ajkloss42

I wasn't really tring to compare pathological cases. Someone asked why you might want to use disc brakes on a bike otherwise built for simplicity. You said, "Discs are mechanically sound and more reliable in all circumstances than rim brakes." This sounds like you mean there shouldn't be rim brakes anymore because they are "more reliable in all circumstances than rim brakes.", at least if reliability is your primary concern in brakes. If I misunderstood your meaning, I apologize. I was just trying to come up with a circumstance someone might want a rim brake despite the perks of disc brakes.

hammye

So I have been reading this little thread and I still wonder why you continue to question someones personal enjoyment of riding fixed/ss? Who really cares why I like my fixed gear and why I would just take you bike and strip it of all but that one gear? Thats how I like to ride a bike, nothing more and nothing less. Good for you that you like fixed gear as well, but I don't really care about that. I really can't stand multiple gears but then again thats why I don't ride them. I wish I could really get acroos to you what I am trying to say here and not quote my stupid self again.

hammye

Oh and how exactly does one skip on a freewheel bike? It's not really all that possible when the second you go to back pedal in any way you just freewheel.

ajkloss42

I maybe misunderstanding you, but statements like come across as if you believe there were two kinds of people in the world, those who need more than one speed, and those who don't, and that these people are somehow different. I have a problem with this idea. I'm trying to understand why people think this way, so I'm asking questions, challenging statements, and trying to make counter-examples.

isotopesope

this thread is a toilet.

yonderboy

I agree. It's changed the age old question of "What color should the bikeshed be?" to "Should the bikes in the bikeshed be free or fixed?"

ajkloss42

I don't question that people enjoy it. I just question some of the reasons people like to cite. As an example, if someone said to me, "I like riding Trek bicycles because when I pedal they go forward", I'd ask them what they were talking about because pretty much all bicycles go forward when you pedal them (and some go backwards when you pedal them too) and I think almost anyone would at least wonder the same thing. When someone says, "I like riding fixed because I can trackstand", or a lot of other stuff I hear about fixed, I have the same reaction. Here we are then.

As for skipping, I'm not a fixie expert, but isn't it essentially skidding with the rear wheel periodically leaving the ground? Is there more to it?

Anyway, if everyone's tired of me, I'll go away.

bostontrevor

This is true.

No worries, no offense taken (and I hope likewise for yourself). There are circumstances under which someone may want a rim brake. To wit:

- They don't have a discable fork or hub
- They don't have the extra $$ for a disc brake
- They have an aesthetic attachment to rim brakes or rather an aesthetic opposition to disc brakes
- They are physically incapable of actuating a disc brake lever (perhaps they can use a coaster brake)
- They never ride in conditions that demand the superior all-condition stopping power of discs

I suppose I could come up with a few others. My point is, assuming that you have all the necessary pieces to make it go and reliability is your *only* concern, there's no reason not to go with a disc brake.

harryhood

how about "i can trackstand on a downhill slope."

does that evoke the same ******** detector reaction? or would that be legit?

46x17

I can even track stand with no hands. Can you do that on a freewheel?

hammye

See when I skip I tend to lift the back wheel with a small bit of back pedaling. Skip, skip, skip.. I like to ride fixed because I like to ride fixed. Is that reason enough? I don't like the idea of spending a boatload of money on some derailers or shifters or cables or bolts or shift levers or brake levers or brakes or anything else that I don't want to spend money on.

hammye

Oh and I am not a thief anymore so I don't like to steal.

gilby

1) my bike weighs less than it would with gears, which is not a concern for any competitive reason, just makes it a little easier to carry it up & down stairs.
2) because I'm cheap and lazy, and it's fewer parts to maintain
3) I enjoy the specific challenges of fixed/ss. Yeah, you can trackstand with a freewheel, but the logistics are a little different than with a fixed. Just like you can ride a road bike offroad, or a mountain bike on a road ride, presenting you with different challenges.

Any kind of bike is going to present a certain set of qualities, challenges, and quirks that all depend on you--the rider--and how you intend to ride. And everyone's going to have different opinions on an experience, so you can never fully eliminate the subjective. Ride your bike, and enjoy what you like.

isotopesope

who gives a crap!? i think anyone who only likes one type of bike is a narrow minded ******bag. all of the reasons that were cited that you are probably questioning are from dorks who are rationalizing their ignorance and masking their trendiness. be that mid life crisis guys with 6k road bikes or the possengers with fixies. i ride bikes because i love it. there is no qualifier to that. if someone else rides bikes, that's great.

i try to wave or say hello to everyone i pass who is also cycling. i find it interesting who waves back is often times affected by what i am riding.

bostontrevor

Yeah!

ryan_c

Sorry if I'm playing devil's advocate here, but I met a guy who could, at least uphill.
/dorky vicariousness

Still working on the freewheel trackstand myself...

ajkloss42

Okay, I have no idea if I can trackstand on a downhill slope (I'm not much of a trackstander anyway, and I'm probably better at it freewheel than not). I'm positive I can't trackstand no handed on a downhill slope. If all the things I brought up were all mentioned originally by "dorks who are rationalizing their ignorance and masking there trendiness", I guess isotopesope and I are essentially in agreement. I thought about bringing up the "because I like my coffee black" comment at the beginning of this thread, but after reading it again, I realized it was probably the best reason ever for liking anything. You all have a broken AFS fileserver to thank for my freetime this afternoon. I'm much happier now (thanks isotopesope) and I'm going to ride my fixie home now. Bye.

harryhood

along those same lines, someone who can't respect or even acknowledge another's reasons for liking their ride... also a narrow minded ******bag.

MattGarfield

As far as "reducing functionality" goes, I have significantly less problems and more worry free ride time with a single speed (actually fixed gear) than I ever had with a geared bike. When your bike is your primary mode of transportation, it helps for it to be as simple and reliable as possible. The less junk on your bike, the less can go wrong, AND if something does go wrong, I can fix it myself rather than wait 3 days for the bike shop to tinker with it.

There's nothing less functional than an unreliable bike. Ride 200 mi. a week and you'll appreciate the simplicity of a fixed gear bike.

And what's wrong with hills? What, 1 gear won't get you up a hill? Funny, it works for me (and yes I mean big steep hills). Man up, dog.

isotopesope

that's not what i am saying at all. this whole f-ing thread turned into a free vs fixed argument... as usual. so really everyone from that camp is "someone who can't respect or even acknowledge another's reasons for liking their ride... " i am not disrespecting someone for why they like their ride. my point is the "this bike is better than that bike" argument is narrow minded and pointless. so eat a bowl of di cks. i'm not a narrow minded ******bag, just a regular one. boing boing boing!!!

harryhood

hey isotopesope,
i actually was referring to ajkloss42 on that one. sorry should have made it more clear. from your posts, i gather that you are a lover of all bikes.

isotopesope

harryhood,
sorry. this thread has got me all bent out of shape.

jerrryhazard

I ride a *singlespeed* because a friend suggested that it was a positive experience. Besides that, I rode BMX style bikes for the majority of my life, and I still think the farthest, fastest rides I've done have been on those bikes.

As far as functionality goes - it's a bike. If it's tuned well it works, gears or not. What other functionality is there? When I rode my MTB on the street, I rarely used more than 3 gears, and usually just used one, if I climbed, I would switch up a gear. A singlespeed made sense in the fact that I was lugging around a lot of bike malarkey I didn't really need. I get around just as fast (or faster) with one gear. The bike is lighter, and a bit more agile for bunnyhops and urban escapes when cars go wild.

My garbage picked road bike has only gear as well. I want to try fixed to see what the fuss is about - and I'm curious, but the route I ride to work is all uphill one way, and all down the other. On the climb to work - I would actually like to do that fixed, but on the way home my legs would go crazy. So, it keeps the freewheel for now. If my commute or riding habits (or frame) change, I'll try it, just to see. I'd try a flip flop hub, but I have vertical dropouts that don't allow any room for adjustment. So, fixed remains on the burner of things to do...

I don't derive any special zen like moments on the singlespeeds as opposed to my geared bikes. But for riding the places I ride, and the way that I do, it suits me better than gears. If I'm actually out mountainbking, on a mountain, then gears suit me just fine...

I tried it, to see what it was like. It works, so I continue to do so... nothing religious or trendy about it.

yonderboy

I can do a no handed trackstand on my freewheel. I can also do a no handed barspin while riding backwards.

I hate to burst your bubble, but trackstands are easy to do, and it doesn't matter if you have a fixed, a freewheel, or a unicycle to do one.

46x17

Can you do a no handed track stand pointing downhill? (post pics)

I never said you can only track stand on a fix bike - all I said is that it is easier. This is a compliment for you, since you can do no hands on a freewheel which is harder than doing it on a fixed.