Working With Fixed Gear Bicycles

Fixed gear bicycles are just like a normal bike except, they lack the "free wheel." The "free-wheel" is the mechanism that allows a bicycle's pedals to stop rotating allowing the rider to coast. A fixed gear does not have this mechanism, which means the rider cannot coast. This allows for the bike to be stopped by resisting the pedal's send movement.

It can take some time to get used to riding a fixed gear bike once a rider makes the change. The quality to coast is a luxury that most riders take for granted. The best comparison for those who drive would be that an automatic car is sort of like a free wheel bike while a proper or hand-operated transmission is more like a fixed gear. Each just requires a bit more of the operator's attention.

Fixedgear Bike

One of the biggest concerns about riding a fixed gear bike is safety. Many riders reconsider it much more perilous to ride a fixed gear bike without the quality to coast. Though some city and state laws may wish cyclists to have at least one working hand brake, there are many places that don't have this law or do not impose it. In these areas it isn't uncommon to see fixed gear riders without handbrakes at all. This means all of the cyclists stopping power must come from their resistance on the pedals.

Working With Fixed Gear Bicycles

It requires more attention from the rider and more operate over the speed of the bike since it will take much more time to stop. One way to bring the bike to a faultless stop speedily is called a "skid-stop," appropriately named because it locks the rear wheel preventing it from moving, causing it to skid along the ground until the rider comes to a stop. For as easy as it sounds there is verily a technique to it and it does take some time to master.

The best way to custom is in an open paved lot, like a parking lot, or a road with minimal traffic. There are verily just two things to remember. The first is to try and get as much of your body weight off of the rear wheel as safely possible. The best way is to just stand and lean forward. Then you just resist the movement of the pedals. As long as adequate of your body weigh has been displaced off of the back wheel, your pedals and wheel should stop allowing you to skid smoothly to a stop and look pretty cool doing it too.

It may take a half hour or so practicing but once you have it, it is verily fun. One of the hardest things about learning how to skid stop is that you can't custom in slow motion. So you can't be going too slow or else the wheels won't lock, you will just slow down. So you have to commit to going a bit faster than you might usually want to when trying something like this. Just be sure to wear a helmet and be safe.

Working With Fixed Gear Bicycles