pitboss

Efficiency and progress is ours once more...

manboy

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

what the crap

maybe i should edit my previous post to say this:

well, i like to ride a one speed bikes because sometimes it breaks, but not always. and i haven't gotten the figures, but i'm pretty sure it will break less than a geared bike. it stands to reason because there are less parts. it's possible, though, that they could break as much or even more. however, one speed gives you a certain peace of mind. i think they require less maintenance, but again, i haven't done any controlled studies, and i should get some peers to evaluate my findings even if i do because there is probably some emotional bias going on. i'm just pretty sure my one speed bikes have tended to work better than my multiple speed bikes while requiring less maintenance, and i think that the fact that i have heard this anecdotally from fairly knowledgeable people quite of the time is enough to believe me that it is, in fact, true.

I have another one:

singlespeed bikes are cheap and i'm poor.

ajkloss42

Thanks. Did you read what I had to say from the beginning? I have no problem with fixed. I like fixed. Lately, I ride about 25% of my overall mileage fixed. My first century ever was on fixed. Fixed is fun. This is not about not liking one kind of bike or another to me. This is about people saying things about fixed that don't make sense. When someone says they don't get why people like fixed and/or single speed and they get back a bunch of nonsensical answers, I think that's unhelpful to the original poster and reflects badly on cyclists in general and singlespeeders in general. There are lots of good reasons listed in this thread and others about why singlespeed and fixed is good, but there are a lot of silly ones too. I don't think I've said anywhere I think fixed or singlespeed is inferior to multispeed, I've just tried to say they're more the same when different. For example, when someone implies that their fixie is quieter than any multispeed bike anywhere, I don't think it's unreasonable to call them out on that. It seems some people agree with me, and some people don't, but in general the discussion has been civil about it, until people started calling people names. If you don't like my ideas, can you try to attack them, and not me?

46x17

I'll give you drop bars if you can show me a quieter geared bike than my fix.

pitboss

kill the poor

46x17

toni-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hight!

harryhood

ok.
i think you're being stubborn and close minded about a lot of the things that people have brought up here. one in particular that bugs me is the one about getting that Zen experience. why must you insist that it's such ********? just because you have not experienced it doesn't mean others haven't.

i don't recall anyone saying that their fixie is quieter than any geared bike. but i recall you saying that "My [fixed gear] bike is very quiet" is a ******** statement. what's your problem? why is that not a valid reason for someone to like their fixie?

i think addressing these "********" issues is futile in getting through to you. all you do is discredit them. so why even participate?

skitbraviking

Shouldn't the question read: Why not fixed?

Thylacine

I enjoy my singlespped because, like, it's a totally rebellious act against, you know, the whole fascist 'planned obscelescence' SLASH "You are nothing wihout a Carbon Titanium Wunderbike with 100 gears" mentality that like SO plagues our doomed consumerist culture right now. It's a total Zen-like experience when your bike is like SOOOOOO quiet riding through the ghettos at 3am with your Chrome bag slung over one shoulder and........wow.......it's just SOOOOOO cool!

If you don't ride fixed or singlespeed, then I'm sorry, but really, like, you're part of the problem and seriously need like an attitude adjustment. It's totally obvious that when you're totally ready to make the jump, you'll like, just KNOW it's the right time to do it and everything and it'll be totally sweet!

adamkell

...so thick you could cut it with knife

ajkloss42

Can we compromise on just stubborn? It's the implication that the Zen experience on fixed is better from the Zen experience on any other bike that bothers me. In a lot of ways, if you're riding it right, you shouldn't be able to tell the difference, at least if you are going forwards. It seems analogous to a hypothetical person saying "I don't understand why people ride tiagra when the Zen experience of dura-ace is so powerful." I guess what I'm asking is how does a fixed rider know that the Zen experience is because it's a fixie and not just because it's a bike? What's so different?

As for noise, that discussion was started from a list labeled "Here are the advantages:" and the item from the list was "my bike is very quiet". Being quiet is not an attribute that belongs exclusively to fixed and SS bikes so I don't thing should be a list of reasons that fixed/SS is better. Later, the same poster says, "'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." Doesn't this mean he thinks I couldn't find a bike quieter than his anywhere? It's a silly thing to say anyway, it's not like one of us is going to pay to have the equipment available to test this theory. You'd have to quantify the parameters like simulated bike speed and so on and agree on a testing methodology. It would be a pain costing far more than a set of bars.

JavaMan

Have any of you guys "fixed" your car so it would only use one gear? That would be cool. Then you would never have to worry about shifting. Some of you might also consider removing the brakes so you could use the engine to slow down.
Tom

ryan_c

That happened to me, my shift linkage broke while I was driving a few miles away from my house. Had to get home (not on highways fortunately) with only third gear.
At least it was third and not fourth or first, I think third was the only gear I could start in and get up to a reasonable speed in without redlining.

Ever drive a car without power brakes? It's almost more effective to just use the engine.

iceratt

You are making me feel bad about my planned purchase of a titanium fixie with custom engraved dropouts, and alligator saddle. What about MY Zen experience?

trespasser

SSSwede

Me, I have two reasons
-It is a very good way of making an old poor geared bike into something really enjoyable
-It is a very good workout

auroch

i once "drove" a van with my legs.
try starting, steering, & stopping a van with
just your legs! definite zen moment right
before i passed out.

ryan c: you're coming with me on all my road trips.

jeff

habitus

zen comes for you when you smash your frame and eat your saddle. sorry.

formulaben

Cheater? Uh, unless you're going downhill or riding your 'Perpetual Motion' fixie, this is total nonsense. It doesn't matter if it is fixed or SS; 140 RPM is 140 RPM!

ryan_c

count me in. where to first?

46x17

No. It means that you can't find a GEARED bike quieter than mine anywhere.

ajkloss42

I'm talking about downhill.

South Fulcrum

SamHouston

Holding a controlled cadence downhill on a fixie is good for muscle memory/development/spin experience. After all, it doesn't do a bit of good to overspin a gear on your roadbike, and it doesn't do you a bit of good safety wise to let a spin get away from you on a downhill fixed even if you are sporting a front brake.

SamHouston

das teh cutes lil kitteh