I am a total newb when it comes to singlespeed bikes, but today, as I waqs driving around town with the family, I saw two people riding their road bikes. As I looked at the gears, I noticed they were singlespeed. I thought "Cool!! I've never seen one live and in action before!!". However, as they approached the light, the female rider stopped pedaling and coasted towards the end of the block.
Now, I thought you couldn't do this with a fixie? I thought this coasting was a function of the flywheel and that when you made a fixie, the flywheel has to go.
Again, I am a total newb to this, so excuse me if I am incorrect on any rudimentary facts.
Soooo...... is this doable? I mean, I guess it is, but is this common?

So you have never seen a singlespeed bike? Beach cruisers usually only have 1 speed and they can coast as well. A fixed gear is a bike that has one gear with a fixed hub with a cog and lockring. These bikes cannot coast. However some bikes only have one gear but have the ability to coast. Some bikes have a rear hub with 2 sides, one side has threads for a cog and lockring to ride fixed, while the other side has threads for a freewheel to coast.

What you saw were people riding bikes with single speed freewheels (not flywheel), which allow you to coast just like multi-speed bikes with a freehub or freewheel. A fixed gear is a single speed bike w/o a freewheel, which has the rear cog (sprocket) attached directly to the hub, so you can't coast, but can slow down by pedaling backwards.

lol @ flywheel.

I think he's thinking of "freewheel" but "flywheel" came out. Simple mistake. Don't give him too much of a hard time.

At least he's in the ballpark. Most people call a derailleur a chain-gear-shifter-thingy. I know a girl that called tires "wheels" for a year. "I think I need new wheels, mine are really worn down after 6 months." Some people call cogs "rear chainrings", etc...

there was a post somewhere on BF yesterday, "front cranks", I read.

No no, that's ok. I loled at flywheel too.
Freewheel.
F-R-E-E-W-H-E-E-L.
Sorry, just making it stick. Haha
Ok, so, a fixed gear and single speed bike are not the same. Got'cha. So I can convert a road bike and keep the FREEwheel on it to coast?
Ok, got it.
And yes, TheBikeRollsOn, you're right, I HAVE seen single speed bikes as I HAVE seen Cruisers. I meant single speed road bikes.
Now, another newb question. I seem to remember (and again, I'm probably wrong) when I was younger having BMX and other dirt bikes that I could coast on, and yet could brake using the pedal. Could you do this on a single speed road bike that has the freewheel on it?
Is this possible? Or is my memory leaving me.

that would be a coaster brake system.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/coaster-brakes.html

You are thinking of a coaster brake, It is possible and easily achieved by buying this wheelset.
https://www.velomine.com/index.php?ma...roducts_id=623

Why mine does have a flywheel on it since you never know when you get the urge to go fishing.

I was at a shop today and a girl came in on a brakeless fixie and didnt know know what her tire size was...

LOL. Yeah, exactly. It's a new sport. Bike fishing.

She probably just walks around with her fixie for mad street cred.

yesterday I saw a hipster on a bike that had gears, psssh, don't these people know they have to run FG/SS?