So I recently acquired a bike, and it's a single speed racer. One sprocket at the pedals, one on the rear wheel. The brakes are the back pedal variety (where you pedal backwards to use them). I haven't properly ridden a bike for years and I don't really want to go our rding sans-bakes for a while.

Anyway, what I really want to know is what's the difference between a fixed gear and a single speed bike?

it's one of those hand-brakeless ones? yikes.

the difference is single speeds can freewheel.

154 wrote:it's one of those hand-brakeless ones? yikes.

the difference is single speeds can freewheel.

Yeah, no brakes except for the pedal.

I'll see tonight whether it free wheels. it's been in pieces for the last week, so I haven't ridden it.

And oh, how most folks in traffic don't care or know about how you need to be able to slow down. At least employ a front brake. And owning a messenger bag is the modern day equivalent to the need to own a pair of parachute pants.

MrFood wrote:Unless you're a track rider and/or you live in a town with no hills/wind/traffic lights : you're basically buying wholesale into the most preposterous hipster trend of recent years by buying a fixed wheel single speed bike.

How I laugh.

No hills: Check.

Wind: Not really

Traffic lights: Where I want to ride it? No.

Buying this bike? I found it in hard rubbish. someone had thrown it out. I pulled it appart, cleaned it up and have spent approx $40 on new pedals and paint.

So if i'm a hipster, whatever. I seriously don't care.

"fixed gear" means you cannot coast, you *always* have to pedal when you're moving.

"single speed" means it doesn't have any gear shifting. just one gear on the pedaly part and one gear on the back wheel.

"coaster brakes" means that while you don't have to pedal all the time when you're moving, if you push backward on the pedals it causes the rear wheel to brake.

"freewheel" is when you can pedal backwards all you want and it doesn't do anything.

I just took the time to write this while sitting on a hill of salt watching Chicago be decimated by a bunch of little Al Qaeda Jihad demons, so I hope you appreciate it and enjoy your new bike for as long as you can before they get to your town too.

If you bmx you'll want a single, no? When I biked I used a bmx single to hop, tail and bail out of a ramp WAY faster then a hand brake. Climbing is easier by about a million times with a single - smaller, lighter. In the air a single is better controlled because you can use your legs and arms to hold the bike. I had one hybrid that I liked maybe 10 years ago, but it didn't have the control of an old bmx - came close.

What's the brand of bike? Is it small to medium sized? What sex is the bike? Is it a cruiser?

Can the bike outrun half-dead internet zombies?

Verbs, I think you have a bike with a coaster break, right? You can coast, and pushing backwards employs a break in the reab hub, right?

Ben Adrian

Established: He's got a Cruiser or a BMX.

Oh. And apparently the virtual AQ internet plague hasn't reached his backwater burg yet...

benadrian wrote:Verbs, I think you have a bike with a coaster break, right? You can coast, and pushing backwards employs a break in the reab hub, right?

Ben Adrian

Yes.