Originally Posted by
Jan Feetz
Henri Desgrange founder of the Tour de France puts it best:
"I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five.
Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer?
We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"
All of which proves that fixed gear bikes are only temporary. As a rider who still has and rides a bike they bought while a youth, now that I am well north of 45, it is still a stable and dependable mount, 10 speeds and all.
I have to disagree with M. Desgrange's comment about "Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles...". We didn't get on top of the food chain by the strength of our muscles. It was by using our brains. And if muscles are the criterion, the true athlete should be running, leaping, skipping and doing cartwheels to compete in the Tour de France, not employing the artifice of using a bicycle.
But each in it's place. Fixies are perfect for velodrome racing. In my hilly neighborhood with a full load of groceries, they would be silly. But no one is making me part with my derailleurs, so I feel no need to criticize anyone who wants to ride a single speed. Vive La Differance!