The one part of the OP's (self described) rant I do sympathize with and can't fathom is the size of the gears some folks advocate for a fixie/ss. Not long ago I saw a guy talking about how his fixie with a 100 (or so) inch gear worked great for riding around San Francisco. Really?!?!? I personally saw Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault ride a short prolog TT from Fisherman's Wharf to Coit Tower back in the Coors Classic days. They both used a significantly smaller gear (though after riding it before the race I can tell you that Hinault's in particular was super-human!).

You're gonna ride 100-inches there recreationally or as a commute? Better stock up on the EPO, 'roids AND HGH! Holy cow!

I'm sorry, upon which planet do you live? I see lots of FG/SS bikes. A 100" gear. Never seen it. The biggest I know of being ridden is 3-1, 48x16, or about an 80" gear. I ride SS bikes with 74" and 77" gears (48x17 and 53x18). So you really have no clue about the subject or you live on another planet.

Moderator, it is time to start the "I've got a wedgie" Therapy Sticky so we don't have to repeat ourselves everytime someone has an episode.

I can kind of understand 'kids nowadays' not getting the concept of a 10-speed, with the shifter levers kind of operating backwards from one another. Hell, a big proportion of my customers seem intimidated by the idea of shifting at all, and this is rural, so we're talking indexed MTBs and stuff like that.

But the thing that gets me is the attitude I've heard from younger SS/FG mechanics, basically that derailleurs 'don't work' or 'aren't reliable.' I don't mind SS/FG at all; I think they're kinda fun, but I don't get the attitude that comes with them sometimes.

I would have to disagree with your assessment. In certain cases there is an economic advantage to riding a single speed bicycle. I have many customers who only need their bicycles to ride the few blocks between their apartments and the University. The bicycle racks on both ends of their journey are shared with savages who seem to take joy in brutalizing other people's property. I see many bent derailer hangers and damaged derailers on a daily basis. In rainy Florida, bicycles stored outdoors are prone to cable and housing corrosion. Often, it is less expensive to convert a bicycle to single speed then to replace a number of damaged components. The resulting product requires less maintainence, weighs less, and is a more damage resistant transportation solution.

A better analogy would be to compare a steel axe to a chain saw. For basic wood cutting both will get the job done, but one is a more expensive, more complex machine. Many people riding single speeds are not hard core technology geeks. I sell loads of single speed beach cruisers and Electra Townies. Most of these customers need to be shown how to inflate their tires and lube their chains. All they are interested in is that it has a lower price tag and is very simple to operate; just get on and pedal.

SS/Fixies are fine. Cavemen need bikes, too.

I really, really had to think about what the fourth set of bearings were. LOL no more beers for the evening

-Collin-

I dunno how many trees you've chopped down, but unless you've gotta do it only once, the tree is small, and you've got the axe on hand, I think most people will go for learning the needless compexity of the chainsaw.

Well, maybe on the second tree.

Actually, if one wanted to be pedantic, one could point out that there are really six bearing groups. Don't forget your pedals!

Single Speeds preference is a personal thing. And there are a few reasons, that those who have not embraced the idea, might have missed.

First, SS bikes are lighter! The Sekine pictured lost 4lb 5oz when I converted it. And, please keep in mind all, that building a Single Speed is not just getting rid of stuff. Stuff that remains might well be replaced also through the upgrade process. And, here-in lines advantage number two.

Building a Single Speed allows the owner to exercise his or her creativity, in an effort to enhance ones feeling of individualism. And this opportunity, to exercise one's creativity, is probably one of the biggest reasons for the increased popularity of the converted Single Speed.

Single Speeds, as mentioned, are physically lighter. The feel lighter when being ridden. And they definitely feel lighter when carrying the bike up a couple of flights of stairs, at the end of each day.

The Single Speed ride is about a non-invasive a ride as you are going to get. Pedal, balance, brake and steer. That's it! Though each of those activities are on purpose, they receive little decision making thought. Do you think about pedaling? Do you think about braking? Do you think about steering or balancing? The answer to all three is no. But when it comes time to shift, the thought process does kick in. And decision to shift invades the freedom of the ride.

Just keeping the bike on a single cog for a whole ride does no eliminate the thought of shifting. Nope! This only increases the thought about not shifting. Once again, an invasion of the ride.

If you want to comment on the ride quality of any bicycle, you must actually ride it and I do not mean around the block one time. You must ride the bike for a couple of months. Get to know the bike. Once you do this for around town riding, my guess is that those of you who don't get it will, indeed, get it. Single Speeds are great for around town riding.

All of the above is opinion, but I have thought lots about this. I have thought so much about it, that I decided to test the Fixed Gear bike hype. Now there is something I really don't understand - but only because I have not given it an honest try. I intend to do so on my newly acquired Trek T1 track bike - if I live, I will report my findings.

My_SekineSHT_FullTQFront3.jpg

Sekine_SHT_Mine_SS_Full_TQF_2.jpg

Trek_T1_Track_AsFnd_5.jpg

I don't get that either. How many spontaneously exploding derailleurs does one actually see? One a year? The "They're Simpler" part amuses me. Yeah, cuz changing a flat on a rear wheel is SO much easier when you have to carry wrenches with you, unbolt your wheel, fix the flat, and then try to keep the wheel straight and the chain at the proper tension while you tighten the axle nuts back up. Yeah, that's so easy compared to flipping a quick release, pulling the wheel out, fixing the flat, shoving the wheel back in and clamping it down.

And we all know that fixie cogs never ever come loose and need to be re-tightened....

I'm not going to read this thread. But I am going to say that most Americans can't even figure out how to work a 4 speed manual gearbox on a car. A bicycle with two levers to move three times as many gears or more is going to be way over their head (and where's reverse?).

I meet lots of people who feel exactly this way. For many people, shifting is a mystery, and a frightening one at that. That's why we have the automatic transmissions in most of today's automobiles.

Answer, is probably none but how many bikes do I find each year with one, or both, derailleurs miserably out of tune? The answer is hundreds and I am not exaggerating. Through Bicycles for Humanity, I get to inspect (with the help of many other volunteers) about a thousand bikes each year. Most have transmissions that are not in good working order. And the people who donated the bicycles would have had to deal with the poorly functioning transmissions when they owned the bike.

Dealing with derailleur issues is not intimidating for most of us who frequent this forum. But for someone who does not understand the rear derailleur, changing a rear tire can become a nightmare.

The "would be but knows very little mechanic", stuck at the side of the road, will not even know to shift the rear derailleur to the smallest cog before, removing the rear wheel. When it is time to install the wheel, they are often times stumped until shown why it is so difficult to get the axles to go into the drops. I show them how to ensure the chain is on the appropriate cog and away they go. Honestly, I see it all the time. Simple for us but a complete mystery to the untrained.

So, that one fact alone makes it easier, or simpler if you wish, to change the tire on a Single Speed.

I've built several single speeds. They were easy, fun, quiet, simple.

Then came the invasion of tattooed love gods with metal pieces dangling from holes in their bodies. I could have gotten them bidding, but they seemed confused enough about actually having to use money to get a bike, so I simply sold them for double my investment.

One of them probably manages my money market fund.

Well, merits of ss/fg aside, the motivation for 95% of them to ride ss/fg is fashion. These kids were raised on crappy mt. bikes, so they're pleased as punch to ride a poor man's ss varsinental (spray paint whether it needs it or not, remove derailleurs, shifters and, most importantly, the rear brake to show that you have street cred. Leave freewheel on and cut chain accordingly. Raise seat ridiculously high, angle seat stupidly downward, lower stem all the way, and cut bars so that they're six inches wide).

Function isn't the real issue for most. It's the whole "DIY" ethos run amok. They feel the compulsive need to have a "custom" bike that they "curated" themselves. They're in such a rush to be different that they've actually all sunken into a lemming-like caricaturization driven by style and vanity. The hippest have all moved on and are into vintage, touring, or work bikes.

The C and V compulsion is a bit vain as well, but it's a vanity that I much prefer

There. I'm done. No more rants for at least another year, by which time the fad will be entirely finished. By then, the mad rush for derailleurs and the "identify my powder coated frame" craze will be in full swing!

And, as usual, my caveat is that the world is a much better place because of the fixie fad. Five years ago, people still gave me that "you must be a freak for riding around town on an old bike" eye. Now, everyone and their dog is riding bikes around town, which makes me very happy.

If we are out for a family ride around the Minneapolis lakes, I almost always grab one of my kids' single speeds. It is "flat as a pancake" for sure, and I really do enjoy the convenience of just hopping on the bike and riding.

There is a ten mph limit on the path anyway.

No lycra.

No Smartwool.

No Sidis.

None of the other stuff I normally need. Helmet and sun glasses for sure though.

Just some money for ice cream and lunch.

Maybe a patch kit for flats and my Topeak Alien. I usually forget them though.

Yep, spring is right around the corner up here in the Twin Cities.

Only if they love getting laughed at and insulted. Post a picture of a bike as described in the SS/FG forum here, then say it's yours and you just built it. Pages of amusing vitriol will result.

I've ridden my fixed gear bike out in the country for 40 miles and more. Fixed gear is quite useful in town where you have to constantly modulate your speed. I can easily pedal my bike next to my wife as she walks down the street with total control. I ride either the fixed gear or the singlespeed when I'm out riding with her because she doesn't keep a constant speed. (no, I don't skid to stop; I use brakes) Getting up climbs on the fixed gear is less of a problem for me than going down. Even with brakes, scrubbing speed to keep from spinning past 160 rpm is no fun. But on the singlespeed it's WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

If you go to the SS/FG forum, you'll note they are always telling newbies not to trash good frames and to just leave all the braze-ons where they are. Since most of them seem to be dirt poor, there aren't very many vintage collectible frames getting damaged by them unless you collect Varsitys.

IGH hubs are gaining in popularity but they are more expensive than their derailleured brethren. And for people used to X-mart prices, walking into a bona fide LBS is like taking them to Niemann's.

Ya, that's what I should have said...

Pardon me, I need to go do a quick SS conversion to my commuter bike. Even though I have the parts around to fix it.

The rear derailleur seized while on the drive across Canada and I need a bike to get around. A nice simple one with few parts to fail in the salty, dirty, Ottawa winter.



Lucky for me I love riding bicycles of all kinds so I think I'll still be able to have a good time. And I won't have to worry about maintaining my drivetrain, not that I did much of that on this bike anyway.




Edit: Gears aren't that hard to understand. But I want to understand how mechanical things work. Some people don't want to understand mechanical things though, just as I don't want to understand just how movies are made. They just want to ride, I just want to watch. suum cuique.


Can we clog this thread with SS pics now?

Watch it buddy, we cavemen got feelings too.

Bibliobob, I sense a crack of light that could lead to openmindedness and enlightenment.

Robbie, Marines do things every bit as weird as body piercing.

Any Texas A&M alums out there (the Texas brand)?

I have, many times, attempted to explain my own interest in SS bikes -- variety in workouts, aesthetic simplicity in a physical sense, sheer fun, etc. Unfortunately, there is an increasing prevalent trend in this country for people to adhere to their belief structures, no matter how irrational, than to experience the pain of shifting to a more rational, but complex, set of beliefs, i.e., creationism/evolution, global warming, cats and dogs sleeping together, etc.

So, let me try to explain this in very simple and visceral terms.

1) Take a teenager or adult who has grown up (depending on the generation) riding clunky MTBs or 40 lb Schwinn ballon tire cruisers.

2) Build a SS "racing bike" with a lightish frame, 700mm wheels, narrow tires, drop bar, road or crit geometry.

3) Put our subject on the bike, watch him take off like a rocket and cut corners like a knife, observe the uncontrollable grin and look of wonder.

And here are my pics to clog the thread:

i am 24 and enjoy my fixed bike for reasons i cant explain (i may even take it on RAGBRAI)

but im also "smart enough" to have rebuilt two right ergo levers yesterday. one was an 8 to 10 coversion...

Bueno! Will you rebuild mine?

I'm one of the younger crowd (under 30 anyway), and I don't get the Fixie trend. Granted I want to build one, but that's more from reading Sheldon Brown's writings on the subject than fitting in with a PBR in my hand.

I reject the concept that you only get to be creative when building an Fixie/SS bike. Hell, with the rush on converting old frames its reduced the cost of derailers @ the local bike co-op to next to nothing. I scored a NOS Suntour VG-T there just the other day and was rather happy about it. Then again I shake my head when I see vintage touring frames converted to SS/FG by the same co-op. (I have a fetish for touring bikes, so my blasphemy meter goes off the charts with that!).

I like my 10-speed, but when I first started riding again--just a couple of years ago--I liked the idea of simplicity. The retro single-speed or 3-speed appealed to me, the deraillers seemed foreign, hard to deal with. I thought, 'why would you really need more than 3 speeds', then I rode a bit, and wrenched a bit and got better bikes. Turns out the deraillers wern't such a big deal to fix, but 20+ years ago when I got my first mountain bike, it came all in pieces and I didn't have a clue. Fortunatly a friend was willing to assemble it and tell me how things worked. Here let me muddy the waters even further, I get gears but I still like a 10-speed vs. say a 15 or 18, or 21-speed mtn set-up for that matter because I don't have to think so much about cross-chaining. The ride is fun and I'm much less likely to mess up the shift. I suppose if I just had one bike with a triple on it I'd adapt more quickly to the shift, but I have many and my primary long-distance bike has a triple, but it's a recumbent, so not as big a deal for cross-chaining there. If I didn't have the hills and had younger knees, I'd very well be tempted to just ride a single speed or old 3-speed. Now what i don't get--probably because i havn't ridden one--is the fixie thing, I like coasting... coasting is just about the most fun thing you can do on a bike. Obviously I'm not a serious cyclist because I coast, but come on. You're zipping along, wind in your hair, out in the world... it's a good thing.