I'm at work right now thinking about my commute home and the wind is blowing 25-27 mph in the wrong direction. Almost forgot, I ride a single speed.

Don't forget, you paid extra to have that problem.

HTFU!

No flip flop hub with a wuss/granny cog? Enjoy your mash bash and a real feeling of accomplishment when you get home.

I feel like an idiot for taking the time to share my thoughts, but I'd really feel stupid if I took the time to download and post a picture just to be snarky.

Hey no worries, i feel your pain.

Would you have prefered a song?

lol zoltani. Someone must be bored at work eh?

OP, I know EXACTLY how you feel. IMO SS are great in pretty much every single aspect except for headwinds. Good luck!

yes and no, it's lunchtime!

Honestly heavy winds are the only time I use headphones, the constant howl of the wind in your ears can be demoralizing. But you're just on a commute, try riding into headwinds for 6 hours or so....THAT is some major suckage.

The only way out is through. Enjoi

That sucks, but is part of life with SS. I've done my fair share of slogging into the wind in a 70 inch gear. Not fun.

Oh, and Zoltani - I'm at work, and it's NOT lunchtime, and I'm not really interested in doing anything work related this afternoon.

The "wrong" direction for a 27mph wind would be at your back, and you have to spend your entire commute home spinning like a trackstar and wishing you had a few less teeth in back.
Headwinds are just strength training for breakaway sprints.

Huh? How does removing the cost of derailleurs, shifters, extra cables, and reducing from the cost of a cassette to a single freewheel become "paying extra"?

At least you'll be all the stronger for it!

I find it's easier to push into the wind on a SS- there is no wussin' out, you have to attack. I live south of the city and there is usually a prevailing wind out of the south, so just about every ride I do finishes with a 7-10 mile ride into the wind. I always do it faster on the SS than on a geared bike because wussin' out is not an option.

Have you costed out a SS/FG lately? My theory is that they charge more because the parts need to be heavier duty- no easy spinning, all mashing, which puts more strain on the drivetrain.

Wind and hills is what makes SS so much more interesting and fun. What a great feeling of accomplishment after the ride is over !. The extra struggle is worth it, it makes you into a stronger rider.

A problem ??? What problem ???. I don't see any problem.

SS sales are a vast minority compared to geared bikes, so you pay extra for SS specific components (frame, mostly) simply because economics of scale are not there...

pedal, coast, pedal, coast , look around and see no one there take a break lol

True.

But look at a fixie built on a vintage frame that was had for practically nuthin'- it still costs a lot to build up.

If you have drop-bars, just get lower and keep the head down. ez

Lucky you? It's pouring cats and dogs outside right now, and I WALKED to the office today! (2.86 miles one way, just under 6 miles roundtrip)

I guess I can sympathize a little.
Just too damn hilly here for my fat butt to go single/Fixed. I built two in the last couple years and both I broke the chain both times (SS a geared bike so didn't have 1/8 inch chain).
Now I may give it a go again with the fixed three speed that SA has out. Get a bit of a hill gear and a bit of high speed gear.
https://www.sturmey-archer.com/products/hubs/cid/3/id/47

Sure, if you piece it together and pay retail for the parts. Every single time, that's going to be the way it is. BD bikes are a better example -- they buy in enough quantity and sell direct so they can keep their prices low. Same bike from a LBS selling it with a major brand label will be another +$200 or so.