I have an unusual question I'm hoping to get answered on this forum. I've got a fixed gear bike that I want to convert to a horse training device. How do I get the rear wheel to become free wheeling, so I can turn it backwards as well as forwards? It has a bendix brake on it. Do I need to remove that, and if so, is there a special way to tighten the chain and hub? I'm kind of grasping here, so hoping someone with bicycle knowledge can help me.
lol this is a necro thread, but just going to say some hubs allow you to instantly convert into a free coaster by inverting the spindle/clutch element. The Bendix does not.
You would have to remove the internal brake shoes and also re-assemble it without the brake arm. This will likely require you to put a spacer the same size as the brake arm in its place to secure the OLD so that it fits into the bike's dropouts.
A year ago, I bought a track bike, also known as a fixed-gear, but quite a few people confuse it with a single-speed. A single-speed bike and a fixed gear can look exactly the same. A single-speed bike is good for all types of riders, but especially beginners. They allow you to travel long distances and reduce your pedaling frequency. With this type of bike, you don't need to use a lot of muscle endurance to keep moving. On the other hand, with a fixed-gear bike, the movement is proportional to the pedal frequency. If you put less power into the pedal, your speed and acceleration will also decrease.
Location: Northern Florida, USA
Unfortunately, you need to continue to pedal all muscle powered bikes to continue moving unless travelling downhill. The main difference between single, multigear, and track bikes is in how you slow down and not how you accelerate and/or maintain a constant pace. Generally, a fixed gear/fixie still has a braking system (usually at least front) for use in public (it's pretty much an international safety law), whereas true track bikes have no mechanical braking (nor means to mount them). Early track racers quite often had frames made or modified to fit a brake(s) (and fenders) due to using the same bike to commute to and from a velodrome where equipment was readily removed for racing/training purposes; fairly common pre-WW2, especially for unsponsored racers.
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