There are two main divisions of single-speeds, fixed gear (or “fixies”) and freewheel bikes. Each have their advocates. Here is a note I got from a fixie aficionado:Here’s a short list of things I like about it.
1) Forces you to get strong fast. Seriously, it will build muscles fast. There’s no cheating on a single speed or fixie… you have to use your body not gears to get up that hill!
2) Reinforces good “circles”… as in good pedal strokes. You get very direct feedback on any mushy spots on your pedal stroke. This only happens on fixies not on single speeds.
3) Simple mechanics - simple riding - less time to worry about gadgets - Since I’ve been riding fixed I feel I have a much simpler and more pure view of cycling. I experience the ride and not the bike.
Some people talk about the sense of being connected to the road and earth, and I think that’s true. It’s hard to describe, but if you ride fixed for an hour, you’ll get it. And you won’t want to go back… trust me. I try to come up with reasons why my non-fixed bikes just don’t make sense to ride. 90% of my riding is now fixed… and I love it.
Do you ride a single-speed? Tell us why?
Top bike image by Petteri Sulonen Lower bike image by Tuftronic10000
- Retro - some rebel at the bells and whistles of the high-tech bikes proliferating the market and just want a plain vanilla bike, thank you.
- Reliability - no gears and derailleur make single speeds efficient. No gear jumping on hills.
- Maintenance - less to clean makes it easy. No gears keeps it out of the shop.
- Weight - single-speeds are lighter and faster because of fewer components.
- Cost - prices are lower since all you are buying is bike.
- Challenge - while you’d think that urban commuters and folks in flat areas would be the prime buyers, some cyclists love the challenge of climbing (and descending) with one gear. They get a good run on the hill, mash the pedals without worrying about slippage, and in some cases, out climb their geared friends.
- Smell the roses - often I hear that single-speed riders just enjoy riding more now that they don’t have to worry about the correct gearing for every segment of the ride.
There are two main divisions of single-speeds, fixed gear (or “fixies”) and freewheel bikes. Each have their advocates. Here is a note I got from a fixie aficionado:Here’s a short list of things I like about it.
1) Forces you to get strong fast. Seriously, it will build muscles fast. There’s no cheating on a single speed or fixie… you have to use your body not gears to get up that hill!
2) Reinforces good “circles”… as in good pedal strokes. You get very direct feedback on any mushy spots on your pedal stroke. This only happens on fixies not on single speeds.
3) Simple mechanics - simple riding - less time to worry about gadgets - Since I’ve been riding fixed I feel I have a much simpler and more pure view of cycling. I experience the ride and not the bike.
Some people talk about the sense of being connected to the road and earth, and I think that’s true. It’s hard to describe, but if you ride fixed for an hour, you’ll get it. And you won’t want to go back… trust me. I try to come up with reasons why my non-fixed bikes just don’t make sense to ride. 90% of my riding is now fixed… and I love it.
Do you ride a single-speed? Tell us why?
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