Reasoning behind SS...
 

I don't quite understand the reasoning behind the single speed craze. Is it because it feels better, more "direct" to have a straighter path than the typical multi-speed? Is it more efficient, less energy spent going through the laberynth of a dirraleur arrangement? Does it make much sense if one is to ride a SS bike in an area with lots of gently rolling hills?

I suspect a lot of this has been discussed before. I could not find such discussions so if you can steer me to one that would be cool.

Laslty, what is the difference between SS and Fixed gear?

Thanks to all in advance.

i ride singlespeed primarily because it is simpler than the multispeed design. my drivtrain components last longer, i don't have to worry about shfiting and it makes me a stronger rider when i gotta lug my fat @ss up a hill with no easy gear to bail into.

fixed gear is singlespeeding without the ability to coast.

i do it so people on the internet will think i'm cool.

it's gonna start working soon, i swear.

you ride single speed? YOU'RE SO COOL!!!!!!!

Hm. My reasons for building a fixie:

1. Durability. Less moving parts to break.
2. Beauty. There's just something so beautiful in the simplicity of a SS/FG bike.
3. I'm an unabashed messesnger-idolizing hipster. Fixies are in.

it's flat where I live. less crap to break ( although I still ride geared bikes)

see?

just in case this was a genuine question:

http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

Mirkee, as you suspected this is a very standard question on ssfg message boards. The standard answers are above, plus that it's fun to do things on a ss/fg that you thought required a bike with variable gears (huge climbs? commuting? cyclocross? brevets?); plus that ss/fg riding is fun period; plus a bunch more reasons that others will offer. For anyone who rides ss/fg regularly and by choice, all of these factors offset the potential loss in efficiency and top speed that you incur when you give up variable gears. YMMV.

For me it is about simplicity and the ability to be totally absorbed on a bike. I have a multi-speed full carbon Kestral w/ Dura Ace bits, HED3's and carbon everything else and I still ride my SS about 1/2 the time. My SS has virtually no drive-train noise which is really nice. It also forces me to work harder so when I do ride my geared bike, I am faster. Not thinking about the next shift or hearing the click of the derailures is really nice.

They make multi-speed bikes? Crap, if only I would have known before investing in these other rides...

to meet messenger girls.

less **** to break. if your shifting fubared it makes more sense just to single speed it than to replace all the equipment.

As you can see..

first off my reason is its cool!!!!
but really its flat where I live and low mantenence and cheap parts are the reasoning there in.
fixed doesn't coast ss usually does coast although technically fixed is a singlespeed

I prefer SS in the winter. No hassle with snow clogging your drivetrain. The rest of the year I ride geared bikes, my part of Norway is not particularly flat.

Make sure you keep pedaling so people don't know it's a SS. Fake it by momentairly locking up your legs when you brake.

Fixed gear is Jedi, freewheel is Padawan.

I prefer a 24" wheel BMX-style bike (as opposed to most around here who seem to prefer "full-sized" road-style bikes). My bike has a freewheel, as opposed to most around here, which do not. (A fixed-gear on a bike as low to the ground as mine would be problematic, since the pedals would often strike the ground on turns.)

But, the appeal of mechanical simplicity -- and more direct control of the machine -- is something I share with the FG bunch.

(I think I got soured on shifters when I got a not-very-nice "10-speed" from a chain store, as a kid. One of those $5000-USD spandex carbon fiber deals drives and shifts like a dream. But the old men get very angry when I steal them, and they chase me in their Lexus SUVs.)

$0.02,
rs

<<<<<< If I dug SS'ing, I'd change my username to roadfree. :D

+a million

Because I can plug into my music and not have to think about gears, or hear them clanking around back there, no rub, no fuss.
Because they're simplistic, raw, easy to maintain. They are what the original bikes were like to ride, hence classical.
Because they are the best way to become a stronger cyclist, I still like roadies, but riding fixed just keeps both genres interesting.

I was very skeptical when I got my SS, it was really just a bike-lust purchase, but I'm glad I did. I bought it to use as a commuter bike and to use for leisurly rides on the DC bikepath system with my wife and friends. Here are the benefits of my SS:

1. My cyclocross bike and all of its 18 gears, derailleurs, cables, and brifters (not to metion frame, fork, and everything else) get to take a break from the unnecessary abuse of commuting, playriding, and storage at my office.

2. In its simplicity, I get to enjoy pedaling. A straight chainline produces a beautifully smooth and efficient pedal stroke, and is much easier to climb on that people imagine. Also, it teaches me to pedal in the gear I'm in, no bailing out to higher or lower gears, and it forces me to work the gear with my whole body and creative pedaling and riding technique, all of which translates nicely back to my 'cross bike.

3. It's a beautiful machine, and it's relaxing and fun to ride knowing that I won't be hearing the "grind, crunch, click" of gears going out of adjustment, and the thought of easy maintenance allows me to focus on riding the bike and not just taking extreme care of the bike.

FG, as mentioned earlier, is fixed gear, with the rear sprocket fixed to the rear hub. Pedal forward and the bike goes forward, pedal backwards and the bike goes backwards. This is for riding/racing on velodromes (banked cycling tracks) only. Serious road racers will ride fixed on low-traffic roads to work thier strenght and pedaling technique into a smooth, round spin. Messengers use it for simplicity as thier daily riding is thier daily paycheck, and they want as little to go wrong with thier bikes as possible. Otherwise, people have taked to riding FG bikes on the road as a "hipster" thing, but that's another debate.

Somebody earlier questioned whether my original question was serious or just in jest. Well, it's serious. I have now learned the difference between single speed and fixed gear, which is good. I guess single speed is the way to get one's feet wet and then progress (or regress!) to FG from there, if it seems right. I see rear wheels for sale on ebay that are already set up for SS. I guess that's the way to go if one does not want to have 5 or more gears in back and only use one, with the rest just sitting there being more wight and hassle. I assume that there are also one gear chain rings that one can use to keep it real simple. Otherwise, one can put just one cog in back on a wheel that was previously 5 or more but then the wheel has to be redished. Am I getting it?

I too, remember riding my 24" Schwinn, in Cuba of all places, when I was a young lad. Schwinns were usually rebadged "Niagara" in Cuba but mine said Schwinn on the top tube. Yes, it was fun and exilirating. As I keep tinkering I'll think of doing a SS.

Any opinions on converting a 27" wheeled bike as opposed to a 26" or a 700?

I'll read up some more on Sheldon's site.

Thanks for all the input. Looking forward to more.

Mirko

the silence