The One Gear Perspective

I’m primarily a “road guy.”  I love riding my bike to work and to the store.  Given half a chance, I’ll load the bike up and head for the horizon.  I’m a tourist to my toes.  All that is a given.  But I also have a bit of a love affair going with single speeds and fixies.

The Practical Argument:  Adding a single speed or a fixed gear bike to one’s diet is an amazing training tool.  When it’s not possible to shift, one is committed to making do with just one gear.  This means that the rider is constantly oscillating between torque and RPM.  So these bikes train power development and spin, all at once.  Believe it, brothers and sisters, they do!  I’ve been astonished at the gains that the SS and Fixie bikes have made.  In short, adding one of these to your regular training routine will make you stronger, and more efficient.

The Technical Aspect:  Fixies and Single Speeds are simple bikes.  There are no shifters, and no deraillers.  In the case of a fixie, really only one brake is necessary.  With a lot less machinery, maintenance is greatly simplified, and there is just a whole lot less to go wrong.  That leaves more time for riding.

Esthetics:  These bikes are cleaner and less cluttered to look at.  They require a bit of skill to master, but reward the effort in very large measure.  Riding one is a purer expression of the art.  There is no real way to express, in words, the sensation of control, the smooth surge of accelerating up a hill, the precision with which it is possible to ride them.

Mental:  No, I don’t mean one has to be crazy to ride a fixie or singlespeed.  It’s actually kind of liberating.  As Sheldon Brown once said, it’s interesting to note how much of your brain is occupied with shifting and selecting the right gear.  Once you don’t have that choice, you have a lot of free mental capacity to engage in the ride.  You notice more stuff.  You see more.  You are aware of more than just the shifters.  Your mind is freer, and isn’t that what cycling is about?

Fun Factor:  This is enormous.  Sure, the free ride crowd do astonishing tricks on fixies.  While impressive, this isn’t necessary for the enjoyment of the ride.  Simply put, after the fear wears off, and the initial clumsiness fades, these things are an all out blast to ride.

I’ll be riding one of my conversions tonight (weather conditions permitting) on the Wednesday Nite Path Ride.  Come on out and see.