Braking on a fixed-gear bicycle: How fast does it wear-out the rear tire?

Answer 1

Significantly faster than a normally driven bike. Because fixies use only the rear wheel/tire for stopping and the braking is un-evenly applied through the pedal stroke, also the rear wheel is frequently skidded adding wear.
Just get some big hard tires (700c x 28) see your local bike shop for help choosing and replace them when the rear gets squared off or develops flat spots.
I assume you have no mechanical brakes, if you do there's no difference.

Answer 2

the fastest i've gone thru a back tire is three weeks, and usually what happens is you'll be in the middle of a gnarly skid (down a gnarly hill in seattle, in my case), and POP goes my tube! (due to the new hole in my tire).

some tires wear faster than others, tho. i find that the cheapest (~$30) tires don't last very long. but i use an 'armadillo' rear tire (see source), which so far has lasted two months. nothing is skid-proof, but the armadillo is the best tire i've found yet. from what i recall they go for around 50 bucks.

it also depends on what kind of skidding you're doing. for little 'hops' you won't wear them out as quick, or if you backpedal but don't lock up the rear wheel, you don't have to worry as much.

an interesting thing about the armadillo tire is that it sticks to the road much better, so it's actually harder to lock up the rear tire than with a cheap continental tire. this way you don't end up skidding on it quite as much, which may not be as fun, but will save you money in the long run.

Answer 3

no matter what kind of gear it is its going to whear out. it also depends on how heard you slam the brea, your tire,and what your on. if you dont slam the break it will last a long time