sturmey archer fixed gear vs coaster brake

[rjenman]

Hi guys

Two questions - one newbie and one less newbie

1) is a fixed gear hub similar to a coaster brake? I just had he sudden realisation that backpedalling would be a form of braking, and have steered clear of the "fixie" fad until now.

2) I hear you can convert sturmey 3 speeds to 2 speed "fixed"... has anyone tried this and is it unreliable?

cheers

Rodney

 

[Pinche]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/awfixed.html
I wonder how long they can last cause that's alot abuse those little parts have to take. A fixed gear hub doesn't have any internal parts to break. I find my 39-16 works pretty good for me and I don't over spin like I thought I would. Either that or just get a disc front hub and drill out a cog or buy a predrilled cog. I've got a few 3 speed hubs but I just like the simplicity of a fixed gear setup with nothing really to go wrong.