subsistbmx@hotm

First of all I do not ride a fixed gear, although I have ridden my friends fixed numerous time and I don't understand the need for cages. My girlfriend for example is putting together a fixed gear and has not gotten cages yet, I have ridden the bike several times with BMX racing pedals (lots of pins) and had no problems riding 'cage-free'. So what the deal here ?

thatcher

troll

bbattle

There is no deal, just ride.

subsistbmx@hotm

uh. ok... great explanation. if you don't have anything to say don't bother to reply.

megatron

how about you stop making ******** threads.

subsistbmx@hotm

yeah. thanks for the help guys.

Eatadonut

why do you think there's a need for cages for you to not understand?

Gedilicious

I've ridden fixed without cages and it was fine for me.

skinnyland

It's very important to be able to pull the pedals with your feet, in addition to pushing. Without cages/clips/straps, you can't do this at all. So, unless your gearing is insanely low, you won't be able to skid or skip (hence, you probably won't be able to stop effectively).

They're also useful for developing better form and strength, since you can continuously use both legs while pedaling (push on the downstroke with one foot, while the other pulls upward simultaneously -- that way, your legs/feet are actually moving in a circular motion, instead of just mashing downward).

There. Now you know. And you didn't even have to search. Aren't I nice?

dutret

BMX pedals with pins don't have cages.
a pedal with the cage removed would be incredibly unpleasant to ride on.
Did you mean the toeclip?

kemmer

Sad, 8 posts before we got a helpful response. To someone new to fixed gear (and this forum) this is a perfectly reasonable question.

There is nothing "wrong" with riding a fixed gear with platforms but I would think that slipping off the pedals on a fixed gear would be very, very bad. On a regular bike you can coast to recover from things like that. You coast before going up/down a curb, you coast if you have to swerve suddenly, you coast when you make an emergency stop, you coast when you wave at a friend going the opposite direction, you coast while you reposition your junk or adjust your bag. Imagine your foot sipping off of the pedal and having it dig into the back of your calf and your bike swerves all over the place as your foot hits the ground. Now try and get your bike under control and get your feet back on the pedals while they're still spinning. It doesn't sound like fun to me.

Also, it's much harder to skid with platforms but not impossible. I would say that skidding on platforms is an advanced-ish skill. As long a you run a brake, this isn't really a big concern. You should be able to learn to skid with platforms but it is much easier with toe clips.

kemmer

Flame.

How about you stop bashing newbies.

Some newbie bashing is to be expected on any forum, but it's particularly bad on SSFG and it's something I think needs to change. I mean, why open a thread with a title like "Why ride fixed with cages...? " if you aren't going to try and provide some helpful advise?

subsistbmx@hotm

Thanks for the help. I figure it had something to do with the pulling up of the pedal while trying to stop. Yeah, it's pretty sad that I made all these babies cry by asking a simple question..I've been riding for a few years now just never fixed..so I thought I'd find out.

mattattack

Someone started a thread about this yesterday: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=4616145

roadfix

I keep a fixed beater with front brake at work for running errands. On that bike I use standard mountain bike platforms without cages. Anyone can easily adapt to not having their feet secured.

gargiulo.mike

thats the irony though