IGH_Only

I think I've heard enough. If people equate fixies with being "macho" and "badass", then single speed it is for me.

wolfchild

I've been riding fixed gear since 2009. I have a road bike set up as fixed gear and I also have a fixed gear wheelset which I use on my 29'er mountain bike for winter riding and commuting. The main benefits are almost zero maintenance besides lubing a chain. It also provides a different type of workout than a regular bike and it improves your bike handling skills because there is much less room for error than on a regular bike...The main reason why I continue to ride fixed gear is simply because I enjoy it so much, I ride for experience.

wolfchild

Just ignore all the haters and ride whatever bike you want...Don't let other people decide and choose what type of bike you should ride.

Trakhak

Riding a geared bike (or a single-speed bike) keeps you alert and fully in the moment; pleasurable enough in its way. But a fixed-gear bike keeps you hyper-alert. It's as close as I'll ever get to what I imagine diffusing a bomb is like. Or maybe like this:

"Expectation," said the writer of the Stuyvesant manuscript, "Expectation stood on stilts."
---Washington Irving

wolfchild

Only track bikes are raced on velodromes, there are many other types of bikes out there that can be set up as fixed gear and used for commuting, training, recreational riding etc...Fixed gear has nothing to do with racing or being macho. I've ridden 100 mile centuries on my fixed gear with 40mm tires, full fenders and racks.

wphamilton

I switched from fixed to single speed a little over a year ago. While I do enjoy the sensation, to me it's not worth the hassle of having to pedal through turns and not being able to coast over bumps and downhill.

wolfchild

Very true...There is so much less room for error when those pedals are spinning non stop.

jack pot 

fixed 46 x 19 is an easy ride in urban hills

Milton Keynes

I don't have either, but I think I'd have to choose single speed due to being able to coast.

79pmooney

IGH Only, fix gears have an issue that has trapped many riders. They go for one. two or three fix gear rides and find they cannot stop. (I did my first fixed ride 44 years ago. Crashed when I tried to coast. Came back from that first moderately hilly 8 mile ride completely sold. I've done half my miles since then fix gear and always had a working one, now 3, in the stable.

Fix gears make sense for three things. (4 if you include velodrome racing.) They teach smooth pedaling style. (I was told by the vets in my racing club to set my second bike up fixed to do that.) It is easier to keep the rubber down in slippery winter conditions. They pack in more "punch" for training when time or mileage is limited. All three have been real reasons for me riding fixed. But 90% of my many fix gear miles are just because I love riding fixed. (I rode single speed on that first bike for several years. After that first fixed ride, I never rode SS again.)

As far as being macho - I do find I get respect for (and am widely known for) riding the week long Cycle Oregon fixed. I do "cheat" and bring all the cogs and stop to flip or change the wheel for big hills. (I have several flip-flop wheels, all fixed on both sides, Yes, I can screw a FW onto a fixed hub, but that bike will not ever coast. (I do study the course profiles carefully before choosing fixed or free. Big rollers on a fix gear are leg breakers and crotch abusers (or way too many stops). Very long climbs, then very long descents make the 2 to 5 minute gear change both worthwhile and can put a real grin into the descents, (160 RPM in a 95" gear - 42 X 12 - is 45 mph and a blast!)

Ben

I-Like-To-Bike

What additional maintenance does a single speed bike with a coaster brake require?
What kind of errors are "likely" to occur when coasting with a single speed bicycle?
Sounds like imaginary problems to me.

Phil_gretz

Your question reflects your unfamiliarity with fixed gear riding. He's referring to pedal strike on turns at speed.

subgrade

As someone who has never ridden a FG bike, I find this thread very interesting. Amusing even. I also want to know what are the benefits of riding fixed as opposed to SS, but apart from easier track stands, I can't see any other benefits mentioned. Having a different/better workout is good, but it seems to me that actually comes from overcoming the disadvantages of the fixed gear, not from its benefits. Less maintenance and marginally lower weight are good points too, but are not directly related to riding fixed.

As for the macho factor, some 90% of people I see riding FG are actually the very opposite of macho, not that anyone cares.

AnthonyG

Meh, the first rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club.
The first rule of being Macho is that you don't talk about being macho.
So I broke the rules.

I rode and trained around a moderately hilly city ((Canberra ,Australia) I mostly avoided the REALLY steep hills) on a fixed gear bike back when I was cycle racing as a Juvenile and Junior. Fixed gear track bikes are really FAST up short to moderate climbs because if you got bogged down you were going nowhere so it was a matter of maintaining cadence in top gear even when climbing and it did feel more efficient to me as well over a derailleur setup.

As I agreed there are some advantage to fixed gear if your training for racing but other than being able to standstill while going downhill its nothing more than a "macho" factor if your not racing.
Any sport at all has a macho factor to it.

Geepig

I prefer single speed - because I run a coaster brake hub, so need no hand brakes, can enjoy coasting on long descents and set the rear up to slide nicely on the loose. Of course, one has to remember not to back pedal during any tricky off road work.

I-Like-To-Bike

I am familiar with the hazardous nature of pedal strike while riding fixed gear bicycles
I misread what wolfchild posted. He actually was glad to have the challenge of having to deal with the built-in problem of increased danger of pedal strike on turns at speed. Hard to believe that someone would find that feature an advantage. I suppose that challenge is similar to the thrill other fixed gear riders get from riding without installed brakes.

Lemond1985

I think the main advantages of riding a fixed gear are improvements in riding style and habits. Coasting is a nasty habit, at least it is if you are trying to become a faster, more efficient rider.

There is some danger, but that danger provides the motivation to keep those pedals turning, no matter what. I think fixed gears are a great tool for people who used to ride a lot and have the basic skills, but may have taken a long layoff, and don't mind the potential danger, which is over-emphasized here, IMO.

If you're trying to achieve or re-gain a good efficient spinning pedal stroke, there is no substitute for a couple of fixed gear rides per week.

Gresp15C

SS chose me. I found that I had enough parts in my bin to build a bike, and one of those parts was an old Bendix coaster hub from my otherwise deceased college bike. I haven't attempted to ride FG. One thing I've read (could be confirmed here if needed) is that FG requires you to be clipped in, and I just want to ride platform pedals with regular shoes.

Just my view, if you're planning on riding it for the cool factor, don't. I've seen that happen, and it's not cool. You need to be capable of safely controlling your bike in traffic.

JohnDThompson 

As long as you have hand-operated brakes on your fixed gear bike, there's no compelling need for foot retention. But foot retention is still nice; if your feet come off the pedals at high rpm, you'll need to use the brakes to slow down enough to get your feet back on the pedals.

JohnDThompson 

It teaches you how to pedal smoothly, and works different muscles from typical riding. You develop power over a broader range of pedal rpms. And it breaks you from the insidious habit of coasting. The first time you ride fixed gear, you see exactly how often you coast on a regular bike, usually within the first couple seconds, even.

FiftySix

I agree with wolfchild .

IGH_Only , if you think you'd like trying a fixed gear bike get one with a flip flop hub. I've certainly considered it. The truth is that my single speed bike isn't equipped with a flip flop hub and can't be due to the coaster brake. And I love the coaster brake on that bike, so I'd have to get at least a new wheel if I wanted to go the fixed gear route.

By the way, a single speed can increase one's "power band" too. Perhaps not to the degree of a fixed gear bike, but riding my single speed regularly makes riding my multi-speed bike so much easier to do. Considering you can't downshift a single speed bike, you have to put more muscle into it for normal starts, and keeping speed into the wind, different ground surfaces, hills, etc.

REDMASTA

there isn't much benefit to a fixed gear other than it's difficult. the difficulty is compounded if you live somewhere hilly. not everyone is cut out for it, and even fewer will excel at it.

anyone can jump on a road bike and noodle around. put the same sap on a fixed gear and they will most likely want to quit life after a few miles. if you are up to the challenge it can be very rewarding.

Happy Feet

Saying people who ride fixed gear are trying to be macho is like saying people who ride unicycles want to be clowns.

Lemond1985

They're "Macho" Clowns, because unicycles are also fixed gear, no coasting is allowed. Twice the insanity!

Happy Feet

And no brakes: Reckless macho clowns.

Funny, calling other people names only makes me feel better for a little while...