Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - trend moving away from fixed?

okay, i've been noticing something in the past few weeks. as we all have known for a while, the popularity of fixed geared bikes have grown tremendously. in new york, i see so many of them, that they are no longer unique to see. now, i've been seeing a few more geared bike popping up here and there. being ridden by people whom i would almost bet my life were fixed gear die hards.

i wonder if, as fixed gears become popular with the masses, the displaced fixie riders will adopt geared bikes instead? i really think, among the people who adopt this as a lifestyle, the fixie movement is a bit washed out - at least here in ny. i consider myself an outsider on the subject of bike subculture, so i could be wrong, but it's something i've noticed nonetheless. any thoughts?

gaawd is this subject stupid and boring. (not you but people who care about that
kind of stuff)

i agree actually. however, i think it's interesting to watch unfold before my eyes. i live in a neighborhood (lower east side of manhattan) where everything is changing so fast, and it's interesting to be in an area where i can watch these changes happen in a matter of weeks or months. i just wonder if it's something that is seen in other cities as well.

I dunno - seems like maybe our being so vocal in our love for it may be the problem :

From another thread :


This forum gave me the idea. I was attracted to the simplicity of a f/g.

I had spent the winter riding on a geared bike that required so much adjustment to keep it working, that I wanted to throw it under a bus.

I bought a low-end f/g road bike (Bianchi Pista). After a week, I was hooked.

Dan

Would he have bought that bike without reading our posts? I don't know. Did he buy the Pista because it was cool, or because it was the option available to him where he lives? Did he just want a piece of the action where your bike isn't something that you ride, it's a part of you? Or did he just want to be cool? Is this forum supporting the just being cool. I don't know. I started riding one for winter riding mainly, but became a junkie.

We keep complaining about all of the newbs asking stupid questions and not doing research, but the fact of the matter is in some ways we appear as zen masters of bike riding going fixed. Other people are looking for that. Problem with Zen, though, is it's not somthing you can teach.

But they are hooked. They are learning. Someday they will be perfection of bicycle and rider. I think more is good....

It makes parts cheaper for me :)

You just have to ride. End of story. Who really cares what's trendy. If it's trendy, you have more cute chicks on the side of the road that need a spare tube to meet.

Tirade Over.

agreed. however, i'm less interested in knowing why someone would choose to ride fixed (we've all read enough on that subject), as i am in knowing if there is a noticeable upswing in geared bike riding as of late. especially among former fixed gear enthusiasts.

I saw the only other fixt bike besides mine in my small town today on my way to work. They certainlly have'nt cought on here yet. Here geared bikes are everywhere, of course living in the mountains has a lot to do with that.

I think fixed gear & single speed is still growing in popularity here, and it probably has something to do with a couple bike shops that cater to urban/single speed/fixed riding. It seems a lot more people are riding, period. I'm probably not tuned in enough to notice who the old school fixie riders are/were, so I haven't noticed any shift in that respect. I kinda doubt people who've purposely riden without gears would go back, especially if they're winter riders. Minneapolis is an interesting city, though; there are always trends, and hipsters who follow those trends for a while & then move on. But there are also a lot of people who pick their style & stick with it--we still have people stuck in grunge around here and far more crust punks than necessary :)

Not sure where I fit in. I ride a fixie now but in a few months I plan to build a multi-speed (2 speed) fixie. As for less fixed riders, here in Sacramento, I'm one of about 5 that I've seen.

thanks for the input...i don't get to travel much, and new york is so, well, new york, that i'm curious to see what's going on in the rest of the country.

The next trend will be English 3 speeds (sturmey archer).
So far I have very little of these in SF.

English 3 speeds sound fine to me.

Well, thank goodness I've aquired my gramma's 3-speed. I am SO with it.

Actually, too bad that's lent to a friend right now. I wouldn't have minded having those fenders in the rain this morning.

Just going back to the original subject I also live in the Lower Eat Side and even thought I don't pose as a old school rider (just been fixed last two years) always I had friends into it. It's definitely a big fad in NY.
I remember thought four years ago also there was a big fixie wave... that kind of thing comes and goes. People want to always try out different things and bring some excitement to the summer season so i think is a undertandable thig and not that bad after all.
I would never be able to buy a real track frame before because there was not enough people purchasing then and selling to me for half of the price by the end of the summer.

Maybe the fad is already peaking?

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=575131#post575131

Hopefully e-bay ends up having some screamin deals this winter :)

damn...they didn't get much use out of that. the warranty is still valid?

I just started going fixed a few months ago. I guess you could say I'm a part of the wave of myc riders checking it out for the fad. Although, in my defense, I wouldn't say that I've chosen fixed as a fad. I like to build things (use these tools!), and I needed a bike to commute. I read up about fixed riding and drooled over fixedgeargallery.com for a month. I bought an old bianchi road bike and converted it with the help of the good guys at recycle-a-bike in DUMBO.

Unfortunately, my bianchi was stolen - ****ers hacksawed through the frame. It wasn't even a pista or anything, the braze-ons were hacksawed off by me. Anyway, I'm getting ready to build up another one, hopefully from an old schwinn I'm scouting on ebay. Need to get back on wheels!

I tried fixed to check it out, and now I'm hooked! You can control your speed safely in rain, you can weave accurately in and out of traffic, you feel the road - I don't need to go on about how much fun fixed riding is. You all already know that.

I don't think people should complain about new people riding fixed. What's wrong with people trying a new sport and finding out how much fun it is? More frames and parts will be available at local stores.

I used to be deeply involved in ultimate frisbee subculture. It seems fringe cultures have such apprehension toward new people trying out the sport. If these people happen to dress according to the sport's style, then for some reason that's just abhorable.

I say, yay for fixed. The more the merrier. If you want a real fringe sport, ride uni.
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albums/albuu21/U2trailer.mov

i've noticed this.

there have even been a few craigslist bikes postings over the last few months offering to trade fixed for geared bikes.

we're definitely seeing some of last year's trend wearing off... just like the girls trading in their Uggs and the dudes hanging up their trucker hats. it was bound to happen.

for the best... it's weeding out the dangerous riders who probably can't stop very quickly.

It seems to me that NY has always and will always been the origination point for all fads. Things just tend to move in a right to left fashion across the country. I myself intend to build up a light road bike after my fixie so that I'll always have the option of riding either.

hm, bikes are like clothes in nyc... in w/burg it was all about banana seat bikes and cruddy bmx rides a couple of years ago. fixies are the new black. i think im going to convert my crapola mtb into a cyclocross. i think its time someone pulled together tour de brooklyn...

i know for me, i bought a fixie on a whim for something new to try. i had read up on the subject and it looked like something fun to try out for winter training and a 'no frills' bike i could maintain and not worry about. after 6 months i am totally hooked. i want to convert all my bikes over to fixed/ss, but i don't know if the berkeley hills will let me. we will see when i am back from europe after pounding mile after mile on the pancake flat denmark.