4 ms·

I see single-speed bikers as the luddites of cycling. I live in a relatively flat city, Dublin, but I am still constantly shifting gears. I think a lot of peopl

by bbrian 12y ago

I see single-speed bikers as the luddites of cycling. I live in a relatively flat city, Dublin, but I am still constantly shifting gears. I think a lot of people don't understand how good gears really are. In a similar way, there are a lot of people cycling mountain bikes around the city, and I didn't appreciate how much better actual road bikes are while I still had my hybrid. And for non-cyclists: 15 mph (25 kmph) is a fairly reasonable commuting speed.

Aloha 12y ago
neo-luddites perhaps, when I was an active cyclist a bit more than a decade ago the fixie was an unknown thing. There were single speed bikes then - the well known beach cruiser - it was a single speed, yes, but it also could idle along without peddling and had a rear drum brake - I can see a place for that kind of thing - no one has been able to explain to me how a direct drive fixed gear bicycle is better than even that option.
- joeguilmette 12y ago
  It's like a manual vs an automatic vehicle. You aren't forced to constantly pedal, so much as your legs must move at the same speed as the pedals. At low speeds you are much more connected to the bicycle. Taking a low speed, sharp turn is more akin to walking and feels much more natural. Also, it enforces good form, like pedaling thru turns. Small speed adjustments are natural and easy. Also, when accelerating, the pedals are moving regardless of input, so you can simply tap them down on the downstroke, hovering your foot above the pedal on the up stroke. There is a reason a fixed gear is a popular configuration and it has little to do with being cool or hip.
  - tedunangst 12y ago
    Why do I want to pedal through turns? I've never ridden a bike that way.
    - joeguilmette 12y ago
      It's like accelerating thru a turn while driving, it's proper form.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
analog31 12y ago
I live in a bike-friendly city, and am an avid cyclist myself. I've learned that debates over the relative merits of different bike configurations are irreconcilable.
pjc50 12y ago
I don't get the single speed thing either. A gearing at which I can achieve 15-20mph on the flat with a comfortable cadence is such a trial to get up even moderate hills that if I couldn't change down I'd get off and walk. Perhaps there's some macho fitness thing involved. Perhaps people find lots of gears intimidating or derailleurs unreliable, in which case there is the good old Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub gear.

by bbrian 12y ago

Aloha 12y ago

neo-luddites perhaps, when I was an active cyclist a bit more than a decade ago the fixie was an unknown thing. There were single speed bikes then - the well known beach cruiser - it was a single speed, yes, but it also could idle along without peddling and had a rear drum brake - I can see a place for that kind of thing - no one has been able to explain to me how a direct drive fixed gear bicycle is better than even that option.

joeguilmette 12y ago
It's like a manual vs an automatic vehicle. You aren't forced to constantly pedal, so much as your legs must move at the same speed as the pedals. At low speeds you are much more connected to the bicycle. Taking a low speed, sharp turn is more akin to walking and feels much more natural. Also, it enforces good form, like pedaling thru turns. Small speed adjustments are natural and easy. Also, when accelerating, the pedals are moving regardless of input, so you can simply tap them down on the downstroke, hovering your foot above the pedal on the up stroke. There is a reason a fixed gear is a popular configuration and it has little to do with being cool or hip.
- tedunangst 12y ago
  Why do I want to pedal through turns? I've never ridden a bike that way.
  - joeguilmette 12y ago
    It's like accelerating thru a turn while driving, it's proper form.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

analog31 12y ago

I live in a bike-friendly city, and am an avid cyclist myself. I've learned that debates over the relative merits of different bike configurations are irreconcilable.

pjc50 12y ago

I don't get the single speed thing either. A gearing at which I can achieve 15-20mph on the flat with a comfortable cadence is such a trial to get up even moderate hills that if I couldn't change down I'd get off and walk. Perhaps there's some macho fitness thing involved. Perhaps people find lots of gears intimidating or derailleurs unreliable, in which case there is the good old Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub gear.