Originally Posted by
Rockadile
It seems everyone downplays how dangerous these bikes can be at first.
Im a regular MTN biker and my instincts just do not allow me to ride a fixie safely. Its not the riding it thats the problem its the emergency reflexes that Im most worried about like going over obstacles where you might have to stand up, or quick stops or even turning around to view traffic. These are all cases where I level the pedals out and center my weight. Then theres the whole pedal clearance around sharp turns thing, something I don't want to find out on a hill big enough to show it. And I can skid stop but then it wears a patch in the same spot on my tire! I dont have $$$ to do this.
I know with time I would adapt, but then I have to re-adapt to my Mtn bike? The things Im doing on that are already dangerous enough!
But seriously you guys are crazy.
I mountain bike (both DH and XC), but I ride fixed on the road, as well as a geared touring bike when the mood/distance suits the occasion. I find you adapt really quickly to riding fixed and it isn't much of a big deal\switching from one bike to the other. Believe me, when you're ripping a gnarly DH course after riding fixed, you're not going to forget you can coast. Its really not that hard to ride a variety of bikes and feel comfortable on them all.