Single speed Bikes

Do fewer gears and less maintenance mean more fun?

JOSEPH DELVES

MEATY 18-PAGE REVIEW ‘Isn’t it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailleur?’ So asked Tour de France founder Henri Desgrange in 1902. While multiple gears are no longer thought suitable only for invalids, it’s still a valid question. Riding a fixed-gear bike is challenging, fun and proves you’re dead tough. The bikes are ace, too. Jettisoning derailleurs and shifters keeps them light, low-maintenance, and good value. On the road, their lack of a lower gear pushes you to work harder uphill, which builds leg power; downhill, you’re forced to spin your legs faster and more smoothly, improving your pedalling. All except one of our test bikes are sold as ‘singlespeed’ (with a freewheel), but for the fixie purists, a replacement fixed…

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Bikes Etc (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2018

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