LarrySellerz

Check out these lunatics flowing through traffic at high speeds on fixies. Just found this channel last week and its been my guilty pleasure since, I feel like riding a fixie makes you more in tune with your bike and a better cyclist in general. This is something ive heard people say but I didn't really understand until I watched videos like this of messengers in NYC killing it on their fixies. I used to be a messenger and thought fixies were dumb and their riders insane, but now im thinking of going out and learning how to ride fixed gear. Did anyone go from years of riding normal bikes to riding fixies or is it really something you want to learn as a child? Did you learn any valuable skills when learning to ride fixie? I tried riding one once and bailed after like 5 minutes lol

LarrySellerz

Like watch how he gets off his bike at 7:33 what a G. Also everything near the end is a deathwish like jesus these guys can control their bikes well

SkinGriz

Huh.

A lot of the park stuff is the type of riding my friends and I did when we were teenagers on BMX bikes.

I NEVER knew some people rode road frames like that. Bunny hopping over curbs and riding down stairs and what not.

Its a big part of the reason I’ve dismissed road bikes.

Other than these guys... Does anyone else ride the **** out of a road frame?
Maybe part of the problem might be if you come up short and don’t quite clear something a road frame won’t take it like a BMX or MTB frame?

Bigbus

I was into MTBing for years, the skills become second nature and YES, bunny hopping, endos, no hands. I have a hard time with manuals and wheelies because the seat gets in the way, but still doable. I did taco a rear wheel when I first switched to road bikes about 3 years ago practicing the endo turns.

SkinGriz

Thank you so much!!

In real life I only see the road bike stereotype, older management types, rules of the road, funny clothing, sharing grey poupon on breaks in group rides.

Thank you to the OP.

SkinGriz

I wonder if you just get better at planning ahead and reading the traffic.

Rolla

Hang on to your chamois:

Reynolds 

You might google Vittorio Brumotti too.

Rides4Beer

Def some good handling skills, but I have absolutely zero desire to ever ride a fixie. I feel perfectly "connected" with my bike and all of it's gears. I do enjoy riding the gravel bike on the road for that reason tho, I can jump anything I want and not have to worry about beating on it, nice to have options.

Bigbus

I'm not into fixed gears either, but watching that video you can see where the rider coasts a few times and he isn't pedaling. Is that possible on a fixie? Do I have the wrong impression of what a 'fixie' is? Seriously looking for an explanation if I'm wrong. Thanks
Just to be clear, I'm talking about the first video.

SkinGriz

If you look closer you can see his legs get tucked in somehow and the cranks/pedals are just going nuts.
I’m not a fixie guy either, but definitely skillful. I wonder if there is a special technique for timing your feet back into the pedals.

LarrySellerz

The rider is only coasting when he is takes his feet off the pedals completely and gets in an aerotuck, you can see the pedals still moving. ******g insane to do that without a handbreak, he must have been going 40+ mph. Plus it was raining

Bigbus

Okay, I went back and looked at it again. I wasn't referring to where he went into the aero position, but right before he exits the graveyard it looked like he coasted, but he was actually skidding the rear tire along the dirt. My bad.

Rolla

I think you should ride every kind of bike you can: fixed, BMX, road, mountain, gravel, singlespeed, whatever. There's a lot to be said for breaking out of your comfort zone, and you can apply the new skills you learn to everything else that you ride.

Lakerat

Nopety, nope, nope, covered in nope sauce.

SkinGriz

Put more accurately... I’ve never ridden a fixie bike. Because I’ve never ridden one, I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy one.

If I had a friend who had a fixie, would I try it? Yes. Probably find a giant empty parking lot on a weekend.

LarrySellerz

As a former bike messenger, those guys are the dudes who ride like you did when you were a teen. I tried my coworkers fixie and it was a totally different experience in terms of breaking. I only did messaging for a year or two but there are tons of guys who ride fixies and do bunny hops etc.

Rides4Beer

Agreed, it's good to mix it up, gravel riding has def improved my road handling skills, getting comfortable with the bike getting loose will make you a more confident/skilled rider in all conditions.

But having watched fixie/singlespeed, and even 1x guys, struggle at various events/rides, there is no appeal to me for the riding I like to do (fast/long distance). I lived on my BMX bike as a kid, but it always looks odd when I see an adult on a BMX. lol

SkinGriz

I watched the video with my wife. We laughed at the occupational danger to wages paid and the thought of disability coverage. “But maybe it would be possible to insure because the payout would be so low.”

Definitely probably a blast for young guys.

thehammerdog

1st off wow impressive
2nd tis why guys inguars hate us.
​​the opening scene was crazy unsafe riding.
i ride in nyc i see these guys its crazy.

Dylansbob 

Yes.

As someone who has a few fixed 2000m/years this decade. To ride safely-ish on a fixed gear in traffic, you have to be hyper-alert for everything. You also learn how to bunnyhop from any pedal position.

SkinGriz

Bunny hop from any pedal position. Never thought about that. Your post made me realize how I always “set up” before going up a curb or whatever.

Wildwood 

Some of us started as roadies before mountain bikes or bmx.
Many of us still riding implemented 'rubber side down' techniques (at all times) when riding.
Maybe that's why some of us are still actively cycling.

jack pot 

I ride fixed and I broke my shoulder on 12/28 and I will say that i will never take chances again.i will never take chances again. i will never take chances again.iwill never take chances again. I will never take chances again.I will never take chances again.i will never take chances again. i will never take chances again.iwillnever take chances again.i will never take chances again. i will never take chances again. iwill never take chances again. will never take chances again. i will never take chances again.iwill never take chance again.iwill never take chances again. I will never take chances again. I will never take chances again

Sonofamechanic 

To answer the original question, I commuted by fixie for 3 years after 5 years of traditional “10 speed” set ups. Enjoyed the fixie commutes far more. Memorable rides...etched into the soul type of rides. I did add a front brake but rarely used it—there is a connectedness with the bike you mentally and physically have on a fixie that you don’t get on a freewheel....but its not for everyone and it sure isn't as adaptable.