Junkdad

if you do you won't regret it
if you don't you'll never know

mander

Before you get into ss/fg, you sort of feel beholden to your deraileurs, like without them you are this complete feeb and wouldn't be able to bike. It's fun to figure out that in all kinds of situations, you don't reeeeeally need a freewheel and variable gears. It teaches you that *you* have the power, not your technology. This sounds a little cheesy but it's true.

Tadashi

Multiple gears make you weak, period. A fixed gear bike won't even let you coast. If you want to be a serious cyclist then ride a fixie, if you get used to it you'll improve your cycling skills greatly and be able to ride much faster on a geared bike than you did before. It's especially great to ride long distances on a fixie, like 50-60 miles. I do such rides 3-4 times a week, it helps me to stay in shape.

doofo

im too dumb to shift

roadgator

All those guys on gears in the TDF are a bunch of pansies!

Please tell how much time you spent on a multispeed and how weak it made you.

Tadashi

They train on a fixed gear bikes too. Armstrong trained a lot on a fixie as well. You won't become a good racer if you don't ride a fixie.

bonechilling

God there is some stupid **** on this board.

pedex

armstrong and hamilton among others used them every preseason

armstrong used a 41/17 gear as I recall and spun that like mad for a few hundred miles each year before the rest of his training program got going

Tadashi

Elaborate, *******. If you know something about road cycling, then you should know that all decent road cyclists train on fixies, especially after winter (or during winter), to quickly get in shape. Fixed gear riding is tough, therefore it makes you stronger much quicker. You can't gear down, you can't coast.

chihiro

its true, we do. but the dudes really dig the chicks that ride f/g

Sizzle-Chest

wow, this thread really went off the deep end. the op was about single speeds, not lance armstrong's training regimen

illogique

at first i change for single speed for the cost...
my first winter has a messenger, i had to change chain and cassette every month!
60$ cassette and 30$ chain, 90$ each month

now
i change my chain every 2 months and i flip my chainring and dx cog so i can use them with 2 chains.
so 25$ chain, half of 20$ chainring and half 6$ cog
so 38$ for 2 months

dcdude

i like riding all kinds of bikes

roadgator

a properly structured training program, regardless of what it is being done on will make you the strongest. im not going to say it hurts, but to say fixed riding is the key to successful road racing is plain absurd. it can only do so much, then other training must take over.

Sammyboy

I've got lots of bikes, most with gears. I'd admired track bikes as a kid, because they looked cool and apparently handled well. When I found Fixed Gear Gallery, the bikes I saw there made my mouth water, and I thought it would be nice to add a track bike to my stable. I have a track bike, a road conversion fixed gear, and a single speed roadie now, and I like them, specially around town. I like not having to find the right gear when I approach a roundabout or stop sign, I like that the only thing affecting speed is how fast I can spin my legs, I like the simplicity, and I like the alternative workout fixed gear gives me.

That said, I also love my vintage road bikes, my tourer, my 3 speeds, etc etc etc. Different day, different bike.

Aeroplane

I ride a SS offroad now because my old bike was a POS and I was sick of ghost-shifts on climbs. My bike doesn't ghost-shift anymore, and I haven't had to replace the 30 or so derailleurs I would have ripped off by 50-50ing log rides.

bbattle

The simplicity is nice. I've got a roadie and a fixie and the focus is different for each bike. I ride long, fast rides on the roadie; climbing mountains and "racing" other riders for imaginary points.

On the fixie, I'm cruising the neighborhoods, exploring the town, riding with my wife and talking about the days' events, or doing the alleycat race. No worries about cadence, pace, or is this the hill where the hammerheads will up the pace. I just ride.

Only one gear so you just go. Want to go faster, pedal faster.

Fixed gear is THE way to ride around town. So easy to control your speed and you have no trouble staying balanced even at .5mph or less.

Give it a try; pretty sure you'll like it. There are quite a few roadies that also ride a ss/fg bike. Just be sure to check the stickies at the top of the forum and do a couple of Searches before posting the "So, what bike should I get?" thread.

bbattle

I know a couple of Cat 3's and a Cat 4 that would say otherwise. Fixed will work you out, no doubt, but so will 30,000 miles a year on a roadie.

mathletics

It's really not. Either they can't afford another bike (like me), or they're an idiot.

non

Its just different and fun.

zacked

This is it for me (though I have and enjoy geared bikes as well).

diff_lock2

Well i have a single speed bike cause it was a lot cheaper than getting a derailer and shifters+cables... and i have a fixed gear bike cause Sheldon's site says you should try it, and im hooked.

caloso

It's simple, reliable, elegant in a way. And it's broadened my power band.

skinnyland

It's broadened my Power Dome.

disconnec

Can I!