What's the difference? I'll break it down for you. A single speed bike is just as the name implies one gear. There are no deraileurs to get goofed up, no shifting cables to get loose, no upshifting when you want to go faster and no downshifting when the road gets too steep. You never have to worry if you're in the right gear at a stop light; you're always in the wrong gear! This type of bike is what most kids ride to start out. With the exception of reversing the pedals for brakes (a single speed coasts), they are very simliar.
A fixed gear is basically the same concept except you can't coast. That's the thing about it. Say "it's a fixed gear" and you usually get blank stares, say "it doesn't coast" and people understand. Sort of. Why would anyone chose to ride a bike that doesn't coast and that can't change gears? Well, why do you ride a bike instead of drive a car? Do you like the wind rippling over your legs as you spin the planet beneath you? Do you like the feeling of going faster and farther than you ever could alone by adding a bit of machinery to your life? Take all that bikeness, strip it down to it's essence and put it on the road. What you have is what I'm looking forward to riding. The bike is simple, about as simple as you can get. It doesn't coast. You don't coast as you start out and put your foot in the second pedal. No, you grab the pedal on the fly. The bike won't ever let you forget -- it doesn't coast. If you want to go fast, you pedal fast. To go slow, you pedal slow. When you stop, it stops.
I will be able to flip the back wheel over for those "organized rides" when you have to coast a bid for others' safety. Otherwise, I think I will keep it as a fixed gear. I can't wait to ride it!
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