[qmsdc15]

Sturmey Archer 3 speed fixed gear hub. Link.

[wild]

How do you change, or it change gears ? I guess it is allso flip flop hub ao the outher side would be single speed ?

[qmsdc15]

Not a flip flop hub. My childhood "English racer" has a Sturmey-Archer three speed hub (not fixed). The cable from the shift lever is attached to a tiny chain that goes into the hollow axle. I don't know how it works, but this one may be similar.

[Industry_Hack]

Originally Posted by qmsdc15

Not a flip flop hub. My childhood "English racer" has a Sturmey-Archer three speed hub (not fixed). The cable from the shift lever is attached to a tiny chain that goes into the hollow axle. I don't know how it works, but this one may be similar.

I think on some of the first production ones, the chain worked like a grenade pin.

[wild]

Thanks to bouth of you that was what I wanted to know. I rembered my 3spd as a kid and have taught about useing one with a pin like Hack mentioned.
I might have used it like that as a kid if I broke a cable

[Noel]

Originally Posted by qmsdc15

Sturmey Archer 3 speed fixed gear hub. Link.

Neat I love internal hub technology. My second bike was an english made three speed "Robin Hood" it would be a real collectors item now. Someday I would love to have a belt drive cyclocross bike with a ten speed internal hub. That would be the ultimate winter bike.

[FreeSpirit]

Get a flip flop hub (a rear wheel that gives you the ability to coast and turn into fixed gear)

[SignWorX]

I guess at the end it's all about preference. I have a flip flop setup on my ride. I use the single speed on rides that I know will be more challenging for example lots of steep hills that cross into intersections. I want to be able to coast down a hill and be able to brake safely.
On rides where I'm just commuting around town I flip the tire over to the fixie side just because I know that I will get a better workout and have more fun riding.
You might want to start with a flip flop hub so that you can ride
Both fixie and Single speed to determine what type of drive train you prefer.

[JamalBrown]

Aight, thanks guise!

[HandsomeRyan]

Originally Posted by JamalBrown

What's the pros and cons of fixed gear and single speed?

[Freewheeling] Single Speed:

Pros:
• ability to coast when you are tired or riding in a technical area where you want to concentrate solely on steering.
• somewhat safer as you do not have the pedal-strike issues when leaning into turns and the issues that can relate to the chain jumping off the cog and seizing the rear wheel. Not to mention the risk of finger amputation while wrenching on the bike.
• Less negative karma from the bike community as a whole.

Cons:
• generally loud while coasting (may have more to do with my choice of lower end freewheels than a flaw with the type of drivetrain in general though)
• less 'connection' to the bike as compared to FG.
• less street cred.

Fixed Gear:

Pros:
• most fun you can have on two wheels.
• better workout. you don't know how much you coast until you can't and that translates to increased performance even when going back to freewheeling multi-speed bikes.
• hard-to-describe feeling of the bike being almost a prosthetic part of you rather than just a vehicle you sit on top of and pedal.
• simple to clean and maintain as there are so few moving parts to get gunked up
• street cred.

Cons:
• bad karma from the rest of the cycling world as being just a toy for posers and hipsters who ride like idiots, brakeless, pissing off cars and pedestrians.
• safety- beyond riding brakeless which is a choice and not a direct implication of a fixed drivetrain, you are at increased risk of pedal strike while leaning into turns and if you aren't careful you can easily lose a digit while wrenching on the bike on a stand.

Originally Posted by JamalBrown

Which do YOU think is better?

Personally, I prefer fixed gear. I have a flip/flop hub so I can ride either way but 95% of the riding I do on that bike is using the fixed cog. I love the hard-to-describe feeling of oneness with the bike being able to adjust your speed up or down through the use of just your legs. I also like how inexpensive it was for a bike of reasonable quality. The workout I get from a bike that won't let me coast is unquestionably better than the same ride would be if I only pedaled about half the time and coasted the rest.

I hate that when I mention "fixed gear" it seems like everyone immediately thinks of the stereotype of brakeless hipsters pissing off traffic by riding like ******s but I hope that by not riding like that I can help change that image a little. I ♥ my fixed gear and (after the new paint job cures and I get it put back together) I look forward to riding it this spring.