Are you looking for the perfect bicycle to ride on your daily commute to work? Look no further- single speed bikes are here to do the job! Ride comfortably with these simply minimalist bikes that are great for exercise and building stamina, and are surprisingly low maintenance.
If you want to experience cycling in its purest form, and are looking to find the perfect single speed bike for you, read on further! I’ve found several amazing single speed bicycles that are sure to impress you, and I’ve also included a helpful buying guide to help you choose the best bike for you.
The Best Single Speed Bikes Reviewed
There are hundreds of single speed bicycles out there, but these ones right here are the top 10 best single speed bikes in 2020:
Starting off with this surprisingly amazing commuter bike by Retrospec, perfect for everyday commutes and leisurely cruises. This sleek and stylish bike comes in four color options of black, white, green, and silver, and gives you a safe, smooth, and comfortable ride.
The handbuilt and tig-welded high strength steel frame is engineered with shock absorption technology, making it extremely durable and ensuring a smooth riding experience. The Kenda tires are fitted on standard 30mm deep V rims, so you know they’re decent quality.
As with most single speed bikes, this one also features a flip flop hub so you can have a choice between freewheel or fixed gear riding. This low maintenance bike also comes with a KMC chain, VP freestyle pedals, riser handlebars, and front and rear Promax brakes.
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Next on this list is a great single speed bike hailed as Amazon’s Choice. This is a high quality bicycle by 6KU that comes at an affordable price, so you’re sure to get the best value for your money.
If you’re looking for a bike that’s perfect for an everyday commute, this urban track bike may be the answer. It’s made of a lightweight aluminum frame and fork with a wide range of sizes from 16 to 26 inches, and comes with deep V double alloy wheels.
It’s also designed with a flip flop hub so you can choose from riding between fixed gear and freewheel, and the riser handlebars are geared for a much faster navigation around the city. Plus, the front and rear brakes ensure smooth and effective stops at all times.
You can choose from shadow black, crisp white, and tennis yellow to match your personality.
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Another Amazon’s Choice for single speed bicycles is Retrospec’s harper coaster style fixie bike. This is one awesome commuter bike for a guaranteed smooth ride, which gives you a straightforward ride with little interruption for the most dependable city street rides.
It comes in sleek and stylish colors of black and white, matte graphite and orange, and matte black, and combines the sleek appearance of a fixie with the riding convenience of a cruiser.
The high tensile strength steel track frame (available size options of 16 to 24 inches) is built by hand to ensure premium quality, and is engineered with shock absorption technology, so it’s extremely durable, along with the standard 30mm deep V rims and Kenda commuter tires.
This bike is equipped with built-in front and rear foot coaster brakes for the smoothest stops and slows, and comes with standard Riser handlebars, a KMC chain, and VP freestyle pedals.
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Moving on to the most highly rated fixed gear bike on Amazon, this fixie bike by Pure Cycles has plenty of 4 to 5 star ratings by over one thousand customers. It’s a little pricier than most other bikes in this list, but still relatively affordable at just 400 dollars at most.
This urban fixie road bike gives you the best in terms of speed, comfort, and style, so you can experience a fun and simple city riding. It comes in 10 color options in shades of black, white, gray, orange, and gold, so you are sure to find one that fits your mood and personality.
What you’re paying for here is a high tensile strength steel frame that is tig-welded and built to last, along with 40mm 32 hole rims on deep dish 50mm Kenda tires.
All that is coupled with a flip flop alloy rear wheel hub that enables you to easily shift from single speed to fixed gear, plus Pure Cycles trademark parts such as an alloy riser handlebar, alloy stem, and rubber grips.
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I present to you the hands down best looking bicycle on this list. With more than 30 design varieties of solid metallics and pastels, as well as holographic gradients to choose from, you’ll never run out of choices on finding the perfect style for you.
This single speed bike by Golden Cycles gives you both speed and style suitable for urban cities and the great outdoors. It’s made of a tig-welded high tensile strength steel frame and fork will last you for a long time, and comes with 45mm deep V alloy rim hubs Kenda tires.
It’s designed with a 32-hole sealed bearing flip flop hub, so you can choose between single speed and fixed gear riding, and comes with a 1 to 1 ⅛ “ neco headset custom alloy riser handlebar, a 46t bottom bracket, an alloy chainring crank, and front and rear alloy caliper brakes.
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Here’s another great yet affordable fixie bike by 6KU, coming at under 300 dollars apiece. It’s one comfortable and stylish dream fixie bike for your leisurely everyday commute, so you can ride smoothly and easily around the city.
The comfortable steel frame and fork that you can get in a variety of sizes from 16 to 23 inches ensures a smooth ride, along with the high quality wheels, so you can find the right size and height to suit your frame.
It’s engineered with a flip flop hub for either freewheel or fixed gear riding, and comes with high quality aluminum components, including riser handlebars and reliable front and rear brakes. This bike is available in black, white, and all colors of the rainbow.
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If you’ve got a heftier budget to spend on a high quality bicycle, this track bike by Big Shot is more than worth the price. It’s built and assembled in the USA by Big Shot, a manufacturer well known as an expert in mass customized bikes.
What you’ll get is an upgraded track bike for a smooth ride along the busy city streets- perfect for the urban commuter. It’s versatile, minimalist, and as perfect as it can get. The bike frame is made of slim, industrial grade, high tensile strength steel alloy, so it’s both lightweight and durable.
The flip flop hub allows for both fixed gear or single speed setups for efficiency with the 43 deep V rims, using fixed pedalling and coasting options with the superior grip high impact nylon platform pedals. It also features bullhorn bars, and front and rear dual caliper brakes, for easy and effective navigation.
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This one’s another lightweight track bike, but at a more affordable price range. SXL’s urban track bike works excellently for both daily commutes and weekend track races, making it one versatile and sturdy bike.
It’s made of a lightweight aluminum frame and fork designed with a wide clearance to accommodate 700x32c tires, but comes with default 700x25c deep V 30mm performance tires from Chao Yang.
This bike comes in sleek and streamlined matte grey, and is equipped with front and rear eyelets, a clean internal cable routing, riser handlebars, front and rear Radius brakes, a 46T alloy crankset, and a Joytech flip flop hub for fixed and single speed setups.
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Here’s yet another single speed bike by Retrospec. This one’s loved by thousands of customers around the globe- in fact, it’s hailed as the Amazon Best Seller for single speed bikes, which comes to no surprise, since this one is sleek, stylish, and low maintenance.
The handbuilt and tig-welded high strength steel frame is engineered with shock absorption technology, and runs oh Kenda tires fitted on standard 30mm deep V rims. Plus, it features a flip flop hub so you can have a choice between freewheel or fixed gear riding.
Also included are a KMC chain, VP freestyle pedals, riser handlebars, and front and rear Promax brakes. You can get this comfortable and smooth commuter bike in black, white, gray, orange, green, and blue.
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10. K7S fixed gear fixie road bike
To end this list, I give you a professional fixed gear bike by K7S. this is one slick and nimble ride that’s available in streamlined colors of red, blue, black, and white. It’s a little on the expensive side, but the quality makes up for the price.
This bike has a hand-built high tensile strength steel frame and 40mm double wall rims, a flip flop rear wheel hub that lets you convert from fixed gear to single speed setting and vice versa, an alloy crank arm and handlebar, and pedals with toe bandages for safer riding.
The only downside is it can be hard to convert it into a freewheel ride, especially since it doesn’t come with its own tools for assembly and maintenance.
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Best Single Speed Bikes Buying Guide
Undecided on which single speed bicycle to buy? Here’s a comprehensive buying guide to tell you everything you need to know about single speed bikes, so you can make the best decision in choosing a bike that fits your needs.
What is a single speed bike?
First of all, what are single speed bicycles, and why should you get one?
Well, these are simple, lightweight, and low maintenance bicycles that come with a single speed setting, giving you the purest form of cycling experience. These bikes are the perfect choice for commuting to work and traversing busy streets.
They are also typically more affordable than multiple gear bikes, and require much less upkeep, which is great if you’re just starting out in your cycling journey, or don’t want to spend too much time and money on a bicycle.
What should you look for in a road bike?
The essentials or must haves on a bike depends on what type of bike you’re looking for, but for all bicycles, it’s a general rule that they should have high quality frames, wheels, and components.
Types
Single speed bikes can either be track bikes, commuter bikes, cruisers, or fixie. These bikes are essentially the same, but the main difference depends on how the bike’s design is optimized for a certain purpose, such as commuting, cruising, track racing, and so on. As long as the bicycle only has one gear setting, it’s a single speed bike.
What are the features of a single speed bike?
Aside from the single gear, these bikes come with a couple other great features that give you a smooth and comfortable riding experience. These include:
Flip flop rear hub
The rear wheel of a single speed bicycle is reversible so you can convert from a freewheel to a fixed gear setting and vice versa, depending on how much effort and exercise you want to get out of your ride.
Horizontal dropouts
The rear wheel dropouts are horizontal and rear-facing, ensuring you to get the correct chain tension at all times, which is important since these bikes don’t come with a derailleur to accommodate any chain slack.
Fixed sprocket
Many single speed bikes, especially the track bikes, come with fixed sprockets, allowing for a direct and efficient transmission, since you experience no delay from the first stroke of your pedal to the last.
What are single speed bikes made of?
These bikes can be made out of a variety of materials, mostly pure and alloy metals. What you should look for when it comes to a single speed bike is that the bike frame should both be lightweight and durable, so it’s easy to ride and lasts for a long time.
Aluminum
One of the most common materials for bike frames is aluminum, which is lightweight, stiff, sturdy, and strong. This gives you the best performance and power transfer. The downside is that it doesn’t really have any shock absorption capability, so the ride isn’t as smooth and pleasant.
Steel
Another popular bike frame material is steel, which is known for its high tensile strength, making it extremely durable while remaining comfortable. It’s really easy to maintain and repair, and is affordable as well. You’ll find that many bikes on this list are made of steel, since it’s one of the most traditional building materials when it comes to bicycles.
Titanium
Bike frames can also be made of titanium, which is a lightweight, rust-resistant, and shock absorptive metal. It gives you much better comfort, smoothness, and durability than steel, but is a little more expensive.
Carbon fiber
Finally, there’s also carbon fiber, a non-metal material that is known for its superior quality and versatility. This extremely lightweight material can be manipulated into any design, giving you a sleek, optimized, and strengthened bike frame that will last a lifetime. Plus, it’s slowly becoming cheaper and more affordable, so you don’t have to break the bank if you opt for a carbon fiber frame.
Why should you buy a single speed bike?
If you’re not yet convinced on why you need this in your life, let me reiterate a few points as to what makes a single speed bike great:
Efficiency
A single fixed gear and speed setting makes for an efficient riding experience. It gives you a smooth ride, perfect pedaling, and unmatched bike to rider connection that you can’t get with a multi-speed bike.
It’s designed especially for daily use, so it’s really efficient and durable. Plus, it helps you get in a healthy dose of exercise and build your muscle strength and stamina.
Low maintenance
A fixed gear bicycle has the least number of parts out of all other types of bikes, which means it doesn’t require a lot of maintenance, upkeep, repair, and replacement, which are not only a hassle, but rack up hundreds to thousands of dollars in expenses.
This type of bike does not have any derailleurs, shifters, extra chain-rings and cranksets, and sometimes, it doesn’t even need any brakes.
Versatility
With the basic setup and lack of parts comes a certain versatility in such that you can modify this bike almost any way you like, from changing colors, adding decorations, components, and accessories, and many more.
With a single speed bike, you have limitless options, whether you want to go for a sleek and streamlined look, or a stunning and eye-catching one.
Affordability
Given these amazing qualities I’ve just mentioned, it’s not surprising that single speed bikes are also affordable. For one thing, you’re not paying for a lot of extra parts, and you’re only getting the most basic riding setting you need.
It’s perfect if you have a limited budget but want a great quality bike that will get you through the day as smoothly as possible.
What do you need to consider before buying?
Here’s the most important question- what are the things you need to consider when buying a single speed bike? Don’t worry, I’ve got them all listed down here for you:
Material
Perhaps the most important one is picking out the right material, as it affects the bike’s price, durability, and ease of riding. Don’t just go for the cheapest option available, but find a great quality bike made of materials that are durable, smooth, and comfortable.
Gear
Since these bikes only come with one gear setting, it’s definitely important that you choose the best gear setting for you, since it’s pretty much what you’ll be stuck with for the years to come. So, ask yourself where you’ll be riding your bike the most and for what purpose, and what gear and speed setting works and feels best for you.
Features
Some features of fixed gear bikes are must haves, such as reversible hubs and horizontal dropouts, while some serve as nice add-ons that upgrade your riding experience from basic to amazing. Make sure that the bike you’re eyeing for has all the essentials down pat, plus a couple more perks that you’d like to have.
Customization
Since single speed bicycles are basic and simple, you should be able to have plenty of room for customization and upgrades. What will give you this are standard parts and designs that can easily be replaced and upgraded, so make sure to check.
Price
Of course, the price is a major deciding factor when it comes to whether or not to purchase a bike. The average price range for fixies lies between $200 to $400, so try to keep it within that range. Definitely don’t go for anything cheaper than 200 dollars, and don’t waste your money on expensive bikes unless you’re sure of what you’re going to get out of it.
Maintenance
Finally, a single speed bicycle should be easy to maintain. Just make sure that what you’re buying has decent quality parts so you don’t have to replace them anytime sooner than you’d like, and comes with warranty for your added convenience and safety.
Final Verdict: The best single speed bike is…
The Retrospec critical cycles harper urban commuter bike- it gives you the best riding experience for your everyday commute and leisurely rides. This bike is sleek, stylish, durable, and comfortable to ride, whether you opt for fixed gear or single speed.
Take your pick from 16 to 24 inch wheels, and the four lovely color options for the perfect bike that suits your build and personality. If you want a high quality, low maintenance single speed bike, this one’s made just for you.
And that’s it for today! I hope this review and buying guide for single speed bikes has helped you find the perfect fixie bike that suits your needs, personality, and budget. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, I’d love to hear them! Happy riding!