Single speeds or fixed gear bikes, as can be guessed through the names, are bikes with one gear only and a fixed rear wheel, which means that if the wheel is spinning, the cranks are too. These are the same as the bikes you see speeding around velodromes, and in bike messenger circles, they have rated the best road bikes that are available by their absolute simplicity.
With only the bare minimum of moving parts, there is very little that can fail on the best single speeds, and by proxy. This shows that bikes don’t need a lot of maintenance. Better, they are much less expensive than most other bikes, and riding a fixed-gear bicycle will also do wonders for your pedal stroke.
The best single speed bicycles offer a necessary and straightforward cycling experience. With their unique advantages over other types of bikes, available gear bikes have been gaining in popularity. Many riders prefer these simple bikes for exercise, commuting, or just for pleasure. Single-speed bikes are low-maintenance, simple to ride, and very lightweight.
Though some daring riders like to ride their fixed gears brakeless, this is ill-advised and most likely illegal. A stationary gear bike could be road legal in most countries, but it should contain two effective brakes with resisting the cranks on a limited gear counting as a rear brake. However, laws can vary, so it is essential to double-check the legal requirements.
Best Single Speed Bikes 2021 – Complete Reviews
★ Top Pick | Product | Price | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Retrospec Mantra V2 Urban Single Speed Fixed BikeSee Details | Check Price | 4.8 | |
Takara Kabuto Single Speed Road BikeSee Details | Check Price | 4.7 | |
Vilano Rampage Fixed Gear Fixie Single Road BikeSee Details | Check Price | 4.7 | |
Retrospec Harper Single-Speed Fixed Gear Urban Commuter BikeSee Details | Check Price | 4.5 | |
Pure Fix Original Fixed Gear Single Speed BicycleSee Details | Check Price | 4.3 |
Below are five best-reviewed single speed bikes:
Retrospec Mantra V2 Urban Single Speed Fixed Bike
It has a hand-built, tig-welded urban comfort steel frame, perfect for commuting to work, cruising at the beach, and racing circles around competitors. It comes equipped with two brakes, one front, and one rear, to ensure safe and secure riding in the city. The bike has a sealed cartridge bearing hubs, including a flip-flop hub, which enables you to switch between single-speed or riding fixed-gear with the freewheel easily. The diamond-shaped frame may not be female-friendly, but it’s becoming more popular with women who want to deviate from the norm.
Not to mention, it is sporty, retro design is eye-catching. This type of frame design is proper for urban riding. The frame is solid and contains clean welds. Equipped with an alloy riser handlebar with Kraton rubber grips, you can enjoy your rides while seated firmly and comfortably on a classic brown saddle. The wheels with deep-V rims are real and robust. Also, it comes standard with Kenda Kwest commuter tires, VP freestyle pedals, KMC chain, and Superdeep-v rims-the ultimate cycling machine.
- It is worth more than its price.
- It can withstand rough use and harsh weather.
- A Low-Maintenance Bike.
- It has a few disappointing components.
- The fenders are hard to install.
Takara Kabuto Single Speed Road Bike
This cycle has the best use as a commuter bike, due to its design and the fact that it is intended for long-term road using a single speed for the everyday ride around the neighborhood or to work. It features a robust and handcrafted steel frame and horizontal dropouts that can handle the damage of riding inside the city and roadways. It consists of a new Kabuto, a “flip flop” hub that enables the rider to run as a fixed gear or in a standard freewheel, single-speed mode.
The 32 whole alloy wheels can support the Kendra 700 x 32 tires, which are great for resisting less than ideal road conditions. Alloy is used to make the front and rear pull brakes and fit riders up to 6 feet 2 inches tall. With a stand over clearance of 31 inches, it provides the room needed for men and women of various heights.
- Simplistic design with the excellent color combination.
- Perfect for daily outdoor adventures.
- Gives you a smooth riding experience.
- The seat padding is limited.
- Noisy paddles.
Vilano Rampage Fixed Gear Fixie Single Speed Road Bike
It is a very stylish, urban, fixed-gear bike is ideal for anyone riding around the city. You can flip the rear seat to make the cycle a freewheel. It can be changed from a single-speed into a fixed-gear without any effort by flipping the back wheel. The bike grabs a unique look by the anodized wheels and hubs. The geometry frame and straight fork have high tensile steel that ensures your bike will last long.
The larger tires give added connection with the ground to make pedaling easier on you. You’ll be able to switch the bike from a single-speed to a fixed-gear. The flip-flop hub is for anyone who wants to change how they ride. It doesn’t take much effort, which means you’ll be able to go distant and without the wastage of energy. The anodized steel makes the bike amazingly strong to ensure you’ll have it for a long time. The tag-welded frame and fork are excellent for anyone who likes to ride rough through the city.
- Easy to assemble.
- Perfect for daily commuting.
- It’s durable over curbs.
- Tires may wear down quickly.
- Some bikes may have flaws
Retrospec Harper Single-Speed Fixed Gear Urban Commuter Bike
The versatility offered by the brand is the first thing to be noticed here. The frame comes in various sizes varying from extra small to extra large that you can pick from depending on your height. Besides, some color combinations are available so that you can select among simple black and white or some more lucid options. The paint finish is resistant and durable, which means it won’t chip or rust easily and quickly.
The entire frame is mostly designed like all other Fixies on the market. It’s a recognizable sleek design that reminds a lot of a cruiser. It’s a high-tensile strength steel frame that’s hand-built and tig-welded for a more seamless look. For most components, the manufacturer opted for quality solutions while maintaining a low price. This is probably why none of the parts stand out as particularly impressive though they all perform well. It features standard 30mm deep-v rims and Kenda commuter tires for stability and smooth rides.
- It has durable steel tubing with vertical touring.
- Responsive double brake initiates a quick halt.
- It has a relatively fast & comfortable pedaling motion.
- Wheels are unsuitable for rough terrain.
Pure Fix Original Fixed Gear Single Speed Bicycle
This bike features a steel frame and a diversity of color designs. The Pure Fix Original Gear Single Speed Fixie is a reliable and robust road bike with a weight of around 22 to 22 pounds, which depends on the size you purchase. The high-tensile steel is fully Tig-welded, so it is built to last. Pure Fix Cycles uses brand name components to ensure the best quality for the price, including Kenda, Oury, and KMC.
This Pure Fix Original Bike is an excellent example of modern fixies that combines strategic design with perfect components that help the bike offer high efficiency and comfort. This makes the bike an excellent intro for those just getting into fixed gear bikes or for advanced riders who want affordable versatility to add to their bike collection. The vast quantity of available colors is a nice bonus. Anyone could find the right color combo.
- Fairly easy to assemble.
- Gives you a comfortable, smooth ride.
- The flip-flop transitions amazing.
- Not the best tires.
- The seat can become a bit uncomfortable.
Conclusion
Single speeds come either in fixed or available speed hubs; the latter concedes for coasting, while as long as the spinning on the rear wheel is on a fixed gear, the cranks are on them too. Transitioning to a stationary gear bike can be a little weird if you’ve never ridden one before, but it offers a unique experience.
Also, fixies allow us to choose the braking process. You can fasten the freewheel for the standard braking method, remove the front brakes or rear brakes, and resist the pedals or use the skid-stop for the brake. It is entirely up to the bikers how they want to ride, something that biking enthusiasts will appreciate these highly customizable bikes.
Fixed gear bikes are usually commuting rather than racing, although you can find hybrid fixies that work for both. A stationary gear bike is often valued as a commuter bicycle because it needs minimal cleaning and maintenance. It’s also excellent for winter riding because you can more easily moderate your speed at the moment. The best way to compare gearing is through gear inches; it can consider the gear ratio, wheel size, and tire width. Fixies may still be on the top, but we know that there are some things to avoid with these bikes.
Fixed gear bikes are simple, but the mechanics need to be acceptable to ensure a good ride. When we talk about single speeds, choosing the right gearing is paramount because you’ll be pushing it up over hills, into headwinds, and over whatever else your ride entails.
Buying Guide for Best Single Speed Bikes 2020
A single-speed bike does what it says on the can: it’s a bike with just one gear. It still has a front and a back brake like any other bike but slightly fewer gears. And by more occasional, we mean only one solitary gear.
Single-speed bikes offer cycling in its most naive and most refined form. They are lightweight, low sustaining machines which make them ideal for commuting. Having one gear significantly decreases the requirement for everyday bike maintenance and drive-train improvements. The rear wheel dropouts on single-speed are often horizontal and rearward facing. This ensures that you can achieve the correct chain tension. Proper chain tension with no visible slack is vital for these bicycles as there is no rear derailleur to accommodate any space in the chain.
A chain derailing could cause damage to both the bicycle/rider. This is a reversible wheel. Both sides of the rear hub are threaded, with a freewheel sprocket to allow you to freewheel and the other side with a fixed sprocket for constant pedaling.
Riding at its most simplified form is riding a bike with just one gear. Single-speed bikes usually come with a flip-flop rear wheel. That’s what the first Tour de France riders did in 1903 and what people still do today, whether they are depending on working on a single-speed bike or blitzing around a velodrome on a fixed gear bike.
Exteriors of fixed gear and single-speed bikes look pretty much the same. However, there’s an essential difference between the two.
- Fixed gear bikes have a rear cog fixed to the rear hub, so they do not have a freewheel. This indicates that the cog will vary whenever the wheel spins. As a consequence, the pedals will rotate as well. That is why, on a fixed gear bike, you cannot stop pedaling as long as the bike is moving.
- On the other hand, single-speed bikes have a freewheel, so the cog is only turning when the pedals are spinning, and the pedals do not rotate along with the rear wheel. Whenever you want, you can stop pedaling and just coast.
Features of single speed bikes
The single-speed and track bikes are generally cheaper, lighter, and mechanically more straightforward than a geared bike of equivalent standard. Due to no derailleur, there are fewer parts that require maintenance, so that these bikes can be an ideal option for city commuting. They are aesthetically pleasing due to their minimalistic appearance and often feature very alternative paintwork and styling, enabling you to stand out from the crowd. You learn how to pedal in a circle.
And, not just up and down, due to these bikes’ characteristics and energy efficiency. This enhances the ‘road feel’ and increased how the bike reacts to different road surfaces and obstacles.
They are made of
Carbon Fiber:
This is a very stiff and lightweight material. As a non-metal, there are substantial design benefits when utilizing carbon fiber to manufacture bikes. The material can be managed into aerodynamic shapes and fine-tuned for increased stiffness and strength in specific areas on the frame. Carbon fiber bikes are also now becoming more affordable, even at entry-level.
Steel:
These are traditional and trendy material for building bikes. Steel frames are famous for their strength, comfort, and durability. Steel is also easy to fix as bends or dents can be repaired. Steel is a comparatively affordable frame material to use, especially next to more exotic carbon fiber or titanium frames.
Titanium:
Titanium bike frames are incredibly lightweight and offer a smooth ride similar to a reasonable steel frame’s ride quality. Titanium frames, like steel frames, have inherent flex. This produces a smooth and comfortable ride feel that is often devoid of heavy surface vibration. Titanium looks excellent, does not rust, and can last a lifetime.
Aluminum:
This material is too stiff, lightweight, and healthy. Aluminum bikes have a reputation for having excellent power transfer, although the lack of shock absorption from a rigid aluminum frame can result in a harsh feel for the rider.
Essential parts of the bike
Frame
As a rule of thumb, the best-fixed gear bikes usually consist of step-over steel frames, including steel forks. That’s due to the idea of making the bike as simple and as rugged as potential. Although this all only depends on the owner, so some might go for aluminum or even carbon.
Wheels
The wheels are the most important and mostly the most unprotected part of fixie and single-speed bikes. These bicycles typically roll on 700c wheels, but a few single-speed bikes can be seen with 26″ wheels. Many of the best-fixed gear bikes out there also come with deep-section wheels.
Tires
The fixed gear and single-speed bikes often have road cycling-styled tires. That signifies these tires are 23 and 28 mm wide. The more tenuous the tire, the more accelerated the cycle will be.
Takara Kabuto Single Speed Road Bike
It features a single-speed and comes in two frame sizes; 54 and 57cm. This bike can be used in 2 modes: single speed or freewheeling. This bike’s parts are made from alloy materials, more robust and lighter than an available metal. It features a rugged and handcrafted steel frame and horizontal dropouts that can handle the damage of riding inside the city and roadways. It consists of a new Kabuto, a “flip flop” hub that enables the rider to run as a fixed gear or in a standard freewheel, single-speed mode. The 32 whole alloy wheels can support the Kendra 700 x 32 tires, which are great for resisting less than ideal road conditions.
Retrospec Mantra V2 Urban Commuter Bike
It has a hand-built, tig-welded urban comfort steel frame, perfect for commuting to work, cruising at the beach, and racing circles around competitors. The high-tensile force steel diamond frame is the ideal traveling partner as you cycle your way home, work, play, and everything else. The structure and fork have barspin clearance, horizontal dropouts, and no toe overlap. The bike has a sealed cartridge bearing hub, including a flip-flop hub, which enables you to switch between single-speed or riding fixed-gear with the freewheel easily.
Pure Fix Original Fixed Gear Single Speed Bicycle
The Original Fixed Gear Single Speed Fixie is a reliable and robust road bike that weighs 22 to 22 pounds, depending on the size you purchase. This Pure Fix Original Bike is an excellent example of modern fixies that combines strategic design with perfect components that help the bike offer high efficiency and comfort. The high-tensile steel is fully Tig-welded, so it is built to last. Pure Fix Cycles uses brand name components to ensure the best quality for the price, including Kenda, Oury, and KMC.
Conclusion
Riding a single-speed is cycling at the most shredded back. Single-speed bikes demand little sustenance, shaping them fabulous for daily use—this helps and force you to work hard uphill and spin instantly back down. Single-speeds service develops a method and is excellent for training. On flatter terrain, robustness and low weight make them the perfect partners for commuting. Also, they’re enjoyable to ride, too, while the minimalist aesthetics attracts many riders. The best way to compare gearing is through gear inches; it can consider the gear ratio, wheel size, and tire width.