ausfix

Give me fixed for commuting any day. So many advantages, not least of which is the minimal mechanical maintenance required. Other advantages: quiet drive train, better "road feel", lighter bike, more alert to details, on and on. I'm even less hip: I'm 51.

CliftonGK1

I've done this, too... and every time I do, I hear the voice of my friend who's done the FC508 twice yelling at me "NO CHEATING, WUSSBAG!"

From the FC508 rules on fixed gear bicycles: E. Fixed Gear Division: ...Wheel switches are permitted only for wheel failures, and must be identical or essentially identical to the failed wheel. Bike switches are not permitted. Riders may not coast with feet off the pedals. Riders must declare their gear (ring/cog/wheel size) choice at check in, which may not be changed thereafter.

PartyPack

Yep true enough, shorts all year round. The greatest danger comes form dehydration.

PartyPack

Wow, feet off the pedals with no brakes. Those guys have amazing skills. I'm surprised the pedestrians and cars are so tolerant of their antics.

J B Bell

I prefer riding fixed for my commute; my two FG's are in my workshop getting new handlebars (just haven't had the time & energy since getting back from bike school). I originally did it because I wanted more of a workout for my short commute, but really like it for all the reasons cited.

I don't have any foot retention, just very grippy Grip King pedals, and yes! Two brakes!

Glad you're having fun on the Surly, it looks like a very nice bike.

noglider 

I prefer commuting on a bike with fenders. When the weather can be expected to stay dry, I might try my fixed gear bike for commuting. It's a pretty hilly commute, and I'm out of practice at fixed gear riding. I got the bike a few months ago, and I go really slowly down hills, out of fear.

In the meantime, I have a multi-gear bike for commuting.

My commute is 10 miles each way. I've only cycled to work twice since I started this job three months ago. I hope to cycle more frequently. It's uphill all the way to work except for two short hills with the opposite slope.

Yan 

Why can't you put fenders on a fixed gear?

jyossarian

You can. I have fenders and a rack on mine.

aMull

Jesus man, put some clips and straps on there and you'll never look back. You might as well commute on a geared bike if you're using two brakes and platforms....

fuzz2050

I have you beat, I have a chainguard!

jyossarian

I have a kickstand!!

crhilton

You sound like a grumpy old man. Someone had to say it.

A chain guard does seem like a reasonable precaution.

apricissimus 

I have fenders on mine too.

Hasselhof

Hey PartyPack, I'm a steamroller rider from Brisbane as well I'd have to say it is with out a doubt the most terrifying form of transport I have available to me on a day to day basis. It sits in the corner of my garage just daring me to ride it (preferably down hill during peak hour), waiting for me to lose concentration so it can throw me into passing vehicles, trees or the river. ITs feckin awesome! Lose concentration for one minuite on the hills and you're done for (I only have the front brake, not even sure you can fit a rear brake on my model). All that said, that bike is the most fun you can have on a saddle. Since I bought it, I've decided to sell my two other bikes (one geared MTB and one SS MTB) as they were just being neglected.

I don't commute on it anymore however it was the perfect bike for me to get to uni a few years ago (Windsor -> UQ), once you get on the riverside bike path you just wanna roll and roll and roll all day.

Good luck with it, hope you enjoy it as much as I have

Yan 

Sounds like you're riding without foot retension. I also only have a front brake (irrelevant), and in any case I do not find down hill cycling on a fixed gear to be dangerous.

Toe clips on a fixed gear are almost impossible to get into for the first 100km, but once you learn the precise flipping motion involved, they're very convenient.

I eventually put clipless pedals on my fixed gear, but I still miss the wear any shoe freedom of toe clips.

slloth

When you get bored again try the commute with out your brakes! Since I use my fixed mainly for tricks I still haven't put brakes on it. Last night I bombed a couple hills. Now that is a rush!

Also it is a very weird feeling when you get back on a bike with a freewheel.

Hasselhof

No no, I use clipless and have since the moment I bought the bike (pair of egg beaters). All I mean is that riding fixed requires constant situational awareness far more than any other bike.

PartyPack

Yeah I go over Highgate and down over the Green Bridge to UQ each day. With all the construction and rain the Steamroller certainly needs my full attention.

I find the Coro Drive bike way scary at the best of times especially in the Mornings with all the other users.

The hills, heat and wind in Brissy really are a killer on a fixie

fuzz2050

I'm glad I'm not the only one, I trip up more when I'm going from fixed to free than free to fixed. I just expect the pedals to follow me through, but they just stop. When I just want to scrum a little speed, i resist the motion and they stop cold. What manor of witchcraft is that freewheel?

Prabuddhadg

Many years back, I had experimented with fixed gear riding. I used to live in Calcutta, India then, and after searching realised that fixed cogs were not available anywhere around. So, I opened up a freewheel and put bits of metal in the freewheel mechanism and then got someone to gas weld two spots on the freewheel cover. That was my fixed cog.

I agree it was a very exciting ride, though how you people manage with foot retention, I have no idea. Just finding the pedal was a task. Actually, I had initially thought I would be able to stop by just stopping pedalling, but I couldn't have been farther from the truth. I quickly reinstalled the rear brake.

Calcutta was all flat as a pancake, so I have no experience with downhill riding fixed. Lets see, every once in a while, I think of converting one of my bikes to a fixed...

aMull

Fixed gear without foot retention is asking for serious trouble. Finding the pedals will come to you quickly, and you'll wonder why you even gave it any though before.

jyossarian

You bring up a good point. Some people expect their spin and pedal technique to improve by riding a FG. The only way you can improve that is if you consciously make an effort to pedal through the full 360 degrees, which you can do on any bike fixed or free. Otherwise, you may develop a deadspot at the bottom of the pedal stroke that becomes apparent when you ride a freewheel. Riding up and down hills helps develop that 360 deg. pedal stroke.

aMull

Riding fixed dramatically improved my spin on a freewheel. I actually don't like coasting anymore, and keep the pedals moving even when i'm applying the brakes.

CliftonGK1

I like coasting and riding my geared bikes, but I did notice a big improvement in my technique since I've started riding fixed. My geared climbing is much smoother, since I've learned to increase my cadence from riding fixed on many downhills. I can throw my geared bike into a tiny gear and spin it like nobody's business.

PartyPack

While I've found that my ability to spin has improved even in a short period of time I have the opposite experience climbing, I find I can now hold higher gears for longer and climb faster.