I am not a Slackware user, but two of the three bikes I own are one-speed bikes. I've been commuting to work on bikes now for several years. My route to work is mostly flat, but the winds here can get kinda crazy, so on days when the winds are gonna be against me I take the bike that has gears. Unless I feel up to a work-out.

Glad to see all the bike commuters here on LQ!

Anyway, here's a slightly better link with sharper images and more detail that I just added.

Never tried a fixie. I'm definitely afraid of not having disk brakes.

I'm ready to move after seeing that picture of that brick road.

Great article! Many Thanks.
And here I thought you were Norwegian.
Go Bergen!

I've never had a commute short enough to consider cycling to work, but I wouldn't commute on a bicycle if any major streets were involved. I don't trust American automobile drivers to see, let alone respect, bicyclers. Heck, they don't even respect other drivers. Some of them don't even respect themselves.

I offer as evidence this letter to editor of my local rag.

They printed this response yesterday.

Between the electric cars, that don't make any noise, and the idiots texting and/or using their cell/smartphones while they drive, it has become unsafe to ride a bicycle just about anywhere.
I don't know what it is going to take to get people to leave their phones alone while driving. The threat of a traffic ticket hasn't stopped them.
There are also other reasons it has become so dangerous, but to discuss it might get one accused of not being politically correct.
A couple of years ago while walking down the street I witnessed an accident. A woman started to walk across the street with the light. The person driving in the slow lane had come to a halt, but the person coming up behind the first car, decided to go around, changed to the fast lane, didn't even attempt to slow down, and hit the pedestrian in the crosswalk. Unfortunately, this sort of driving is not uncommon. Some drivers apparently can't or won't look pass the end of their hood.
I had to renew my license a few months ago and the whole thing has become a joke. The written test is now only 18 questions and, if you have to take the driving test, you are no longer required to parallel park. I asked the clerk why and she replied that so many people were failing the test they, the State, dropped the requirement that new drivers have to know how to park. Heck, they can't drive, so I guess it almost makes sense they don't need to know how to park.

cycling is sufficiently safe in all the 2 countries i have lived in.

what i usually do:
find the shortest route between work and home for walking (with openstreetmap or some such).
this mostly does NOT involve the major roads.
then, as i drive every day, i start finding alternate routes that are just a few meters longer, but much nicer.
that's one of the major advantages of cycling - you are not dependent on main roads.
granted, the more rural and the longer the route, the more likely one is forced to use main roads.
nevertheless, it is safe in this country.

Yeah -- I have a short commute and a fairly safe route here, but I wouldn't risk riding on major streets. I see far too many drivers using their phones while behind the wheel. And far too many discourteous, impatient drivers.

Where I live, it's kind of a tough climb on a one-speed bike if I head east towards the mountains. But the legs do get used to it, to a degree. None of my bikes are anything to brag about, and I certainly don't ride fast enough to impress anybody!

I've been going without owning a car even though I can afford one. It does help my savings account! I'm hoping that I'll be able to continue on like this for several more years.

Not enough bikes-only paths around here, but there are a few nice ones.

When I was still a member of the workforce, the office was just 5 miles down the road. So, one Sunday I looked at the area on Google Earth and then got in the car and drove around to confirm a
"back street" route. That took me to a bridge and, fortunately, the local city and/or county had paid to install a pedestrian/bicycle bridge right beside the highway bridge. Nice of them.
From there on it was off road, but paved, bike paths the rest the way. Not a bad ride. It took about thirty minutes, but I only did it in good weather, which, around here, is most of the year. It only gets cold and rainy from late Fall through early Spring.
OTOH, had it been city streets the entire route, I wouldn't have bothered for reasons previously mentioned.

Which reminds me, yesterday I was walking through the parking lot at the local supermarket and one of those high end Tesla cars drove by. Nice looking vehicle, but it didn't make a sound, nothing. With all the other ambient noise you couldn't even hear its tires rolling on the pavement.

For the last 5+ years I've used a Schwinn Hybrid Mountain/City Bike. Its great for city/paved surfaces and can handle certain levels of gravel/sand/dirt paths as well. Some of you are very lucky being able to ride to work, unfortunately, I cannot do this, as one of my commutes is an average of 30 miles (each way). I am fortunate to live in an area with wonderful paved trails/paths, one trail is around 250 miles, the other is 26 miles (one way).

Long gone are the days of using fixed gear, too old and roads are too hilly.

Have been bicycling most of my adult life. My market run is only 3+ kilometers, easier to bike than to drive, so have never owned a car here. Same as when i lived in inner Chicago, commuting 7 miles to work took about 45 minutes one way, whether i drove, rode the city bus, or biked through Lincoln Park, so i sold the car.

As for fixed-speed, i actually preferred my old single speed bike. The coaster brake worked even when wet, unlike caliper brakes. Unfortunately, here in Nicaragua, haven't been able to find a single speed bike my size. Bought a used one for a young friend, but the rear bearing fell apart, and it was impossible to find a replacement. Too much of a specialty item anymore.

I have a Norwegian last night name so that confuses people but that was acquired when I got married. Also Bergen? I live in Oslo and all the pictures in that article are from Oslo.

This goes back many years, but I was once told there is a strong rivalry between the citizens of Oslo and Bergen, so I thought I would throw that in here. My odd sense of humor.
Go Bergen!

Yeah, I don't think Bergen even got over losing capital status to Oslo.

And certainly Bergen still likes to consider itself a bit different. So much so that one of the big Norwegian newspapers (VG) has an advertising campaign at the moment that revolves around the idea that if Bergen ever leaves Norway, they would be the first to cover it. It's also allows them to play on Brexit by calling it Berxit.

https://tv.kampanje.com/vg-med-ellev...en-brexit-i-ny