Originally Posted by
Scrodzilla
People have been referring to fixed gear bikes as "fixies" since just after the invention of the derailleur.
Having been involved with riding fixed gear bicycles on the road since the Johnson administration, and having spent a fair good bit of time at/on the track since the early '70's I never heard a fixed-gear bicycle referred to by my coaches or teammates as a "Fixie" for the last few decades. Perhaps I missed it.
I believe that the term has entered the language recently, along with a generalized infantile diminution of nouns.
A generalized etymology source on "Fixie" has:
"fix·ie
ˈfiksē/
noun
noun: fixie; plural noun: fixies
A single-gear bicycle that has no freewheel, so that its wheels cannot move unless power is applied to the pedals.
Origin
early 21st century: from fixed-wheel bicycle or fixed-gear bicycle ."
Perhaps we moved in different circles (pun unintended) but it's interesting how the language evolves, with some unfortunate turns of usage at times.
-Bandera