Hey Roberta,
I'm also in Philly and popped a ss/fixed gear into my rotation in February
2020. I've dabbled in fixed gear riding twice before this over the past 10
years, so for me I think a piece of it is nostalgia. I agree with what
folks are saying about the simplicity of having one gear. I find I just
think about my riding less when I don't have the option to shift. Go
faster? Pedal faster. Going uphill? Stand up.
Two other pieces for me are variety and perpetual tinkering ("what *other* kind
of bike could I ride?"). I got this bike (Mercier Kilo WT) mainly as a
winter bike, and it's fully fender-able and accommodates a pretty wide tire
(50mm max). It's not a zippy, race-y fixie like a lot of people like to
ride; it's just about as heavy as the rest of my bikes, but I like it.
Grant talked about this in a recent Blahg about their upcoming fixed/ss
model, but I like how the momentum of riding fixed carries you through the
undulations of the road.
I used to work in Roxborough (for non-Philly folks: a hilly northwestern
part of the city) and felt I'd never be able to get up to my office with
only one gear. In late 2019 we moved our office down here to South Philly
(flat) so I thought it was an appropriate time to add one to the rotation
as a "bop around town" kind of bike. Whenever I head into West Philly the
hills are just a refreshing challenge, but that's the case whether I have
gears or not.
Thinking about Will's recommendation, I think when compared to your Joe
Appa and Homer, a single speed would likely be a lighter bike that just
requires less thought. Just a nice bike to add in there to add some variety
in your riding experience.
Erik, Philly
On Monday, April 19, 2021 at 9:19:17 AM UTC-4 Eric Daume wrote:
> Central Ohio, where I ride, is mostly flattish, so riding single speed
> adds some challenge to my rides. And I like to ride fixed gear, which IS
> different than just riding a geared bike in one gear.
>
> Eric
>
>
> On Sunday, April 18, 2021, Roberta <rcha...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I am truly curious. How is it different than just not shifting? How is
>> it more fun? When I was looking for a second Riv, Will (at Riv) suggested
>> their single speed (I didn't do it).
>>
>> I had a 49 lb Raleigh LTD-3 for a few months prior to Riv, which had been
>> converted it to a single speed. I rode the bike around downtown for
>> errands. It was tons of fun, but Philadelphia is flat downtown, so SS was
>> OK. I'd be concerned about any hills.
>>
>> Roberta
>>
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