drjava

Another thing to consider on the manufactured fixed gear street bikes is the bottom bracket is typically higher off the pavement and the crank arms shorter than a road setup. This is necessary to reduce chances of pedal strike and foot overlap with the front wheel when cornering.

Biking_Lawyer

Havn't read the other responses, so this may be duplicative.

Why I commute on a fixed gear: it is light, dependable, easy to maintain and geared appropriately. All i have to worry about is if my chain is in one piece and my tires are full of air. Having twenty gears is great and all until you start sloghing throught the muck in the spring and fall and your derailuer gets all jammed and clunky. And you have to carry a 40 lbs bike up the steps.


A fixed gear bike gives you momentum as the cranks come around. Thus, if one is especially tired, they can let the bike do half of the work. Assuming there are no mountains on your commute you should be able to find a gear that will allow you to maintain a decent speed/spin and the flats and let you get up the hills. The trick is you need to have have speed and momentum going up the hill or else it does feel like doing "wieghted lunges" as you said. I often bounce right on by many people on geared bikes spinning like madmen and not going any where up the hill.

Find someone with one and try it out--then tell us what you think.

goalieMN

I bike on a railroad-grade bike path 10-miles each way to and from work. I set it up for the gear that works well with the prevailing winds that I face daily.

The KISS factor is nice in the winter as well.

j0ew00ds

Yes, i think the only way to see what it's like is to try. As much as putting the bike in one gear and leaving it is a taste, it just doesn't ultimately compare.

That depends on how big your parts bin is. You'll need a special rear hub/wheel, but one of the reason's they're so popular is ease of getting going.

I've commuted for 3 years (off and on) on my fixed gear Kogswell. I love it. Absolutely agree with previous answer about urban riding - I feel more nimble, fast, balanced. Cliche, I know. There's something sweet about not thinking about shifting at all. Just pedal.
Hills don't scare me either. On a fixed, you'll find you have more torque on the hills. Give it a month, and you won't think twice about "aw, wish I had gears."
Give it a try. I think you'll like it.

EvanWCbus

What's funny is that almost all of the commuters I see in Columbus use fixie's/SS's. I think they do it for the hipster points though. If you know Columbus, you wouldn't find it hard to believe that there's rather a lot of hipsters.

fluidworks

I've been commuting for the past year on a single speed, next week I start my fixed build.

The reason? I enjoy it, I like challenging myself with climbs, enjoy the spinning on descents, the light weight, and yes, I'm so vain to say I like the minimalist aesthetic they bring.

GearsForFears

Vanity, schmanity. Everyone likes a cool-looking bike. Something about a SS just says, ride me. No complications or decisions. You pedal, I move.

bicycleptic

I agree with all those reasons to ride a fixed. Then last night I was out for a leisurely evening ride and stopped by the Keeper of the Plains statue downtown to take a break and watch the torch lighting they do at dusk every night. A girl walked up and told me how much she liked my bike and how good it looked. I also own a mountain bike, a touring bike and a lightweight racing bike. The fixie is the only bike that has got that type of comment. One more reason to enjoy the ride.

Popeyecahn

Chicks dig 'em. Reason alone....lol

degnaw

I have a geared mtb and want to replace it with a single speed because I don't use many of the gears - at most I switch the rear gear from '6' to '5' or '4' for a hill. 3 gears out of 18 just seems like a waste to me, and if I didn't have the extra ones weighing me down I probably wouldn't have had to shift in the first place. If I lived in a hillier area, I might need at most 3 or 4 widely spaced gears. Why have so many?

rando

if you live in a flat place it is easier to go SS. I was only using one gear anyway, so I converted. works for me.

Danre

I guess the first thing I'll do tomorrow is go to a LBS.

Last week I did visit one and checked out a few rides. Unfortunately, the Raleigh One Way and Redline 925 (which I came to see) where not available in my size. But I did try the Schwinn Madison and another single someone traded in. The Madison I wasn't too impressed with, but the other bike was nice since it had bullhorns.

I still want to try out a Surly and Salsa to see how these ride. Afterward, I probably might simply buy a frame set and build my own bike.

juggleaddict

go mountain biking on a single speed 29er with no shocks. . . it may just be the most amazing experience ever. . . .

they aren't JUST for the road you know

i've heard about people doing fixed mountain bike riding, anybody know of a youtube video of this????. . . can't be anything too drastic, the pedal clearance would be horrible!

i had my bike on the fixed side until i did a longer ride, i haven't switched it back over yet, because, well . . . i tend to have a lot longer range on the ss side, though, i must admit, it's more fun to ride the fixed side if you aren't going far

pluc

I personally like single, but I find it somewhat limited when it comes to doing something when the bike is loaded and there are hills. I don't really like riding fixed in the city, I always get stuck in odd angles.

If you want a cheap solution, with very little maintenance, I'd look at a three speed internally geared hub and put the middle or top gear to what you'd use for your single/fixed setup.