Is there much of a difference?
 

Hey guys,

Is there much of a differecne between using single speed bikes and fixed gears? Just wandering as I keep skimming over the forum about them and was wondering so thought I'd ask. Thanks guys.

Yes.
To put it another way, Is there much of a difference between a mountain bike and a cyclocross bike? They both pretty much serve the same purpose.

The experience of riding a fixed gear for the first time is often like learning to ride a bike all over again. The feel is very different. It is as different as driving an automatic verses manual shift car. I actually find it uncomfortable to ride a geared bike anymore.

With a fixed gear bike, you have to keep pedaling downhill. With a single speed bike, you can coast downhill.

Uphill will make no difference! :D

I was at a restaurant last night that served chicken & pancakes. While I've always been a huge fan of chicken & waffles, the thought of pairing fried chicken with pancakes was a bit of a turn off because pancakes get a lot soggier than a nice, homemade Belgian-style waffle - even if they are made from the exact same batter. Needless to say, I opted out and got a burger instead.

And on a fixed gear, you'll be in for a rude awakening the first time you instinctively try to freewheel a bit as you prepare for that inevitable first sneeze. ; - )

http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb8760141/p5pb8760141.jpg

http://www.bicycling.com/sites/defau...avel-kanza.jpg

;)

That's really deep, man.

Huge difference. A single speed is just like riding any bike, but you only have one gear. Fixed gear, if the bike is moving the pedals are moving. Very weird feeling until you get used to it.

Anything with a freewheel requires you to use the brakes to control your speed.
With fg, you can use your legs and for subtle control, that's an immense difference. Brakes are a very blunt tool when it comes to speed control.
Stopping is a different matter where in most cases, the extra stopping power of brakes is often nice.
People who've never mastered fg only think in terms of having to pedal all the time and stopping because a freewheel removes the single biggest advantage of fg, the ability to control the speed of your bike with your legs rather than using your legs only to pump power and lift your arse off the saddle which is all a freewheel offers.

FG with brakes is a whole 'nother world.
FG without brakes is a different world again.
Give it a try and find out.

So I have ridden single speed the last 2 years. Every day to school the same thing. Well about 2 weeks ago I switched to fixed gear. On my way to school the first day my body instinctively tried to coast after I peddled really fast. Needless to say I felt like a real dumbass when I lost control and slid across the street and slammed into a car. Worst road rash I've had. I am trying to change my instincts but it's hard after being single speed for so long.

Funny, the not remembering you can't coast has never been a huge issue for me, maybe just a bit of a bump in the leg to remind me. On the other hand, after riding fg for some time, my geared bike always feels broken, usually as I start to slow for the intersection at the end of my street.

I felt that it was pretty important to take a "cruise" a couple of times when first changing from SS to fixed. Rode a few 8 mile rides slowly. Made acclimating to fixed riding pretty easy.

Must've been fun trying to explain it to the owner of the car, especially if he's go no idea about fg bikes.

Yup, lesson learned. Would be a good idea for new fg riders to do. I've been riding real slow lately getting used to constant peddling.

Learning the really hard way. Hey, bravo to you for having the humility to admit that. Bet it'll never happen again though! :thumb:

Yeah definitely the hard way. Pretty embarrassing and hard to admit, but it's just crazy how instilled in my mind single speed was. I will admit i was real frustrated with fg after that happened. But I didn't want it to hold me back or stop me.

Same here, when I first built mine, I forgot about the fixed part of fixed gear. I also almost crashed down a steep hill. I couldnt match rpms and my feet got thrown off, fish tailed, and grabbed brake hard. I bet the car behind me was like dafuq? The only thing I still find hard is track stands and skids. the chain is on the 44tooth ring and my legs are pretty strong. I can carry a cruiser to about 25mph but cant force a fixie driveteain to stop- irratates the hell outta me.

I had no foot retention when I fell as well so my legs went flying. And yeah I haven't mastered skids yet unless I am going slow. And yeah I need to figure out track stands as well. Would be a great help.

I can't do skids at all.

I use a three contact point skid technique - pedal, bars and ear. Which side I fall on is optional :)

This is beautiful.

I used forget every time I looked over my shoulder to see if traffic was coming. Of course, after you do this once, you remember what you're riding. For me, this translates to the road bike - always keep pedaling, no matter what.

When you ride a geared bike, is there a disconnected sensation, and that it's loose?

Something like that. It feels like "OMG I'm gonna crash" for a couple seconds and then it feels like "Gee, this sucks not to have control over your speed." then it feels like "that goshed-darned fishsticking smother nugget derailleur is screwing up again, grr!".

Ah, I see. I've been a single speed only guy for many decades, but I've never tried fixed. There is just something scary to me about being forced to pedal around a corner. I enjoy high speed cornering tremendously and I fear that the lean angles I generate would cause a pedal strike, or that I'd have to go slow in the turns. How far off base am I?

It depends on your bike. If you have a low bottom bracket with long cranks then there is actually something to worry about. I take corners quite sharply on my bike, without worrying about it. But you are never going to be doing 40mph descents on a fixed gear bike regardless.

Also, wide pedals are a problem on a FG. All of my FG bikes have 165mm cranks and track frames with higher BBs. Most are clipless with very narrow pedals.

That's funny. I NEVER even thought about that aspect. LOL at myself. Yeah, your legs can only spin so fast.