Safety of fixies I am feeling minimalist and hipster, considering buying a fixie. I have never ridden a fixie and cannot gauge the safety of fixies (an important issue for me). I am only considering fixies with _both front and back brakes_. Does a fixie require proper training to be safe? Is a fixie any more dangerous than a traditional urban bike?

If you have brakes, then a fixie is no more dangerous than a single speed once you get accustomed to not being able to coast. Simply put, on a fixie, if the bike is moving, you _must_ be pedaling. Take it easy at first and you will adapt to this quickly.

I would recommend spending a bit of time where there isn't other bikers/pedestrians when you first ride as a fixie.

I would recommend starting with a flip-flop rear wheel, fixie on one side and freewheel on the other, and carrying a 15mm wrench so you can flip it. As you start out on a fixie it can be more taxing on your legs than you might expect at first. Being able to change over to a single-speed (freewheel) and give your legs a break can be very important.

Happy Riding.