ryan_c

Plus, the lack of dish on the rear wheel means a much lower chance of right-rear (the most common, I believe) broken spokes on the road.

BlastRadius

Don't forget fashion. See threads about "jacking the culture" and the "fast fashion".
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=73323.

Fugazi Dave

Because I'm a ******** cowboy.

ajkloss42

Ack! The only thing more disgustingly self-congratulatory than a bunch of fixes talking about the "experience" of riding their bikes is the latest issue of "Bicycling" magazine. I'm going to cut my rant off there and try to contribute something useful.

I decided to ride fixed to see if there was anything wrong with my spin, as a way to build strength, and to practice spinning and dancing on pedals. I discovered my spin technique was probably good but I do have the tendency to coast in two situations: 1. in traffic on a freewheel bike I like to flatten the pedals and stand to look around and 2. I used to coast when transitioning from standing to sitting. I actually find fixed to be something of a cheater for things like seated cadence because you don't actually have to be applying any force against the pedals; they'll just pull you along and you'll say, "I was spinning at 140 RPM but really it was just the drive-train bringing your legs along for the ride. On a freewheel bike, if the cadence meter says 140, it's all you. I'd also agree that it is much cheaper to get an excellent fixed drivetrain, but all that nonsense about fixies being necessarily quieter or more reliable than a geared bike is silly. High-end geared bike components are plenty reliable and very quiet. I think a fixie is an excellent addition to anyone's inventory of bikes, but this whole emotional attachment to them is pretty silly. And none of you fixie riders will ever enjoy the thrill of finishing a 15% climb and managing to have enough left in your legs to hop to the big ring and crank down the descent at 40 mph.

So, to summarize:

1. Fixies may help you identify and correct some problems with your technique. I belive that they can cause some too.

2. You can purchase and maintain a high-quality fixed drivetrain for a lot less money and time than a multispeed freewheel drivetrain.

3. They're fun.

The rest of it seems mostly like nonsense though.

Rowan

Ever ridden with 1000 screaming little Campy or Phil freehubs around you on a ride like PBP? Silent? You *must* be trolling. Or you don't know what you're talking about.

I'm new to it. I like it. And by the way, you need to come here if you want to talk about climbs... boy.

ajkloss42

No, I'm new enough to cycling (two years) that a ride like PBP is still outside my experience, but you've mentioned to manufactures who may happen to have noisy freehubs. Since I'm not prone to coasting anyway, I rarely hear mine, and certainly when it's all greased up for winter it's pretty damn quiet. I'm not so much trolling (okay, maybe I'm trolling a little) but I'm tired of the hype around fixed. I'd like to ride around on my fixie without people thinking I'm a smug fixie rider (I'm really just a smug bicycle rider, but that's another issue).

I bet there is great stuff to climb down under. I've been including bicycling in my traveling as much as I can this fall. If it weren't for the endless flight and super expensive plane tickets, Australia would be a neat place to ride. I've commuted for a week in Seattle (not exactly a flat city), ridden over the Hoover Dam (not at all flat to get there, and traffic!), and just got back from two weeks of riding on St. Croix, USVI, which is an island of volcanic origin. But the physics of it don't let a fixie get both up and down a steep grade and a reasonable speed in both directions.

I've only had a fixie for about two months so I've only ridden about 500 miles fixed so far (although 130 of those were in the same day), so maybe my religeous transformation is pending. I'm not saying I don't like riding fixed, I'm saying I don't think all the hype is particularly accurate.

kurremkarm

I ride SS because I'm not good at fixing bikes and my bike is my transportation. I have 3 SS and 1 fixed gear bikes and I have never had a derailer problem, oddly, i almost never have ANY problem at all including flat tires what with big tires and slime.

My latest bike has a coaster brake only. I get on and pedal and i pedal backwards to stop. So basic. So liberating. Seems like i started a path and it's taken me from stopping smoking to bicycles to car free to yoga, I don't know where I'm going but i really like it.

H23

Why fixed?

Pros:

* It feels different and interesting. It is a fun change of pace-- sometimes a 140 rpm change of pace.
* Coolness factor.
* It is a respectable end-of-life for old frames
* Builds confidence


Cons:

* It is somewhat more dangerous-- depending on the rider.
* Hills are not always convienent
* Energy is depleted more quickly on long rides.
* Not as fast as a geared bike

RetroSteel

1. You can ride backwards & other stuff.

2a. A hill climb is a challenge and you'll burn more callories.
2b. A good way to strengthen the legs.

3. Mechanically sound / less wear on components / cheaper in the long run.

4. My bike has become lighter.

5. Most SS are steel and thats a nice material for riding.

6. Like building a kit car....the d-i-y aspect appeals to many a folk.

stevo

so i agree with ~some~ of what ajkloss is trying to get across. Although i've ridden exclusively fixed for (oh) 15 years, I've yet to experience any 'zen' expeierence. Motorycling, and city-riding in general has improved my forsight far more than the fg itself has. I didnt suddenly stop falling on ice when I moved to fg. And i do get sick of all the hype from fg riders on just how wonderful and magical it is. ITS JUST A BIKE.

having said that, I do enjoy the silence, I do enjoy not having adjusted a cable in 3 contiguous decades. I do enjoy adjusting my riding/effort to the terrain, just as I do when I run (which i also enjoy more than cranking downhill at 40).

Peace out,

Steve.

ps - My wife is sexy...bicycles are NOT.

RetroSteel

you dont think some bikes are sexy to look at? aggh come off it

Stumprofig

Riding fixed has made me a better drummer. Seriously.

RetroSteel

made you a better drummer? well, they do say excercise improves sexual function

stevo

"you dont think some bikes are sexy to look at? aggh come off it"

I certainly think certain bikes are more pleasing to the eye that others. Some even artistic. But sexy? nah.

KeatonR

Ok, I think I'm starting to have some understanding ... But why, then, do some single speeds come with disc brakes? Isn't that eschewing the technology and complication in the drivetrain while embracing it in the braking system?

Just wondering. Personally, I love gears and disc brakes.

bostontrevor

That's why Matt Chester doesn't build discable frames. Me, I see nothing wrong with them. Discs are mechanically sound and more reliable in all circumstances than rim brakes. Simpler usually equates to more reliable, but not always. That's why the SS world is split on the "brake question".

Which is not to say I actually *have* any disc brakes, but I'd sure like to some days... days like today when I'm spinning to work in freezing rain and oily runoff, for example. Or days when my wheels and drivetrain are completely snowballed and the brakes are just little blocks of ice skimming along the rim surface.

ajkloss42

Woah. Do you have any evidence for this bold claim? I'm pretty sure a disc brake on a radially laced 16 spoke wheel isn't going to be very reliable.

bostontrevor

I'm making the wild assumption that the fork, hub, and wheel are all built for the torque of a disc brake. I could likewise claim that a 3x wheel on disc hub with disc fork but worn paper thin rim walls is unsuitable for rim brakes.

What I'm talking about is the fact that a disc brake rotor on a properly adjusted and maintained disc brake will work under just about any condition. The same simply cannot be said about rim brakes.

They ice over, they get oil from the street surface on them, they get wet... Whatever, all this severely affects braking power for rim brakes. Not so for discs.

I can't help it if you'd like to compare pathological cases.

FXjohn

You're thinking of fixed gear

harryhood

are you not emotionally attached to your biking or any of your bikes?

just because you don't see the benefits and joy of riding fixed (besides spin technique) doesn't mean you should discount those of us who do.

ajkloss42

By "this whole emotional attachment" I was tring to refer to some specific things in this, and other, threads on these forums and apparently in a community that I percieve of fixed-gear riders. Maybe my perception is wrong. I'm not trying to say an emotional attachment to inanimate objects is wrong, but I'm trying to say that mis-representing the properties of a particular thing that you have an emotional attachment to is misleading. This is some of the stuff I'm talking about:

"you're always in the right gear"

"I can track stand for years"

"I can snear at singlespeeders"

"I can skid and skip"

"My bike is very quiet"

"I can babble about that Zen experience that comes with riding fixed - like everyone else."

"Nothing beats fixed in harsh winter conditions, and th harsh winter conditions can't beat a fixed"

"My guess is that if you have to ask why, you most likely are not ready for it."

"Once you've done it, things are never the same again."

"How about the fact that the things just don't break?"

"In emergency type situations, if you have brakes, you have a good chance of falling down anyway if you brake too hard"

This is a list just culled from this thread. I think I take issue with this stuff in part because I do like riding fixed, but when a fixie rider comes along a public forum and says derailleurs are stupid, one gear is enough, or other nonsense, I think it turns people off to fixed gear, which I think is unfortunate, and it sets off my bull**** detector which makes me post stuff like this.

neptunetitan

some people are just passionate about the things they like, instead of slacking them for having some kind of passion in life, try to appreciate it.

46x17

ajkloss42,

Emotion vs. fact 101

"I can track stand for years" Maybe not years. But I bet the average fix rider can trackstand way longer than the average freewheeler. Why because it is easier to trackstand on a fixed bike. Try trackstanding pointing downhill on a freewheel bike.

"I can snear at singlespeeders" Was meant to be funny. However, most singlespeeders I run into (ss track or road bikers, not bmx or mountain) immediately come up with some kind of excuse about why they ride use a freewheel instead of a fixed cog. Rarely they sound convinced themselves.

"I can skid and skip" Another fact and lots of fun therefore a benefit.

"My bike is very quiet" Fact. Show me a geared or freewheeled bike that makes less noise than mine and I will give you a set of bullhorns.

"I can babble about that Zen experience that comes with riding fixed - like everyone else." Was meant to be sarcastic. But nevertheless it is a fact I can talk about zen and fixed. Wanna hear?

stevo

"one gear is enough, or other nonsense,"

but one gear IS enough (at least for those who only need one gear). How can you criticize that logic? To me, buying, servicing, and carrying 26 extra gears when I only use one is nonsense.

ajkloss42

So you already admit you can trackstand on a freewheel bike, which is good. Wouldn't you be even cooler if you could trackstand for years facing downhill on a freewheel bike?

The "snearing at singlespeeders" comment is funny, but I can sneer at them too regardless of which bike I'm on and how many drivetrain components it has. I especially like sneering at them when I'm on a 1972 Raleigh Sprite 27.

I haven't tried it, but it should be possible to skip a freewheeled bike too, you just need a working rear brake.

In order to actually noise test our bikes, we'd have to find some studio space or at least set up a double-blind listening test. I think that would be impractical. If you want to go to the lengths to get the bikes together and try to prove me wrong, that's fine, and I'll admit your bike is quieter than mine if it tests out that way, but I think that's kinda silly. (I don't suppose you'd change the wager to a set of dropbars instead though?) To my very unscientific ears, my bike with Ultegra components is essentially as quiet as my fixie, and is quieter than most of the fixies I've ridden next to, and that's with a 10000 mile old deraileur and bottom bracket. Of course, it may be easier to hear the drivetrain on a bike next to you than on your own bike, who knows? Anyway, someone could spend a lot more money on components and time on maintenance than I do, so to rule out the possibility of an even quieter multispeed bike seems crazy to me.

Oh, I'm sure lots of fixed riders can babble on and I think I took your statement as sarcasm, but I think it helps my point: you also appear to think the babble about the Zen experience of fixed is silly by being sarcastic about it.