My trusty 1981 Miyata came with a single speed set up, and a bag full of the gear parts. I have been putting 50-70 miles a week on it, loving the bike. I am planning to add se regular mountain ride, and so had my LBS put the gears back on. Took it out today and was thrilled to be able to sit up the big hills, and grab a taller gear on the level and downhill, rather then spinning out and coasting. Today's ride was FAST, and I got a great work out as well. Love the gears.

I tried to do my commute in one gear recently and I nearly died from exhaustion. Forcing yourself to one gear is a damn workout! I wimped out and used my gears 2 miles in though

For me, a single speed is just fine for moderate commutes without pulling a trailer or having a heavy load. Or riding into heavy winds.

Since I do all of those things, a SS is not practical for me and discourages me from using a bike when I otherwise would.

Clear violation of n+1 rule. You should have left your SS as is and got a geared bike.

Gears are helpful- Who wudda thunk it?

I discovered that inflating my tire tubes made it a lot easier to ride and made the bike ride more comfortable and bike riding more enjoyable.

What will the bicycle wizards think of next - maybe comfortable handlebar layouts and relaxed riding positions, not dictated by fashion?

I just started riding with a saddle, it's awesome!

I had removed it to save weight, as a theft deterrent, and I usually stand when I ride anyway, but it's nice to sit down sometimes. I recommend everyone have a saddle on their bike now.

I am a hardcore SS/FG rider... I hate gears. I am over 40.. yes I know, according to internet cycling experts I shouldn't be riding SS.. people say it's bad for your knees.. but I do it anyways, have been riding SS for 4 years now. I ride SS not just for commuting but also do century rides and long distance rides on hilly rural roads.

Excellent -- I don't doubt it.

Now a load washing maching onto a trailer, attach it to your bike and ride to work on a day with a 15 mph head wind. Actually, I use my 18" low gear even when having 90-100 lbs of groceries loaded and going up the moderate hills on my route.

Point: SS has its place, but it's not for everyone.

I agree that there are places and situations where gears make riding easier. I don't really hate them, I just find them unneccessary in my area and for my style of riding.
If I was pulling heavy trailers on regular basis, I would propably go for a 3 speed or something.

A couple of years ago I converted one of my bikes to a single-speed/fixe. I really enjoyed riding it for a change of pace, and commuted 1-2 days/week on that bike alternating with my geared bikes. After a couple of months, I started developing knee pains that I didn't initially attribute to the SS. Bad move. Pretty soon my knees hurt so bad that I was limping all the time. Riding the SS just about destroyed my knees and took about 6 months of physical therapy to recover, and they still aren't 100%.

This is the dirty little secret about SS/fixes. I'm not saying this will happen to everyone because obviously there are a lot of cyclists who've been riding SS/fixes for many years with no problems. But it is a clear risk for many of us. In my case, I think the problems developed because I ride in a hilly area with very few flat roads. I am a spinner, and found that I needed to attack the hills on my SS, which is not good for your knees when you haven't had time to warm up. For those riding on flat terrain, a SS might be a very viable option, but I would think twice if you ride on a lot of hills.

Single speeds are great. Third bike anyone should get right after road and mountain bikes are checked off the list.

I love my SS. Running fixed hurts my knees, but the way it's set up now doesn't (freewheel and only about 65 gear-inches). I'm actually considering lowering the gearing a bit more. I primarily use it for commuting, but I have taken it on a few rural hilly rides.

I used to ride SS only, but I got a little tired of the lack of versatility. I built the bike up into a 3 speed and that's the sweet spot for commuting for me.

My first really nice bike was a Trek 1.5. Ok, maybe no nice by bikeforum standards, but it was a huge outlay for me. After some time, I was like, "pfft, who needs gears?" and I hurriedly traded it for a sweet Giant FG/SS. Now, after 4 months of commuting to work 18 miles round trip to work, I hate my bike. My knees and legs are hurting, and I don't feel nearly as efficient as last year with my geared Trek. So now I'm either going to try and trade for a geared bike or just buy a new one.

I will say that for pleasure riding (of which I do a fair amount) and quick trips to the grocery store, errands, etc.. I love my FG. Tooling around town is pretty sweet in that sense. I just feel for a semi-long'ish commute, it's not working for me. I'm glad I saw this thread, which shows that I'm not the only one.

I used to ride a SS in the city. The simplicity was nice but I ultimately switched back to a geared bike for the following reasons...

- a well built aluminum geared bike weighs as much as a typical SS/FG
- if I am ever in a rush, it is simply not possible to exceed a certain speed

being relatively young, hills weren't much of a problem...I still miss the aesthetic of riding a SS but couldn't deal with having my speed limited

Went up into the mountains today. Beautiful and quiet. Might be my favorite ride now.

"In the summer of 1887 a bronzed, perspiring Englishman bent low over his gearless bicycle as, in the pursuit of health, he toiled along the hilly road from St. Geours to Bayonne- over the foothills of the Pyrenees in the south-west. of France. Time after time he was forced to dismount when towards the end of his 20-mile trip the route became increasingly hilly, walking his machine in all some three or four miles. Frank Bowden was the Englishman's name. Alternately on his ride he soundly blessed the bicycle which was so speedily helping to rebuild his body, weakened after 15 years in the debilitating climate of the Far East, and equally strongly cursed the hills.

"Soon after his discovery of the beneficial effects of cycling, Bowden acquired a financial interest in a small bicycle work shop in Raleigh Street, Nottingham-which he was later to form into the Raleigh Cycle Company. He foresaw the possibilities of the bicycle, but ever since his hill trips in France he had in mind the desirability of a variable gear on the machine to help cope with gradients if cycling were to become a popular pastime and not simply the plaything of health and physical fitness addicts."

...and so began Sturmey-Archer.

Well before WWI, German and British sport and touring cyclists were riding excellent variable gear machines (internal hub gears). The French and Italians began development of the derailleur at this same time, and by the late 1920s had turned the concept into practical, robust hardware.