Back when I first started racing in the early 70's, I bought a cheap track bike with a fixed gear and installed a front brake so I could ride it on the road during the winter, because that's what I heard a lot of the Euro pro's did in those days. I've been riding fixed every winter since, but have installed fenders and a rear brake because you don't want to be touching the front brake on ice, and it gets kinda cold in the winter up here in Canada.

Since I stopped racing, I find greater satisfaction in just riding the fixie all the time, for everything. I had a Rodgriguez track bike built for me with couplers and 73-degree angles, and a carbon fork, and I use it for absolutely everything. I commute to work on it all year, I take it with me on business and vacation trips (it's been on 10 round-trip flights in the past three years), I've ridden it in Paris-Brest-Paris, a number of Gran Fondos, and in all three rides of my first California Triple Crown. And I'm hoping to get into next year's Furnace Creek 508 in the fixed gear category, just because they HAVE a fixed gear category.

I think this is because a fixie is not only a more elegant bicycle, it is also more honest. It is elegant because it is a bicycle stripped down to its absolutely essential elements. If I remove anything else, the bike won't work. It is honest because it's all up to the rider. There are no gears to do the work; every inch uphill or downhill has rider involvement. When you've ridden 200 miles, you have ridden ALL 200 miles, not 180 and coasted down 20. The only thing the fixie does for you is to push the pedal over top-dead-center, but a single-speed won't even do that.

And I would certainly agree that it's not for everyone. Even riding single-speed is not for everyone. I think one of the biggest draws is that you have to be an expert cyclist (or one who really aspires to be one) to ride one. You cannot ride a fixed gear (I mean REALLY ride one) if you can't pedal properly. But ride a fixie long enough, and you WILL develop proper pedaling technique! I think you get rid of a lot of wasteful motion, like bobbing the upper body (something very common in mountain bikers). And you learn your correct saddle height so you can quit bouncing on the descents. Even skills that you think have no relation to fixed gear riding, like countersteering high-speed turns on narrow descents, when learned under the handicap of a fixie become awesome techniques on a geared bike.

Yes, I think you should get a single-speed if for no other reason than to protect your good bikes during the off-season. Once you get used to its simplicity and reliability, you may end up riding it in greater proportion.

Luis