Return to single speed; fixed or freewheel to start?
 

Hello all, first post here.

Im getting back on a bicycle after about 6 years of not riding one (last riding was on a mountain bike, grew up riding BMX). Also, I live in San Francisco and haven't done much urban riding (I had my mountain bike down here, but mostly rode it around my college campus, never went into the city with it).

My end goal is to ride fixed, however my bike will have a flip-flop hub with a freewheel side... so my question to everyone is;

Should I start off with the bike in a fixed gear configuration and just get right into the learning curve of that style of riding, OR, should I start off with the freewheel option to get comfortable on the bike in general, given my time away and the new riding environment?

The idea of going freewheel for a while to ease into urban riding is appealing and seems like a gentle way of going about it, but I wonder if it'll hamper my learning to ride fixed down the road (which is what I really want to do).

Thoughts, opinions, experience, and of course sarcasm, are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

My first post in response: I just bought a single speed after 15 years of not riding my fancy road bike. It came set up fixed; I took a quick ride around the halls at work and immediately ordered a freewheel for it. It only cost about $8, and I can ride either way now, but I'm not going to: I don't feel the need for the life-threatening thrill of fixed, myself. You might consider that option: have both, and see which works better for you.

Sarcasm, yes, one newbie who read the intro!!!! Thanks :)

Personally, I would start SS to get used to you new bike. Then, when you get the urge, go fixed.

Yeah, just ride the bike on the street in SS mode at first. It will probably take you all of 10 minutes to get back into the swing of riding a regular bike again. Then when you feel like trying fixed, take it to a parking lot and give it a try. Don't ride on the street with traffic until you feel comfortable riding fixed with foot retention.

I'll also vote for starting with single speed, or at the very least picking up a freewheel right away so it's an option.

Go fixed right out of the gate, 80 gear inches, no brakes, no foot retention, and start jammin those hills.

Anything less is for Nancyboys.

You'll have it mastered in two to three blocks.

Surprised you didn't ask him to mount a GoPro, and to post the results of your recommendation. Maybe two GoPros, or three. One pointed to the road, one pointed toward his face, and one pointed toward the pedals that will be spinning without feet....

Just put a freewheel on one side and a fixed cog on the other. Carry a wrench. You can have your cake and eat it too.

Me, myself, when I have a goal, I just start out with it and skip the intermediate steps. I mean, if you wanna go fixed in the end, start out with it.

The image that came to mind made me chuckle.

Agreed. I really don't think riding fixed is as much of an adjustment as many people make it out to be, or at least it wasn't for me.

Thanks for all the replies so far!

SquidPuppet, I've been checking the hill gradients in search of San Francisco's equivalence of Mt. Everest for my first fixed gear test ride :thumb:

And Kinda, I don't use GoPro's because they look like ass on anything with curves (ie motorcycles, helmets, bikes... anything but a box really), but I'll have my Drift pointed right at my already slightly disfigured mug for you ;)

Tuxx, this is the primary debate in my head... I guess the main question I need to ask is how much self-preservation do I want exercise? ( I could just truck it to a parking lot for a day and get comfortable out there I guess...)

All the other responses that suggest freewheeling it, I'll probably go "Nancy" and do this for a while.

Still undecided (story of my life).

I strongly urge you to go freewheel. Fixed gear can be very dangerous. Things can happen that require a fast unexpected stop and that can get you into serious trouble even if you have brakes. I know there are those who disagree and will site the anecdotal fact that THEY have never fallen on one.

Anywhere other than SF and I would just suggest fixed and roll it. With the hills though, go freewheel. Get comfortable. Flip the flop eventually. Never go back to freewheel.

Aside from the test drive up'n'down our driveway, my first EVER trip on a fixed gear was a 30km round-trip to my parents house in another city and home again. No issues. Loved it. I was an avid single speeder for years, so the one gear issue was not an issue.

But it was far easier to ride a fixed gear than I had feared.

I also wanted (and still do) to ride fixed. One has to want it. If not, the no-coasting-thing will be a deal breaker I guess. I kinda like how I can "coast" with just stabilizing the legs and let the bike pedal for me. It's motion enough to not get cold on the descents (I feather the brake), but rest enough to relax the muscles and gain energy for the next hill.

So why is yer forum handle "SFixed"?

To piss you off.... Or, confusion...

A couple of points re: starting your fixed gear riding: 1) mount good brakes you can reach and 2) for your first fix gear ride(s), put a piece of tape on your seatpost 1/4" above the top of the seattube. Drop the post to the tape. Don't raise it until you have done at least one "coast" where you tried to stop the pedals. This is the voice of experience talking, I did my first fix gear ride on my normal seat height. Forgot and tried to coast. Threw myself a couple of feet into the air, still strapped onto the bike but I did not land on it. The pain of landing on the road was FAR LESS than the pain my leg went through!

I love fix gear riding. I've been doing it for 40 years and don't plan to stop.

Ben

When I first got my Langster I had it fixed and haven't bothered to use the freewheel. I went for it and had to learn how to use it and I think it has made me a better rider. I either had to learn fast or get hurt and I didn't want to get hurt. I remember thinking on my first big long down hill (a few weeks after owning the bike) I was going to want to switch over but I again said go for it and I made it down alive (granted with a little less brake pad). Though I had been riding for a while before getting a SS/FG so maybe you might try a day or two with a freewheel just to get back into the swing of riding.

As they say it is like riding a bike, you never forget ; )

I'm going to offer a dissenting opinion here and say you should go straight to riding fixed. If you get used to riding with the freewheel, you will be a LOT more likely to accidentally try and coast while riding fixed later on. If you go straight into it, you're going to have to learn right away how it works when you never stop pedaling, by feeling that kick at a lower, safer speed the first time you try to coast. As long as you leave the normal brakes on the bike too, it's perfectly safe, and I think an overall better plan.

Also, welcome to SF, come out to a social ride once you're comfortable on the bike!

The main reason, I reckon, is future reference. I aim to eventually ride fixed, so I figured I'd just toss it in now. SF capitalized for the city, aaaaand S is my first initial (didn't really think about that until just now though). Confusion and annoyances are an added bonus!

I'm leaning towards just starting with the fixed and practicing in the park where its pretty flat and void of hectic street traffic.

Thanks for the tape tip 79pmooney, and Vegan, I love the reference to "like riding a bike".

cali_axela, good points, and I most certainly will come out for a social ride, sounds like fun!

It's best not to try too many new things at once. The single speed aspect isn't necessarily all that new, especially if you weren't one to be constantly changing gears, and mashed your way up from starts and spun your way downhill before. But if you haven't used the same foot retention method before, don't try it the same time you try fixed. Get used to one first before trying the other.

:thumb:

Assuming you have brakes and foot retention, riding fixed is, I think, not that much harder than freewheel. With the exception of getting your foot in the foot retention :)

Since I rarely freewheel anyhow, I found the riding part to be pretty much the same. It's the stopping part that is so different.