By far the stupidest cycling trend...
01-31-10, 07:44 PM
#51
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01-31-10, 08:36 PM
#52
Lost
...and when you're living in the city, you have to treat your bike like crap, as much as you may love it. you have to expect that it will get pushed around, hit, tripped over. you have to expect to thrust it at fences or the scrap of parking meter that's not being taken up by some rusting huffy. it changes the nature of reliability, from being about maintenance to being about a whole bunch of variables that are plain old out of your control. as much as i like CDR's book reports, he's off base on this one.
my fixed gears made great sense when i was working on them, in all weather, all conditions, through winters, when it had to stay outside for a bunch of the day - the time i wasn't riding it, specifically. and when you go home to a small shoebox apartment, well, it's not like you can just hose it down and clean it out. and it's not like you even want to do that every day, day after day, for three months. god forbid i work another winter on the bike, but if i do, i'll do it on a fixed gear again.
also, hipsters don't exist all that much.
my fixed gears made great sense when i was working on them, in all weather, all conditions, through winters, when it had to stay outside for a bunch of the day - the time i wasn't riding it, specifically. and when you go home to a small shoebox apartment, well, it's not like you can just hose it down and clean it out. and it's not like you even want to do that every day, day after day, for three months. god forbid i work another winter on the bike, but if i do, i'll do it on a fixed gear again.
also, hipsters don't exist all that much.
01-31-10, 08:56 PM
#53
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I personally don't care for fixed gear, but a decent steel frame and a single speed freewheel are *fun* (and a heckuva workout around here). No computer, no shifting, no watching cadence/heart rate/speed, just ride ride ride.
When I was a kid we lived on our SS BMX'ers, for me SS brings back that same simplicity and joy.
When I was a kid we lived on our SS BMX'ers, for me SS brings back that same simplicity and joy.
01-31-10, 09:11 PM
#54
time to jack
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A freewheeled single speed is more logical than a fixed-gear for most people. They're not any more difficult to maintain or any more/less expensive than a fixed-gear, and they're easier on brakes/your shoes/your tires because you can use the natural declining momentum to slow you down before you need to brake. Fixed gear bikes are great for track racing or couriers who are expert riders and require extra speed. They're also great to learn about the anatomy of a bike, which is why lots of bike mechanics have fixies...
01-31-10, 09:36 PM
#55
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
A freewheeled single speed is more logical than a fixed-gear for most people. They're not any more difficult to maintain or any more/less expensive than a fixed-gear, and they're easier on brakes/your shoes/your tires because you can use the natural declining momentum to slow you down before you need to brake. Fixed gear bikes are great for track racing or couriers who are expert riders and require extra speed. They're also great to learn about the anatomy of a bike, which is why lots of bike mechanics have fixies...
Braking on a single speed is the same as on a derailer geared bike.
Fixed gear bikes can be stopped without using any brakes at all although having one (front) brake makes stopping far more effective. Rim life on a fixed gear can be indefinite as many see no wear at all.
Fixed gear bikes are great for anyone who enjoys riding them.
01-31-10, 10:11 PM
#57
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01-31-10, 10:16 PM
#58
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Don't listen to someone that rides a Peugeot when they talk about trends
01-31-10, 11:10 PM
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02-01-10, 12:02 AM
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Really. How could someone ride at just one speed? Doesn't it get boring? And if you can't ascend quickly, do you just brake all the way down?
One speed is silly. I opt for lots of speeds every ride.
One speed is silly. I opt for lots of speeds every ride.
02-01-10, 12:57 AM
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02-01-10, 07:32 AM
#64
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I always thought $150 carbon bottle cages were ALOT stupider than this, but that's just me.
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02-01-10, 07:48 AM
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02-01-10, 08:23 AM
#68
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It's not a fad. It was around 34 years ago when I started biking and I'd lay odds it'll be around at least 34 more.
Let people ride what they want and be whomever they want to be. Life's too short to be constrained.
What he said!
Let people ride what they want and be whomever they want to be. Life's too short to be constrained.
What he said!
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02-01-10, 11:13 AM
#69
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The OP trolled the Classic and Vintage forum until he was universally ignored so he has moved on to Road Cycling to try out his troll bait on fresh eyes. Welcome.
02-01-10, 11:17 AM
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I started riding a fixed gear because this guy said it was fun.
Does he look like a guy who follows trends?
Does he look like a guy who follows trends?
02-01-10, 11:23 AM
#71
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If you live somewhere flat as a pancake, yes. I'd like to see you make it up some of our WV hills on a singlespeed. If you can, I take my hat off to you, but most of us can't.
02-01-10, 11:27 AM
#72
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This thread is Troll Cat approved
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"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey
02-01-10, 11:28 AM
#73
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Everyone seems to be talking as though one's choices are derrailleurs or singlespeed. Nobody is mentioning internal hub gears.
02-01-10, 11:36 AM
#74
Stan
This is fun. I just bought a fixed/ss, and it is a blast....I am not a hipster, I am 42 years old. It is fun on my short 2mile commute...
02-01-10, 11:37 AM
#75
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changing gears is fun? anyways, being able to trackstand, bike backwards, skid stop and riding fast makes it fun for me. Not getting to fast so much.