned before, ride a low gear, something like 65". If you're not used to high rpms, you might want to try shorter cranks.

And of course the general tips for heavier riders--don't go fewer than 36 spokes. Choose toughness over lightness. I'd recommend a steel frame.

Zoo Kid,
Riding fixed in the city is the best! Go to Bike Works (on Ridge St. at Rivington), they won't discourage you. What are your worries?

[i]What would be the negatives? I've read that BikeMess'ers prefer a bike slightly to small due to it's handling.
I'm no messenger, but my FG is a smaller frame than my road bike. The handling is "darty" comparatively. I like this, but for long rides, it's a PITA.

Is a 19" way small for a 6'4ish guy? Or is it just kinda small?
What would be the negatives? I've read that BikeMess'ers prefer a bike slightly to small due to it's handling.
It just seemed to be way to small for me to comfortably ride on it, and I didn't want to have 2 feet of seatpost going on. Then again, I got a 29"er instead, so maybe it was also a matter of taste.

Best thing to do is probably to test ride one at your LBS, if they've got one.

Orange,

Thanks for your encouragement. I'm definitely building up a fixed and will check out BikeWorks. Haven't been there in a while, I used to go there a few years ago, back when they were up at 3rd or 4th St, and then at their new location, and bought two used bikes from them. Great guys.

I have no big worries, just one of crashing... but, hey, I've done that on my regular bike, so I'm broken in.

Now to find a good 48cm-49cm frame I can build up.....

ZK

Mahalo Skot.

I'm now thinking of maybe a Van Dessel Road Bob or maybe even the Straight up with a flip flop.

We'll see. It won't happen 'till next year at the rate my knee is going.

Workman's Comp suxxorz.

YOu could also take a look at the Fuji Track, it has a FIxed/Free hub so you could install a freewheel on the one side. It does not come with one by default but a freewheel is cheap about $20 so is not very much added expense, and you could try fixed if you want down the road with no realy problems.

I am begining to see some fascination with single speed but not much yet, I love my fixed gear bike though! Since there is no coasting and you are always on the move and have a close connection with the road it's hard to explain.

If I go Fixie,I wonder if I will miss Bombing down hills?

If I go Fixie,I wonder if I will miss Bombing down hills?

If you run brakeless you'll experience a new kind of fear if you let your attention lapse on a downhill.

Very innerestin.....and also right up my alley! I used to be 231lbs and now I'm back at my 'Summer weight' of 200 - and I'm also 6ft 4ins. Man, bikes our size are either hellishly ugly or just plain wrong, which is part of the reason I got into framebuilding in the first place.

I have very little fixie experience but I have been riding singlespeed in both an off road and an urban capacity for about 4 years now I guess. Like everyone, you'll start out cheap and nasty, and then before you know it you'll have this pimped out singlespeed and be lovin' it. It's just the way of the world! :)

Not sure I can recommend either if you have a bung knee though. Guess you'll just have to see what the doc says. In terms of size, you can squeeze on a frame that has a 24.25" top tube and be roomy on a frame with a 25" ( I'm talking mountainbikes here ). Somewhere in between is your magic number. As for toughness, well, given the budget I could make you a fixie you could dirt jump. Not that anyone is that demented though.

Then again maybe it's the 'Next Big Thing'? Can you imagine flying through the air, still peddling? Smooooove eh?