Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Why they always gotta hate on my fix?

I had a funny interaction on my bike today. I bought a new gatorskin today (yeah baby) and went out as soon as I got it to 110 psi. Anyhow, I ran out of water about halfway through my route, so I stopped at a library to fill up the bottle. as I was unlocking my whip on the way out, a little girl and her mom walked up. The girl said "What is that man doing mommy?" or something to that effect, and her mom said "Yes honey, the man is unlocking his bike." Then she turned to me and said "Not that anyone would steal a singlespeed, anyway." I was like "It's a fixed-gear lady", to which she responded "Oh, even worse." It was good for a couple chuckles as I skidded across the library lawn.

Does anyone else get guff from random bystanders on account of their SS/fixed gear?

I'm just shocked that some soccer milf payed enough attention to notice it only had one gear!!! :eek:

meh, she wasn't all that milfy

Any woman that knows the difference between SS & FG must be HOT! (or really Butchy:eek: )
:D

I think there is a large percentage of the population who associate the number of gears on a bike with it's value.

anyone that notices my bike is a fixed gear tend to be pretty cool to me about it... most people just know that it is a bike...

I think there is a large percentage of the population who associate the number of gears on a bike with it's value.
xelevendybillion

I think there is a large percentage of the population who associate the number of gears on a bike with it's value.

Well, a geared bike would cost more than a ss/fg of comparable quality.

But you are right, many folks see all geared bikes as better than all ss bikes.

Any woman that knows the difference between SS & FG must be HOT! (or really Butchy:eek: )
:D
:lol:

OP - Yer a vile vile person for riding one of those "fixed" gear monstrocities. :p

Evidently, your bicycle is horrendous.

Well, a geared bike would cost more than a ss/fg of comparable quality.

But you are right, many folks see all geared bikes as better than all ss bikes.

They're probably making some kind of association to cruiser bikes rather than track bikes. Lots of people remember riding cruisers, fewer have rode track.

sounds pretty rude.

what did the tire have to do with it? Your story confused me

Wait, your bike only has one gear? What the hell, man!

Any woman that knows the difference between SS & FG must be HOT! (or really Butchy:eek: )
:DMy mother is neither, but she is pretty for her age.


anyone that notices my bike is a fixed gear tend to be pretty cool to me about it... most people just know that it is a bike...

I was talking with my 69 year old mother the other day, telling her about the new addition to my quiver(the Group Buy IRO). I showed her a few photos from the website, and she says "oh, you're building what we used to call a fixie".

:eek: My jaw dropped. She explained that all the bikes she had while growing up were fixed gear bikes.

She's been talking about riding her bike more when the heat mellows some. Maybe I'll get her a new fixie for her next birthday. She seemed very excited when I told her about the idea

I was unlocking my bike outside a bar last night and some random dude comes up to me and asks, "Hey, is that a singlespeed?" I reply that, no, it's fixed. "That's too bad," he says to me. Que le ****?

I was on the train once and a deaf guy motioned to me that my bike was thumbs up. He then motioned, inquisitively, if it was fast. I tried to explain without words that it was fixed gear and was really only as fast as I was able to get it; kind of complex...

He spun his hands around in a fast circle and I laughed and nodded. I also had a guy at a train station try to buy my bike off me, straight up, for $500.00. I was like, "sorry buddy, I love this bike". He gave me his phone number and told me to call him if I ever changed my mind. My point is, most of my experiences with those not in the know have been positive ones.

But I do know people who are like, "Dude! I got a new bike today! It's got 27 speeds! That's fast!"

This is why I use a bike with quadruple chainrings up front and 30 gears on the back for trips to the library or the bar.

But seriously, the whole "wow, you only have one gear" thing is somewhat common from people who see a serious roadie and look down to inspect the bike and see only one gear. I've gotten everything from "hey, it's just like the old bikes" to "how do you get up hills", but hey, it's always cool to be able to picque the public's interest in these machines and educate them a little.

Viva la singlespeed revolution!

I was talking with my 69 year old mother the other day, telling her about the new addition to my quiver(the Group Buy IRO). I showed her a few photos from the website, and she says "oh, you're building what we used to call a fixie".

:eek: My jaw dropped. She explained that all the bikes she had while growing up were fixed gear bikes.

She's been talking about riding her bike more when the heat mellows some. Maybe I'll get her a new fixie for her next birthday. She seemed very excited when I told her about the idea

you should totally do an alleycat with her.. I bet she'd kick your a$$ :D

you got pwned.

Gears != Expensive.

hey surferbruce.. I surf at this place called castle bruce.. heh

Get it a lot. 'WTF don't you want gears for?'.....everything....

And I also get 'how many gears does your good (road) bike have?' ...'20'.....'well my mtb has 21'....'**** off'

I call shenanigans on this story.

I get a lot of **** from middle aged cycling folks for how dangerous fixed gears are. "Oh you're bike is a fixed gear! Don't kill yourself on that thing!"

I had my frist fixie holla the other day. Keep in mind this is Auburn, Alabama very small, no one knows what a fixed gear is. I was riding down one of the main roads and this car slows down as he's passing me and a guy yells out the window "HEEEEYY FIXIE!!" I gave him a thumbs up. It definatly made my day. Unforuntatly he had an Atlanta tag on his car.

A few weeks ago, a guy came up to me and goes 'You're bike is awesome! It only has one gear and one break, what does that mean?" I pretty much almost proposed. Around here its impossible to find anyone who knows about bikes and improbable to find anyone remotely interested in learning about them. sigh.

I live in a small town in Central Pa where no one else seems to ride fixed. So, I almost never get any comments positive or negative.

But one day as I was unlocking my fixed old Bridgestone MB-1, a guy walks by and said, "Grant Peterson would approve of what you did to that bike." I was so stunned that I only muttered a thanks in return.

I had my frist fixie holla the other day. Keep in mind this is Auburn, Alabama very small, no one knows what a fixed gear is. I was riding down one of the main roads and this car slows down as he's passing me and a guy yells out the window "HEEEEYY FIXIE!!" I gave him a thumbs up. It definatly made my day. Unforuntatly he had an Atlanta tag on his car.


bet he said pixie

or lance

you shoulda smacked the gearie biatch!

I call shenanigans on this story.
Likewise.

when i bring my bike down to my moms in wilmington delaware. not one of my friends can understand why i ride it....

in South Philly, where fixed gear bikes are anything but rare:

"Is dat some kinda fancy racin' bike?"
"No...Not really."
"I thought it musta been wit dem wheels and all..."
(dirty white Deep Vs on a chipped to hell Raleigh conversion)

and

While locking up outside of Acme
"Wow how many gears does dat bike have?"
"Just one." (i know it has two gears, one 'speed' but whatever)
"Yeah I'm gettin' a bike wit 21 gears.." etc
this went on for too long for me to remember it all.

sounds pretty rude.

No kidding. I bet somebody worked pretty hard on that library lawn.

A few weeks ago I was unlocking outside the supermarket, and a guy and his little daughter come walking out of the office supply store next door and the guy says to his daughter (while looking at me and the bike): "He has a niiiice fixie!"

Basically the exact opposite of the OP's story. Balance. Yin and yang, or something.

I call shenanigans on this story.
hold on, lemme get my broom.

a few years ago i went to this party at my brother's old house. there was this totally and utterly obliterated kid there who had apparently seen me locking up my bike outside. while i was sitting around talking to a friend, he comes up to me and goes (with an epic slur), "hey man, i totally just bought this 18 speed road bike the other day from baer wheels -- your bike only has one gear, so mine is 18 times better than yours!" about 5 minutes after that, he stumbled upstairs and puked his brains out.

it was the best **** ever.

This thread showcases that some people never ever forget the most petty slight. It's like an eternal lawn jart in their mind. If this doesn't demonstrate just how well we have it here in the good ole usa, then nothing does.

thats a load of bs
:p

God bless America;
A stranger showed disrespect towards my bicycle;
Yeah, me too-woo;
I'll never forget it;
When a drunk I think said something or something somewhere I was.

(thank you. sounds of applause and cheering)

God bless America;
A stranger showed disrespect towards my bicycle;
Yeah, me too-woo;
I'll never forget it;
When a drunk I think said something or something somewhere I was.

(thank you. sounds of applause and cheering)

I don't know that I can speak for everyone in this thread, but I can certainly say that such things don't get under my skin so much as amuse me. Anecdotes that showcase ignorance or other blunders are always going to be the things that people remember.

When I started commuting on my Roadie my boss asked me if it was a 10 speed or a 14 speed. I then realized I didn't even know... or care. It was a gift YEARS ago, has served me well, but with friction shifters, I simply know up and down, and big ring little ring... never bothered to count them in the last 10 years. Bianchi with campy was good enough for me.

Just waiting for someone to see the fixed bike and see what they say. :D

The phrase 'showcase ignorance' says volumes more about the speaker than the intended target(s).

...he comes up to me and goes (with an epic slur), "hey man, i totally just bought this 18 speed road bike the other day from baer wheels -- your bike only has one gear, so mine is 18 times better than yours!"

i was going to make a joke about adding gears making a bike exponentially better, like 21 speed being 1^21 times better than a fixed, but then i realized that 1 to any power is still 1.

try that logic on the next drunk you run into.

'how many gears does your good (road) bike have?' ...'20'.....'well my mtb has 21'....'**** off'

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

That's amazing.

Sorry to ask on this forum, but what groupset do you have on that bike? Supposedly Tiagra is now moving to 10 speed in 08.

The phrase 'showcase ignorance' says volumes more about the speaker than the intended target(s).

cute.

This thread showcases that some people never ever forget the most petty slight. It's like an eternal lawn jart in their mind. If this doesn't demonstrate just how well we have it here in the good ole usa, then nothing does.

What are you talking about? I remember everything that's ever happened to me.

this post explains it, I guess.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=4829187&postcount=15

So you made up some fake story and posted it on bikeforums.net..

cool!

People be hatin' cuz u present urself like a thug. I call BS as well.

I call shenanigans on this story.

Yep. Troll city.

Az

That lady is a poseur soccer mom. :D She rides a fixie when no one's lookin'.