I did read the whole post and I still think the tone is a bit elitist. You mentioned that fixed gear riding is in many respects more efficient. I don't think that is really supportable. With the right gear, on unchanging terrain perhaps, but that is one respect, not many. I was taught that everyone has a cadence that is most efficient for them. A fixed gear bike is simply a guarantee that you will be in the wrong gear most of the time. If it was more efficient, road racers wouldn't be messing about with all that extra gear shifting hardware. I just started riding again a month ago after a 25 year absence from the scene. I bet everyone here can ride faster than me. I also ride a motorcycle. I could put my motorcycle in third gear, take the shifter off and ride it everywhere I needed to go too, but that would hardly make the most efficient use of the engine. I get sick of all the bragging about who is faster by some motorcycle riders I know and I have no desire to ride with most of them. Instead of having fun ,they all have something to prove. All I want out of riding a bike is to have some fun, and get some conditioning. I have no desire to hang with bicyclists that have something to prove either. If you find riding a fixed gear bike enjoyable, have at it. In the hilly terrain where I live, I doubt that it will ever be a viable option for me.