Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - New to fixed-gear bikes

New guy here! I've been thinking about it for a while and I'm considering getting myself a fixed-gear bike - I've been riding a big, heavy and clumsy mountain-bike for a while now and it's not ideal for getting around on.

I was just wondering if you guys would give me some advice on the subject.


First of all, what are the advantages/disadvantages to riding a fixed gear bike?
Are there any precautions I should take while riding a fixed gear bike?
What price should I be looking at for my first one? (I'm from the UK, but I can convert dollars to pounds if you're from the US or elsewhere.)


I hope you can help with these questions, thanks a lot.

- Farore :)

Fixed gear is a ton of fun with pots of options! can you tell us what kind of riding you wanna do? commuter? racing? etc?

also... cool name

Hehe, cheers ;)

I'll be using it for commuting to-and-from work most of the time. I'm interested in using it for fun, too. Going on solo rides etc.

First of all, what are the advantages/disadvantages to riding a fixed gear bike?


Advantages: Fun, easier to maintain, simple
Disadvantages: One gear ratio

Of course, those are just some random ones that I thought of, I'm sure others would be able to chime in with their pros and cons.



Are there any precautions I should take while riding a fixed gear bike?


Have foot retention of some sort, have brake(s), learn to backpedal efficiently, keep fingers away from drivetrain etc etc. More to read here (http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html).



What price should I be looking at for my first one? (I'm from the UK, but I can convert dollars to pounds if you're from the US or elsewhere.)


It's best to ask on LFGSS (http://www.lfgss.com/).

Thanks a lot Vixtor, I'll check out those links now :)

Looking at some videos on YouTube, it looks like a Fixie can be a right laugh once you've learnt how to ride them properly.