Am I Ready for a Single Speed Bicycle?
If you’ve been paying attention to the bicycle world at all lately, you’ve probably heard about single speed bicycles. Also known as fixed gear bikes or fixies, these bikes are a huge departure from the ten-speeds you remember from your childhood. These bikes are not only simpler and easier to maintain, but they’re also becoming more and more stylish and trendy (if you’re into that). Whatever you’re motivation, getting a single speed bicycle can be a new and exciting experience.
Maintaining a Single Speed Bicycle
Picture the ten-speed you have in your garage right now. What would you say is the most complicated and potentially intimidating piece on the whole bike? You’re probably picturing the gears on the back wheel. For most of us, such a complicated system of chainwheels and derailers is not only overwhelming to watch in action, but potentially difficult to fix or maintain. A single speed bicycle is much simpler, as all the derailers, shifting cables, etc. go right out the window and your chain attaches directly to a hub on the back wheel. Right there, you have eliminated a large portion of the more complicated maintenance time and cost from your bike.
The Advantages of a Single Speed Bike
You may have seen a few folks around town with a single speed or maybe one of your friends has one and loves it, but you might not know what the big deal is. If you talk to a fixed gear rider, you’re likely to hear a passionate and glowing review of all the advantages to riding in one gear. First off, as mentioned earlier, a bike is significantly easier to maintain in good working order without the complex machinery of multiple gears. Also, riding a fixie will keep you much more connected to your ride. Without the ability to coast, you will “feel” the ride in a much deeper sense. Lastly, you will be surprised how much less your new single speed bicycle weighs compared to the typical multi-gear, simply due to the removal of the aforementioned complicated gears.
Where to Buy a Single Speed Bicycle
Even though fixies are becoming more and more popular every day, unless you live in a bigger city, you may find that your local bike shop is woefully behind the curve. You may get lucky if they have one on consignment from a private seller. Otherwise, if you’re interested in buying a fixed gear bike online, you can also try checking out Craigslist for used fixies in your area. Last but far from least, there are quite a few reputable retailers of new single speed bikes currently offering their wares online, helping to fill in the gaps for those of us not lucky enough to have a fixie store right down the street.
CLICK HERE to find just the right fixie for you!