Originally Posted by europa

Let's see, at the moment, my brakes need maintenance, my chain needs maintenance, my tyres need maintenance, I also keep an watching brief on pedals, headset, bearings of all sorts, bar tape, etc. The choice to ride fixed is not, in my case anyway, anything to do with a 'lack of maintenance'? If it was, I'd be smarter getting a Nexus hub. No, riding fixed for me is all about the way it rides, the control it gives me and the more varied skill set required (compared to something with a freewheel). If it wasn't for that, I would have simply kept the Europa as my fixed bike and asked Paul Hillbrick to build me a geared bike to replace my current one. I'm not one of those who sees gears as somehow excluded from fixed gear - the S3X combines the two and if there's something else out there, I'd be happy to hear about it.