Originally Posted by shants
because the person specified "freewheel" instead of "geared" and, moreover, because this is the singlespeed and fixed forum where people use freewheel setups with only one gear option, i hardly think that it is a safe assumption.
in any case, if a person has even a modicum of intelligence, they will realize that the question "is fixed a better workout than geared" is totally meaningless without specifying exactly how a given rider utilizes their gearing options.
a question that is actually somewhat interesting (and is able to be reasonably parameterized) is whether there is something about fixed qua fixed that makes it better or worse for working out than free. of course, you still have to decide what in particular you mean by "better workout" -- more calories burnt, more muscle building, perfecting certain techniques, etc -- but once that is done, you actually have a meaningful empirical inquiry.
i just had what alcoholics refer to as "a moment of clarity"--you're right. the question assumed no gears. and it's obvious that if cadence, course, speed, etc. remain the same the fixed requires more work. i don't know why i even asked the question. i knew the answer.
