Single-speed bicycles feature a single gear or cog attached to the hub of the rear wheel and a single cog or gear attached to the pedals, called a chainring. Single-speed bicycles are valued because they provide simple systems that are affordable, easy to maintain and suited for areas that have few hills. One of the issues you should consider on single-speed bicycles is braking.
Fixed Gear
On a fixed-gear single-speed bicycle, the drivetrain is fixed so that coasting is not possible. This means that when the rear wheel is turning, so are the chain and pedals. On a fixed-gear bicycle, braking is made possible by either resisting the forward motion of the pedals or through the use of a traditional lever brake. Most fixed-gear bicycles will only have a front brake, using pedal resistance to slow the rear wheel.
Standard Single Speed
On a standard single-speed bicycle, you can coast and pedal backward because the bike features a standard freewheel rear hub. To brake on a standard single-speed bicycle, you must use hand-powered lever brakes. Single-speed bicycles will usually have lever brake handles that apply braking power to both the front and rear wheel rims via brake pads. Standard single-speed bicycles have the most traditional braking system of all single-speed bikes.
Single Speed with Coaster Brake
Some single-speed bicycles do not have a fixed or freewheel rear hub. Instead, they have a rear hub with a coaster brake. With a coaster brake, you can coast, but if you pedal backward, the rear wheel will lock, providing instant braking. Coaster brakes are frequently found on children's bicycles because they are easy to explain and use. However, coaster brakes have issues because you cannot provide gradual braking power, causing the rear wheel to skid and the bike to slide, especially on slick or loose surfaces.
Considerations
The two types of brakes commonly found on bicycles, aside from those with coaster brakes, are disc brakes and rim brakes. Disc brakes are located at the hub and are similar to the disc brakes used on cars. Rim brakes use pads applied to the side of the rim. Sheldon Brown of Harris Cyclery discourages the use of disc brakes on the rear wheels of single-speed bicycles. Adjustments in chain tensions and the use of flip-flop hubs -- featuring both fixed and freewheel setups -- make disc brakes problematic on rear wheels of single-speed bicycles.
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