Siu Blue Wind

Seriously. The prize is almost nothing.. just a token. But you'll find out what it is if you win it. But in reality, this "contest" is more about you guys.

To enter the contest, all you have to do is write a paragraph about why you are into SSFG more than any other type of riding.

Post your paragraphs in this thread!!

Contest closes on Saturday, June 9th, 11:59pm

phobus

Variable gears?
I'm not over forty-five
HTFU, dude


... I'm not good at paragraphs.

Siu Blue Wind

Good enough!! It's perfect!

hardboiled718

Mine's a little more long winded, but let's give it a shot...

I’m into single speed, specifically fixed gear riding more than another type of riding for several reasons. First, I love the simplicity of the machine, it’s got everything you need and nothing you don’t. It translates to a clean bike with a minimalist look that’s also durable and rugged for a variety of riding styles, such as road, mountain, cx, bmx, etc. Only having one gear makes for simple maintenance and if you occasionally forget to clean it, as I sometimes do, it still runs true even after months of road grime. Riding fixed gear makes me feel more in tune with the bike and focused when riding. My legs are always in motion giving and receiving direct feedback with the bike, monitoring speed, predicting paths, they’re all connected. There’s also a sense of accomplishment after finishing a ride knowing you never stopped pedaling, grinding up hills, straining to keep up on descents, sprinting on flats, you just keep moving. The performance benefits of gears don’t make up for the joy and fun riding fixed in my opinion.

Gresp15C

I've realized that whenever I have a single-speed bike built up, it quickly becomes my favorite. I enjoy the idea of getting around on such an ancient and simple machine, with no distractions from just riding. I like the aesthetics. It's kind of a conversation piece, so it gives me a chance to advocate cycling and encourage people to give it a try. Oddly enough I enjoy getting caught in a headwind or steep hill, and having to tough it out. And I must admit that I get just a bit of Luddite satisfaction from conspicuously rejecting the necessities of modern cycling, such as crabon, 30+ gears, and motors.

Siu Blue Wind

These are really great stories. And because I dont' ride SS/FG I have never experienced what you guys do. Thank you for sharing.

Gresp15C

C'mon, give it a try! Something worth knowing is that while there are certainly some expensive and fancy bikes out there, a SSFG doesn't really have to be all that fancy in order to be quite enjoyable to ride. And while there's a physical challenge of dealing with hills and headwinds without variable gearing, you don't have to be a super athlete. I'm not particularly athletic or fast.

All's you really need are a SS compatible frame (horizontal dropouts or track ends), a few basic parts, and decent tires. Many SS bikes are built up from odds and ends. I've got less than 100 bucks in my SS bike. You can see in the picture threads that there are a lot of different ideas for what a SS bike can consist of. If you're a beginner at mechanics, SS has the advantage of having less stuff to learn how to install and maintain.

If you discover the enjoyment of riding SS, then you can also decide how far you want to go with improvements, and define your own aesthetic style.

Siu Blue Wind

That's an idea but how about we save this for another thread and leave this one open for people entries. Thank you.

phobus

Thirty RPM
uphill, and then, oh my god
like two hundred down

TimothyH

When I was seven or eight years old I was watching the Olympics on TV with my father. This was in the late 60's or early 70's when TV was black and white and there were only three channels. They were showing track racing and I asked my father why they were allowed to ride bikes inside. My father went on to explain "Fixed gear" bikes which could not coast, had no brakes and something called a "Velodrome." I loved to ride my bike around the neighborhood as fast as I could but what they were showing on TV was something I never would have imagined in all my life. Trackstands... Sprints.... Wow! It was all so exotic and the guys on the machines looked like gods. I wanted one of those bikes badly and the whole thing stuck in the back of my mind for decades. It would be 43 years before desire became reality and the day I dropped my first daughter off at college was the day I made it happen. The freewheel was removed from the Bianchi Pista as soon as the bike got home, a fixed cog went on and I haven't looked back. I can't do a track stand and have not raced on a velodrome but still think about that day, sitting with my father watching the Olympic track races whenever I ride my fixed gear bike - and it makes me smile. The feeling of actually doing it is better than any eight year old boy could have imagined.


-Tim-

StanSeven

SquidPuppet

Derailleurs are finicky, fragile, inefficient, and ugly. I use my legs to shift gears.

REDMASTA

Mountain biked for years, all my bikes had gears. Showed up for a morning ride one day with friends and friends of friends etc...and one of the people in the group was a gentleman nearly twice my age on a single speed. Thought he was crazy but I'll be damned if we couldn't shake him. Needless to say I was impressed and it got me thinking about gears in general. I was contemplating a road bike of some sort but didn't particularly like the roadie culture. Started to research fixed gears, picked one up and the rest is history. Love how technical and challenging it is, and the fact I can just step out my door and ride.

coffinjewel

I had just finished building a bike for my partner as a gift and because of all the research I was doing some videos came up related on youtube. I saw a video called "fixed on fixed" or something silly like that and it was about these cool girls who rode fixed in melbourne australia and I was totally captured by it. They all had flashy bikes and did skids and rode fast. I decided I needed a "fixie" so I put a terrible wheel set on a terrible bike (which I got blasted for on here lol) and now cycling is a huge part of my life and I have a sw8 fixay still don't have the badass girl gang to go riding with yet though. Something about a simple bike and just riding as fast as you can for fun speaks to me, its less serious than the roadie nonsense and the french and italian lingo and the power meters

seau grateau

About 10 years ago I was working a **** job washing dishes and floundering my way through college, generally feeling pretty aimless. One day I rode my older brother's Schwinn Madison on a bar crawl down by the shore. I got hooked. I bought an old Motobecane to build up as a fixed gear and made all the rookie mistakes -- geared too high, rode brakeless before I knew what I was doing, went without lights or a helmet -- and I had more fun than I'd had in years. Riding became the center of my life. I started working delivery and courier jobs so I could ride all day. I was still broke, but I was finally enjoying life. I went through some dark times and my bikes helped keep me on the right track. Later on, I got into riding road bikes and racing track, and I've done things I never thought I could before. My brother, who introduced me to cycling and fixed gear bikes, passed away this year. I think about him every time I ride, and no matter what I'm riding, it always makes me look back and smile on those early days of pushing my beat up clunker through the city; the simple pleasure of riding a simple bike that I put together myself. I love fixed gear riding because of the memories.

Rollfast

I just do.

Siu Blue Wind

Awesome stories, brings ya back...

Keep them coming!

North Coast Joe

About a decade ago I read that riding fixed was a better work out than my geared bikes gave me. With job and family time concerns it was natural to head in that direction. Clean, uncluttered machines were a visual side benefit. Then, ease of maintenance blessed my bikes with it's presence. With time, the feel of connection to the road through the bike came around to be and made riding a geared bike less satisfying. Now, at 66 years old, I spend my cycling time trying to prove Henri Desgrange missed his variable gear cut off by twenty or more years.

Siu Blue Wind

Thank you all for your entries, contest is now closed. Stay tuned for announcement of winners!

Siu Blue Wind

Because another sub forum did not participate and this one had the most replies, we decided to pick TWO winners!

Congrats to hardboiled718 and Gresp15C !! You have won free upgraded memberships!

The rest of you who participated, please send your mailing address to ibthomas@bikeforums.com for your participation prize!!

Siu Blue Wind

OUR APOLOGIES. THE EMAIL TO GET THE PARTICIPATION PRIZE IS ibthomas@bikeforums.net

Please try to resend your addresses.

Thank you