1. Just Like Grandma Had
Single gear bikes are no different than those bicycles ridden before the three-speed came along. There were no gears to adjust to make the climb up a hill easier. and a ride down hill just meant that you didn't pedal quite as much. The multi-gear bikes made riding a little easier in more extreme conditions than earlier bicycles.
2. Keep Those Feet Pedaling
There is a lot of confusion about the single gear bike and the fixed gear bike. They are not the same thing. The single speed or single gear bike allows you to ride and coast if necessary. The fixed gear bicycle doesn't allow the foot movement to stop as long as the rear wheel turns. The pedals in the fixed gear continuously move as the bicycle goes forward like a tricycle. It creates a more vigorous workout for those that ride and eliminates the long coast often looked forward to by out of shape riders.
3. Enjoy the Comfortable Ride
Single speed bicycles are built simpler than multi-speed. They tend to be more stable and a lot less complicated. When you ride for pleasure, the single speed bike allows you to simply enjoy the ride without a worry to the gear. The fact that the chain is straight and doesn't go through a mass of gears creates a better ride and a more comfortable ride for the cyclist. Overall, the position of the gear tends to be better in most terrain and a much less complex set up.
4. Two Bikes in One
You can create a bike that is adaptable to both single gear and fixed single gear use. If you set the hub of the bike to switch between the single gear and the single fixed gear you can get the best of both worlds. If you don't like to ride the fixed gear, it is a simple conversion back to the free wheel bicycle. The fixed gear is not as useful in a hilly terrain as the freewheel. Use the fixed wheel on pavement rather than off road. You'll find you get better control on pavement with the fixed wheel single speed.
5. Why a Fixie?
Many cyclists in training began to use the fixed wheel bike to develop their form. Riders of Tour de France used this type of bicycle in the early years of the race. The "fixie," another term for the fixed wheel single gear bike, has become a popular bike for the "in" crowd and college students. Usually the older road bikes are converted and the bike becomes a creation of the rider.
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