How to Ride a Fixed Gear Bike

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Get a fixed gear: The best way is to build bikes from old "10 speed" bikes

   Make sure the frame has either diagonal or horizontal dropouts
   - vertical dropouts don't allow for adjustment or chain flex, and are generally a poor choice for single- or- fixed-gear conversions.
   
   You will need to make decisions on what size gear to use and whether you wish to add a front or rear brake
   -"very low 70's gearing" and "front brake only" are typical decisions.
   
   Or you can buy a decent, inexpensive track frame and build it up with quality parts.
   
   Those store bought fixies often are a hodgepodge of parts, some of which are garbage.
   
   Buying a bike is relatively simple but you should be aware of generic parts.
   
   Those "fixies" you see for 300 hundred bucks or less, typically have all generic parts.
   
   Generic parts get the job done, but in the long run, you may spend more money fixing and replacing parts.
   
   Alternatively, many retailers offer fixed-speed bikes for reasonable prices.
   
   If you lack mechanical knowledge of bicycles or are unfamiliar with their maintenance, new bikes eliminate much of the difficulty of selecting, converting and repairing an older bike.
2. 2

   Step 2: which is generally the least expensive and most "customizable" approach.

   Sounds obvious but if you do not control the bike, it will control you, with unpleasant consequences.
   
   It is not as obvious as it sounds.
   
   It will take quite a while for your subconscious mind to learn not to try coasting, and not to feel like a runaway locomotive when you discover you can't. , Depending on whether you have chosen to use brakes, this may require a lot more time and
   - or mastery of "skid stopping".
   
   At the very least it will entail trying to "back-pedal" to slow down, which you may find an interesting challenge.
   
   If you can't learn to slow yourself down or stop, get off the bike.
   
   You could seriously hurt yourself or get killed. , The point is to simplify things to where we can enjoy riding as we did when we were children. , Stopping and starting take more work than on a geared bike.
   
   If you see that a stale green light ahead, it is better to slow down and hopefully catch the next green without having to stop, than charge the light and then have to stop suddenly when it turns red.
3. 3

   Step 3: "Just keep turning the pedals".

4. 4

   Step 4: Practice random acts of senseless stopping.

5. 5

   Step 5: Leave the bike computer and heart rate monitor at home.

6. 6

   Step 6: Learn to pace yourself.

Detailed Guide

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