Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - "fixie culture"

I know that I am a caveman... a mental midget... and there are a few things I don't understand and a few observations about this forum.

First off, I am a road biker- but I have two fixed gear bikes and a mtn bike. I do a lot of road racing on a geared bike and commute 40 miles round trip on a fixed off peak racing season (and sorry, but I'm not going to commute that far in jeans and toe clips).

In road culture, there are those who make fun of people who wear baggy shorts, use camelbacks, or use mtn bike shoes on road bikes... and if you use a cell phone for a flat kit, god help you! Reading road forums produces endless debats of Campy vs. Shimano, built vs. custom wheels, weight-weenism, to leg shave or not, etc... riding with headphones or without a helmet results in a flame war. There is also quite an anti-aerobar, anti-tri guy sentiment present... and god help you if you wear a sleeveless jersey. Is it OK to wear a pro-team jersey?... and god help you if you wear a national or world champion jersey (or a KOM or Sprinter's).

Of course, in the mtn bike forums, there is an ongoing debate about the merits (or lack thereof) of lycra- and there is a bizarre anti-skinny tire sentiment that sometimes rears its ugly head: on mth bike forums there have been more than one person ranting the bikes simply don't belong on roads. Of course baggy shorts, mtn shoes, camelbacks, etc. all have their practical places.

My first exposure to fixed gear was as the common fixed winter bike... several team members also race at the local velodrome- so there is some crossover there as well. I have riding friends in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who ride fixed... and some have been doing this for decades.

What I find interesting is how many posts here have an anti-roadie sentiment to them: I've seen anti-lycra posts, anti-flat kit posts, anti-brake posts, anti-road conversion posts, etc... What is this all about?

Just as it may be practical for some to wear street clothes on a track bike, and carry all their gear in a messenger bag, for a long commute or a training ride, it makes sense for me to wear some tech fabrics, use clipless pedals, carry a flat kit in a tiny seat bag, have a brake for some serious hills, ride a road conversion because they are cheap or we had an extra frameset lying around, etc...

The entire pecking order reminds of of Shakes the Clown. Everyone is on a bike, but there is a ridiculous amount of fashion and conformity involved- within whatever sub-group. I'd argue that road bikers are the worst of the lot- and I see much more use of the words "poseur" and "Fred" bandied about in their forums, but I see plenty of perjoratives tossed around here as well- when I'd expect this would be the most "anything goes" arena.

BTW- I'm not looking to "fit in" or change anyone's opinions. I'm too old and stubborn to care. I am just curious about the motivations for people's tastes and values, and curious why some people look down on the "misplaced roadie" phenomenon. We really aren't trying to get in on anyone's game.

Well said. People like to have groups with insiders and outsiders, so it's a natural tendency in any setting putatively based on some shared trait to make fun of those who don't share the trait. Also, you have to admit that it's almost criminally easy to make fun of people wearing brightly colored, skin-tight clothing.

There's an anti-flat kit contigent?

My old dispatcher used to always make fun of me for not changing my own flats before I carried one.

Most of the insults and such here in my opinion tend to be good-natured and not to be taken seriously. Some of us have gears and brakes and what not. I think people are fairly accepting of others in here. Part of the reason I tend toward this forum. It just seems a lot more fun.

Maybe I'm missing something but it seems to me the only things that cause controversy here is bumbike wheels and brakes vs. no brakes.

Most of the insults and such here in my opinion tend to be good-natured and not to be taken seriously. Some of us have gears and brakes and what not. I think people are fairly accepting of others in here. Part of the reason I tend toward this forum. It just seems a lot more fun.

So true. Much of the kidding we do is because we've been here a long time and/or have ridden together.

"Fred"?

cell phone as flat kit?

I'd feel silly going to toe-to-toe-clip with a cab driver while decked out in a Mapei skin-suit. If you can pull it off, more power to you. Same goes for changing a flat in some of the neighborhoods I ride through everyday. Looking like a lycra-clad peacock would draw unwanted attention. Some of what you express in your post may not be an anti-roadie push as much as an environmental reality. Many (not all) on this forum ride exclusively in urban settings, and pimped-out roadie ***** doesn't seem to play well in the big city. And as MKRG said, we like giving each other and anybody else a hard time, so take a lot of the negativity here with a cow-pasture-sized salt-lick. If you can't mock, what point is there of going on?

No argument here FS.
I have 13 bikes. Road, MTB, fixed, cruiser etc.
I would rather see someone riding a Huffy than an Escalade.
I think it is human nature especially among weak personalities to slam other groups until they find which one you fits them.

My impression is that this board generally just doesn't care about "roadies" or whatever you want to call riders of various other types of bikes. We're into fixies, that's just our thing, and whatever else, well, whatever. I think the worst offense I've encountered here on the Fixed & SS board is the general propensity towards asking questions that could easily be answered if people posted less and rode more.

ahhh but filtersweep...all that verbage, and we dont really know where you stand on the most divergent of all cycling debates...

where EXACTLY do you stand on the pie issue???

man can only be judged by his love for pie!

pie macht frei!

so is quiche considered a pie? i've been wondering.

Why?

Well said, filtersweep.

I am myself a jeans or cutoffs rider but it's a practicality thing. With 20 miles each way I can't slight you for going with something a little more task oriented.

I think in general the fixed gear "culture" (is there such a thing--I suppose there is, sadly) likes to think of itself as practically oriented. I don't know if it's true, but there you have it. It's generally urban-centered which gives you all the attitude that such cultures have or want to have. That also means that a lot of gears often aren't worth the trouble since heavy urban traffic tends to make it more difficult to stay in the right gear and most cities are built on the flat.

For some it's an appreciation of the heroic age of cycling, the 60's and 70's. There's a romance to that period and we celebrate it. The last 30 years of innovation have been the classic 90% of the cost for a 10% improvement. 10% wins races but it doesn't get you to work any faster.

It's a reaction against the bicycle industry that tries to sell us a pair of $17 dollar socks when for 95% of my riding I can be just as comfortable with a run-of-the-mill cotton sock that comes 5 pairs for $3. A guy doesn't need a bunch of technical clothing to go out and have fun on a bike and we don't appreciate the super technogeek roadie attitude that says that if you're not pulling your jersey tight and stapling it in the back you're about as aero as a VW bus. We don't care.

Of course not all roadies are that way. Just the other weekend when me and a few similarly dressed dirtbags were working our way back downtown after catching some breakfast we were passed by a dude on a training ride in a full skinsuit and all the necessary accessories on some ultralight unobtainium ride while we're tooling around in jeans, jackets, and sweaters. My man gave me a friendly smile and nod as he went by. He knew what it's about.

It's sort of like punk rock Rivendell.

Then there are those that don't get it. Just as there are roadies who don't understand that people were having fun on bicycles for a century before they invented lycra and that most of the giants of classic cycling did quite well in toe clips, there are those who don't realize that there are times when a guy needs to go get some tighter clothes, get some clipless pedals, use more than one gear, and ditch the shoulder bag.

Some people try to inject some kind of artificial purity into a thing that was originally about simple practicality. Like a road frame better than a track frame, that's fine. Want to run a brake? Hey, if it works for you... Dig some clipless? Sure, why not?

Me, I like a trackish geometry for the pedal clearance and the responsiveness. I like a brake because I like to go fast and stop quickly and a brake allows me to do that to my satisfaction. A run toe clips because I like to be able to walk around in street shoes when I reach my destination. It's the solution that works best for me.

I'd feel silly going to toe-to-toe-clip with a cab driver while decked out in a Mapei skin-suit. If you can pull it off, more power to you. Same goes for changing a flat in some of the neighborhoods I ride through everyday. Looking like a lycra-clad peacock would draw unwanted attention. Some of what you express in your post may not be an anti-roadie push as much as an environmental reality. Many (not all) on this forum ride exclusively in urban settings, and pimped-out roadie ***** doesn't seem to play well in the big city. And as MKRG said, we like giving each other and anybody else a hard time, so take a lot of the negativity here with a cow-pasture-sized salt-lick. If you can't mock, what point is there of going on?

I'm not suggesting that I'd be caught dead in an all pink T-Mobile kit either (and these sorts often are roundly flamed in the road forums anyway)... there are certainly more discreet clothes out there- like basic black ;) I also realize the practicality of riding- especially while I'm commuting. BTW- I DO have quite a self-deprecating sense of humor... I have to- ;)

ahhh but filtersweep...all that verbage, and we dont really know where you stand on the most divergent of all cycling debates...

where EXACTLY do you stand on the pie issue???

man can only be judged by his love for pie!

pie macht frei!

What is this "pie" you all speak of ? And "stash pockets" ? I just don't understand... ;)

Here, here to your observations. I for one hate to see such divisions between people. I've seen this occur in everything I've done - Rock Climbing (Traditional vs. sport vs. bouldering), Snow sports (skiing vs. free-heel vs. snowboarding), archery (compound vs. traditional), etc. etc. etc.
I've been a committed cyclist since 1978, and I've had the privelidge of experiencing (and enjoying) just about every form of the sport. I used to ride in a competetive format (e.g. rides were for training purposes) - which I attribute to youth, and I now ride for the sheer joy and functional simplicity (or is it simple functionality?) of it. I am doing my best to commute by bicycle (3-4 days a week at present), and I love the bicycle as a form of transportation and as a vehicle of enjoyment.
I just have to quietly smile to myself when I see people exchange heated words on such trivial perceptions, because (as Ya Tu Sabes observed above) we humans seem to have a natural tendency to cling desperately to our perceptions.

I do not currently own a fixie, but I'm in the process of planning to build one up for my commute. I like the general demeanor of the fixed gear "subculture", as they generally tend to be more open minded and less tied to their own egos.

Keep it real,
Michael

Msngr, do you guys wear jeans on your Sunday rides to Nyack?

so is quiche considered a pie? i've been wondering.

i have been thinking about this whole quiche pie thing...it has had me rather perplexed for a while. this is where i am in my formulation.

real men dont eat quiche (arguable...but given)

you cant be a real man if you are a cake eater

life is wayyyy too short to not eat cake or pie

therefore

pie is not quiche

i have been thinking about this whole quiche pie thing...it has had me rather perplexed for a while. this is where i am in my formulation.

real men dont eat quiche (arguable...but given)

you cant be a real man if you are a cake eater

life is wayyyy too short to not eat cake or pie

therefore

pie is not quiche

an equally valid conclusion is "life is too short to be a real man"

an equally valid conclusion is "life is too short to be a real man"

ahhhh then ergo...it must be acceptable to wear the pink tmobile team kit and shave your legs!


BRILLIANT!!!

(i'll check back later my bubble bath is almost drawn...whered i put that damn razor!)

well said bostontrevor

My actually observations while riding are this:

*Of course prefaced by the fact I am making gross generalizations and that there are always exceptions to the rule*

full-kit roadies hate everyone especially if you are riding a fixie. I think there is a lot of jock-mentality going on there & they think that my track bike makes their double chainring 11-23 drivetrain look...small. they will not aknowledge you & will treat every mile like its the last 10k of Paris-Roubaix.

fixie-riders tend to be cool to everyone, except occasionally if your "ride" isn't "hardcore" enough you will get the sneer. I only get this in Urban riding & only after buying a pista. Poser! :)

mtn bikers tend to hate roadies because of the above & will be wary of you until you show that you are just a chill biker in which case you become another member of the brotherhood.

commuters love everyone!

As for the board: the fixie forum is definitely the best. we keep each other in check & call people out, but never in a totally mean way. and i don't see any of the other sections going on group rides.

jeff

It's kinda tricky defending your own group's inclusiveness while at the same time criticizing all other groups.

I do a few forums and I consider the Singlespeed & Fixed Gear forum very humorous, informative, respectfully irreverent (whatever that means), supportive, encouraging, in-your-face-and-I-hope-you-don't-like-it, reflective, pie, and use-the-search-engine.
With all respect, I consider the regulars here the mentally healthiest people I meet on the internet.
Sorry about that.

I ride 365 days a year, regardless of weather.
On cold days, I wear some trick stuff to stay warm.
People call me superman and space man, and I embarass my wife.
On pleasantly cool days, I wear regular street and work clothes.
On hot days I get trick again, but I stick to basic black and white.

Some tourists came up to me yesterday and said, "Hey, Bianchi-man, can you give us directions?".
In the course of the conversation they told me everyone in Portland rides fixies now - "You see them everywhere."
I could tell they saw me as someone riding a fad, the "latest rage."
That almost bummed me out, but I decided not to let what other people think ruin a good thing for me.

We have a lot of world class road bikers in this town.
They come here to train and to compete.
Yesterday or the day before I saw a roadie in a super slick outfit, with logos and all of it color coordinated to his $7000 bike.
He didn't have any body fat and one could see from the way he rode he had clearly mastered his game.
I would have felt silly dressed like him; maybe as silly as my wife thinks I look in my cold weather stuff.
But this guy made it look good, and the few seconds I saw him flying effortlessly on his bike have stayed with me in my mind.

To me, my wife makes the best pie in the world.
Out of respect for her pie, I will eat no other.
I do like oatmeal, though, and the other day I got to talking to one of the mechanics at my lbs about oatmeal, and we talked for an hour about oatmeal.
How did this happen?
How did I get to the point where I could hang out in a bike shop and talk about oatmeal for an hour?

Out of respect for her pie, I will eat no other.
I'm sure she enjoys you eating her pie as much as you enjoy eating it.

Ouch. Those red and white outfits in post number 8 hurt my eyes more than the hassledork photos from like two weeks ago. I'd rather ride bareassed.

msl

To me, my wife makes the best pie in the world.
Out of respect for her pie, I will eat no other.
I do like oatmeal, though, and the other day I got to talking to one of the mechanics at my lbs about oatmeal, and we talked for an hour about oatmeal.
How did this happen?
How did I get to the point where I could hang out in a bike shop and talk about oatmeal for an hour?

This reminded me of a poem by Galway Kinnell. You weren't talking to Eddy Merckx the other day, were you?:

I eat oatmeal for breakfast.
I make it on the hot plate and put skimmed milk on it.
I eat it alone.
I am aware it is not good to eat oatmeal alone.
Its consistency is such that is better for your mental health if somebody eats it with you.
That is why I often think up an imaginary companion to have breakfast with.
Possibly it is even worse to eat oatmeal with an imaginary companion.
Nevertheless, yesterday morning, I ate my oatmeal porridge, as he called it with John Keats.
Keats said I was absolutely right to invite him:
due to its glutinous texture, gluey lumpishness, hint of slime, and unsual willingness to disintigrate, oatmeal should not be eaten alone.
He said that in his opinion, however, it is perfectly OK to eat it with an imaginary companion, and that he himself had enjoyed memorable porridges with Edmund Spenser and John Milton.
Even if eating oatmeal with an imaginary companion is not as wholesome as Keats claims, still, you can learn something from it. (excerpted)

As far as people not excepting road conversions.........

If you notice when anyone asks, "what should I buy, Pista, fuji, KHS...etc etc", it is ALWAYS met with "build your own conversion for XX amount of dollars less" by the 3rd post.

I think that the "fixed gear lifestyle" becoming a fad is interesting in an anthropological way. AT the shop I work at we built a bunch up for winter riding, tried to get some group night rides going even tried to get some people interested in multi point city racing with no luck. So we kept doing it by ourselves, now four years later I see them all the time (Could be because we are the only local shop interseted and stocking parts) But the shop guys all wear road gear, and helmets, the new guys we see wear cutoffs, logod t's and mostly no helmets. Which is fine, the more the merrier, but I wonder what cultural thing, caused this upsurge. Was there some show or a documenteary that brought "fixie culture" forward?
Messenger bags are getting more poular as well. In 94 I got my first Timbuk2 bag, I thought they were great, carry all my crap back and forth to work, I liked it on my back better than a backpack (I know there is arguement over that) We started stocking them, in all the sizes Timbuk2 offered. You couldn't give them away, now I see them all the time. again, what was the thing that brought them forward? Did some musical talent have one in a video, or was it used in a opopular tv show?

Chocolate pecan pie is the best, with homemade vaniiia icecream.

well said bostontrevor


full-kit roadies hate everyone especially if you are riding a fixie. I think there is a lot of jock-mentality going on there & they think that my track bike makes their double chainring 11-23 drivetrain look...small. they will not aknowledge you & will treat every mile like its the last 10k of Paris-Roubaix.



commuters love everyone!



i have been trying to figure this full-kit roadie thing out for the last couple of months.....i don't get it....i can be simply crusing along, ride along side a road bike, about to say hey whatsup or someting, next thing you know all i hear are gears dropping, which no matter how tired i am or how many sprints or hills i have done....gives me extra fuel in the tank...
:D

but some of these guys, (never has happened with women....ever) really seem pissed when they can't drop me, or heaven forbid i grab the drops and get busy and dump em on a climb. there is this group that with my work schedule and their ride schedule every saturday morning on my way into work we meet, last week they turned off the bike route on cue when they saw me at the light...so i stopped and waited...then they looped back...still remember the look on their faces when i was still there ( i waited through a couple of lights)....i just laughed, then blew through the light so they wouldn't have to try anything else...guess they didn't want to play again....

i tend to think of it like back when i really was into golf...there are those people that you hook up with that are really into the game, you know if you play that there is more to it than simply buying the best clubs and latest innovations that come out....aren't going to help you one bit if you are not putting in work...ie spending time on the driving range, putting greens, par 3's and the whole 9....i had a basic set of clubs that worked for me, and was really developing game...translated into finally shooting in the 90's and every now and then i could really have a desent game. some of my partners that probably dumped easy 5-10 times the amounts of $$$ on equipment to this day do not talk to me....and they still play and i don't any longer...started riding again, can not do both, work and have anytype of social relationship with there being only 24hrs in a day.

its kind of funny, but then its kind of sad, because we are all riding....it shouldn't matter what....

and yes...i have yet to come across a commuter that hasn't been in a great mood, even if the weather is bad, it seems....there is a zen thing with commuting....at least with those i have come in contact with.....

Why does everything have to be so complicated for such a simple bike! ;)

The social dynamics are more complicated then they appear on the surface. There are definately clicks within the click. There is more "hardline" group and several degrees of spiraling outward. In my observations, it seems the fundamentalists are at the track level, then there are the messengers, who adopted fixed gears for simplicity and responsiveness, then you have the hotrod mentality hipsters, with the rare vintage parts from obscure manufactures and then you have the cross over fellas, who ride all sorts of bikes who just wanted to add a different steed to the collection or just to try another style of riding, then there are the roadies using fixed gears for off season training.

This is my observation, it is by no means complete, refined or true to reality. Please add edit or correct my observations. not meant to offend anyone.

i have been trying to figure this full-kit roadie thing out for the last couple of months.....i don't get it....i can be simply crusing along, ride along side a road bike, about to say hey whatsup or someting, next thing you know all i hear are gears dropping, which no matter how tired i am or how many sprints or hills i have done....gives me extra fuel in the tank...
:D


You have encountered a "hammerhead"- a lot of these guys wear a pro kit- but they never actually race. Their jaunt out on the MUT is their time trial... or they try to chase down everything in front of them. Often they will turn off the road as soon as they pass you because they have run out of gas... that is if they actually catch you. Every ride is a competition. I think this is a common phenomenon for many new riders... they all think they are fast and they want to test everyone they see.

I've seen some guys riding around on Zipp 404s or 303s as "everyday wheels." It is hard for me not to be at least a little bit judgmental.

I've been on some nasty club rides that are basically organized to drop as many riders as possible without regrouping. These are the races for these riders- who generally don't actually race. A respectable club ride will regroup throughout the ride.

Most guys I know who actually race know better- they might still be wearing their local team kit, but they know better than to blow their ride into a bunch of junk miles (ridden at a heart rate that does nothing for them)... plus they save the competitive stuff for the actual races.

I can remember the first group ride....and everyone of them after that I brought the fixie. The look they give is the same as if you were to show up in a poop suit. Utterly disgusted. Even more hateful should you bring one that has moustache bars on it. If however I bring out the geared bike, you are "just one of the guys".

I keep threatening to show up with an ice cream bike complete with the cooler on front. Just gotta find one............

I just happened across this today and I think there's a lot overlap between Grant Peterson's Bridgestone and the attitude that many fixed gear riders who "get it" have.

Or maybe not. But it's a good read anyhow.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/bstoneepitaph.html

(Did I mention punk rock Rivendell?;))

i have been trying to figure this full-kit roadie thing out for the last couple of months.....i don't get it....i can be simply crusing along, ride along side a road bike, about to say hey whatsup or someting, next thing you know all i hear are gears dropping, which no matter how tired i am or how many sprints or hills i have done....gives me extra fuel in the tank...
:D


i often ride as a "full-kit roadie", i used to race and i still have a bunch of my old uniforms, figured i'd keep using them rather than buying new stuff.

i like people on bikes, you wanna talk to me i'm happy to talk right back, and if you try to drop me i'll hang on, suck your wheel until you blow up and then cruise on by.

point is, you can make generalizations about any group, and while you may be right most of the time, you're gonna be wrong occasionally too.

i figure, the more people out riding, the better for all of us, and no one benefits from a nasty attitude.

wow, just read what i wrote, talk about inchoherent. i clearly need more coffee.

I only ride a fixed gear bike because it's a total chick magnet.

I only ride a fixed gear bike because it's a total chick magnet.
:D

i often ride as a "full-kit roadie", i used to race and i still have a bunch of my old uniforms, figured i'd keep using them rather than buying new stuff.



ok so next time we all get together, bring it!!!....i still have a couple of jerseys...but sadly they don't fit any longer...i think my ex-wife used to put something in the washer to make them smaller, but i was never able to prove anything
:D




Most guys I know who actually race know better- they might still be wearing their local team kit, but they know better than to blow their ride into a bunch of junk miles (ridden at a heart rate that does nothing for them)... plus they save the competitive stuff for the actual races.

i've met more than one of these...usually when i'm out on my fixed conversion which is a set up a bit differently, more like the first fixed bikes i rode..'back in the day' which means 20years ago. one of my favorite conversations was with a local racer who was talking about his masters experince while we shared a beautiful sunset by the berkeley marina.....so i know they are out there...but in my riding through this plantar fasciitis, i have had to cut back my miles and change my routes so that i do not come into contact with the real roadies out there...but see these "hammerheads" by the 100's.....

I only ride a fixed gear bike because it's a total chick magnet.

Creating magnetism with bicycles.

There are a few things I appreciate about this forum:
1) People actively encourage other people to spend less on stuff and use what they have creatively. I think it's awesome that $500 on a Bianchi Pista is considered "kind of a lot to spend." I don't think you can get much in the way of road or mountain bikeage for $500. Not that I'd know, but I'd assume as much. I think it's great that I can start a thread like this (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=89859) and not have a single person question the idea of welding a cracked frame back together in the first place.
2) People seem to really like bikes in a straightforward, aesthetic way. To wit: the insane number of pictures in the "pictures of your bike thread" and on the FGG. Also, that people's apprecitaion of bikes and enthusiasm towards others' rides isn't keyed to how expensive or fancy they are. I like that simple road conversions get as many props as totally haute track bikes or full-blown custom jobs.
3) I find the idea that someone might say, in all seriousness, "ooh! nice stem!" totally totally cute.
4) Anytime anyone gets carried away with toughguy posturing they get shot down pretty quickly. The ******bag factor is pretty low, which is nice.

m.

It isn't for the money, no it isn't for the fun
It's a plan, a scam, a diagram
It's for the benefit of everyone
You gotta have a little respect
Subterranean ideals
Traditional neglect
Reflect on how you think it would make you feel
The cause- we're just doing it for the cause
No it isn't for the fortune, it isn't for the fame
It's a scheme, a dream, a bartering
We want everyone to think the same
Because you know what you know is right
And you feel what you can't ignore
And you try so hard to point the blame
Ashamed- what are we doing this for?
The cause- we're just doing it for the cause

I think that the "fixed gear lifestyle" becoming a fad is interesting in an anthropological way.

Nice opening to a good post.
I see parallels to skiing & snowboarding. On the mountain, skiing is seen as the traditional and (yawn) adult activity.
Snowboarding is claimed by the newer generation but that alone is not enough. The kids have this curious need to set themselves apart even further with baggy pants and XXXXL jackets.
When the snowboarders start to carry messenger bags, the anthropological overlap between fixies and snowboarders will be complete.

She drove a Plymouth Satellite
Faster than the speed of light

Speaking for my self personally and I am sure many others on this forum its pretty simple really. If some one is a jerk you turn around and walk the other way. I played Football and Baseball in High School and though I never dated a cheer leader I was not afraid to go out back with the heads for one either. Today I race road and cyclocross and commute/ride a fixie everywhere. If I am cruising down the road on any bike I am nice to people and expect them to be nice to me regardless of what bike they are on or what threads they choose to wear . If not F'em who cares. Perhaps the fixie culture is just that; more tolerant. Or perhaps it is that for each given population of culture fixie vs. roadie. There are a lot more people in the road culture than in the fixt so there for one sees more ass roadies but it does not necessarily mean that more roadies are asses... blah blah blah. Did some one mention coffee, maybe with a slice of pie ulghhhhhhh

i have been trying to figure this full-kit roadie thing out for the last couple of months.....i don't get it....i can be simply crusing along, ride along side a road bike, about to say hey whatsup or someting, next thing you know all i hear are gears dropping, which no matter how tired i am or how many sprints or hills i have done....gives me extra fuel in the tank...



This makes you a player. So what if a roadie drops his chain to a harder gear...why be so concerned about his insecurities.


but some of these guys, (never has happened with women....ever) really seem pissed when they can't drop me, or heaven forbid i grab the drops and get busy and dump em on a climb. there is this group that with my work schedule and their ride schedule every saturday morning on my way into work we meet, last week they turned off the bike route on cue when they saw me at the light...so i stopped and waited...then they looped back...still remember the look on their faces when i was still there ( i waited through a couple of lights)....i just laughed, then blew through the light so they wouldn't have to try anything else...guess they didn't want to play again....

So, you basically stalked them to challenge them on your commute...maybe, they just didn't want to deal with your nonsense.

Maybe they were hammerheads, maybe they were a**holes, maybe they were just out for a group ride and didn't want to be messed with. And maybe I'm being overly critical, but just let it go and ride.

And as far as wearing a full-kit, how is that any different than wearing a customized messenger bag on your back (or wearing the full "posenger" kit of cut-offs with appropriate hip tee-shirt, chain around the waist and cycling cap) ...there does seem to be a double-standard here. :rolleyes:

I wear full-kits on some of my rides for various reasons: comfort, fit, practicality, and I like to support the clothing manufacturers and corporate sponsors that fund professional cycling. Its trickle down theory...where would recreational cycling be if none of these companies invested their money in the sport. We don't live or ride in a vacuum.

I ride with friends, ride alone, and sometimes I hook-up with strangers along 9W or in CP. Its all good. For the most part, people don't give a damn what you're riding or wearing, or at least that's been the case in my experience.


I only ride a fixed gear bike because it's a total chick magnet.

And finally the truth comes out!

It isn't for the money, no it isn't for the fun
It's a plan, a scam, a diagram
It's for the benefit of everyone
You gotta have a little respect
Subterranean ideals
Traditional neglect
Reflect on how you think it would make you feel
The cause- we're just doing it for the cause
No it isn't for the fortune, it isn't for the fame
It's a scheme, a dream, a bartering
We want everyone to think the same
Because you know what you know is right
And you feel what you can't ignore
And you try so hard to point the blame
Ashamed- what are we doing this for?
The cause- we're just doing it for the cause

My roadie has two sets of wheels, but I don’t get
any monthly flats, my roadie hardly even used
My roadie got lots of extra gears. they took my
cassette and made it cog and lock ring. turning roadie into Fixie
Operation succesfull, but now I gotta pedal through the hills, gotta remember to sprint at the base
and when I ride my fixie up hill I go from
side to side cause I don’t wanna walk it up.
I'll never miss my stack of gears
I trade it for a flip flop hub
Now I got to hang with Fixie forum
Conversion paid up front now
I show all the roadies my new fixie ride
They think I’m kinda weird but that’s
Ok with me cause now I kick their ass wtihout shifting
Nothing finer than having a Fixie!

I love this forum

I am neither Old "Skool" or New School: I am my school.

I have 3 bikes
all three are track bikes
I have owned geared bikes in the past, and may do so again in the future
I like most people that ride bikes
I am glad there are others who ride bikes too
I enjoy riding bikes with others
talking about bikes is good too
I wear what I have
I like most people in here

']I am neither Old "Skool" or New School: I am my school.

I have 3 bikes
all three are track bikes
I have owned geared bikes in the past, and may do so again in the future
I like most people that ride bikes
I am glad there are others who ride bikes too
I enjoy riding bikes with others
talking about bikes is good too
I wear what I have
I like most people in here

YEAH....what he said!!! (excpet for the 3 bikes thing, i only have 2)

YEAH....what he said!!! (excpet for the 3 bikes thing, i only have 2)
poseur