Hullo! So, I have an old Schwinn with forward-facing, semi-horizontal rear dropouts (no hanger), and I was thinking of turning it into a fixed gear or single-speed. I have never, ever owned either one, but fixies in particular look like a lot of fun (where there is manic devotion, there is probably also a good time to be had, see: "The Rocky Horror Picture Show").
My problem is that, since I live in an extremely hilly area, I'm not sure if I would kill myself on a fixed gear. I'm going to keep both brakes either way (the rear mostly for security blanket-type reasons), but I'm open to opinions. I'm a confident rider, and I like fast things, but I also like walking and having a working spine. Thanks, and have a Scientastic day!