Originally Posted by
MrCjolsen
I became a stronger rider when I started riding fixed gear. Although, that also could have been because I started riding a lot more about that time.
My credo has always been "when you can't coast, you don't coast, and when you don't coast, you go faster."
What riding fixed does for me is this. When I'm going along and I hit some headwind, or a grade, on a geared bike I just change gears and slow down. But on a fixed gear, I just have to deal. So I learn to focus on the engine a lot more. Concentrate on my spin, my breathing, and relax every muscle I'm not using to power the bike.
That may not make me a stronger rider, but it makes me a better rider.
Fixed gear has made me not fear spinning. When I ride my road bike I love the option of being able to gear down for this purpose. Spinning a high cadence instead of mashing feels so much more efficient, it's ridiculous.
Carbonjockey, there are really only three kinds of people who ride fixed gear. The first are track cyclists, obviously. The second are roadies who train on the fixed gear and do centuries on the weekend. The last group of people use their fixie for everything, commuting to bike polo (what you call the hipsters). The roadies typically don't commute, and the track cyclists are such a minority it's useless making a generalization.
Personally, I respect commuting the most out of any form of cycling, I think sports in general are pretty frivolous (though often fun). Why turn away young people from commuting who simply want a bike that's cooler and more fun than a hybrid or cruiser?