Classic & Vintage - when did gears become evil?

maybe someone can explain to me the obsession folks have to strip off their gears and turn beautiful bikes into mongrel 'fixies'?

what starts off as a well designed piece of machinery ends up as something akin to crippleware. I read CL listings for bikes that have been cannibalized in such a manner, i weep for the bike it used to be.

hey, hey, I think you're being a bit harsh. if they don't modify the frame, I don't see the harm in it. you can always put gears back on. and in some places, it's so flat you really don't need them. have you ever rode a fixed gear bike? it can be a really enjoyable experience, you feel very connected to the bicycle.
plus, don't forget the first bikes ever were fixed or single speed (mostly likely including the one that Mark Twain references in your sig quote).

Really? We have to have another one these? The wounds from the last slog out just got healed. Some people like the simplicity and sensation of riding with a fixed gear like they used to back in the 1900s. Some people don't I personally do but don't like the flat black rattle canned paint jobs or the hacking off the brazeons. A search will yield a score of threads with useless to and froings with all points of view represented.

hey, hey, I think you're being a bit harsh. if they don't modify the frame, I don't see the harm in it. you can always put gears back on. and in some places, it's so flat you really don't need them. have you ever rode a fixed gear bike? it can be a really enjoyable experience, you feel very connected to the bicycle.
plus, don't forget the first bikes ever were fixed or single speed (mostly likely including the one that Mark Twain references in your sig quote).

i don't think i am being all that harsh...it should be up to the user to strip off the gears.
why buy a bike that is MISSING parts?

It's a time honored roadie tradition to strip the derailleurs off and put on a fixed cog for winter training. I just like my fixed gear rain bike so much, I keep it fixed for summer too.

Just don't dremel off the bosses and hangers, though. That's just wrong.

i don't think i am being all that harsh...it should be up to the user to strip off the gears.
why buy a bike that is MISSING parts?


I bought a Trek 660 frame for the purpose of building it up as a fixed gear. I didn't want a track bike. I wanted a fixed road bike with brakes, water bottle cage bosses, and room for 28mm tires (or 25mm tires and fenders). At the time, your only option was a road bike conversion--although I notice that a few makers have seen the light since.

I think it is less that "gears are evil" and more that "Fixies are cool" is what is driving this.

Personally I really don't get fixies (or my knees don;t) ...but can totally understand single speed.

I don't think it is bad per se....I see a lot of 16-20 year olds out on there pink/green fixies. All in all I would rather see them out riding than not.

I think the angst ins this forum comes when nice bikes are surgically altered so that you can't ever put gears back on them.

Riding fixed gear is just an entirely different experience from riding a road bike or any other type of bike. I never understood single speeds though... Why not just leave it in one gear combo and call it a day? Unless it's for simplicity/weight then I can see the reason behind it.

Fixed gear riding is immensely popular, but it definitely is a gateway to other forms of cycling. I went from fixed gear to vintage road bikes. Love them both.

why buy a bike that is MISSING parts?

because you have better parts in your bin? I've often bought a bike that I had to go through the work of stripping down just to put my own components on...getting it pre-stripped saves half the effort;)

Anyways, we have been through this before, a lot.

Riding I never understood single speeds though... Why not just leave it in one gear combo and call it a day?


On a single speed (that is set up properly) you always have perfect chainline.

The Simplicity of the drivetrain is also nice and hills are a unique challenge as compared to having a range of ratios at your disposal...when all you've got is one gear you've got 2 choices: Buck up and Crank, or get off and walk.

On a single speed (that is set up properly) you always have perfect chainline.

The Simplicity of the drivetrain is also nice and hills are a unique challenge as compared to having a range of ratios at your disposal...when all you've got is one gear you've got 2 choices: Buck up and Crank, or get off and walk.

Ok, very similar to fixed gear. I like that thought.

I figured on the ones for sale you see so often on CL, it's 1. tried a FG & didn't like it, 2. needed more maintenance than it was worth, so it was stripped to yield a usable bike with lower maintenance needs (86 two derailleurs, two cables & two shifters...maybe even a brake + cable) or 3. it's a flip & the seller is maximizing the flip by stripping off a few parts for Ebay & selling the remainder (maybe with a cheap track wheel set) as a full bike.

I build a FG bike out of a Peugeot PV10 ("super" vitus chromoly) and it's a light, fun, great ride. I could always go back to gears on the bike...or someone else could later, since I really have no shortage of bikes with gears. It's Miami Vice-esque looks could score it big hipster points if I were trying to pimp it out on Craigslist, but in my case I "get it" completely...it's a blast and a very different experience from a geared road bike.

All that said, I have yet to see one of the conversions for sale that I would ever want to spend real money on. In the case of my PV10, it was cheap + I could have sold the parts I didn't use & made it almost free. It'd have to be a really good deal & a really good frame for me to pay more for it *without* the extras I could keep & use on something else....

I paid $25 for a Schwinn CrissCross that had been converted to single speed, put some spare gears and shifters on it and sold it for $120. I like that kinda deal!

Now I'm taking the single speed cog and putting that on a butchered old Schwinn Varsity I got for free -- minus the derailleurs -- and will sell it as a single speed.... Fun stuff! :D

I grew up riding single speed bikes and once I discovered the joy of shifting gears, I never looked back!!!

that works....love the Lego aspect of them.....at great risk of reviving a boring thread, I'll say there's also a joy of not shifting gears after decades of shifting gears. I think of it as sort of "land spinning" in terms of riding the hilly terrain of lower Appalachia here in east TN.

I don't like it either, but I understand the point of view of those who do it. They want a fixed gear, and they want it to be a nice bicycle as opposed to a soul-less modern shell of a bicycle. What choice do they have really aside form vintage conversion or super-expensive custom built?

Keep in mind also, that...

. As others have pointed out, the process is reversible

. Don't assume that the fixie conversions you see on CL started out as beautiful and fully functional bikes. It is likely that all the gears and other thingies were either broken, worn out, or partly missing in the first place. My husband is now looking for a bike to convert to fixed gear, and the best candidates are precisely these forlorn bikes -- nice but crusty 1970s roadbike frames or 60s-70s 3-speed frames, with missing components, that would likely end up in a junk heap somewhere if not rescued. So it's not so bad really: He gets to build up a fixie, and the bike lives.

fine i am sorry i brought it up.
i don't like seeing bikes butchered ok?
someone want to lock the thread.
before we have 50 people whacking me around.

Someone just posted a '72 Paramount fixie conversion for sale on Tulsa's Craigslist. I'd like to whack him around instead...:(

I just think fixed gear bikes are the coolest things and I like to see a whole different take on biking.

The other day I watched a guy riding a fixie backwards...now try that with gears!! :lol:

Mike

fine i am sorry i brought it up.
i don't like seeing bikes butchered ok?
someone want to lock the thread.
before we have 50 people whacking me around.

Oh just whack them back. With a lugged steel frame, gears intact.
Anyhow, here's a picture of Lucy, my Raleigh 3-Speed, to cheer you up. No one will butcher her, ever.

http://queenmargot.com/raleigh1.jpg (http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2009/06/whats-old-and-green-and-got-herons-all.html)

These posts are getting almost troll like. Someone is bored and wants to start a conversation.

One of my son's roommates has a fixed gear with left-side drive. I freely admit we can't do that with gears. :)

1903. Until Henri Desgrange got sick and in 1937 all was good with gears.

Someone just posted a '72 Paramount fixie conversion for sale on Tulsa's Craigslist. I'd like to whack him around instead...:(


how much?

if its a good price....if nothing else its a quality frame and fork...and possibly a workable front wheel.

And here's My Raleigh 3 speed, just to make you feel better;
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll299/sailorbenjamin/IMG_1492.jpg
Actually, I found another frame that seemed more appropriate for a fixy and converted this one back to a 3 speed. Traded it for that really really old bike i posted a couple of weeks ago. It was a lot of fun, though.

how much?

if its a good price....if nothing else its a quality frame and fork...and possibly a workable front wheel.

$500 and never mind. The jackass had it powdercoated Nickelodeon purple.

-Kurt

i don't think i am being all that harsh...it should be up to the user to strip off the gears.
why buy a bike that is MISSING parts?

So flippers could make money.

So flippers could make money.

So all the fixed gear fellows can dump their Nuovo Record here.

-Kurt

Want to voice your opinion? Print and hang on bike wherever you desire:

ONE LESS (censored) FIXIE (http://www.jaysmarine.com/onelessfixie.jpg)

-Kurt

fine i am sorry i brought it up.
i don't like seeing bikes butchered ok?
someone want to lock the thread.
before we have 50 people whacking me around.

Caveman see bike.
Caveman want bike.
Caveman make fixie.
Ugh, Caveman.

Some people like the simplicity and sensation of riding with a fixed gear like they used to back in the 1900s. .

Amazing that they're still cycling at that age :p


My only reason to bemoan fixie culture at the moment is the absurd price inflation of older frames, and a crippling shortage of complete brake sets in the bike shops....

I'm young(20) and don't get it either. Luckily though, nice originals are still out there. I just picked up a 1985 Panasonic DX-4000 and it is in excellent condition with all of the original Shimano 600 components.

I understand singlespeeds, I built one love it - simple, light and it feels fast in city and park riding. Not so hot on the open road, but that isn't where I commute. I can sure see building up a fixie by process of elimination, just leaving off the parts of your bike that broke. I don't get butchering a great old bike for either.

Gears are for old people, so we youngsters take your generation's bikes and convert them so you can't ride them anymore.


ps

A lot of people want fixed geared bikes but not the track frame.

Amazing that they're still cycling at that age :p


My only reason to bemoan fixie culture at the moment is the absurd price inflation of older frames, and a crippling shortage of complete brake sets in the bike shops....

Buy Tektros -- the best deal in brakes.

Gears are for old people, so we youngsters take your generation's bikes and convert them so you can't ride them anymore.


Again, I'm young, but I still don't get it. I can just leave it in the same gear if I want to push myself. Then, when I want to go fast, I shift so I can.

Gears are for old people, so we youngsters take your generation's bikes and convert them so you can't ride them anymore.


ps

A lot of people want fixed geared bikes but not the track frame.

I'm 54 and ride about 200 miles/week, with about 100 of it on SS. Riding a SS road bike, including hills, is a wonderfully aggressive activity. I am always a stronger geared rider after a long HTFU session on a SS.

Here they are:

2007 Schwinn Madison -- 48x17.

1995 Performance branded Ti -- 53x18

1985 Team Fuji -- 53x19



1980ish Lotus Elan -- 42x16 -- since sold, but a beautiful blue.

I built all but the Madison, which came as a SS/FG.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/RCopple/SchwinnMadison5.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/RCopple/IMG_0017r.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/RCopple/IMG_0130.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/RCopple/LotusElan003a.jpg

I was just joking about that, so you know.


Again, I'm young, but I still don't get it. I can just leave it in the same gear if I want to push myself. Then, when I want to go fast, I shift so I can.

ok, fixed gear isn't for everyone. I didn't care for them until I spent a few hours on one on the street (previously I had only borrowed friends' bikes and rode around the parking lot). Doing an actual ride with one really caught me and then it felt weird getting back on a geared bike. The bikes feel different and I think it's good to have a bit of both. You know, why not?

I was just joking about that, so you know.

I know. All good fun.

I started riding fixed gear bikes at 40 and am now 43... in that three years I have ridden in excess of 15000 miles fixed on a number of fixed gear bikes as what was one bike, has now become five.

I started with a mid 70's Peugeot that is presently on hooks as an accident wrecked her fork so until I replace that fork I have been forced to ride this... a 1940 CCM that was previously a coaster bike.

Poor me... :)

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/ccmpathfixed1.jpg

I also ride a 1955 Raleigh Lenton that came as a fixed gear, have converted two Kuwahara mtb's into fixed and fg/ss bikes, and have a 1973 Phillip's folder that is also a fixed gear.

At least half of my riding is done fixed and I have a great time doing it and at times it is the only riding I can do because of nerve damage in my lower back which makes pedalling with my right leg difficult.

I would never corrupt a frame so that it could not be restored and warn people against this and saved a Ron Cooper from becoming a "beater" fixed gear as the potential buyer did not know any better.

people ridding junky bike boom bikes or wallmart mtn bikes with unreliable shifting, that are too lazy/cheap for basic bike maintenance develop a dislike for the "complexity" of gears...

people ridding junky bike boom bikes or wallmart mtn bikes with unreliable shifting, that are too lazy/cheap for basic bike maintenance develop a dislike for the "complexity" of gears...

Most of the people I build ss / fg bikes for (and I build a lot of them) have an appreciation for all bicycles, usually own more than one bicycle, and just want to ride something different.

In many places a single speed is all one needs and fixed gear riders are a different breed altogether.

people ridding junky bike boom bikes or wallmart mtn bikes with unreliable shifting, that are too lazy/cheap for basic bike maintenance develop a dislike for the "complexity" of gears...

This is just your own weird made up theory with zero data. The earth was created 6,000 years ago, right?

EG,

Sometimes the more gears the better!

Last month I was overhauling my SRAM Dual Drive bike (9 speed cassette, 3 speed internal geared hub, one chainring crankset), and decided since the front chainring and the BB needed to be replaced, I thought (aka inspired by Sheldon) why not add a second chainring and loose the gaurd?

Now I have a 54 speed bike. I test rode it on Nantucket last weekend, which is basically flat. It was great to have a bigger gear up front. I could really cruise along their nice bike paths.

No fixed gears for me, thank you.

people ridding junky bike boom bikes or wallmart mtn bikes with unreliable shifting, that are too lazy/cheap for basic bike maintenance develop a dislike for the "complexity" of gears...

Sorry, that is just a blatantly ridiculous statement.

EG,

Sometimes the more gears the better!

Last month I was overhauling my SRAM Dual Drive bike (9 speed cassette, 3 speed internal geared hub, one chainring crankset), and decided since the front chainring and the BB needed to be replaced, I thought (aka inspired by Sheldon) why not add a second chainring and loose the gaurd?

Now I have a 54 speed bike. I test rode it on Nantucket last weekend, which is basically flat. It was great to have a bigger gear up front. I could really cruise along their nice bike paths.

I would love to see the gear charts for that combination.

Sorry, that is just a blatantly ridiculous statement.

i admit it was

The SingeDebile theory has got something going for it. There's a lot of people who have no idea how a bicycle is supposed to run. They have no experience with a drivetrain that doesn't make crunchy noises, they've never ridden a bike they can pick up easily in one hand, they think it's normal that the gears don't work.

So when they get on a fixed or a singlespeed for the first time they actually enjoy riding instead of finding it a chore and think that is the way to get this goodness.

Does that apply to the certifiable bike-geeks around here. No. But, we are a bunch of retro bike dorks and not the average schmuck who overpays for fixters on Craig's List. Those bikes are going somewhere folks.

We had one around growing up and I never felt any mystical connection to the bike gods while riding it. In fact the inability to coast was quite irritating. You are free to ride whatever you like though.

Fixed gears are cool, something different if you've never ridden one, challenging (try riding with your friends on their geared bikes and keeping up) affordable, sexy and simple. Sometimes pink even better.:love: