Are There Bikes Without Gears? What are Single Speed Bikes and Fixed Gears

There are bikes without gears which are also called fixies or single-speed bikes. These types of bikes do not have multiple gear ratios which you shift to go up hills, maintain your speed, and break more easily.

Are There Bikes Without Gears?

No, all regular bikes have multiple gears which help make riding the bike easier. However, if you want a fixie or single-speed bike, they will not have multiple gears.

This makes riding a lot harder, but you can still ride a single-speed or fixie bike even though it does not have the easier gear ratios. Have fun riding your new fixie or single speed!

There are many types of bikes with different gear ratios, but if you want a fixie or a single speed bike they will not have these gear ratios.

You can still ride a fixie or a single-speed bike even though it does not have multiple gear ratios, but the pedals will always be moving when you are riding which makes it harder. If you want to save some money, go with a single-speed bike or fixie since they are cheaper, but be careful of constant pedaling.

What Is A Fixie?

fixed gear

The word fixie is short for “fixed-gear”, because the rear cog has no freewheel mechanism. This means that in order for the bike to be pedaled forward, the pedals must also turn forward.

What Is A Single Speed Bike?

A single-speed bike is much like a fixie without brakes or multiple gears. It only has one gear ratio instead of multiple which you switch between when you need to go up hills, maintain your speed, or break.

Is It Easier To Ride A Fixie Or Single Speed Bike?

It is actually harder to ride a fixie or single-speed bike since you can’t shift gears like you would on multiple gear bikes. Because of this, the pedals are always moving when you are riding which is much harder than riding a bike with gears.

Is It Worth The Price?

Fixies and single-speed bikes are cheaper than multiple gear bikes because you don’t have as many parts that can break, but they still aren’t usually cheap since the frame needs to be high quality and strong enough for constant pedaling.

What Are Single Speed Bikes And Fixed Gears

Fixed Gear Bikes are bikes with no freewheel. This means the pedals are always moving when you are turning them – if you stop pedaling, the bike stops moving forward.

Single Speed Bikes have a freewheel so that when you stop pedaling, the cranks can rotate without making the bike go forward – great for coasting and cruising.

Fixed Gear Bikes are great for urban riding because they require more attention as you can’t take your feet off of the pedals as you would on a freewheel bike. This makes fixed gear bikes good for short-distance commuting in stop-n-go traffic or in heavy, slow areas where stopping is not an option.

Single Speed Road Bikes are good for covering longer distances faster speeds as speeds without pedaling. These bikes have road bike geometry, lightweight frames, and thin tires that go fast with little to no resistance.

Fixed Gear Track Bikes are for serious bicyclists who prefer the quickest way from point A to point B when riding. Track bikes have no brakes so the only way to stop is to slow down by resisting against the pedals or using your legs as a break.

Fixed Gear Bikes are often geared very low so they can go fast but maintain their momentum with minimal effort on flat ground. However, unlike most fixies you see in urban areas these days, traditional track bikes had a brake and were used for training and racing at velodromes (indoor tracks).

Fixed Gear Bikes are also popular with college students and hipsters because they’re different and can be decorated to express an “I don’t follow the pack” attitude.

For those who would like to have a casual ride around town, Single Speed Bikes are less intimidating because of their ease of use. Those who haven’t cycled before can build up the confidence to pedal with an easy-to-use gearing system that is also suitable for people who like riding at different speeds and want to be able to stop occasionally.

Now we are going to let you all know some of the various advantages a bike without gears or with one fixed gear does have over a multi-speed multi-geared bike. Are you ready? Okay so just let’s get into it:

Keeping You Fit And Healthy

So beginning with health why is that we think that this bike might help you improve your body fitness and is going to help you stay in shape. Well, when you ride a bicycle especially the one without gears or the ones with fixed gears you might have to use your abdominal and thigh muscles a bit more than in multi-geared bikes, and especially if you are going uphill, speed and momentum is the only good combination that is going to take you ahead.

Plus doing so will increase your heart rate to some point where you will be experiencing as you are doing cardio exercise and that is going to boost your metabolism and help you stay healthy. For you must have heard this: ‘Health is wealth’

Cost-Effective

While having fewer components like gears etc. make this bike a lot feasible, it also makes it affordable so you don’t have to worry a lot about saving before buying this as it costs nearly between $400 to $500 which is not too much as compared to the annual average wage of USA or to the price of other multi-speed multi-geared bikes.

Low Maintenance

Fixed Gear Maintenance

Since it does not have a lot of parts it is going to be a feasible bicycle in the long run as you don’t have to focus on changing parts. All you need to care about are more or less the tires, chains, and brakes. So that saves your money too.

Simplicity

So yes simplicity, this is the first word that came to our mind while watching the bikes without gears. They are a perfect example of simple, elegant, and beautiful.

Not all times we need something complex in our lives, just as in our daily life we prefer and tend to like simple things more over complexity, this is also the same with bikes. We not only really admire the way it’s built and easy to understand but also how effortlessly anyone can use it and enjoy the ride without any difficulty holding them back.

Lightweight; easy to carry

Among one of the many benefits of the bike without or with fixed gears, weight is also one of the top ones because sometimes you want to carry your bike to your vacations, holiday spots or parks or even to take it up to your flat for which you would be thankful for its lightweight and easy to carry ability.

Single Speed bikes

Single Speed Bike

Single-speed bikes are generally those in which you cannot shift your gear which means you are stuck with a single gear. But single gear bikes do have a freewheel and you can go coasting on it so it holds a benefit too.

Well, apart from that there are also many more benefits of having a single-speed bike. Imagine you want to go fast you just have to speed up your pedaling and boom you can go plus sometimes we need to find out time for our workout but we are not able to due to our hectic work routines and busy schedules, that is when your single speed bike comes into role.

It can lend you a hand in your daily workout by simply just including your workout in your time to ride to your workplace. Yes, you got it right, I mean that you can go to your office by simply just riding a single-speed bike. Not only it will give you a sense of accomplishment but also it can make you feel healthy and fit because it pushes your abdominal, thigh, and all muscles to work out well.

In addition to all those benefits, we just mentioned above a single-speed bike is also cost-effective and really low maintenance because fewer parts less need to maintain them. Also, the parts are readily available at a very reasonable price making it more money-saving.

Its lightweight has also added to one of its pros making it easy for the buyer to carry it wherever they want to plus the simplicity and versatility of the single-speed bike have also touched hearts.

This might be helpful for you Do Bicycles Have a Weight Limit?

Other Bikes Without Gears

BMX single gear

While single-speed bikes are famous out there, there are actually a lot of single-speed bikes like BMX or mountain bikes or the ones in which there is a moveable rear tire. Also, single-speed bikes not only save money but also liberate you from daily workout scheduling as you can have one while riding on your single-speed bike.

Fixed gear bikes have a fixed cog making the pedaling muscles stronger and more powerful than you can get on a single-speed bike. While both of them are cost-effective and really affordable and easy to use, it is their simplicity, feasibility, and the need to maintain less that have actually got buyers’ eyes.

If you are living in an urban area where the roads are pretty much smooth and you do not want to be robbed of an expensive bike ( God forbids for if that happens ever) then single-speed bikes and fixies are a perfect choice for you than any other bikes out there.

Conclusion:

So I hope we give you a bird’ eye view of all you need to know about bikes without gears. And although it seems a little bit confusing and difficult to choose a bike without gear over a bike with many gears it is an excellent choice for you if you do not want to deal with the headaches of changing gears.

While having all those benefits we also think they are a very reasonable and people-friendly option, by not just helping you enjoy the ride but also providing you with health benefits and a fitness regime.

Single-speed and fixed fear bikes must seem a bit less effective than multiple gear bikes at first but they are an amazing eco-friendly choice for all riders.