my first ever bike was with a fixed wheel, i was about four years old when i learned riding it, first with stabilisers (doh..), then without. i would look at other kids' freewheel bikes with envy as the only way i could "coast" downhill was with legs apart
. not cool. i didn't use that bike a lot - besides fixed wheel it had other horrible "features" like solid tyres, squeaky drivetrain and slippery pedals; and i've grown out of it pretty quickly.
my next bike (when i was 8-9yo) had a sachs/velosteel coaster brake hub - i quite enjoyed that bike, only it was very upright and hard work to keep up with my mates on their singlespeed "racer" type bikes. i was able to service that bike myself and also figured out how to reassemble coaster brake hub (no internet in those days!). i've ridden it for a year or two until i lost interest in bikes and found other hobbies.
fast forward fifteen years, i thought it's a good idea to start cycling again. i've got myself a bso which i broke after few months, then another one which i promptly sold (as it was sh1te) and bought a raleigh racer converted to singlespeed. i had enjoyed riding that bike, and used it daily to get to work, shops etc. this bike has turned me from non-cyclist into cycling enthusiast. i have even signed up for london-brighton charity ride - that seemed like a big challenge then! not only i rode to brighton, but, feeling strong rode back as well - that was a big confidence booster. (and then i came across l-e-l website - don't ask..
)
anyway, i thought i'll try converting it to fixed - why not? i rode it for couple of weeks, but didn't like the experience, and reverted the bike back to ss. couple of years later i thought maybe i didn't give t'cog enough time to win me over and tried again for few months, but didn't like the lack of freedom (what cycling should be about!) and that the bike tells me to obey it rather than the other way around. i can perfectly understand why some cyclist like riding fixed - in the right conditions it's good fun (e.g. in a velodrome or gently rolling hills)!
so yes, you can see i have a special place in my heart for ss bikes, and mainly because of that old-heavy-bendy-steel raleigh that opened new horizons for me.