I'm one of you now.

[Frost]

Bought a single speed / fixie for nipping about London on.
Theft or accident is pretty much inevitable

https://cdn.bikechatforums.com/files/bike_180.jpg

[stevo as b4]

What exactly are single speed bikes good at?

[The Shaggy D.A.]

https://sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html
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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[carlosthejack...]

[Rigga]

Very nice, i would take the wheel reflectors off though
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Current bike: Honda CBR 1100xx

[Frost]

It's currently using the freewheel. I was thinking about trying it as a fixie but I've been advised I should get some form of toe retention first?

For me the main reason i went for a single speed is because London is 90% flat. The benefit of having a single speed is the lack of complexity and maintenance. Besides punctures the next most common problem I've had on bikes have been gear change related. The gearing is a little slow when setting off, but i expect that's just a practise thing. Top speed i worked out as 21mph @ 100rpm.

[JonB]

Cool bike.

Proper utility bikes should have no gears IMO. You want something low maintenance and where little can go wrong.

If used a bike for commuting or for actually using for anything but pleasure i'd have a fixed or singlespeed.

British bike as well, good kudos.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[Frost]

Okay so apparently London does have hills. It's called Highgate for a reason, who'd have thought. Not me apparently.
The bike was fine, my legs were not. Must try harder.

[Fladdem]

[barrkel]

[handbasket]

Bike looks nice. The lack of mudguards will seem like a bad choice if you go out in the wet (or if it’s been raining and the road remains wet). Having both brakes is a smart move.

I’ve only ever ridden fixed with SPD pedals, wouldn’t want to do so without some kind of attachment system.

What fixed is good for is making you stronger, tends to be slower on steeper hills but can be a bit faster on the right gradient, slower on the flat, and slower downhill. When you are spinning down a long Welsh descent at nearly 40mph on a 65" gear, that’s scary (nearly 200rpm). On a climb near here on Strava I’m in 3rd place on my fixed, never tried it on my carbon bike.

[stinkwheel]

You need foot retention if you're going to ride it fixed. Immense pain and horrible injury will result if you don't. I'm surprised it was sold without straps at a minimum. I have a mate who works in a bike shop and they were sucessfully sued for sending a fixie out without foot retention, the riders foot slipped going downhill and he damaged his ankle. They had never mentioned foot retention being adviseable, he claims he didn't know... £££

You will almost certainly find it more comfortable if you raise your handlebars up a lot. Slammed stacks look cool but don't do much for your back comfort or chest opening for breathing. You don't need an aerodynamic crouch unless you're going over 15mph.

I also ride singlespeed. Most recently I've been riding it as much like a fixie as possible, in that I stay in touch with the freewheel. I aim to not let it click at all on the way to the pub (alothough this does sometimes mean braking downhill).

Haters gonna hate, they don't get it and never will. Be prepared to fiddle with your gearing, there is most definately a "right" gearing for everyone. It's usually lower than you think, spin more.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[dodsi]

I changed my every day bike (specialized rockhopper SL with slick tyres) to a single speed/fixie Kona.

Must say, great move for me, I never worry about gears and there is only one small hill I take each day which doesn't require any downshifting anyways and everything else around here is fairly flat.

If I wanted to go distance/faster I would use my Trek Road bike with it's 3 billion gears but otherwise for utility use I love the single speed.

Horses for courses - that's why I have both.

[G]

[Frost]

I went to uni with this guy. He used to ride it up the mega hill and everything!
https://www.byutv.org/seethegood/image.axd?picture=2013%2F2%2FSTGunicycle02-27-13.jpg

The single speed is working out fine. Hills are effort as you have to take them at speed or the drop in cadence eventually brings you to a halt. I love having the free wheel though! There are few finer pleasures than rolling through a queue of pissed off petrol drinking traffic. No fuel, no effort, no jam.
I tried it as a fixie and it wasn't too bad at all. My pedalling action felt a lot smoother for some reason. The only thing that felt wrong was pedalling and braking at the same time. It was a bit like opening the throttle whilst pulling on the brakes.

[handbasket]