Now a lot of time on this blog has been devoted to the fixie fever that has gripped me and many others out there on the road and I’ve also written at length about building your own fixie from parts begged, borrowed, bought but not stolen. However, as my still recovering partner can attest – fixie riding is not all without hitches – it certainly takes some getting used to, namely that age-old program in our brain which says – if legs are tired, coast a little to recover.. well, that doesn’t apply to fixies as he painfully discovered. (Actually there is a way to learn to recover on a fixie even as your legs are spinning around, but more about that some other time)..

Before you take the plunge and go all fixed, you could reap the benefits of a single-speed: better training, practice the idea of fixie riding without the potential painful side-effects and have a bomb-proof commuter where winter grime is as easy to wash of as grabbing a bucket of water and tossing it over the bike. What I’m talking about of course is turning any unloved bike you might have around (or can persuade a friend to part with) and giving it a single-speed make-over. It’s the easiest and cheapest way to feel the thrill of a new bike – revamp an old one!

Bikeradar has this excellent how-to article about converting a bike to a single-speed – also have a read through the comments, some of which offer some useful addendums to the article, including the benefits of fixie vs. single-speed and dangers of using chain tensioners on fixies.