Single gear bike - where/which model?

PopeSock

I'm thinking of getting a single gear bike. I know there are fixies that can run in single gear mode, but are they inferior to non-fixie single speed?

Can anyone recommend me a decent supplier either online or offline? I'm looking to spend up to £300 to start with.

armyknife

If you have an old bike with a somewhat worn drive chain, that you don't care about, why not try it out; take off the d!railleur and see if there's a alignment between chain-ring and rear cog/cassette that'll give you a usable gear somewhere in the range of 50-75 gear inches. Then all you have to do is shorten the old chain, tension it up and remove any other redundant parts.

You've now got a single gear bike you can experiment with to see if you like it.

Keep_pedalling

Most single speed bikes are fitted with flip flop hubs with a sprocket on both sides. Changing from fixie to freewheel is just a matter of reversing the wheel over.

Modifying an existing geared bike is not that straight forward as it is difficult to get the chain line right and you will need to add a chain tensioner which rather spoils the simplicity of a single speed bike.

The Charge Plug 0 might fit the bill, advertised below £300 on wiggle (although they don't appear to have any stock at the moment) Alternately look out for a second hand bike, as there is basically little to go wrong with these as long as the frame is in good nick you can't go wrong.

Marco_Panettone

Any particular reason for wanting single-speed? It's like having a geared bike where you don't change gear. Fixed is a bit different (I ride fixed to commute), but you could always just swap the sprocket over to the freewheel side if you want.

For specific bikes I ride a Fuji Classic Track - lovely ride, front and rear brakes (you'll need both if running singlespeed) and not far from your budget.

Richard53

Depends on your needs and the terrain, but the only advantage of a single-speed bike is simplicity (and a few grams saved). Make sure you are happy without the ability to change gear before you commit yourself. That's with a freewheel. A fixed single-speed is a whole different animal. You can never stop pedalling - if the wheel turns, so do your legs. This has a couple of interesting side-effects:

• If you get any clothing caught in the chainset, you are in a massive amount of trouble, as you can't spin the pedals back to free it. You're going dahn.
• All hills have to be attacked - no sitting back and winching up, you'll be standing all the way
• Downhills will be a flurry of flying knees as your legs try to keep up with the plummeting bike
• You can remove the back brake (if you wish) as the law accepts that your poor legs are an acceptable means of slowing the bike down, of which you must have two.

A single-speed with a freewheel and a fixie are most definitely not different flavours of the same idea. Riding a fixie builds both leg speed and stamina, but is not for the faint-hearted. I rode fixed for the whole of one winter* in the Yorkshire Wolds and it did my fitness and flexibility a lot of good. It was also fun, in a masochistic way, but I was glad when I got the derailleurs back on in the spring.


*On a Carlton Corsair, which had a Normandy hub with a thread for a fixed sprocket on the left side and a 5-speed freewheel on the other. I think I ran 52/20, which was a 72" gear and seemed to work quite well. No problem with the chain line either.

Marco_Panettone

Richard53 wrote: »

A single-speed with a freewheel and a fixie are most definitely not different flavours of the same idea.

While that might be true, you can certainly get both from the same bike with the addition of a single sprocket.


Riding fixed is the most 'as one' you will be on a bike.

liz545

One thing to consider if you're riding fixed is you'll probably want some kind of foot retention; either toe clips, clip-in pedals (confusingly known as clipless), or straps. When you're using the rear wheel as a brake, this enables you to use the resistance to improve your braking power, and it also means you can keep your feet on the pedals (e.g. if you're spinning fast downhill).

Tobster86

These described contraptions sound nuts and I'm struggling to believe what I'm reading. Please tell me you're all referring to BMX-style bikes and are in your early teens!

Keep_pedalling

Tobster86 wrote: »

These described contraptions sound nuts and I'm struggling to believe what I'm reading. Please tell me you're all referring to BMX-style bikes and are in your early teens!

Nah! Strictly road or track. Once all bikes were like this, the early Tour de France races were ridden on fixed. Its not something I have tried but living in Cambridge it would make a practical town bike.

Some people ride some serious distances on fixed, Pairs - Breast - Paris is one and London - Edinburgh - London is another.

agrinnall

I've never tried a fixed gear bike, but a single speed bike is a perfectly reasonable option for cycling in a relatively flat location. I used one to get around Ho Chi Minh City and the benefit of not having to mess around with gears in the traffic there was very valuable.

Richard53

Marco_Panettone wrote: »

While that might be true, you can certainly get both from the same bike with the addition of a single sprocket.

Sure, I agree. But changing from free to fixed will change the fundamental nature of the beast, even if everything else is the same.

Riding fixed is the most 'as one' you will be on a bike.

Totally agree. Riding fixed is a lot of fun, but it's not without its challenges. Downhills were fine for me as I can spin quite fast, but the 1 in 6 uphill outside my front door was an issue on 72". But that is the whole point.


Tobster, this most certainly isn't kid stuff like BMX. A lot of serious riders have a fixie for winter training. Simple, light, robust, and helps both speed and strength.