That comment really scared me?
I do group rides on the weekend with a 48-12 gear on my roadbike and was thinking of finding a 50-54 chainring to contest the sprints at the end.
My daily commuter is fixed gear 46-15 gear that propells me at a good pace but if i am going to damage my knees with my choice of gearing, i might as well quit cycling. I previously had 47-13 on the roadbike but i had to spin like hell and was worn out before the end of the ride and was in the way at the sprint at the end.
I do use a front brakes on my fixie because the back pedalling is very painful on my knees. I can hit the front brakes and relax my legs to stop.
Where i live, i seem to be the only Fixie rider around so i guess i am the poser in my area.