no gears, no breaks, no problem

The science section of the New York Times on Tuesday had an article about the
surge in popularity of single-speed bikes.

http://www.nytimes.com/library/natio...e-fitness.html
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The most unicyclish part:

[color=blue]> [..] a variant of the single-speed road bike, a track, or fixed-gear bike.[/color]
[color=blue]> Such bikes do not allow coasting, so the only way to rest is to pedal[/color]
[color=blue]> slower. In addition, most fixed-gear bikes lack brakes, so the only way to[/color]
[color=blue]> stop is to pedal slower and apply pressure backward to the pedals until the[/color]
[color=blue]> rear wheel stops.[/color]

It's just a matter of time before they remove the front wheel.

[color=blue]> Thanks for pointing out the article Seth.[/color]

Part of the article highlights the reason that I think unicycling is better
aerobic training than bicycling. I've always thought that Muni was 2-3
times more work than riding the same route on a MTB. Here is a quote from
the NYT article:

[color=blue]>Serious road cyclists and mountain bikers are turning to single-speeds as a[/color]
training aid because, they say, the bikes >help improve fitness, efficiency,
pedal stroke and bike handling skills. Chris Carmichael, who coaches Lance
[color=blue]>Armstrong, the Tour de France champion, and was named the United States Olympic[/color]
Committee's 1999 Coach of the >Year, recommends single-speed riding for all of
his cyclists during the off-season.

[color=blue]>Carmichael recommends training on a variant of the single-speed road bike, a[/color]
track, or fixed-gear bike. Such bikes do >not allow coasting, so the only way to
rest is to pedal slower. In addition, most fixed-gear bikes lack brakes, so the
[color=blue]>only way to stop is to pedal slower and apply pressure backward to the pedals[/color]
until the rear wheel stops.

[color=blue]> "Because your legs are constantly in motion, this type of riding provides much[/color]
more aerobic benefit than geared-bike >riding," Carmichael said. "An hour and a
half to two hours of fixed-gear riding is equivalent to four hours of regular
[color=blue]>riding."[/color]

If the USOC is involved they have probably tested the relative benefits.

All the best,

John Hooten