Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Do you view your fixed gear differently than a road bike?

I see my fixed gear as just another type of road bike to ride. I ride mountain, cross, road, and I commute on a bike.

I mostly view my fixed gear as a fixed gear road bike. I take it out on road rides just like I take out my geared road bike. That said, I also love to ride it around town. This is not something I would do with my road bike, even though I have a similar setup in terms of reach and saddle to bar drop.

What do you think?

For me each bike, I have several, is unique. My Fixed Gear is my work bike. I often have to work to get it up a hill, or a pass and coming down is often work too. I live in the mountains and just plain love to ride. My FG is wonderful for conditioning. On the valley floor it's pure, quiet joy.

I dont view road bikes any different, I like the road bike that I had before, but I am definitly liking my new fixed better. Its exciting, and Im getting vigorous workouts from it. Im severly out of shape, I think I can only do 4 push ups (wah!), and riding fixed is really kicking my ass, but no pain no gain, thats what I like more about it.
I also like the customization of having a fixed gear. Whatever. I dig gold rims.

Not really, only when I want more speed and cant do it because I only have one gear, but thats why I have a geared bike. :thumb:

i ride my fixed bike on the road but i feel like i am limited as to where i can ride because of hills...looking to fix up another bike as the geared road bike for the bigger adventures
riding the fixed bike on my commutes and around town is wonderful

My fixed is like a pair of shoes. It can be compared to walking places around town.... just very, very fast. I try not to take it on excessively long rides when I've got a geared road bike that's better for that.

I'm the same as OP. Although my fixed gear is becoming my gateway drug to cycling, I view it as just a stripped down, and light road bike. I may be a semi- hispter f**k, but I'm really getting into it. I'm joining the school cycling team, just got a computer today, started weight training, and am going to buy a schwinn paramount 5 series from someone for cheap and a beginner road bike.

my track bikes are my urban bikes, though when I go to the beach I take a track bike to ride - don't miss gears down there.

At first I found it at as a cheap way to get into cycling but then I quickly realized that the money I already spent could have gone for a kick butt carbon road bike already.

fixed = short distance/within city
road = long distance

Otherwise they are pretty much the same.

Although my fixed gear is becoming my gateway drug to cycling, I view it as just a stripped down, and light road bike.

This for me too, my fixed gear IS a road bike. It's also my only proper bike.

I was attracted to fixed gear because of the simplicity of it, and I still like that about it although I am now lusting for a normal road bike so I won't be at a gearing disadvantage when I start riding with the roadies in my school's cycling club this spring. I don't want to get a cheap one right away though, I figure I'll just wait a few years until I can afford something high quality and use the fixed gear to build up a solid engine until then.

I think, though, that my ideal bike would have the gear options of a normal road bike but still with the fixed drivetrain, which I like a lot more than a freewheel/freehub. With that in mind, I'm finding myself increasingly tempted to go for the S3X whenever that finally drops and change my gearing to something like 53:13 to give me competitive top speed with a couple lower gears to accelerate in. I really don't think I need many more gearing options than that. And even better, no @&!%ing annoying derailleurs!

Best of both worlds, anyone?

fixed = short distance/within city
road = long distance

otherwise they are pretty much the same.

+1

it's different, that's for sure.

it's not as capable, it's less everything, and it's a little quicker while being a whole lot slower. other than that, no... it's a lot like a road bike- same tires, same general seat position, same lightweight, lateral stiffness build, though maybe a little more vertically stiff.

since i'm looking to start racing this summer, I always know my bike as my track bike not my "fixie" or beater. I only ride it when it's nice, otherwise i ride the road bike. I also don't strain myself going up hilly areas or on very long rides with my track bike. I prefer to ride my 16 lb track bike over my 20 lb road bike though.

My FG bike is my road bike.

Nope, I think of my fixed gear/single speed conversion as a road bike which is missing the shifters. Good riddance! I've yet to find a set of drop bars/brifters as comfortable as a nice set of bullhorns!

I'm starting to prefer road bikes with gears and brakes/hoods, personally.

Might sound weird, or dumb, but I feel like a can't even really ride a non-fixed gear bike anymore. I mean, I can, but I just feel really awkward on one like I don't know what I'm doing. I feel like I'm just sorta floating on it.

i ride both. riding fixed has made me never coast on my road bike. some of the guys i commute to work with comment on it regularly. im at 120rpm and they are like 'dude, relax'

My IRO is a commuter and workbike - very, very different from a road bike. I've had it set up as a fg road bike, but riding it like that is unrealistic considering the size and content of what I carry for work, so closer flat bars are what I need. I also have clips and straps, having finally come around to laid back riding and placing a priority on walkability in my shoes (I've worked all day in clipless shoes and do not like it). If my life were different - different job, different city - this bike would be kind of obsolete. I'm probably going to swap it for a cross bike that can do more double duty - geared, fixed, knobbies, etc. Year round commuting, autumn racing.

My Felt is a track bike. It's for racing and fixed training. I do plenty of 30+ mile rides on it, but most of my training is on my road bike, since, well, I'm training for the ongoing road season.

I consider fixed-gear bikes that have 700c wheels and fall into the spectrum of road geometry (touring/sport/race) to be road bikes.

Fixed-gear bikes with track geometry are not road bikes, but track bikes.

Fixed-gear conversions of MTB frames and hybrid frames are not road bikes either.


bf

i feel like i'm cheating on a road bike when i can go down a hill without pedaling.

I just like riding bikes, Whether it's my road bike, track bike or my dad's old Specialized Hardrock it is all fun.

i feel like i'm cheating on a road bike when i can go down a hill without pedaling.

I feel like I'm flying.

That's usually around 48mph.

fixed gear = fun!

fixed gear = fun!

this is a common misconception.

I consider fixed-gear bikes that have 700c wheels and fall into the spectrum of road geometry (touring/sport/race) to be road bikes.

Fixed-gear bikes with track geometry are not road bikes, but track bikes.

Fixed-gear conversions of MTB frames and hybrid frames are not road bikes either.


bf

I think you may have missed the point of my question. I wasn't looking for some technical definition. What I was looking to discuss is the mentality about which you think about your fixed gear and a road bike.

mentality?

I think you may have missed the point of my question. I wasn't looking for some technical definition. What I was looking to discuss is the mentality about which you think about your fixed gear and a road bike.

A fixed gear is a drivetrain, not a bike. How about this mentality? I own a fixed gear drivetrain, it happens to be attached to a bike which was and is a road bike.

It's my only useable bike, but someday soon I'd really like to own a 2x5+ speed drivetrain attached to another road bike, a single-speed freewheeling drivetrain attached to a light mountain bike and a Sturmey Archer AW integrated with a cheap but reliable town bike.

I'd particularly like a randonneurish touring bike with a fixed-free drivetrain and an alternate custom three-speed cassette mated to a triple crank in order to make loaded touring easier over challenging terrain and weather without losing the advantages of a single speed.

cant rock a reload on a road bike...

not hip

A fixed gear is a drivetrain, not a bike. How about this mentality? I own a fixed gear drivetrain, it happens to be attached to a bike which was and is a road bike.

I'm asking if you think about it as a different kind of bike compared to a fully geared road bike. This question mostly applies to people with both a (geared) road bike and a fixed gear (road bike).

I used to think about it like this:
My fixed gear is for casual riding and is used for purposes that do not include "road rides". I jerk around town with friends and don't go very far (maybe 15 miles, tops). Sometimes I'll work up a sweat in my jeans. My geared road bike is for "road rides" featuring lycra.

Here's how I think about it now:
My fixed gear is a road bike with only one gear and coasting is not an option. It is still a road bike, and I can do serious road rides on it, wearing lycra. It is great training for climbing and improving cadence. I can do 60 miles on my fixed gear (just did this yesterday) if I want to. But, it is still a different kind of riding experience and is a different kind of fun than my geared road bike.

mentality?

...as in "thinking"

I feel like I'm flying.

That's usually around 48mph.

man i need a new roadbike. i always feel like i hit terminal velocity way lower than that

^ you need to pedal

I view my fixed gear as my bike, and I like to keep it as simple as that. Basically, if I need a bike, it's what I use. I use it for running errands as well as longer recreational rides and hope to eventually build up to centuries on it.

Granted a road bike would work better for some stuff, but it's not in my budget and my current bike fills my need for a good, dependable bike that always works.

I have quite a few road bikes... two are deraileur geared while the rest run 1-2 speeds and are either fixed drives or single speed.

I even see my fixed folder as a road bike as although it usually sees urban adventures, it could take me 100 miles just as easily as the rest.

I guess a lot of this depends on your personal definition of what a road bike is... to me it is a bike that gets ridden on the road be it a full on race bike, sport bike, or touring bike.

The deraileur equipped bikes might be a little faster depending on the conditions.