Originally Posted by
swc7916
Very good observation...What I really meant is multi-geared. Being the Super Randonneur that you are and having multiple bikes, I'll bet that you pick the bike for the occasion; you would probably not choose to ride your fixed-gear on a brevet unless it was for some kind of personal challenge.
indeed, certain bikes are better for certain occasions. i started out riding in seattle on a fixed gear, and even did my first century (and STP!) on one. and after that STP i realized that fixed gear wasn't a good match with my knees & LD riding.
so eventually i felt the need for gears, but i got by fine for a few years without them.
where i'm coming from is that riding fixed in seattle would make just about anyone a stronger rider, even a beginner. sure you might curse the lack of gears a few times, but once you and your legs get used to it, things will be fine. and like clifton said, you can usually skirt any scary hills around town.
(and with two brakes, safety isn't really an issue outside of pedal-strike)
on the other hand - if the OP was saying he's going to move to seattle, buy a fixed gear, then let it collect dust until it's time for RAMROD, that'd be a different story, i'd agree with you. but for tooling around town, just about any bike will do.
BTW: I really enjoy your cyclinginseattle blog; you have an entertaining style and the photography is quite good.
thx for reading the blog!