Originally Posted by bibliobob
well, I'll abstain from passing judgement but it seems certain that, when the fad's over in about three years, there's going to be one heck of a glut of single speeds on the market. Hopefully, the original drivetrains will find their way back onto the market as well.
In the meantime, Chicago Craigslist is consistently listing beater bikes from the 80s at about triple the price they fetched two years ago, thanks to the craze.
I welcome anyone who rides any kind of bike. But, some of the ss/fg crowd definitely like to make elitist statements regarding geared bikes. Definitely either a macho or fashion thing for a lot of them.
I'm really not the guy who defends the trend of fixed gear/ss conversions (because I also hate how it has made the used bike market go crazy) but I want to point out that it is not just a fad, and even if it is, how is it anyone on this list can be angry that tons of kids are riding bicycles? I started riding ss well over ten years ago because gears just get destroyed over a minneapolis winter and I was sick of the hassle. At the time I didn't even know it was a type of bike, I just remembered the BMX freewheels from my youth and thought that it should work, it did and I found a ss much easier to deal with for commuting in the winter, and just plain fun. So, I don't think people will just stop riding ss in the next couple of years because once people start riding it is hard to stop.
I now mostly ride geared bikes, but my nicest bike is my rivendell ss and I still love it.
anyway, it may be annoying but I don't think it is just a fad...then again, when all those kids upgrade to geared bikes I'll be waiting to snap up their old frames!