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Anyone here ride a fixie? aka a fixed gear bicycle

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I don't understand fixies. I can understand a single speed, my cyclist friends tell me they're more reliable for commuting and lower maintenance than a multi-speed bike. But a fixie has to be pretty dangerous down a hill.
 
My bro-in-laws are both into biking. They both built single speed bikes using mountain bike frames. I rode one of the single speeds while on vaca recently. Lots of fun, 2 miles no problem. But, any type of distance or on a long stretch and you'll be begging for more gears.
 
I would think the appeal of a single gear bike is that there is a lot less maintenance as you don't need to tune the bike over and over.

But I don't see the appeal of a fixed gear bike as you guys just described (unless its more about tricks and whatnot) as that just seems annoying and impractical without gaining anything in return.
 
magomago said:
But I don't see the appeal of a fixed gear bike as you guys just described (unless its more about tricks and whatnot) as that just seems annoying and impractical without gaining anything in return.
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this is why I'm actually trying to get a fixie owner to respond
 
magomago said:
I would think the appeal of a single gear bike is that there is a lot less maintenance as you don't need to tune the bike over and over.

But I don't see the appeal of a fixed gear bike as you guys just described (unless its more about tricks and whatnot) as that just seems annoying and impractical without gaining anything in return.
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Street cred bro. Kilo TT is the new Honda Civic and Aerospokes are the new spinners.

I have a 3 yr old geared road bike with SRAM Force and it's been shifting perfectly since the day I got it.
 
In all seriousness I'd commute on a fixed gear as it is cheap, reliable, and disposable. Get a Kilo TT and slap on some 25C gatorskins and you should be golden. My ideal commuter is a cross bike with fenders, racks, and disc brakes but that is well over your $200 budget.
 
FleshLight said:
My ideal commuter is a cross bike with fenders, racks, and disc brakes but that is well over your $200 budget.
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I commute on a cross bike with fenders, racks, and disc brakes (Salsa Vaya). It's excellent.





OP, I know track racers and bike messengers that use them and like them. Everyone else I know that has tried them has quickly stopped using them, and I know a lot of avid cyclists. Luckily I know very few hipster douches.


Singlespeeds, on the other hand, are quite nice.
 
sjwaste said:
I don't understand fixies. I can understand a single speed, my cyclist friends tell me they're more reliable for commuting and lower maintenance than a multi-speed bike. But a fixie has to be pretty dangerous down a hill.
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Well, you don't have to adjust derailleurs but other than that there isn't a whole lot of maintenance required for a road bike...nor are they unreliable.

Fixies aren't really dangerous for going down hills if you know how they work but going uphill with no ability to downshift kind of ruins it for me. Grinding up a steep hill in a tall gear is not good for your knees. If your commute is flat it would be doable but hills? Fuck that. Give me gears any day.
 
ElFenix said:
my trust fund is no where near big enough to ride a fixie.
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This one company owner's son was the hardest core bike nerd I knew. He was rich enough to get by with a bike repair shop gig here, a semester on a BA degree that stretched past 6 years there. His bikes were awesome, though.
 
I'm not sure how a gimped bike is "ironic". Must inform hipsters of definition of irony. I'll stick with burning my dinosaur goo thanks. Driving around here is terrifying enough. I can't imagine commuting is easy on a one speed bike with no brakes 😛
 
mmntech said:
I'm not sure how a gimped bike is "ironic". Must inform hipsters of definition of irony. I'll stick with burning my dinosaur goo thanks. Driving around here is terrifying enough. I can't imagine commuting is easy on a one speed bike with no brakes 😛
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A state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result
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"i can afford really expensive stuff but choose to buy stuff that looks like crap even though it too is often really expensive (save the lone star beer)"

so, the expectation is that the trust funder has the finest, so slumming it is irony
 
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I own a Trek single speed with a flip-flop hub. I prefer the single speeds ability to coast, but the fixie is great for longer distances, and keeping up speed (you will find yourself coasting every now and then on a single speed just because you can, on a fixie you are always carrying momentum) I commute ~2miles to work, all pavement, and flat-land, I find no need for gears (i actually stopped riding my Jamis road bike) - I would say try it... if you don't like it sell it and buy a road bike. I would definitely find a bike with a flip-flop hub to move to single speed if you dont like the fixie feel. Also make sure it has breaks, you don't NEED them on a fixie but it will still greatly help if you need to stop suddenly.
 
Rhoxed said:
I own a Trek single speed with a flip-flop hub. I prefer the single speeds ability to coast, but the fixie is great for longer distances, and keeping up speed (you will find yourself coasting every now and then on a single speed just because you can, on a fixie you are always carrying momentum) I commute ~2miles to work, all pavement, and flat-land, I find no need for gears (i actually stopped riding my Jamis road bike) - I would say try it... if you don't like it sell it and buy a road bike. I would definitely find a bike with a flip-flop hub to move to single speed if you dont like the fixie feel. Also make sure it has breaks, you don't NEED them on a fixie but it will still greatly help if you need to stop suddenly.
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thx for feedback. probably try to find a bike with a flip flop hub to see what all the fuss is about.
 
True fixed-gear bikes are dangerous and stupid. And you're not just putting yourself at risk, you also put everyone else at risk because you can't stop as quickly as you can with a regular bike. Plus most people who ride them are douchebags.

Single-speed bikes are acceptable.
 
rdubbz said:
I have one that I use to race on track (velodrome). now i use it for training after the winter.
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This. If you race bikes a fixie is a nice diversion during the winter base-building months. Not only is it a great workout, but it helps to promote a more supple pedal stroke at higher rpms. Cycling is all about efficiency, so every little bit helps.
 
+1 to Fausto.

I made mine 10 years ago out of one of my old racing bikes. I also did it to use as an off-season training bike, plus it just makes for a nice change of pace in the training program. Now when I ride it, people stare at me like I'm either cool or a douche, when quite honestly I couldn't care less about the trend.
 
From my point of view (a road biker here), a "fixie" makes sense from a simplicity and weight savings point of view. To someone like me who actually is a cyclist (you know, not a hipster), I would have no problem with a fixie at all. IIRC they are popular with bike couriers in city areas, probably because of less mechanical problems, no need to constantly shift around while in heavy traffic, and more powerful rear brake control that doesn't require moving ones hand. This means they can dedicate there arms to bracing themselves when carrying a load, as even just a light backpack can really screw around with someones balance.

But yes, get those damn hipsters off those bikes which deserve better, more experience owners.
 
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