What's the difference
 

between 'Singlespeed' and 'Fixed Gear'?


As you can guess I know nothing about either and I always thought they were pretty much the same thing.

Fixed is like one of those bikes you had when you were really little, that the pedals didn't coast. Single-Speed is like your old Schwinn Cruiser, one speed and you can coast (bike moves while pedals stay still).

Thanks.

Are you able to brake on a Singlespeed using 'foot' brakes ie you stand on the pedals to brake?

some single speeds are equipped with coaster brakes which allow you to stop by pedaling backward. you can, well, still coast on a bike with a coaster brake. you cannot do that on a fixed gear. it is probably worth noting that most single speed bikes use hand brakes -- you generally only find coaster brakes on older cruisers or special builds.

If the SS/Fixie had an FAQ, that would have to be number one. number two would have to be "Bianchi or IRO"

yeah, just to add a wee bit, a "freewheel" is like a ratcheting mechanism that lets the rear wheel move while the cog, chain, and pedals stay still--that's on a single speed. on a fixed gear, a cog is screwed directly on to the hub, making the whole affair--wheel, cog, chain, chainring, pedals--connected, fixed together.