And all this time I thougth cycling was a lifestyle. I kinda look at cycling like religion, you got a whole lot of denominations. I wear cargo shorts, t-shirt, got tats, and ride SS mtb. I have thought about trying fixie for something different. But then again where I live cycling is not so popular. I sometimes think that those of us that have many bikes of varied styles should be either termed as misfits, bike geeks, or Connoisseurs. No prejiduce here on someone riding a bike different than mine, just to the ones that give cycling a bad rep.

Is there really that big a difference? Maybe in terms of abuse they can take as in banging up derailers when locked up, etc. But I don't find there to be much in they way of maintenance for a derailer, some fine adjustment once in a while, just like watching tire pressure and an overhaul every year or two.

Fixies can really wear out BB and rear hub bearings as well as they get more abuse than on a freewheel bike.

Al

Some people leave home at 4:30 to get to work.

well yeah, derailleurs are pretty easy but then fixies don't have them, or shifters or cassettes and sometime no brakes either so you don't have to adjust anything, change out cables, remove gunk from the sprockets/derailleur, replace levers if they get broken or old etc. Chains last forever, sprockets too, no shifting means much less wear on parts so no replacement costs. Sure hubs, headset and BB but they can go for quite a while without maintenance.

In poor weather especially, fixies go on and on for much longer whereas gears can get gunked up easily and stop working properly, get poor shifting etc.

Also, we could get a thunderstorm, which makes it dark. In summer, I generally leave my big, bulky HID at home. I use a 10 W halogen with an NiMH battery that hangs off my tube.

I think this is the main factor. It rarely rains and never snows here, so derailers, brakes, cables, etc. all work better for longer with less maintenance. I can see how a deralier and brakes in snowy nasty weather could be a nightmare.

Al

Having commuted through the winter on a geared bike, I can definitely tell you that you are over-simplifying. Sand and salt wreak havoc on derailleurs and brake pads. I was going through almost a full set of brake pads per month through the winter. And fine adjustment doesn't begin to describe what you have to do to the drive train. Every single time you ride in winter, (above 20 degrees anyway) your entire drive train will get coated in a nice slush/sand/salt cocktail. Throroughly cleaning it every day would take prohibitively long. Most people end up applying liberal amounts of lube and hoping for the best. Then overhaul it when the snow melts. If I have to commute through winter again, I may use a fixed/ss.

I'm a minimalist, likes to travel light but w/o sacrificing the basics. I also follow th weather forecast closely day by day to see how should I dress or what equipment to take with me. Light equipment never come with me in the summer.

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