Standard road bike. 12 speed. I actually joined a program called "The Bike Project" that takes old bike parts and teaches you how to build your own. It was really fun and it took me about a month to build it. Because of them, I now have an alternate mode of transport during the warmer months.
A fixie? I am not sure why, but I'm a bit scared of those bikes. I've never ridden one, but the concept of no brakes terrifies me. Is it really that much of a danger? What color are you going to paint it?
It does have brakes. First I can break using my feet (which is what I usually do) and I also have a front wheel brake. I actually feel way more in control because when I go downhill on a regular bike, i can only brake using the hand brakes. This one time I was on a really old bike and the brakes worked fine but then it started raining... Brakes went to shit and I was going downhill hoping the light will stay green. My fault for riding an old bike but I wish i had a fixie at that moment. I also feel the reaction time is faster. I can speed up/ slow down faster. And I'm more mindful of my surroundings. Since braking takes a lot more effort, I slow down more gradually when I see a red light ahead of me and things like that. It takes some getting used to but I like it more than regular biking. My bike is also way lighter, easier to fix and more exercise since you pedal constantly. I don't really care what color but black would be nice. I did a quick paint job last summer with white spray paint and it's really starting to look like shit. I'm hoping to repaint it more "properly" this time.