Single Speed

I own two single speed bikes (keeping with my motto of more bikes than I need, fewer than I want). One is an old rigid mountain bike stripped of everything but brakes and a single cog. The other is one of the pseudo track bikes that are very popular these days. Mine is a Schwinn Madison, not a true track bike since it comes with brakes, but for those of us who fancy our bodies as younger than they really are- its fine.

For the last year or so I have been riding it as my commute bike. The rear wheel came built with what's known as a "flip-flop" hub. That is, one side of the hub has a freewheel (allowing coasting) and the other is a fixed gear. A fixed gear bike ties the pedals and the rear wheel together so that one cannot move independently of the other. If the bike moves, the pedals move, and your legs move.

If look carefully around town you will see folks riding these rigs with real grace and without the benefit of brakes (they brake by locking their knees, thus stopping the rear wheel and riding a skid to a halt). Its pretty impressive. Less impressive was my own riding when I decided to flip my wheel over earlier this week and ride to meet a friend for lunch.

When you have been riding for years, there are little habits that become ingrained, like coasting up to a stop sign, or down a hill. This is not an option on a fixed gear bike and each time you try to pull one of those little stunts your legs get jerked around by the pedals with surprising amount of force. I can only imagine what I looked like in those moments, a scarecrow on the end of a fishing pole perhaps. A few of those incidents and suddenly you are paying more attention to your riding than you have in years.

My knees and calves are sore- still, but I am probably going to leave this set up in place until I either decide that its really going to hurt me badly, or I master it to some degree. Just don't expect me to take the brakes off anytime soon.