fixed gear bikes.

[The Bullet]

What are your thoughts on Fixed Gear Bikes.

Personally, I ride a 10 speed, and maybe I'm biased, but Fixed Gear Bikes suck dick and make no sense.   I mean, pretty much all of my friends ride them, and talk about how great they are, and not to shit on my friends, but...they make no practical sense to me.   It takes so much effort to stop, you can't ever really relax and just coast to give your legs a break, and it seems like everyone who rides em (again, not to shit on my friends) is 'to cool for school'.   I heard of a tshirt the other day that says 'fixed gear is the new rollerblade'.    Which makes me think that in 2 years, all these idiots (I love my friends I really do) will come to their senses and realize "oh yeah, these bikes are regular and make no logical sense."

bottom line:

[eat.shit]

Fixed gears are the downfall of mankind. Everyone rides them because its cool. Its like girl pants x 1000.

[dudebro]

oh god, not this again. many similar threads ABP a long time ago...

[Brandon]

i'm moving to santa cruz in two months for school, and pretty much every motherfucker on campus rides a fixed gear.  i, on the other hand, will be getting around on a ten speed (with brakes).  the fact that many of the aforementioned motherfuckers picked up the trend only recently and still do not have a firm handle on the art of "fixie braking and slowing down" scares the shit out of me, especially on a hilly and blind turn campus such as UCSC.

[colin]

At least they're riding bikes, and not driving cars...Remember spinners, now there was a fucked up trend. At least bikes are rad

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

Everything about fixed gear bikes is ok with me, except for the asshole on top of it.

[The Bullet]

oh god, not this again. many similar threads ABP a long time ago...

I did a search on this site for 'fixed gear bikes' and didn't find much, maybe I should have searched harder. Sorry.

[The Bullet]

At least they're riding bikes, and not driving cars...Remember spinners, now there was a fucked up trend. At least bikes are rad

I agree, bikes are rad.  I recently took my car off the road and have mostly been getting around on my bike (although my wife still has her car, so it's not like i never drive at all anymore).     But yeah, I can understand how if you've been biking for a long time, fixed gear is something new and challenging, to make riding more interesting...but it still seems to be a a de-evolution in bikes, which is what I don't understand.   I've seen fixed gears with normal brakes.  Those are ok in my book, I guess.

[erik.]

I got an old racing bike form a neighbour a few years ago and I've been riding that. I keep thinking about converting it to a fixed gear,  but like you dont really see the practicality.

[toonie]

10 speed stolen from a back alley

[danker peaches]

10 speed stolen from a back alley

The best bikes are always stolen.

[RRRRRAD]

Expand Quote

10 speed stolen from a back alley

[close]

The best bikes are always stolen.

i got my 10 speed from my friends garbage

[cheep]

yeah, my girlfriend got me a 10 speed for christmas and ive thought about making it a fixed gear because ive yet to change gears.  of course, i like coasting, so i may make it a single speed or go the cheap route and just do nothing.

[The Bullet]

yeah, my girlfriend got me a 10 speed for christmas and ive thought about making it a fixed gear because ive yet to change gears.  of course, i like coasting, so i may make it a single speed or go the cheap route and just do nothing.

yeah, I think I'm gonna make mine single speed as well.  I got those gear shifts that are all downlow, and it's a pain to mess with em.

[jonerikwhite]

yeah my brother has a fixed gear...but its breakless

[colin]

Expand Quote

At least they're riding bikes, and not driving cars...Remember spinners, now there was a fucked up trend. At least bikes are rad

[close]

but it still seems to be a a de-evolution in bikes, which is what I don't understand. 

I feel you on that, I was trying to figure that out the other day. I googled "why ride a fixed gear?" - and it sounds like you've got to do it to experience the magic. I saw a guy balancing in traffic the other day, so I guess that's cool. I think it's just one of those things that people ape to, so when the hype dies down, the die hards will still do it, while the dumb college kids will have moved on to something else. Me, personally, my fat ass has got to glide, and I got to practice bunny hops (I broke my spindle the other day!!) - In the meantime, there's probably some guy in some bar saying how he rode fixed gears first, but now just walks or something - extreme sandling? extreme toefucking - the sky is the limit! Fuck, can you imagine if that parqueing or whatever (when those dudes jump of buildings and shit) was the hottest trend - I'd love to walk around campus and watch motherfuckers flying of shit, I mean that shit would be hilarious - I guess it's all in your perspective.

[LENNIEKIRKSBIBLE]

1 Speed With 1 Brake = Rad Good Times.
Fixed Gear = Clutch Bag.

Fuck off with your accessories. Man up, and buy a tandem.

Nothing beats staring at ass on a long ride around the park....

[hatehatehatehate]

trend speeds

[Darkmarc]

Much ado about nothin when it comes to fixed gears if you ask me.

[Blue Fescue]

I ride a ten speed but fixed gears are definitely fun to ride. 

[max power]

the best is when some of them see you riding and look at you with some disgust when they see you have brakes or a freewheel.

[imfed]

I have been riding mountain and road bikes for my entire life, but I really love riding road bikes.  I have a nice geared road bike and a fixed gear. For people who really enjoy bikes and have been riding them for a long time, fixed gears are not very hard to ride at all.  They are much more responsive and give the rider more control over the bike, in addition to a much better work out.  Also, having no gears or brakes on your bike makes it much lighter, easier to maintain (adjusting gears is  bitch and if your tire becomes lees than true it won't rub against the break), and there is just something about the quietness and simplicity of riding a road bike with only one gear.  If you are not riding a fixed gear in a dangerous manner and are anticipating things ahead of you, slowing down for intersections and not bombing down enormously big hills, fixed gears are not all that dangerous, but if you ride it like a regular geared bike the chances of getting wrecked are much higher.  Riding my fixed gear has helped me with my back problems and has been a lot of fun. It is kind of unfair to knock them if you don’t bike and especially if you haven’t ridden one.

[The Bullet]

the best is when some of them see you riding and look at you with some disgust when they see you have brakes or a freewheel.

if that ever happens to me I'm kickin some ass and takin some names.  

[mikefork]

Everything about fixed gear bikes is ok with me, except for the asshole on top of it.

i ride other peoples fixed gear bikes and haven't learned how to really stop other than forcing it to slow down. i like the fact that you can ride full speed up hill with little effort

[sven thorkel]

i got a lot of friends who are couriers and it makes sense for them. there is a lot less maintenance that you have to do and if your riding your bike all day it all adds up. for me, i bike to work on a regular bike. after walking all day the last thing i want is to not be able to coast, especially when i  go down hills. butt i would look pretty hip and ironic if i rid through tha industrials wid a fixie and a shirt thats sleeve is almost to da shoulda

[loophole]

even though i've never seen a fixed gear, i don't get all the hate. it's just a bicycle.

[kevbo999]

I paid $100 at the bike shop for an old single speed with coaster brakes.  I love it, when it working smoothly, maybe put $100 in repairs over the past 9-10 months.

As for fixed gears, my friend has one, it seems hard and dangerous as fuck to ride.  My dream bike would be fast, light, and have big tough tires.

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

even though i've never seen a fixed gear, i don't get all the hate. it's just a bicycle.

It's not the bike, its the culture. People talk shit on the bikes because the culture is so disgusting that every annoying thing about them is just another reason to hate them. They are impractical, but if the people riding the impractical bikes were a bit more mellow, nobody would be down on the impracticality.

[gravel pitch]

what the fuck is a fixed gear bike? Like a BMX bike or something? one gear?

[brent]

i had a few when i was a kid and they are fun to fuck around on