Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - the joy of riding

not to get too personal now, but i suffer from depression, and there's just an awesome joy in riding my fixed gear. whether i'm riding in the street or on a bike path; rocking out to some his hero is gone or chilling to some explosions in the sky, i feel at ease.
it might be kind of cliche, but there's sort of a zen, or one-ness i get when riding.
i know that part of this is scientific with endorphins or whatnot, but it's still a nice thought that bikes = happiness.

inputs? anyone else share my feelings?

Distractions from the lame parts of life are always good. Too bad more people dont have the same. Here, they jump in front of subway trains or leap from 15 story buildings instead.

i rode mine on a 5 mile flat loop last night as a part of base training. it was night, i had my HID helmet mount light kickin', and there was a slight chill to the air (it was about 55 in atlanta last night). at one point i looked down and had been riding for 1:10 w/o even realizing it. i love that freakin' bike.

do yer thing, man. and keep yer head up.

the feeling i get from a good ride is similar to that feeling i get from that first warm day in the spring. quiet, beautiful, alone.

Riding also got me out of the depressive rut I was in. I used to take a lot of drugs, and when I started riding it helped me get through it all when trying to stop. I was in bad shape right my Jr. year of highschool, and entered the hospital one to many times.

So, in a sense, riding saved my life :).

rocking out to some his hero is gone or chilling to some explosions in the sky
oh my god, are we the same person?

(is listening to explosions right now, and going riding in a few, was just thinking about how I like both brutal hardcore and quiet, vaguely sad music).

nice.

oh my god, are we the same person?

(is listening to explosions right now, and going riding in a few, was just thinking about how I like both brutal hardcore and quiet, vaguely sad music).

nice.

i don't think so..
my taste in music is very eclectic, and especially when i ride. i'm either listening to very mellow, usually instrumental music, or something like his hero is gone, world burns to death, or other such bands.

Kilgore,

There is nothing in this world that gives me the same release of tension, escape from daily crap etc that riding does. It is one of the primary reasons that cycling is my chosen form of exercise. The sounds of the bike, the sounds of nature when I'm off road or the sounds of the country as I ride trough. Those are my music. Keep up the cycling - the best DRUG there is!!!

i don't think so..
my taste in music is very eclectic, and especially when i ride. i'm either listening to very mellow, usually instrumental music, or something like his hero is gone, world burns to death, or other such bands.

um, that sounds like exactly what i said. i don't see the contradiction...

Riding is good medicine and not only provides the physical release but also a community.

Keep riding and stay involved.

Good for you.

um, that sounds like exactly what i said. i don't see the contradiction...

ah, i didn't mean that we don't listen to the same music, i mean that as far as i'm aware you and i are not the same person, as similar as our musical tastes may be.

nvm

riding is certainly the best cure for my depression i have found. as long as i can build up the will to get out the door, i'm good. also, there may be no better feeling than tearing around philly on a cold night with your friends, being reckless.

p.s. if you'd like a link to download an advance of the new explosions album, pm me.

The major difference between cycling and many other forms of excercise is that of fun. Bikes are fun.

Overheard my boss say to her boss, "I don't know, I don't think Frankie cares about anything but riding that bike."

It was 19º, indigo blue and the sun just a line of fire on the horizon when I left the house this morning at 7:00. I'm still buzzing from my ride into work. The bike keeps me straight—that and a shot of flax oil in my oatmeal.

a shot of flax oil in my oatmeal.

You'd better believe it.

Overheard my boss say to her boss, "I don't know, I don't think Frankie cares about anything but riding that bike."



over time you get used to hearing that from co-workers, family, girlfriends, friends, neighbors, bartenders, and so on and so on

My day always begins and ends with a ride (I ride to work). Just the thought of the ride home paints a smile on my face.

The bike keeps me straight—that and a shot of flax oil in my oatmeal.


what's the flax oil do?

ah, i didn't mean that we don't listen to the same music, i mean that as far as i'm aware you and i are not the same person, as similar as our musical tastes may be.

nvm


Are you sure? Multiple personalities often go along with clinical depression.... when you're riding by yourself, do you usually go side by side, or in a pace line?

:p

OK, now that I'm done making fun of the mentally ill, I have to agree with you whole heartedly. Bike riding is the best. It keeps me physically fit, and does so much for me emotionally. The feeling I get from a good ride runs the gamut of positive emotional responses. Often it's a sense of inner calm, like queerpunk said. When I'm feeling conflicted, cycling helps me focus. When I need my ass kicked I can go out and kick my own ass on the bike. When I want to be entertained I can ride just for fun. Sometimes it even feels like falling in love.

what's the flax oil do?

It has omega-3 fatty acids in it.

Usually vegans and veggies eat it to get the fat, iron and other nutrients. The actual seed has tons of fiber.

My best days are always those that start with a long ride...I find myself happy and energized all day, long after the calm of the ride has been overshadowed by the million little things that make up the rest of the day, and I fall asleep plesantly tired.

what's the flax oil do?

flaxseed will make your poo like clockwork.

flaxseed will make your poo like clockwork.
The first time is always the best :p.

The physical and mental sensations I experience after climbing a viciously steep hill on my fixed gear, or doing a hard long sprint can only be compared to another physical activity I'm sure we all enjoy and don't get enough of. After the climax of both activities I close my eyes, inhale deeply through my nose into my abdomen, slowly let the air leak out of my mouth despite my pounding heart, and totally forget any problems I have in my life.

enlightenment can only be obtained through medititation if you are more disciplined that most of us. We need some kind of activity to help us empty our minds but the net effect is similar. I am a rock.

After the climax of both activities I close my eyes, inhale deeply through my nose into my abdomen...
Oh man, way too many punchline opportunities here: erase my viewing history and close the browser, give him a lollipop and wipe his chin, get dressed and sneak back out of the zoo, etc.

I love riding, it is super fun. It's about as close as I get to flying on a regular basis.

All my bicycles are open aired decompression chambers.


I love riding, it is super fun. It's about as close as I get to flying on a regular basis.

And if cycling has taught me one thing about flying.... when I go over the bars I land better than many airline pilots.

We had to do an in-class assignment for a writing class where we describe something we enjoy doing without actually saying what it is. For some reason this thread made me think of it...

Tires create barely a whisper across the soapstone smooth asphalt. A car slips past, not going much faster. Curious passengers turn to look back at the oddity. The car slides into the space in front of me. I raise my body off the seat in a forward crouch. Legs respond mechanically as they push harder. Pistons on pedals. Faster. The space between us is taken up in a blur of sidewalk and sewer grates.

The light turns red. Cars begin to slow. My legs lock. The machine tries to throw me, bucking and skipping, it resists my command. The rear wheel settles to a skid. Rubber scrapes against asphalt. The rear of the machine fishtails as friction slows us. Motorists stare.

I’m five years old again.

I have to ride almost a mile uphill to my work. The other day I was so into riding up that hill, I almost passed my work. lol

The light turns red. Cars begin to slow. My legs lock. The machine tries to throw me, bucking and skipping, it resists my command. The rear wheel settles to a skid. Rubber scrapes against asphalt. The rear of the machine fishtails as friction slows us. Motorists stare. I’m five years old again.
I like this!

Tires create barely a whisper across the soapstone smooth asphalt.

pass some of that soapstone smooth asphalt over here!

pass some of that soapstone smooth asphalt over here!

Literary license ;) "Riddled with potholes" is more accurate.

Literary license ;) "Riddled with potholes" is more accurate.
They only the the smooth parts so much more enjoyable. </glass half full>

I love when my chain is in the "sweet spot" between slack and tight and the only thing I can hear is the tires and my breathing. It's right up there with realizing, all of a sudden, that there is a bike under you and you aren't in bed and dreaming of flying.

I think riding fixed is better than sex.

I have been married a while.

Definitely. Whenever I'm bored, lonely, frustrated, depressed, or anything, I just pick up and ride. I live by the Hudson river path, and riding up to Inwood, Westchester, or wherever is great - you just forget everything. I haven't taken the fixie up that far, I should soon.

Riding along the boardwalk by the ocean is also perfect therapy, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm also stoked about getting more involved in the local community.

I gotta push myself to get into the real sweet spot where its just you and the road. Cruising allows too much room to dawdle in my thoughts. Sometimes I go out to punish/reward myself and the only speed I travel at is 'as fast as I can possibly go'. Anything else feels like I'm cheating myself.

i only rode my bike with headphones one once and it was a terrible idea because it scared the hell ou of me, but when I did I was definitely listening to Tragedy's Vengeance.

And I definitely think riding can have a huge effect on lifestyle and outlook. I know I am a 1,000x healthier and happier since dropping the car ad riding all the time.

—that and a shot of flax oil in my oatmeal.

Wow. I've seen some gung-ho cyclists here, but I only lube my chain.

I always thought they meant something else when they said flaxoil makes you go faster.

i cannot run for schit. so the only time i can move fast under my own propulsion is when i'm riding.

i love riding for the same reason people love running, going fast, feeling like you're getting somewhere, and best of all doing it under your own power.

My favorite part about riding fixed on the road is when you are really cruising at a relatively fast but not insane cadence (like 24-28 mph with ~76 gear inches) and you find the energy to maintain the same cadence up and over a hill. I'm not talking about a wicked steep hill mind you, that would require mashing. I talking about some basic rolling hills where you can keep your hands in the drops and apply torque throughout the entire pedal stroke up and over the hill without losing any speed...that makes me feel like an unstoppable locomotive. I never get that powerful feeling on my roadie..changing gears just destroys the whole feeling.

My other favorite fixed feeling is what I would call "prowling". Thats when you are riding (or weaving) in an obstacle enriched environment (e.g. slow moving traffic or on a busy parking lot, or with a crowd of bikers, for example) and you more or less can invisibly modulate your speed without touching the brake. Its so smooth and quite and requires such focus that it reminds me of a cat stalking prey, hence the term prowling.

i ride to get to places and i ride to get away from places, its perfect

My other favorite fixed feeling is what I would call "prowling".

Perv!

i ride to get to places and i ride to get away from places, its perfect

Don't know why, but your post caused me to conjure up the image of a masked cyclist cat burglar.

Riding along the boardwalk by the ocean is also perfect therapy, as far as I'm concerned.

have you ridden to coney island yet? it's great, I did about two months ago on a chillly beautiful fall afternoon by myself. when i was in southwest brooklyn (below red hook a ways), i looked back towards manhattan and was astonished at how far i'd come under my own power. fantastic feeling



Don't know why, but your post caused me to conjure up the image of a masked cyclist cat burglar

haha, that's almost me when I put my bandana over my face when it's cold, and i wear mostly black, soo...

It has omega-3 fatty acids in it.

Usually vegans and veggies eat it to get the fat, iron and other nutrients. The actual seed has tons of fiber.

I need to get ahold of some of that

I need to get ahold of some of that

Or substitute with concentrated fish oil pills...its not as bad as it sounds.

My day always begins and ends with a ride (I ride to work). Just the thought of the ride home paints a smile on my face.

+1

Or substitute with concentrated fish oil pills...its not as bad as it sounds.

But then it isn't veggie :(.

I just simply enjoy sneeking up on geared riders without them even knowing until I pass them.

I love flyin around on any one of my bikes, my fix especially. I started riding when my parents split and it was the perfect way to get away from everything and enjoy myself. Damn, I'm gonna go for a ride right now.

have you ridden to coney island yet? it's great, I did about two months ago on a chillly beautiful fall afternoon by myself. when i was in southwest brooklyn (below red hook a ways), i looked back towards manhattan and was astonished at how far i'd come under my own power. fantastic feeling

A great ride from Coney is taking Neptune Ave east through Sheepshead Bay and to Floyd Bennet Field. It's so cool out there, but kind of a hike from Manhattan.