Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - theres more than just fixed gears?

so i just back from San Louise Obispo, which is a great spot with a lot of cool lbs's if you ever have the chance to ride around there. Everyone there is so chill and laid back and there bike culture is so diverse it was nice being able to ride around town and not have every mutha****a in tight pants eyeballing me/bike/parts.

anyway i basically never ride anything besides fixed and when i went down there i stayed with my best friend since birth and since S.L.O. is full of crazy mountains he set me up with his downhill rig and called a few of his buddies to take me out on some trails. long story short i taco the front wheel of his brand new 600 dollar wheelset that he hasnt even had a chance to ride (he had a cast on, just got it off this morning). it was crazy riding something with a wheelbase that was similar to mine but had 8.5 inches of travel to play with.

all in all it gave me a new appreciation for bikes and makes me want to get out of the fixed gear rut and really try to sample every kind of riding there is out there, starting when i can move my hips and these chunks missing from my palms heal up.

does anyone out there ever think that there fixed gear life may be getting stale?
try something new!:thumb:

I would try something new if I had the money for a third bike.

Hahaha why not just be a fan of cycling in general? I love cruisers, my fixed gear, having a undeniable attracting to touring bikes with lots of panniers/bags for mid-long distance travel, etc.

Ride with gloves next time.

Took a chunk out of my palms recently too, it took 3 weeks to heal up decently. I was going stir crazy, so good luck!

i do love to ride my fixed but to get on the trails with the mountain bike is super refreshing on the weekends and such. just wish i could afford a super nice one.

I do fixed and road riding mainly, but I have had an itch to get off the pavement recently. It could be fun to try mountain biking, I have done it before in Colorado but never aro und here in Austin. I think BMX could be cool I just don't know if I'm willing to risk getting REALLY hurt trying to learn tricks.

walnut creek is pretty fun mountain/trail riding

Every bike I ride makes me feel like I'm ten years old. ANY BIKE ANY KIND EVERYWHERE EVERY TIME.

mountain bikes are really fun

Nothing beats some trails and makeshift cyclocross stuff. Can't wait till I build a fixed mountain bike.

Ride with gloves next time.

apparently i had some in the car. a really regret not grabbing em.


i do love to ride my fixed but to get on the trails with the mountain bike is super refreshing on the weekends and such. just wish i could afford a super nice one.

yeah, mee too. i was riding a Norco VPS. it was like a 2000 dollar bike when it came out. he bought it 2 years ago or so for around 600 if i remember correctly.


I do fixed and road riding mainly, but I have had an itch to get off the pavement recently. It could be fun to try mountain biking, I have done it before in Colorado but never aro und here in Austin. I think BMX could be cool I just don't know if I'm willing to risk getting REALLY hurt trying to learn tricks.

you gotta risk a little to get a little.

i've been having a mean itch to get a 29er but thats going to have to wait. it probably feels amazing to know you can run over everything. ill stick with the fixed and bmx for now.

found a picture of my best friend on the bike/gear i was riding. thank goodness he made me wear elbo shin knee and back protection or a would have been in way worse condition.http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/57/l_493682fdb6fa87d2365a4a462931813e.jpg

I like all kinds of bikes... except really stupid ones.

I love my fg, but I've been thinking of picking up a Gary Fisher Simple City for cruising around town and long slow rides on the rails2trails projects around here.

As for mountain biking, it's fun, but I never got out to the trail much so I sold my MB. It's a lot of money to have tied up in a bike I rarely ride. Plus at my age and with no health insurance, I don't need any rock or tree crashes.

Every bike I ride makes me feel like I'm ten years old. ANY BIKE ANY KIND EVERYWHERE EVERY TIME.

I agree except for recumbents. Riding a recumbent makes me feel like I'm 60 years old. And tricycles which make me feel about 4 1/2.


bf

cyclocross for the win...

I have a hardtail in the works, as well.

Bikes rule! All of 'em!

Now I've just gotta get my hands on a tri bike, a cruiser BMX, a rigid singlespeed niner...

Once you discover how awesome different bikes are you never have enough.

There's a lot of awesome bikes sitting in the trash if you have a little time and some spare parts. I just picked up a Schwinn with a 3-speed Sturmey-Archer hub and fixed it up with some parts from an old Vista Sophisticate I also pulled from the trash. It rides great now, it's going to be a chick magnet on the boardwalk this summer.

Hey, some of us like a little of everything- I own a couple fixed-gears (urban simplicity and speed), a couple touring bikes (for carrying stuff across the country or just home from the store), a couple mountain bikes (for getting hurt on) and a road/cyclocross bike. I don't care what I'm riding, as long as I'm going somewhere fast :]

My dad opened me up to riding single-tracks and I've loved it. Since then, I've been doing more and more intense mountain rides. Also, moving through tons of snow and slush with ease on my mountain bike was tons of fun. Probably because I've always felt hindered by the snow in a road bike/fixed gear.

I used to ride an old Myata seven ten, and I get to ride it every time I'm at my parents' house. It's a fun bike. My latest fix is cyclocross and long distance riding.

yeah, I'm thinking of getting a bent, psyche!

gotta love 4,000 foot skidzies on coaster-brake beach cruisers

gah i miss summer

DH mountain biking is where its at. XC is fun too but going down is the best. Someone in an earlier post said they were going to build a fixed gear mountain bike, just so you know that's a terrible idea and if I ever saw someone with a fixed mountain bike on the trails I would have to really fight back the urge to slap some sense into them. Mountain bikes are not meant to be fixed.

who says they're going to take it on the trail? He might just want it for some light off-roading or easy singletrack riding.

And I've seen some nicely done mtb conversions.

But I love climbing a trail and getting to the top and blasting my way down. :D

next bike... single speed 29er.

DH mountain biking is where its at. XC is fun too but going down is the best. Someone in an earlier post said they were going to build a fixed gear mountain bike, just so you know that's a terrible idea and if I ever saw someone with a fixed mountain bike on the trails I would have to really fight back the urge to slap some sense into them. Mountain bikes are not meant to be fixed.

I doubt I'd do it either, but if you're interested in why people do, this site is for you:

http://www.63xc.com/index.htm

I would try something new if I had the money for a third bike.
You only have THREE bikes?!?!?!?!

DH mountain biking is where its at. XC is fun too but going down is the best. Someone in an earlier post said they were going to build a fixed gear mountain bike, just so you know that's a terrible idea and if I ever saw someone with a fixed mountain bike on the trails I would have to really fight back the urge to slap some sense into them. Mountain bikes are not meant to be fixed.


Then don't watch this guy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXGi6zrYBIg

i wish i had balls big enough to unicycle down mountains.

all in all it gave me a new appreciation for bikes and makes me want to get out of the fixed gear rut and really try to sample every kind of riding there is out there, starting when i can move my hips and these chunks missing from my palms heal up.

does anyone out there ever think that there fixed gear life may be getting stale?
try something new!:thumb:

noticed you're from the east bay. If you ever get a chance to ride a mountain bike, try skeggs point off of highway 35, just across the san mateo bridge. awesome place for mountain biking. probably one of the best places in all of california. Im saving up for either a SS cyclocross bike or a mountain bike :D

Then don't watch this guy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXGi6zrYBIg

That was pretty sweet, actually. :lol:

i've been itching to buy a road bike, but when you're living paycheck to paycheck on a part time job, saving money for something like a bike is out of the question.

That was pretty sweet, actually. :lol:

I just wish I was badass enough to try that, that guy is my new hero. Until that point, fixed gear mountain bikes are awesome, as long as you admit you aren't going to be as fast as you are with gears and coasting, you accept that your going to be beat up terribly, and in terrible pain, and have the most fun of your life.

And riding off road you actually have a reason to skid, and not just to wreak havoc on the trail.

just got back from the trails this morning. been a while but fresh air on the trails feels much more nice than the smog of a city.

I did a little cycling in SLO last summer - really nice town. After that I went over to the coast and did some exploring on my bike. Would love to live down there.

Then don't watch this guy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXGi6zrYBIg

When i bought my unicycle it had a big knobby mountain tire on it. I had to switch it out for a hookworm for riding around the neighborhood.

If anyone is looking for a cheap challenge, try unicycling.

i think most of us ride different styles of bikes.
i have a road bike only right now. its all good.