The pedal stroke is the length of time a bike rider spends pedals down to the floor. The shortest pedal stroke is called a thumbnail, which means short in both words and stroke.
The longest pedal stroke is called a middle finger, which means long in both words and gesture. A middle finger is longer than a thumb, which is longer than a middle finger.
Middle fingers are the most common middle pedal stroke length. They make hand gestures such as tapping, pulling, and flicking through riding gear. Another length of Middle Finger includes the middle digit of the thumb and the little finger together. This length feels smoother than either a thumb or little finger alone.
Single speed bikes can have either fixed or freestyle pedals depending on what you want your ride to feel like.
Contents:
Pedal stroke
The term pedal stroke was coined to describe the difference between a bike’s front and rear gears. A single gear has a short, sharp pedal stroke to get the chain moving, and a longer, more relaxed one.
A fixed gear does not have a forward shift of the foot at the same rpm as the pedaling motion, only an aft one. This gives you more control over your ride as you can change your speed more easily.
Many riders find that having less rotation on their pedaling foot gives them a better workout and certain types of pedaling can be more efficient than others. A single speed bike does not have a separate gear or switch either, it is just one smooth motion of the pedals.
The best bikes for most people are those with fixed gears that have some special features that make them very easy or hard for some individuals.
Control
If you’re looking for more control over your ride, switched to a fixed gear instead of a single speed. A fixed gear allows for more adjustment in the hands of the rider, making it more suited for trick riding.
The advantage to having only a single speed is that you can have a wider range of gears, from a low-gearsize (7-26 cassette) to an XX1-gearsize (11-32 cassette) cassette.
With only a single speed, you cannot have the flick and release of the leg on the bike required with a fixed gear. However, this can be looked at differently. Many riders do not feel like they have enough control of their bike with the fixed gear compared to how much they do with the single speed.
Braking system
A bike’s braking system includes the front and rear brake pads, the brake cables, and the brake discs. While there are many different methods for creating a single brake system, most variations require some kind of shifting or shifting adjustment to match new brakes with your bike.
The easiest is to simply put the new pads in the same holes and then slide the new pads into the discs. This works fine if you have just one disc on your bike, but if you have two disks on your bike then you need to slide them together.
The best way to adjust the brakes is with a Brake Leads set. You can get these online or from a bike shop, but you must make sure that you match up the Brake Leads sets so that they shift together when you press on them.
Cost
When looking at cost, there are many factors to consider. There is no one right way to think of or price bikes according to how much someone can ride them.
For less than $200, the bike rider can choose between a single-speed or fixed-gear bike. With the fixed-gear option, the rider can upgrade the cassette to a larger size for more pedal stroke, which could cost more money.
For $300 and up, the rider can choose between an aluminum frame with carbon fiber components or a steel frame with none. The aluminum option would be lighter in weight but not have the same build quality as a steel frame.
As mentioned before, riders around 5′ tall and up can take advantage of a single-seat style bike. For riders who are slightly taller or have more confidence, a handlebar rise makes room for a short rear seat adapter for someone longer in length and width.
Lastly, when looking at bikes for training and racing, it is important to look at these variables.
Comfort
The term comfort can mean several things. We will focus on the more basic aspects of comfort for this article.
The first aspect of comfort a rider must consider is how much pressure they are applying to the bike. Is the bike hard or easy to ride? Harder bikes offer more pressure while easier bikes offer less.
Another thing a rider should consider is how much weight they are carrying. Heavy riders may need a harder bike than light riders, who may prefer the lighter feel of a slightly softer bike. Weighing more may require a stronger bike than someone weighing less than what we suggest here.
These things are important to consider when choosing a bicycle, but we will only address them in the bullet point preceding each type of bicycle below.
Riding style
There are two main riding styles: fixed gear and single speed. Both are designed to match the stroke and distance of the leg you hold the bike with.
Fixed gear bikes have a chain that connects to a crank axle on the frame. The rider holds the bike with his or her right foot on the freepeg, and pedaled with the left foot on the shoepeg. This style requires a more advanced skill set, as riders must learn how to shift from front to back, and up or down!
Single speed bikes have one wheel attached to one axle. The rider holds the bike with his or her right foot on the freepeg, and pedalled with the left foot on the shoepeg.
Wheel size
A wheel size is either flat, demade, or thread. A thread is a loop of material that is sewn onto the wheel to create the shape. A flat wheel does not have a curve in the middle where the disk sits in.
The disk of a flat tire is the only part that protrudes. The curve in the middle is where the tire takes ahold of the Wheel. The thicknesses of all types of wheels are based on what thickness of tire they are matched with.
Demade wheels have a slight curve on one side where it inserts into the bike frame. This prevents them from being horribly pinched when ridden at speed, but does not have any offsetting benefits on how they handle off road or during timed events.
Pros of single speed bikes vs fixed gear bikes
For the most part, riders who go for single speed bikes have faster times than those who ride fixed gear. This is due to the fact that the rider on the bike is more efficient in using their pedaling speed to move the bike.
This efficiency comes in two forms: power and range. The power you have to generate with your pedals is almost double that of a single speed bike!
The range you have on your single speed bike is almost double that of a fixed gear bike. This means that when riding close enough to another rider, you can start riding before the other person does!
Most riders report feeling more relaxed and comfortable on single speed bikes which makes them happier riders. If your rider enjoys riding on trails with some obstacles, a singlepeed might be right for them.