Haha. Don't worry. I wasn't attacking you at all.

so am i a pseudo-hipster ss rider if i ride a ss bike with bullhorns? gosh i hope noone looks down on me

What weird thoughts some people have!

A single speed (with freewheel/freehub) bike makes a lot of sense for commuting, especially longer distances. It is simpler, lighter and easier to maintain than a geared bike and when function is more important than form, coasting is something rather nice not to lose.

FG (or any) cyclists who sneer or look down at someone else's bike have forgotten that the joy of cycling is not about looking cool.

Regards.

i basically use my ss for commuting and group/pleasure 35mile+ rides. its the only bike i own

As long as you do not continue pedaling for the purpose of looking like you are riding fixed, you are just fine with me. Otherwise it's a U-lock to the teeth ;-)

bf

I think i get it... is a fixed gear the kind of bike that breaks when you peddle backwards, and a speed bike has curly handle bars and gears you can shift?

There are certain body movements (body language) that are unique to fg cycling that are not to ss cycling. Spend more time riding & less time hurling insults & you might actually figure out what they are.

I continue to slowly pedal while coasting all the time, especially when slowing down for lights. Obviously nobody would be fooled in to thinking I'm riding fixed, but I find it a good way to... I don't know, keep the legs going? You know, keeping up circulation and so forth so they don't tighten up.

first of all that first sentence made me cringe. but anyway, fg bikers have a certain body language? really? in what sense? I know all kinds of fg riders, they're all different....not common body language that i can detect.

I was sitting at a red light on Broadway tonight near Columbia U & a biker went by through the red & in response to my wife's query of whether or not he was fixed I looked & said yes.

1. He was pedaling downhill, most ss riders would have been coasting & riding the brake(s).
2. The way he was pedaling, I could tell he was applying back pressure to control his momentum down the hill.
3. He continued through red lights swerving cross traffic but never stopped pedaling, raising off of the saddle at times.

How many people riding a freewheel does that?

Went on my first singlespeed 'group ride' w/some friends this past Saturday and a guy shows up w/a Salsa Casseroll fixie. The 3 singlespeeds were a new Masi, a Nishiki conversion and a Fuji conversion. All have 46x16 gearing. We did a 50 mile ride and I learned alot from watching how the fixie guy pedalled. Very steady, even cadence. He would get lost on the decends and show up a/t top of the climbs. Suddenly, it occurred to me one could actually 'rest' on the climbs while still pedaling...the drivetrain does 'some' of the work. Now, I realize the worst of riding singlespeed...fixie envy.

surprisingly enough, going up hills on fixed is a breeze... you feel like you are just gliding up them. especially nice is when you pass a 10 speed going up a hill and while your just cranking past them nice and steady they're fiddling with their gears and losing torque...

Wow. Really? This? From you?

@ the OP'er and the rest.
I have a question .
Q: why should one "look down" on another cyclist only because he/she is riding a bicycle that isn't a "fixed gear" bicycle ?

IN my opinion , as long as you enjoy what your doing ,should you be biased towards others who dont share you opinions , in this case "fixed gear " is better than a "Single speed " .
I dont understand this type of behavior with the cycling community .

This type of behavior is in each forum SADLY .
//T