Single-speed... I just don't get it

Which implies exactly what kerley said.. "learn to use your brake".

It's all bollocks anyway. The Tube is where it's at!

Check my new website out.. it'll blow your frickin' mind!

I'm gonna be charitable, I bet lots if not most of the freewheelers with one brake aren't trying to pretend it's fixed, just that they've seen lots of people with drivetrains that look like theirs with just one, they don't know why but it's obviously the done thing.

pretty much, thought I used to ride singlespeed with one brake, mostly because I never used the rear one at all, so end up ditching the rear one just to save a bit of weight and keep thing simple.

Until you snap your front brake cable and then your simple, light bike becomes a surefire limb buster.

i took my rear off becuase i never used it. i dont ever brake around corners just lean more. ive never had my brake fail, i know theres always a first time but i cant see why it would ever happen as long as its set up well.

Yeah.. I used to say that.. I'd ridden for years wondering how the fuck a properly maintained (shit, even a poorly maintained) brake cable could snap.. then I snapped one.
Lucky I was riding fixed coz I almost ended up in the back of a truck. Fun times.
Two calipers ss, 1 caliper fixed.

Two calipers ss, 1 caliper fixed.

fixed

I ride SS, however with two brakes. Despite obvious safety concerns relating to stopping with one brake, the legal requirement is also 2 brakes. Thus, should I get hit by a car etc when only having one brake then I am pretty sure any legal case would be blown apart - simply put down to me not having enough brakes and being unable to stop. Too high a risk in London with the way cars, trucks and vans move about.

fixed

Huh?

^ this is my fixed sense of how your breaks should be set up.

@lucas: Good that it never happened to you. Doesn't mean it's not happening to someone else ... as mentioned before, I've had seven stitches on my chin from a slipping chain.

I have never had the gears slip, fall off (unless the bits were knackered). Indexing took me about 30 minutes to figure out, and is turning the H and L screws the right way, really that difficult?

Dude! Easy! I apologize that my lack of propper grammer offends you so and I thank god you have never had the misfortune to have your chain slip or had to ride a bike with a shite derailer and try to fix the problem because you cant afford a new one and yes I know about turning the l hand and r hand screws but as I said shite derailer

Well im just coming back to cycling so have my first single speed which is ok but as i am a novice, at the moment the thought of riding a fixed wheel seems a bit scary, i keep seeing myself riding through red lights and hurtling down hills and ending up in a hedge sortofthing are there any tips to avoid this - if i get a fixed bike that is.

^ Put a brake on it! Don't try any big descents until you've pootled about round side roads a bit and maybe refrain from any toe retention until your comfortable.

It's not as scary as you think...

Dude! Easy! I apologize that my lack of propper grammer offends you so and I thank god you have never had the misfortune to have your chain slip or had to ride a bike with a shite derailer and try to fix the problem because you cant afford a new one and yes I know about turning the l hand and r hand screws but as I said shite derailer

I edited because of my appalling grammar in my response that I wrote, mainly because I am a bit of a tit when it comes to English.

I am a student mate, I remember once had to ride my old Marin Bearwoods (needing a new chainring) til payday at Tesco. I lost count of the number of times the chain came off. However I don't blame that on the bike being geared, I blame that on me not properly maintaining the bike in the first place and spending too much money on San Miguel down the student union.

I#ve ridden geared for donkeys years, but quite frankly im shite at it. When approching a climb I allways change down either too early (and lose momentum) or too late (and munch up my cheapo derailer/ chain, shifting under load). I blame it on growing up with a BMX.

Now that I am planning on doing some off roading, I'll definitely be doing it single speed.

im just about to get my first fixed but ive rode single speed bikes before just never single speed road bikes, i enjoyed it simply for simplicity

I love being able to free or fix depending on the terrain. I hate descending the hills here on a fix. The free comes in handy every time.

Well I had my brake cable snap last night, not a very pleasant experience but lucky I was riding fixed and can skid stop happily. Still the ride the rest of the way home was unnerving, don't know how those breakless foke do it.

if you value your life, ride ss!
how things have changed! i must be suicidal! now having ridden fixed for a while, i would say its a lot more fun.

I have never had the gears slip, fall off (unless the bits were knackered). Indexing took me about 30 minutes to figure out, and is turning the H and L screws the right way, really that difficult?

Sorry, I had to chuckle at this even after adjusting for bad grammar, but what you're describing is adjusting the limit screws which has no effect on the indexing of the gears.

I've got a fixed with a front brake (for emergencies only now, but it was invaluble when I started).
I've also got a SS mtb set up as a commuter/bombing around town after a drink bike. This has two brakes (baddass red DX V-brakes!) and i set it up as a singlespeed first beacause it was cheaper than putting a whole groupset on (same reason I went fixed) and I'm too stingy to buy gears and all the stuff that goes with them.

The singlespeed is a lovely bike though, I've thought of putting gears on it to make it more practicle now but its so reliable, and so relaxing to ride, like a big cruiser or an even bigger bmx.
I'm a bit sh*t at hopping off things on my fixed too, and the SS does all this perfectly.

Riding it takes me back to bygone summer days, quiet roads, dry dusty jumps........
(i should really buy an old 24"bmx with loads of chrome and skinwall tyres but well I'm stingy)

If i had to run one brake with a freewheel it would be the back, because you can use properly it in corners and low speed manouvers, and if it locks up you aren't fucked.

Its like on a motorbike, you use the front 90% of the time, and only use the rear for corrective braking in the corners, but it is this that makes you able to ride the bike safely. A lot of custom bikes only run a rear brake to achieve a clean look ( a bit like fixed gears), but use a big un and it its perfectly good on the road, though you do sacrifice some ultimate stopping power

Nah man - you only use the rear on a motorbike to kick the back out on the way into a corner to square it off, or to act as gentle traction control if it spins up on the way out....(the second of which is most certainly not activity for mere mortals)

If my motorbikes had no front brakes I wouldn't ride them on the road, end of.

....probably the same with bikes if I was going quick!

:)

Reasons why I like SS over fixed

• No pedal strike on corners or kerbs

• You can eliminate toe overlap by leaving your foot back when taking a sharp turn

• Reaching 40mph down a hill by doing nothing except sitting on the saddle has to be one of the most fun things to do on a bike!

(I had thought of about 20 different things when deciding between fixed and ss but can't think of them now)

road bikes do not handle anything like motorbikes, or BMXs. the comparisons are not applicable.

2 brakes on freewheel or you are simply trying to be cool, end of.

road bikes do not handle anything like motorbikes, or BMXs. the comparisons are not applicable.

2 brakes on freewheel or you are simply trying to be cool, end of.

Brakeless on fixed because it's fashionable and/or your bike looks nice without brakes, end of...

:p