Originally Posted by
wolfchild
The only difference is that on a FG the cranks are spinning non-stop, moving your legs and pushing you up, which means you're much more likely to have your shoe slip off, loose control and/or get thrown off the bike if you don't have foot retention. Especially when standing out of the saddle or riding aggressively.
The differences aren't as great as you guys are making them out to be. And what you say about standing while riding out of the saddle or riding aggressively applies just as well to a freewheeled bike.
Originally Posted by
wolfchild
Backpedaling doesn't mean you have to lock the rear wheel and skid. You can stop by gradually applying backpressure and slow to a stop without skidding, just like using brakes. I don't skid when I use brakes and I don't skid stop when riding fixed, I like to get as much mileage out of my tires as I can. Stopping through backpedaling is very difficult unless you have some type of foot retention, even the kids and teens I see on brakeless fixies use power grips with their BMX pedals.
You aren't "backpedaling". As caloso says your are resisting the pedals as they move forward. I
have ridden fixed. I have also see people who lock up the rear wheel...while not wearing any kind of foot retention...on fixed gears by
actually backpedaling. I wouldn't do it for the same reasons as you wouldn't and I certainly wouldn't do it without foot retention but then then I wouldn't ride a freewheel bike without foot retention...clips or clipless...either.