Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Singlespeed & Fixed Gear
Reload this Page >

Possible Newbie, silly questions time!

Search
Notices
Singlespeed & Fixed Gear "I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"-- Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 - 16 August 1940)

Possible Newbie, silly questions time!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 10-12-23, 05:11 PM
  #26  
BumpyRidesDoneDirtCheap
 
DanXBoon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2023
Location: Pennsylvania and Delaware
Posts: 34

Bikes: Single-speed ('95 DiamondBack Apex), '92 DiamondBack Allure, '95 Trek 730

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9 Post(s)
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by Yanto
Hi all
Please excuse the following really basic/silly questions re fixed gear bikes as I have zero knowledge about them.
We emigrated in November 2021 from Uk to Thailand. I’m now 63 and retired.
In the last 6 months Ive got back into cycling. To try to regain some fitness. So far I’m down from 98kg to 81kg.
I do short rides (30kms) around a nearby lake, on almost flat, tarmac roads. There’s hardly ever any traffic when I go, 5.30am.
I currently have a Giant Escape RX hybrid but I was wondering if a fixed gear bike would suit these rides?
I have been offered a very cheap model (new) that has disc brakes front and rear, so presumably this makes it much easier/safer to stop? Would these actually work and do I still pedal whilst braking?
I have also seen various other models for sale here without any brakes. How do you stop on one of these and presumably a model with brakes might suit someone like myself better?
Thanks in advance for any help/advice
Yanto, welcome! One of my (favorite) bikes is single-speed. I am also mostly on flat, so it works well. It has brakes of course, back and front. One of the interesting issues when running single-speed is the gear ratio (ratio of # of teeth on the front vs back cog). This ratio influences the quality/ease of your ride. Deciding on it is done before you purchase or, if you purchase a bike and you do not like how easy/difficult it run, it is easy to change the back cog with another one. Looking forward to hear more about your experiences.
DanXBoon is offline  
Old 10-13-23, 10:53 PM
  #27  
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Yanto's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2023
Location: Thailand
Posts: 34

Bikes: Giant Escape RX, Bianchi Via Nirone 7.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 29 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by DanXBoon
Yanto, welcome! One of my (favorite) bikes is single-speed. I am also mostly on flat, so it works well. It has brakes of course, back and front. One of the interesting issues when running single-speed is the gear ratio (ratio of # of teeth on the front vs back cog). This ratio influences the quality/ease of your ride. Deciding on it is done before you purchase or, if you purchase a bike and you do not like how easy/difficult it run, it is easy to change the back cog with another one. Looking forward to hear more about your experiences.
Hi and many thanks for the reply.
I changed my mind actually and bought a cheap Specialized mountain bike, hardtail. It’s ok actually on the rides that I do each morning. Takes more effort to pedal but hey, hopefully that means I’m getting fitter 😂
I am thinking that I’ll still get a Single Speed at some point though, as and when I find the right one.
Yanto is offline  
Old 10-14-23, 06:32 AM
  #28  
BumpyRidesDoneDirtCheap
 
DanXBoon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2023
Location: Pennsylvania and Delaware
Posts: 34

Bikes: Single-speed ('95 DiamondBack Apex), '92 DiamondBack Allure, '95 Trek 730

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9 Post(s)
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by Yanto
Hi and many thanks for the reply.
I changed my mind actually and bought a cheap Specialized mountain bike, hardtail. It’s ok actually on the rides that I do each morning. Takes more effort to pedal but hey, hopefully that means I’m getting fitter 😂
I am thinking that I’ll still get a Single Speed at some point though, as and when I find the right one.
Enjoy! My „handle” is BumpyRidesDoneDirtCheap - so you can imagine that I see this with approval, even admiration ... To learn more, if still interested, take a peek in the sub forum for single-speed bikes - there are some great informative posts there
DanXBoon is offline  
Likes For DanXBoon:
Old 10-14-23, 05:27 PM
  #29  
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Yanto's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2023
Location: Thailand
Posts: 34

Bikes: Giant Escape RX, Bianchi Via Nirone 7.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 29 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by DanXBoon
Enjoy! My „handle” is BumpyRidesDoneDirtCheap - so you can imagine that I see this with approval, even admiration ... To learn more, if still interested, take a peek in the sub forum for single-speed bikes - there are some great informative posts there
Thanks again. Is there a separate sub forum for single speed or just this one which is combined with fixed gear?
Yanto is offline  
Old 10-14-23, 05:41 PM
  #30  
BumpyRidesDoneDirtCheap
 
DanXBoon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2023
Location: Pennsylvania and Delaware
Posts: 34

Bikes: Single-speed ('95 DiamondBack Apex), '92 DiamondBack Allure, '95 Trek 730

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9 Post(s)
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by Yanto
Thanks again. Is there a separate sub forum for single speed or just this one which is combined with fixed gear?
yes, it is the one combined with fixed gear - all the best!
DanXBoon is offline  
Likes For DanXBoon:
Old 10-16-23, 04:02 PM
  #31  
hello
 
roadfix's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 18,703
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 196 Post(s)
Liked 131 Times in 58 Posts
You’ll love the bull bars for climbing…
roadfix is offline  
Likes For roadfix:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.