"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Do you hate fixies? Why?

It has come to my attention that there are haters on this forum. Sad, shocking, but I'm afraid it's true.

We know that haters are all the same. But these folks claim to hate, oddly enough, fixies.

So I ask you, haters, why?

I love fixies, but shouldn't the question really be...why the hell is this on the racing forum.

Because this is where the haters have exposed themselves.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=425340&page=2

i hate fixed gears, just hate them.

i hate the fact that a fixed gear bike got me into this sport, 18 years ago.

hate it so much, that i bought another one last year.

but i'll tell you what i really hate... it's that asinine term, coined by a bunch of wannabe hipsters: fixie.

only idiots use that term.

just sayin'

Because this is where the haters have exposed themselves.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=425340&page=2

You need to develop a sense of humor.

it's a fixed gear bike. it's a track bike. it's your track iron. fixie? that's a good term to describe a eunuch.

Fixies are for skinny kids in jeans that are too tight, who wear makeup, listen to bad music, and produce polls like this.

Fixed gear bicycles are for skinny and sometimes large muscular men who enjoy hurting each other.

I like gearies better than fixies

How dare you! I have not exposed myself today...

I like gearies better than fixies

That is the funniest... lol....

I like fixed gears.

I hate hipsters who ride with no brakes and no helmet.

I like fixed gears.

I hate hipsters who ride with no brakes and no helmet.

there.

i like coasties

I like track bikes.

I hate fixies.

I like track bikes...ON THE TRACK.
I like road bikes...ON THE ROAD.
I like mountain bikes...ON THE MOUNTAIN.

You see where I'm going with this?

Down with hipsters/emokids/scenekids/et. al.

[QUOTE=Snuffleupagus;6819338]I like track bikes...ON THE TRACK.
I like road bikes...ON THE ROAD.
I like mountain bikes...ON THE MOUNTAIN.

You see where I'm going with this?

Down with hipsters/emokids/scenekids/et. al.[/QUOTE

I'm 46 and not exactly hip, but I do commute on a fixed gear bike.

I call my single speed, fixed hub bicycle a "fixie." [But I do so ironically.]

I'm 46 and not exactly hip, but I do commute on a fixed gear bike.

Tell us something we don't already know.

I like them.

Its the hipsters that I'm not into.

I pass by this one coffee shop in Providence every so often - and out front, zooming around on their store-bought, shiny fixed gear bikes, hipster glasses, too-tight knickers and "witty" t-shirts.

Weak sauce.

I'm 46 and not exactly hip, but I do commute on a fixed gear bike.

¿por qué?

I like them.

Its the hipsters that I'm not into.

I pass by this one coffee shop in Providence every so often - and out front, zooming around on their store-bought, shiny fixed gear bikes, hipster glasses, too-tight knickers and "witty" t-shirts.

Weak sauce.

RISD students. only explanation.

I hated the guy an hour ago on the Mercier in the Kroger parking lot. Messenger bag, No hands, talking on the cell phone.

I hated the guy on the Mercier in the Kroger parking lot. Messenger bag, No hands, talking on the cell phone.

you should have let me know you were in Memphis, when I was there.

I was editing while you were typing.

This just in: don't commute through grocery store parking lots.

¿por qué?


Meaning, I ride a fixed gear on the road, to commute. I agree the "lifestyle'' guys are annoying, but hey they laugh at us in our spandex and alien helmets et al. The OP doesn't mention all the "hate'' for roadies on the FG/SS forum. Bottom line is that everyone has someone to hate on.

I don't mind fixed-gear bikes, but I hate those that ride them with no helmet, no protection, and no care for anyone else around.

Bike messengers are cool though.

i like that they are lighter, simpler, less cluttered in looks. But they're sure not as versatile as a geared bike.

i like that they are lighter, simpler, less cluttered in looks. But they're sure not as versatile as a geared bike.

incorrect.

Just glad that people are on a bike. :rolleyes: :hug:

Just glad that people are on a bike. :rolleyes: :hug:

don't care.

spoke cards. dumb.

Meaning, I ride a fixed gear on the road, to commute. I agree the "lifestyle'' guys are annoying, but hey they laugh at us in our spandex and alien helmets et al. The OP doesn't mention all the "hate'' for roadies on the FG/SS forum. Bottom line is that everyone has someone to hate on.

sooooo much hate out there. can't we all just get along?

group hug?

:love::hug:

Chopped mtb riser bars on track bikes. Dumb.

Why get a super agressive track geometry bike if you're then going to sit bolt upright with your arms straight?

yes. Here's how: no more fg vs roadie polls.:)

Chopped mtb riser bars on track bikes. Dumb.

Why get a super agressive track geometry bike if you're then going to sit bolt upright with your arms straight?


Also, impossibly deep track drops, which are then taped on the top and held immediately adjacent to the stem.

i have absolutely no response to terminology regarding the bike. fixed gear, fixie, track bike, etc. means nothing to me so long as you aren't calling your conversion a track bike. (botto has a sweet fixie :p).

i could make anti fixed gear comments here such as riding a bike with one gear is like golfing with only a 6 iron, but i digress.

obviously, fixed gear bicycles have been around for a while, and i think prior to the whole "hipster, trend, trispoke riding, watch the kid from pete and pete ride his fixie around brooklyn in a music video," -thing, most people here would react rather positively to fixed gears. in the beginning of this trend (my guess would be about 5 or 6 years ago) i think fixed gears were a pretty positive element to cycling. even up to a few years ago, there seemed to be more enthusiasm for just getting out and riding a different style of bike or getting your first bike instead of the current: bianchi pista, black jeans, aerospoke, and top tube protector status symbol b.s. yes, even i, with intentions of eventually getting to a track, and with a decent enough discount, got a track bike. i think they are really fun to ride, and a great way to make riding "fresh again."

that said, if anyone here went to interbike, you could not help but notice the presence of fixed gear products compared to a few years ago. crap, even compared to last year, i bet the products pushed by major companies jumped by 100%. this demand increases the amount of business that bike companies do, which will likely benefit us roadies in some sense. it is kind of a double edged sword in this sense. bikes that used to sell for 50 bucks on craigslist are now going for 500 because of the demand for conversion seekers. is the fixie love making cycling more prohibitive to newcomers looking to get a cheap used road bike? regretfully, i think so. this would be my primary, and perhaps only, reason for disliking the fixed gear trend.

as far as the image thing goes, i try not to sweat it too much. after seeing some stupid crap being done on fixed gears, i will admit that i even considered getting rid of mine rather than risk being confused with the trend. fortunately, i came to my senses. the fact is, a lot of these kids will go away in a few years, or will (hopefully) realize how dumb a lot of the stuff is that they are doing; such as riding zipp 404's while doing tricks in a swimming pool. i don't think it is worth it to dismiss a type of riding that (i promise is really fun) because people that you think are obnoxious are doing it, otherwise you are just as much a slave to the trends as they are.

i hereby proclaim: be proud fixed gear owners who ride with regard to the safety of you and those around you.

i have absolutely no response to terminology regarding the bike. fixed gear, fixie, track bike, etc. means nothing to me so long as you aren't calling your conversion a track bike. (botto has a sweet fixie :p).

i could make anti fixed gear comments here such as riding a bike with one gear is like golfing with only a 6 iron, but i digress.

obviously, fixed gear bicycles have been around for a while, and i think prior to the whole "hipster, trend, trispoke riding, watch the kid from pete and pete ride his fixie around brooklyn in a music video," -thing, most people here would react rather positively to fixed gears. in the beginning of this trend (my guess would be about 5 or 6 years ago) i think fixed gears were a pretty positive element to cycling. even up to a few years ago, there seemed to be more enthusiasm for just getting out and riding a different style of bike or getting your first bike instead of the current: bianchi pista, black jeans, aerospoke, and top tube protector status symbol b.s. yes, even i, with intentions of eventually getting to a track, and with a decent enough discount, got a track bike. i think they are really fun to ride, and a great way to make riding "fresh again."

that said, if anyone here went to interbike, you could not help but notice the presence of fixed gear products compared to a few years ago. crap, even compared to last year, i bet the products pushed by major companies jumped by 100%. this demand increases the amount of business that bike companies do, which will likely benefit us roadies in some sense. it is kind of a double edged sword in this sense. bikes that used to sell for 50 bucks on craigslist are now going for 500 because of the demand for conversion seekers. is the fixie love making cycling more prohibitive to newcomers looking to get a cheap used road bike? regretfully, i think so. this would be my primary, and perhaps only, reason for disliking the fixed gear trend.

as far as the image thing goes, i try not to sweat it too much. after seeing some stupid crap being done on fixed gears, i will admit that i even considered getting rid of mine rather than risk being confused with the trend. fortunately, i came to my senses. the fact is, a lot of these kids will go away in a few years, or will (hopefully) realize how dumb a lot of the stuff is that they are doing; such as riding zipp 404's while doing tricks in a swimming pool. i don't think it is worth it to dismiss a type of riding that (i promise is really fun) because people that you think are obnoxious are doing it, otherwise you are just as much a slave to the trends as they are.

i hereby proclaim: be proud fixed gear owners who ride with regard to the safety of you and those around you.


Ever considered getting rid of you geared bike as not to be confused with "Wannabe Lance" trend? Roadies are no less guilty of looking trendy/silly than the FG/SS crowd. I'm sure the guy riding by the coffee shop full of roadies with wearing their club kit on his FG is thinking "what a bunch of trendy Lance Wannabe's". It works both ways, there is bike snobery/elitism on both sides.

See, this is why I commute in full kit on my fixed gear bike. Now everybody can hate me.

Ever considered getting rid of you geared bike as not to be confused with "Wannabe Lance" trend? Roadies are no less guilty of looking trendy/silly than the FG/SS crowd. I'm sure the guy riding by the coffee shop full of roadies with wearing their club kit on his FG is thinking "what a bunch of trendy Lance Wannabe's". It works both ways, there is bike snobery/elitism on both sides.

read next sentence? :o

i am aware of the elitism on both sides. i guess i was trying to mitigate it by my post.

?

See, this is why I commute in full kit on my fixed gear bike. Now everybody can hate me.


that also entitles you to hate on everyone else:)

that also entitles you to hate on everyone else:)

I think what I need to get is a fixed gear recumbent. Then my smugness will be beyond calculation.

it's a fixed gear bike. it's a track bike. it's your track iron. fixie? that's a good term to describe a eunuch.

:roflmao2:10 bucks says this will be the most quoted post and the post most added to sigs this month. That said, I looove FIXED GEAR HUMAN POWERED TWO WHEEL VEHICULAR DEVICES

I once asked a hipster "why ride a fixed gear without brakes on public roads" he replied... "It's like The Art of War and Zen all at once, it's hard to explain."

that also entitles you to hate on everyone else:)

If that's true I'm in my full kit on my commute every time now!!!

I have a fixie that is decidedly un-hip. So there.

I once asked a hipster "why ride a fixed gear without brakes on public roads" he replied... "It's like The Art of War and Zen all at once, it's hard to explain."

you must have caught him right after a wicked bong hit.

:roflmao2:10 bucks says this will be the most quoted post and the post most added to sigs this month. That said, I looove FIXED GEAR HUMAN POWERED TWO WHEEL VEHICULAR DEVICES

You are on.

I once asked a hipster "why ride a fixed gear without brakes on public roads" he replied... "It's like The Art of War and Zen all at once, it's hard to explain."

My grandmother used to tell me that if you can't explain something, you don't understand it.

Az

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2008/05/from-bsnyc-culture-desk-nerds-and-bikes.html

A track bike was the first bike I really ever owned besides kids bikes. This was way back in the day, there weren't too many on the street except for the messers and the few road racers in winter training. It didn't have brakes because there were no brake holes, I wore street cloths because that's all I had and I never wore a helmet so there :p. I don't care what people call them these days and I don't care what they look like when they ride them. I'd much rather see a stereotypical hipster riding a fixed then a suburban or a navigator any day.