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Singlespeed & Fixed Gear "I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"-- Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 - 16 August 1940)

Possible Newbie, silly questions time!

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Old 10-12-23, 05:11 PM
  #26  
DanXBoon
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Originally Posted by Yanto
Hi all
Please excuse the following really basic/silly questions re fixed gear bikes as I have zero knowledge about them.
We emigrated in November 2021 from Uk to Thailand. I’m now 63 and retired.
In the last 6 months Ive got back into cycling. To try to regain some fitness. So far I’m down from 98kg to 81kg.
I do short rides (30kms) around a nearby lake, on almost flat, tarmac roads. There’s hardly ever any traffic when I go, 5.30am.
I currently have a Giant Escape RX hybrid but I was wondering if a fixed gear bike would suit these rides?
I have been offered a very cheap model (new) that has disc brakes front and rear, so presumably this makes it much easier/safer to stop? Would these actually work and do I still pedal whilst braking?
I have also seen various other models for sale here without any brakes. How do you stop on one of these and presumably a model with brakes might suit someone like myself better?
Thanks in advance for any help/advice
Yanto, welcome! One of my (favorite) bikes is single-speed. I am also mostly on flat, so it works well. It has brakes of course, back and front. One of the interesting issues when running single-speed is the gear ratio (ratio of # of teeth on the front vs back cog). This ratio influences the quality/ease of your ride. Deciding on it is done before you purchase or, if you purchase a bike and you do not like how easy/difficult it run, it is easy to change the back cog with another one. Looking forward to hear more about your experiences.
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Old 10-13-23, 10:53 PM
  #27  
Yanto
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Originally Posted by DanXBoon
Yanto, welcome! One of my (favorite) bikes is single-speed. I am also mostly on flat, so it works well. It has brakes of course, back and front. One of the interesting issues when running single-speed is the gear ratio (ratio of # of teeth on the front vs back cog). This ratio influences the quality/ease of your ride. Deciding on it is done before you purchase or, if you purchase a bike and you do not like how easy/difficult it run, it is easy to change the back cog with another one. Looking forward to hear more about your experiences.
Hi and many thanks for the reply.
I changed my mind actually and bought a cheap Specialized mountain bike, hardtail. It’s ok actually on the rides that I do each morning. Takes more effort to pedal but hey, hopefully that means I’m getting fitter 😂
I am thinking that I’ll still get a Single Speed at some point though, as and when I find the right one.
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Old 10-14-23, 06:32 AM
  #28  
DanXBoon
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Originally Posted by Yanto
Hi and many thanks for the reply.
I changed my mind actually and bought a cheap Specialized mountain bike, hardtail. It’s ok actually on the rides that I do each morning. Takes more effort to pedal but hey, hopefully that means I’m getting fitter 😂
I am thinking that I’ll still get a Single Speed at some point though, as and when I find the right one.
Enjoy! My „handle” is BumpyRidesDoneDirtCheap - so you can imagine that I see this with approval, even admiration ... To learn more, if still interested, take a peek in the sub forum for single-speed bikes - there are some great informative posts there
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Old 10-14-23, 05:27 PM
  #29  
Yanto
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Originally Posted by DanXBoon
Enjoy! My „handle” is BumpyRidesDoneDirtCheap - so you can imagine that I see this with approval, even admiration ... To learn more, if still interested, take a peek in the sub forum for single-speed bikes - there are some great informative posts there
Thanks again. Is there a separate sub forum for single speed or just this one which is combined with fixed gear?
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Old 10-14-23, 05:41 PM
  #30  
DanXBoon
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Originally Posted by Yanto
Thanks again. Is there a separate sub forum for single speed or just this one which is combined with fixed gear?
yes, it is the one combined with fixed gear - all the best!
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Old 10-16-23, 04:02 PM
  #31  
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You’ll love the bull bars for climbing…
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