> […] a variant of the single-speed road bike, a 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 only way to > stop is to pedal slower and apply pressure backward to the pedals until the > rear wheel stops.
It’s just a matter of time before they remove the front wheel.
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:
>Serious road cyclists and mountain bikers are turning to single-speeds as a
training aid because, they say, the bikes >help improve fitness, efficiency,
pedal stroke and bike handling skills. Chris Carmichael, who coaches Lance >Armstrong, the Tour de France champion, and was named the United States Olympic
Committee’s 1999 Coach of the >Year, recommends single-speed riding for all of
his cyclists during the off-season.
>Carmichael recommends training on a variant of the single-speed road bike, a
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 >only way to stop is to pedal slower and apply pressure backward to the pedals
until the rear wheel stops.
> "Because your legs are constantly in motion, this type of riding provides much
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 >riding."
If the USOC is involved they have probably tested the relative benefits.