Bicycle: single speed - what is it? We explain it

In the bicycle market, there are more and more niches and categories, so it is sometimes difficult to keep track. If you're wondering what single-speed bikes are all about, we have the explanation.

One gear for all occasions: single speed means riding without gears.

Single-speed bikes have increasingly become a trend in recent years. Accordingly, the selection in today's market is large.

What is a single-speed bike anyway?

Single Speed describes bikes that have only one gear.

• As a result, there is no gear shift. This means less weight and fewer parts that can break.
• The bike always rides with the same gear ratio, which can be good or bad depending on the conditions.
• Single Speed is often equated with fixie, but this is wrong: Although every fixie is a single speed, the reverse is not true.
• Because while fixed pedals are another feature of the Fixies, this is not necessarily the case with Single Speed.
• So there are namely also Single Speed bikes with freewheel.

Interesting in this context is the so-called flip-flop hub, because it allows you to switch between fixed gear and freewheel. Dies ist nicht zuletzt aus Sicherheitsgründen ratsam, da ein reines Fixie hier bekanntlich Schwächen aufweist.