| Some of you may have heard the kid down the street | | | | stop pedaling but the back hub still spins). The sprocket |
| or even seen the young punk on the corner riding | | | | is screwed directly on to the hub and there is no |
| around and what looks like a 10 speed bike. However, | | | | freewheel mechanism. That means you can't coast on |
| if you take a closer look, you'll discover that there | | | | a fixed gear bike. Your feet are always pedaling. As |
| aren't 10 speeds on that bike. In fact, you'd probably | | | | exhausting as this sounds, it does provide you with |
| discover that there is just a single speed. That's | | | | more efficiency when pedaling. |
| because these kids undoubtedly took their parents old | | | | Most fixed gear bicycles only have one gear ratio. This |
| Schwinn, took off the derailer, put on a fixed-gear or | | | | means there are no additional gears to switch to. Your |
| track-bike hub, took off the brakes, slapped on some | | | | typical BMX bike is a single speed gear, however, |
| crazy "mustache" handle bars, rolled up their pants, and | | | | BMX bikes tend to have freewheels (aka you can |
| rode down to the closes critical mass ride with their | | | | COAST!). |
| new converted fixed gear (OR spent a few hundred | | | | WHY DID FIXED GEAR BIKES TAKE OFF? |
| bucks to have someone do it for them). | | | | Some say the popularity of fixed gear bikes can be |
| In any regards, fixed gear bikes are all the rage in the | | | | traced back to bike messengers. They've been using |
| hipster population. And it couldn't have come at a | | | | fixed / single speed bicycles for years as it helps them |
| better time. With gas prices at an all time high and the | | | | get around faster (back to the whole efficiency of |
| need to go "Green", you can't blame the kids for | | | | movement thing). Bike messengers were also known |
| huffing it on 2 wheels for free and no exhaust smoke | | | | for being renegades on some level and having a |
| rather than spending close to hundreds each month | | | | "punk" attitude. This combined with the general |
| just to go a few miles down the road and spew forth | | | | popularity of bikes, skateboarding, surfing, and anything |
| fumes for miles (come on admit it - you've driven to | | | | else that allows the youth of today to break free of |
| places that you totally could have walked to). So if | | | | government mandated roads and public transit system |
| you're new to this fixed gear bike thing and are curious | | | | and blaze their own trails across the land (and look |
| about how it all works, here's a quick breeze through | | | | good doing it too). |
| the basics. | | | | WILL THE FIXED GEAR BIKE CRAZY LAST? |
| HOW A FIXED GEAR BIKE WORKS | | | | Who knows. I honestly hope so because it is a way to |
| It's simple. Fixed gear bikes are exactly that - fixed! | | | | cut down on pollutants, spend less on gas, stay in |
| Also known as a fixed wheel bicycle, it's basically a | | | | shape, AND make a statement - ALL AT THE SAME |
| bicycle without the ability to coast (coast meaning you | | | | TIME! Who could ask for anything more (Toyyyota!). |