Bikewer makes a case for the benefits of a virtually automatic drive system, and yearns for the day when it would become fully automatic. There is no disputing the intelligence of the derailleur over what had existed previously, and that it has to be viewed as an advancement.

I ask you however to envision a simple drawing of a hill in your mind. Now, sketch a line going from the base to the top at a slight angle; and then another with multiple switch-backs from the base to the top. The road with the switch-backs is analagous to applying gears to the problem of the hill. The road with the straighter path to the top is analagous to a fixed-gear application. Now, take away the scenic benefit of taking the longer path with the easier grade. I would think that some of us would prefer to take the more strenuous route on occasion. on other days, we would be more inclined to take the more gradual longer path, where the extra distance the pedals travel serves to slice the hill up into more manageable pieces. By the application of gears offering 30 choices, it is possible to reduce the hill to flat-ground status, as Bikewer advocates. The other option would result in the hill being felt through the pedals much differently than would flat ground riding. But, is this bad? Do you really want to shave the hill mechanically down to a point where you do not experience it differently than casual flat ground riding?

I am 59, and ride two fixies, one with a 49/17 and one with a 50/19. Something like 72" and 78" or so, if I remember. I ride them in a moderately hilly area in a prairie povince. I also have a good quality geared bike. You know whether you really prefer to ride fixed, if you have the option and you select the fixed offerings most of the time; and I do.

Things I have discovered in fixed riding:

1-You have an anvantage in moderate hills. This is the most ironic. The justification of gears is frequently given as a huge advantage in ascending. What you discover is that not only do you build power in training in the hills, you approach the hill more aggresively, capitalizing on momentum and climbing techniques that you may never discover if the derailleur is your best friend. If you then switch to your geared bike and ride in a pack, you may find yourself going ahead of your mates as the road inclines, even if it is not your intention, they are not used to applying that incremental power increase to that situation. For myself, I love the hills. I can honestly say that I almost never would wish them away, and that hell is a dusty road with nothing but more flat road on the horizon. I love that feeling when the body recognizes the demands of the hill, and the breathing reacts accordingly, and the sweat starts to crawl down the tip of my nose. I credit the hill for that. Sure I could throw the derailleur on and arrange it so that there was virtually no effect on me physically, but why would I want to do that?


2-Coasting is pernicious ( as Sheldon Brown maintaines.) Shedding this habit as it is practised in anything other than steep decents is an advantage to your overally riding technique

Fixed gear riding offends some. Not sure why that is. Linking back to the way riding was prior to 1904 is interesting to some, but rediculous to others. I think it has to do with the difference between those who think progress is linear and those who think things are more complex than that.