I have done so in the past, and just bought another set. They're great. No good reason to overspend on brakes unless you want to.

I've been riding fixed gear bicycles almost exclusively for about 5 years now. See my attached 1980 Schwinn Traveler.

I tried fixed gear on a whim when the races in my rear hub went bust. I bought an $80 wheel and never looked back.

The attached traveler had been badly abused when I found it at my local bike co-op. The pictures are actually a bit flattering. I bought it without wheels, shifters, derailleurs and seatpost but with the headset, stem, bars (which I don't like) and brakes. The paint is pretty rough, but it fits me really nicely.

I wouldn't cut a derailleur hanger off of a PX-10, but I don't feel guilty about this bike. I quite like it, actually. Seems like a perfect use for a low-end, abused frame.

I wouldn't cut a derailleur hanger off of a PX-10, but I don't feel guilty about this bike. I quite like it, actually. Seems like a perfect use for a low-end, abused frame.

and you could not find a "low end" non hanger frame to convert?
I'm not impressed....
I find the fixie fad another ridiculous foray into self indulgence of the "look at me I'm cool too" type...

Unless your actually racing on a dedicated track I find fixies as useless as the moronic wings on street bound Honda Civics.

The joke is on you, Soonerbills - IIRC, this frame has stamped DO's w/o a hanger.

-Kurt

Well I might as well jump in and beat the dead horse again...

I picked up my first FG bike off of Craigslist (a modern Soma purpose built for fixed use) a year ago because it was a deal I just couldn't refuse and I was curious to try it. A year later I'm riding fixed 80 percent of the time. I just found that I loved the simplicity of it and the feeling of total connection with the road and bike. I also realized that I'd much rather ride steel than carbon or aluminum.

I've since built up a 1982 Colnago Super frame as a fixed bike which I use as my main ride. I didn't hack anything off, and one day it may get some gears. Since then I became more interested in vintage frames and am now building up another Colnago with gears and vintage components.

I'm not a hipster (hell I'm 40 years old!) and could care less about the whole fixed fad. I just like riding that way, and it's brought me back into cycling in a whole new way after many years away from bikes.

I say ride whatever floats your boat. So long as you are out enjoying yourself who cares whether you have gears or not? To each his own. Dismissing the whole fixed gear thing as just a hipster fad is missing the point. There are many people, including the late Sheldon Brown, who have found riding fixed to be extremely satisfying.

I think part of the appeal for many is that life has become so complicated, so a simple bike is appealing because it's simpler than what we've become used to. So it's an aesthetic choice more than a practical one, for some people.

I bought a cheapo generic Chinese fixie bike from Nashbar in the fall. The frame and geometry happen to give a very nice ride. I ride this bike for fun. It will never be my main ride. And since I spent so little on it, it doesn't have to be.

In a city that's been flattened by more than a century of human development, but where you have to get up and down stairs all the time, it's a huge bonus not to have any added weight on a bike. For a lot of people who like to ride around but are disinterested in bike maintenance, a singlespeed or fixed gear bike (or 3-speed) is pretty much the most reliable and hassle-free you can make a bike.

I have friends who ride bikes everywhere here in NYC but don't know a thing about changing a flat or how to tighten up their brake cables. Believe me, for them, derailleurs just mean more potential for dysfunction.

I ride both, and though I like having gears for longer, varied-terrain rides, a fixed gear makes wonderful sense in the big city.

I actually got back into bikes a few years ago when a friend who's cycled his entire life explained his fixed gear to me. I became enamored of the idea of converting an older road bike, but from there, I found myself obsessed w/ all things C & V, randonneur bikes, etc. Obsessive or trendy fixed riders just make up another subculture or fad to me, like BMXers or downhillers or weekend roadies. They tend to be in the young and style-conscious demographic, but they're still only a small segment of a greater community of bike people of all types. (My own fascination among the crowd these days is the dorky, hardcore bike commuters, actually. The people who ride everywhere and have done so forever and who adamantly adhere to an aesthetic of a-stylishness in their bikes and bike wear. I have a friend like this: she rides her bike everywhere, it's almost glued to her, but she doesn't know the first thing about it, and I'd venture to guess, wouldn't even be able to tell me the brand name if asked. Start watching these types, and you forget the fixed fashionistas are even around, trust me.)

I've found by experience that the fixed gear crowd is a mix like any other. You get people who are the "too cool for you" fixed riders, but you'll also find some decent people ride a fixed because that's how they like to roll. To me this goes without saying, but it's something just to keep in mind. You get jerks in any crowd.

That said, I don't care to ride a fixed gear simply because I learned to ride and have always ridden vintage bikes that were either single speed coaster brake items or 3 speed SA items. I do have a 10 speed that I rode for awhile, but it's in pieces and stored away since I just don't enjoy riding true lightweights.

But you know, we have a system of private property. Yeah I cringe when I see a nice old bike turned into a butched fixed gear item, but hey it's someone else's property. If I'm going to worry about a bicycle, I'll spend my worries on my own.

The joke is on you, Soonerbills - IIRC, this frame has stamped DO's w/o a hanger.

-Kurt

Well that's a plus, and if so then I am impressed! At least then it's a matter of personal preferences. I know that in the big pic this argument is ridiculous...people do as they please and if it makes them happy fine! I am just somewhat of a purist...if the bike is a complete and restorable one then that's what I like to see..and if it has a hanger then there better be a derail there...IMHO
I stand by my comments in the previous post..I find fixies on the street nonsense but again it's all IMnotsoHO do what you want...you will anyhow!

Performance has a cheap fixie frame on sale for $200 plus $100 for the fork. You can buy a good vintage frame and fork in great condition for that kind of money. You can buy a whole bike and sell the parts and end up paying nothing.

I tried fixed gear and hated it, but it was fun to build the bike. I still have the wheels, so I'm goimg to build another one for one of my daughter's friends.

Yup, it's a cheap hi-tensile steel frame with stamped dropouts. It makes a perfectly good commuter. It was probably a half-step above the Varsity in the Schwinn lineup. All the aluminum bits make it a good bit lighter. The steel bars are next to go. I prefer proper moustache bars for climbing.

Have you tried riding fixed gear on the road? Try it sometime. You may enjoy it. You may not. It doesn't make it nonsense, either way.

I have a question born of fixie ignorance: Is it necessary to remove the derailleur hanger (I wouldn't have thought so) or is that a cosmetic issue?

Yes I have done a bit of riding fixed style and I do understand about the simplicity of the mechanics as well as the feeling of enhanced connection with the bike. But still I find the value of these attributes to small compared to the loss of true control over the machine during real world use.
I know your going to try to explain that because of the direct connection effect you actually have more control but it is my belief that very few people are skilled enough of a rider to be able to maintain control in emergency situations. Maybe you are skilled enough but is the average rider? I think not.
These bikes were designed to be ridden on a closed track by professional riders who would be capable of slowing and stopping the bike in a capable manner.
A perfect example of the danger of fixies in traffic is what I observed while in downtown Tulsa a while back. I was behind a truck at a red light, a rider on a fixie was coming down a incline street towards the light when the light changed. The truck started to move into the intersection before the rider started to slow, unfortunatly he lost grip on his pedals and had to make a panic pull on the only brake which was the front and he subsequently flipped the bike. thank god the truck driver did see him and was able to stop averting a real tragedy. The rider ended up with only scrapes but it could have been a real mess.
Could a more competent or alert rider avoided the incident all together? Probably. But I shudder to think of how many other people are out there riding bikes that are not,were not and never were made to be in traffic and don't have the skills needed to ride that bike safely.
I hope I never have to see a incident like that again.

Pretty much, yeah.

I convert fixies, but never see a need to file things away. Who cares if it has the marks of previously being used in another manner.

Soonerbills, I'd venture to say that the rider you witnessed and similar ones of his ilk wouldn't do any better on something with gears and everything else. How many drivers do you see in Porsches or other sportscars who've never had a proper driving lesson? What about motorcycle riders? The problem you mention isn't a result of the tool being used, it's a result of the active ignorance of the rider. Demonizing a type of bicycle won't get people like that to stop making ill-informed decisions.

FWIW, I'm not the most advanced rider, but I do find riding a fixed (with brakes) in the city gives me more control in driving; one thing, being able to make rapid sharp turns around cars and traffic jams can be really helpful. I also tend to pay a lot more attention to the potential for getting doored, which is a constant concern.

I'm sure there are those who actually enjoy riding fixies, but the reason you see them selling for 5-600 dollars on craigslist is because they became a huge fashion trend among hipsters who probably don't know any better than to regret the **** of a bike :\

These bikes were designed to be ridden on a closed track by professional riders who would be capable of slowing and stopping the bike in a capable manner.

Really? I think history tends to differ with that line of thinking.

"These bikes were designed to be ridden on a closed track by professional riders who would be capable of slowing and stopping the bike in a capable manner."

"Really? I think history tends to differ with that line of thinking. "

Well if you read this article you will find I'm not the only one with this opinion.

https://www.thelocal.de/society/20090630-20291.html

I've ridden a fixed gear bike before and was bored to madness. I'll take gears, please.

So how do we explain that many of the bikes in the early 20th century were fixed or single speed bikes of one form or another? These weren't designed for track racing but riding in general.

Frankly I could care less what other people are riding. Don't like it, don't ride it.

I really only hang around the C&V forum since i admire a bike for what it is.
what it was created to do. when i work on them, i try to restore them to close to original condition which means putting back what is missing and removing what shouldn't be there.
only accessories like baskets and such are optional

when i look at a listing for a vintage bike for sale, it still saddens me to see it stripped for parts
and then put up for sale as something it wasn't built to be.

Sorry I am naive
and that I was surprised to find that many C&V denizens see the gears as optional components.

So how do we explain that many of the bikes in the early 20th century were fixed or single speed bikes of one form or another? These weren't designed for track racing but riding in general.

Yes many bike manufacturers in the early years produced fixed axle bikes but I sure it was more of a matter of economics as it is cheaper to produce a fixed versus geared bike. As the consumers disposable income increased so did the desire for better equipped, easier to ride bikes. With the advent of efficient production methods and improved designs fixed gear was relegated to competition use primarily..Yes individual use such as messenger services continued but it really has not been but for the recent past the upsurge in fixed axle a desired form.
From what I have read in various sources this seems to be the common perception.

Frankly I could care less what other people are riding. Don't like it, don't ride it.

Well as you can see in my previous posts I believe it's a safety issue as much as a personal choice. similar to riding without a helmet. Some places require it and some don't. Is there a correct opinion? Probably not but it does elicit conversation..does it not?

So are you contradicting your original statement that fixed gear was only designed for highly trained professionals on a closed track?

EG-So are we supposed to leave the bikes 100% as they were intended? No swapping parts and components for comfort? Or usability? I love bikes for what they are: efficient, economic transportation that can easily be adapted for specific needs. If a fixed gear meets that for someone, more power to them.

Did you just quit smoking or something? Need something to do to keep your hands occupied? I don't see the connection.

Thanks

I tried a fixie, made it to the end of the Cul-de-sac and back. That will be the end of my fixie riding. I'm too much into my freehubs.
I don't like fixies and I don't like single speeds, but that's me, I'm not going to knock someone who rides them. Hey it' your bike, do what you want with it.

ERASERGirl, don't be upset. You've gained respect on this forum. Not everyone agrees with your viewpoint on this item, but that's OK. Just go with the flow.