grimace308

totally cool, well agree to disagree. fixies are, as one poster put it, a special breed in the stable, not the only horse in the corral. here are my opinions, so procced to salt the fries.

it is a rough first weeks learning curve, very rough for some and sadly too rough for one or two. for you non-brake usin' purists, what happens when your clydesdale self, snaps his chain during a kickstop?

honestly, do you get dropped by your roadie/hybrid friends on road rides? (youre only lying to yourself) would you want to ride with a guy on a fixie, when youre on a roadie?

they are fine training bikes. they are great winter bikes. if youre trashing your road bike that much, i think you need a better mechanic or stop using it for observed trials.

as clydes, many of us can hammer in a big gear(not really me). as clydes many of us cant climb as well as marco pantani and need a bail out gear (me included). a fixie is the worst of both worlds, youre out-spinning your arse on the flats or dying on anything resembling a real hill. if youre telling me youre fine climbing on your 50x14, im going to stand back as your knees explode. i rode 46x17, but i was as slow as bureaucracy and ONLY used it in town as a bar, quick errand bike. a 48x16 is a poor compromise. jmo

ive always said a guy needs at least 3 speeds minimum, slow, med, fast

heres the "i know people line" so take it for what its worth. i know a sizable number of messengers, ex-messengers, that all ride gears now that their lifestyle doesnt demand they ride fixed. lifestyle meaning, ease of maintainance, needing to look the part, mesenger subculture, winter durability and it was funny watching thieves try and ride off on a stolen fixed gear and watching them the eat the pavement really hard.

i would strongly recommend against getting a fixie for your first bike. as strongly as the others argue in favor of getting one. i could never kickstop well in spds and ive never been paid to do a tag, so it might just be buried resentment, but i doubt it.