Looking to ride a fixie.
 

Hello all.

I've been lurking the forums for awhile now, decided to register, and now have a question. I have been thinking of getting a fixie as a daily commuter, I am completely new to everything fixie, but I used to ride BMX back in the day. I've searched for information, but want some opinions of the avid riders. I'm thinking of getting a Rush Hour or Pista (and if money starts to come my way Pista Concept). I was talking to a friend of mine and said that the Pista Concept has true track geometry and would be sketchy on the road. Would it be completely wrong to use as a commuter although the Concept is mainly for the velodrome? I've also checked out Soma and Surly.

Any advice would help with my deicison. Thanks to all.

lawl

i'd recommend loctite.

If you've ridden BMX then you probably have the handling skills to ride track geometry. I wouldn't worry about it. Sometimes people refer to the steeper geometry of track bikes as sketchy or twitchy. Thats an exageration. There is a noticeable difference in how they handle. Track frames are more responsive. They turn faster, but they still have fairly stable handling. For instance, riding no handed is not much harder on a track frame than a road frame. If you are a fairly skilled cyclist, the steeper geometry is more fun in urban settings because you can weave and dodge stuff more quickly. The downside of the steep geometry is that it roughens the ride, but again, its not an extreme difference from riding a road frame.

I would recomend a steel bike for commuting (smoother ride, but heavier). Other than that get what fits, forget fashion, and enjoy riding.

They're real easy to ride, man. You just get on and start pedaling.

Build a conversion. If you like it, spend bigger dollars on an out-of-the-box like you mentioned.

...or just enjoy the conversion. There's NOTHING wrong with conversions, don't let anyone tell you different.

I really <3 my steamroller.

if this isn't a troll the pista and the pista concept have the same geometry. The concept is a stupid choice for commuting though because it's fragile.

a conversion is a fixed gear. track bike doesnt make it more fixed. just less suited for commuting. do you want to ride fixed or ride a track bike on the streets?

i can believe this isnt a troll

I agree that the concept is not the best choice for a commuter..the lack of brakes being a primary concern. However, i'm not sure that I'd describe it as fragile in comparison to other track or road bikes and not even necessarily more fragile than a conversion...depending on the conversion. Fragile, perhaps, compared to a MTB, or a touring bike, but them's apples and oranges.

Thanks for the replies, I doubt I'd actually get a concept, just think the aesthetics of the bike are nice. If a load of money dropped into my lap, then I would, but no.

Fixed, but I like how track bikes is more responsive.

You haven't ridden a track bike, how can you like its responsiveness?

More importantly, have you had an opportunity to ride fixed yet? It would suck to drop a few hundred on a new bike if you realized you wanted a freewheel two weeks later.

Thats absurd....any fixed gear bike can be almost immediately adapted to a freewheeled bike by installing a SS freewheel, which can be had for ~$20. Freewheels will even work on a fixed-specific hub. For the inexperienced, buying an off-the-shelf fixie is often way easier than trying to build up a conversion. Often people have no idea what gear ratio they want, what geometry is best for them, what type of bars...etc. Its way easier to have someone decide these things for you, ala buying a complete bike, than it is to have to try to decide these thing on your own with little to no experience by building a conversion. Regardless of whether or not you are going to start out with a complete bike or a conversion, your first attempt will undoubtedly be off the mark and upgraded components or possibly a new bike altogether will ultimately become desirable. Depending on how savy and bike-wise you are, a conversion will often cost more than a new bike. At any rate, wait to spend big bucks until you've realy figured out what you want.

Sketchy is in the eye of the beholder.

I was referring to the fact that if he changes his mind, he will have to drop the $20 for a freewheel, and potentially have to drill the fork/frame, and add at least one brake (depending on what bike is gotten). If the brakes aren't sitting around that's more $$$. Sure, it's not a lot of money, but it is a huge nuisance which would be avoided by feeling it out in advance. It just seems silly to buy new stuff fixed and add extra menial expenses if you haven't eliminated the possibility that fixed may not be your preference.

get a bianchi san jose

unicycle

Yes, I see your point, but for most people the only way to try out riding fixed is to dive in and buy or build a bike. When I started, I didn't know anyone riding fixed. the only fixed experience I had was test riding a Pista (didn't buy it). The only way to determine if I would really like it was to get a bike for myself. Not everyone has to opportunity to borrow a bike for an extented period of time to make up their mind. At any rate, a stock bike versus a conversion doesn't change that issue at all. If you eventually decide that fixed is not for you, converting to a freewheel bike is only a ~$20 to convert to SS....not a big deal assuming that you have brakes to begin with. Anyone starting out riding fixed should run brakes, and there are plenty of fixies that come stock with brakes or at least are drilled for brakes (not the Pista Concept, from what I understand).

The Pista doesn't make any sense in this regard because its basically marketed to people who will ride it on the street, and it even has a fixed/free flip flop hub, but its not drilled for a rear brake. (Is that still the case?). That makes no sense to me. Who's going to ride a freewheel bike with no rear brake? Most importantly, if you are a beginner, at least get a frame and fork drilled for brakes. The Pista is not the only game in town and most beginner track frames are drilled for brakes.

i did this and i'm pretty happy

Yeah, my cousin has a fixie so I did hop on it before deciding to research getting one. About the responsiveness, I don't know how responsive the bike is, but I like the idea that I would have a lot more control through traffic to dodge. And of course I would use a front brake until I get comfortable without one.

The fixie bike I rode was a Nishiki.

And for the idea of buying a bike over $1,000 is ridiculous and was wondering if it was a big difference between the pista and the concept.

The Pista is probably better for the street because its drilled for a front brake, but you should consider other fixies...there are way betters options (with track geometry) for a similar price.

And this ability to dodge traffic would come from riding track geometry? That's ********. Your skill as a rider will, 9.5 out of 10 times, determine your ability to successfully ride in traffic. The other .5 comes from your front brake.