Another a frame change I appear to have a spare frame, forks, front wheel, crank etc
It's all really light, so thinking of a single speed whippet - I don't have the knees (or the guts) for a fixie, but fancy the fixie look, so thinking about a single speed coaster brake.
There's plenty online, but has anyone got any personal experience of the various offerings on ebay or santafixie?
It'd be used on road and tame off-road
Yes, I know it's probably a very bad idea, but a shame not to try!
I have a shimano hubbed one.
ITs hardwork to remember.
Also alot of them are 110mm spacing so you need to factor that in, will it fit in the frame or do you need a longer axle?
Can use spacers to fill in the hub gap, most axles are long enough it seems. Unsure if the narrower hub itself would line up with the crank (if that makes sense?)
Fixie is no harder on your knees that singlespeed, you're grinding uphill either way and you can just brake a bit if the cadence is getting a bit high on the downs. You get used to the constant pedalling in about 5 mins, and unless you have you're saddle so, (too) high it locks your knees at the bottom of the stroke, there's little chance of throwing yourself off.
Having said all that, coaster brakes are pretty good too. I had one on a 3 speed hub, that actually replaced a fixie wheel. Which also means you can freely ignore my manly bullshit about riding fixed above. 😁
Fixie is no harder on your knees that singlespeed, you’re grinding uphill either way and you can just brake a bit if the cadence is getting a bit high on the downs. You get used to the constant pedalling in about 5 mins, and unless you have you’re saddle so, (too) high it locks your knees at the bottom of the stroke, there’s little chance of throwing yourself off.
I do tend to agree with this.
HAving said that offroad... coaster brake would be a right laugh...
Hated my coaster brake on my (very) old hub geared work bike. Awful in traffic. Just my 2p.
I took the front brake off my fixie once. It was raining, I was in heavy traffic, and when I braked the back wheel tried to overtake the front wheel. I put the front brake back on after that
Its the constant peddling and the push back on the knees that does me in. Even if you're using brakes as well I still find you're pushing on the knees.
This is going to be strictly for poser pootling. Sounds like it's worth a play around.
I have a coaster brake on my Transition Klunker, been round 'Degla on it a few times for a laugh. You'll need a steady supply of spare rear tyres as they are hard to modulate offroad when you are panic braking.
Have a look at drum brakes, similarly minimalist but with less getting use to.
Fixed off-road is a challenge on anything steep/loose.
HAving said that offroad…
Fixed off-road is a challenge on anything steep/loose.
Ah, yeah. I didn't make that connection with the Whippet in my head. Singlespeed all the way for me then. I know Kerley on here used to ride off-road, fixed but IIRC he's in the New Forest where there's not much elevation and little in the way of rocks to whack your pedals on when they're (always) in the wrong position.
I run a 3-speed coaster brake on my utility bike.
Wouldn't run anything - else: Just brilliant in traffic.
Have also used single-speed coaster wheels but the 3-speed is more useful.
