Hey, he already ruined the thread with his anti-fixed gear/single speed evangelism. Why not have some fun?

Like the dutchman who took a try at the hour record, seatless, last year? He had 205mm cranks and a 68x11 gear ratio!

Glad YOU brought that up. Why don't the fixed gear fanatics post their odes to the joy of their oh-so-unique cycling bliss to that very list that is devoted to the subject? Seldom do such fanatics discuss anything about commuting on this commuter list, only lots of stuff about the aura that radiates around the aesthetes and the elegance of their man/machine symmetry.

Because we use ours for *gasp* commuting. You don't see us banishing old fogeys like you to the vintage forum, now do you?

(tongue planted firmly in cheek)

I have a choice of 8 bikes to commute 12.3 miles to my heavy, manual
labor job on so I purposely pick the one that will start my day
the most painfully......I need to make sure I arrive late due to hills
and am totally spent by the time I get to work, so I ride the fixer.
:rolleyes:

Hey Lem, I too like to suffer, which I why I ride the fixed in 115F summer commutes and post about how special it is on forums ILTB hangs out on. Not sure which is more painful, the fix or the reality check ILTB deliver. Did I say painful, I meant fun.
Al

I took it up when the doctor told me I had to stop the self-flagelation with cat-o-nine tails or they were going to put me in a padded cell. It's like old times when ILTB gives me a written thrashing. Thank you sir, may I have another?

The cost argument is hard to accept. A Cheap drivetrain will always have more working gears than the SS.

I guess though, if you have more bikes than you should, its a cheap way to fix one up that's different enough from a real bike. :eek:

What else are you supposed to do with an old bike with worn out gears? Taking it to a bike store to get it fixed will cost more than it's worth. It's either a trip to the dump or make it work. SS can be a cheap easy to do project. It was my first adventure in bicycle mechanics.

One thing I enjoy when visiting college campuses is the squeal of rusty neglected derailure bikes. If you are going to chain it to the front porch and don't know how to spell lube, I think a SS is better.

I have a '86 Raleigh Technium 48x16. It used to have 12 now it has one and we are both much happier.

To those who have to suffer through this guy's posts on a regular basis:

1. http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=20232
2. click on "Add I-Like-To-Bike to Your Ignore List"
3. enjoy BF without being hindered by this relentless bitter troll

Hey, I think I'll try that right now.

I have three single geared bikes that get me to work and around town:

1. Raleigh cruiser frame ... converted to coaster brake singlespeed. Extra fun added by flipping the cruiser bars and turning them into almost path rather style shallow drops. That's my uber beater bike as it's a strip+spraypaint job with no appealing components to speak of. I think the most expensive part on the bike is the top tube pad.

2. KHS track frame ... used to be set up fixed but now the gf uses it. For her it's a singlespeed with road drops - she loves it. I'm insanely jealous of the seatpost (old Campy aero) and some dau I'll hopefully find one of my own. She doesn't commute on her bike so it's reserved for bike rides or random outings where she knows she can bring it inside (too cherished to risk locking up).

3. Pake fixed gear bike ... my everyday commuter. 73.6 or so gear inches (48x17, 165mm cranks) around Toronto is just fine. I'd actually like to gear it a little bit lower as I like to spin. That'll happen when the budget allows for new parts. Narrow bullhorns are in my opinion the ideal set up for urban fixed riding (multiple comfortable positions, easy to get over the front of the bike for skipping/hill climbing).

Edit: got my spell on (somewhat, it's late and I'm tired).

Bye, Bye Jack. I agree, it would be better if all the other "suffering" Donkeys (who can't handle their precious beliefs being questioned without whining and crying wolf/troll) would assure that they only read the wisdom of fellow cult members/true believers. Then they wouldn't have to get their blood pressure up and all constipated because they can't come up with any reasonable response to reasonable doubt.

i like to gripe is right! i got rid of my fixie! now i can ride ever so much easier! thank you, i like to gripe!

(a 3 speed? jesus. . .):) :) :) :)

Glad to be of service. Hope your groupies didn't desert you:rolleyes: for a messenger or another possenger.

Brooklyn commuter
 

I only ride a few miles a day to work and back, and it's all city traffic, so a fixed gear makes a lot of sense for me. I love this bike. Sometimes I'll take it through the park on the way home and do a few laps to work up a sweat. Weekends too - riding out to Coney Island is pretty great, about 8 miles each way.


http://static.flickr.com/67/162313544_78a0a5d2a5.jpg

70's Schwinn Superior fixie on Flickr

I have a nice 10 speed at home which I would ride more often, but I've had nothing but trouble with the rear derailleur. Until I get it fixed, I'm pretty much riding fixie all the time.

I gave it a couple days and decided to read what the inevitable response would be. So here's why I like fixed gear bikes (a lot of this applies to singlespeeds as well, but fixed is the more extreme setup so I'll write about that). I'll also try to put a stop to the personal attacks that have been going back and forth.

New/different riding techniques: I enjoy bikes in general and obviously people ride various styles of bikes in completely different manners (ie. a downhill racers cornering techniques vs. a road racers hill climbing techniques). Every genre of cycling has it's own features and challenges. Riding fixed lets me modulate my speed in a completely different way than on my road bike. I can lightly resist on the pedals to kill some speed, I can skip a bit (half second skid), I can even to a full on "hockey stop" skid that takes me right back to being a little kid if I want. Basically I can vary my cadence on the fly and the bike follows suit. While that seems like a minor detail (why not just feather the brakes instead of skipping?) it's something unique to riding fixed that greatly improves the experience for me. In a similar vein, riding fixed has shown me a whole new way to tackle hills. You sprint them and make use of your momentum (and if you've ridden fixed you know about the momentum you get from your cranks, not just the entire bike) to carry yourself up the hill. It's completely different than spinning up them in a granny gear, but it's also different than grinding away on a road bike.

Physical challenge: A great example is the guy who posted the thread about wanting to hit 40mph. People weren't saying he needed a better bike to do it, they encouraged him to succeed in the effort and gave him some tips to improve his riding style. And guess what, he did it. I love riding single gear bikes because I've learned to tackle bigger challenges on a simpler bike. Hills that I didn't think I could do with one gear, distances that I didn't think I could cover riding fixed are goals that I've met and feel great about accomplishing. There's no medal for it, but I know I've improved as a cyclist having done those things. Obviously riding fixed you can't coast (you can go all rubbery legged, but you'll always be in motion). In that sense I find riding fixed is a great physical workout. Everyday I ride I push myself hard. I'm not talking tearing through crosswalks and almost mowing people down at the street, but I try to ride near the limit of my ability whenever possible. My endurance at maintaining high cadences has shot up and my body is stronger in general. There's no breaks on a bike like that and you use muscles that wouldn't otherwise get used on the bike (anyone who remembers the day after their first day on a fixed gear learning to skip, etc. knows what I'm talking about).

Mechanical simplicity: Having a simple bike means that you'll experience less cost (time & money) in mantainence. That's a basic truth - there are just less things to wear out, catastrophically fail when you're riding, etc. If I rode a geared bike daily, I'd be looking at replacing my chain/casette at least every year. In my case all I have to worry about is the chain. There's no derailleur hanger to get bent if the bike ever crashes, no limit screws or shifting barrel adjusters to tweak. I'm not saying that geared bikes are constantly on the verge of collapse. I'm saying that for someone who isn't rich it's a lot nicer to maintain a simple bike for commuting than something much more extensive. That being said, my road bike is Ultegra 10spd. I built it up from the frame/fork and I love working on it. I also built my fixed gear bike from the frame/fork up. The important part is that I built it up as something simple and reliable. Simplicity is a preference, not a hindrance.

So there are three big things. I'm sure others could come up with more. Riding fixed isn't for everyone. Some people don't enjoy it, for some people it would make their commute very difficult. However, I think in the majority of cases it's a great style of bike to ride and a huge amount of fun. If you're ever in the greater Toronto area and want to throw a leg over my bike, just let me know and I'll be happy to lend it.

Jesus ****ing Christ lighten up everybody.

I've got lots of bikes, and I like to ride them. We all bring our own experiences and preferences to commuting. Just because someone likes derailleurs, or coaster brakes, or fixed gear, or whatever they like, that doesn't mean they are a bad person. No-one will be upset, I-Like-To-Bike, if you say that you don't get why they want to ride fixed gear. It's when you imply that they're stupid, call them cultists and fetishists, and worst of all, tell them to post on another forum. It's not your opinion, and what you like to ride, that makes you a troll, it's the attitude you bring with it, and your feeling that those who disagree should go elsewhere.

even though I admire those who commute on fixies,
I enjoy myself better on a very relaxed 43/20 single speed free wheel, 27 x 1 1/4 tires,
on a start syosse, sovietski road bike 0f 1980.
handlebar is a riser, brakes and the levers, all are stock.

+1!!:) :)

Thanks for a very reasonable well written, intelligent response; 'tis a shame it had to be preceded by almost 137 posts of the other kind. Let's see if some of our comrades can also show restraint when discussing this topic.

I ride a Redline 925. I didn't buy it to be hip (my brain isn't capable of thinking in that direction.)

For YEARS I rode a geared bike and always has a 'grass must be greener' mindset when observing SS bicycists. I wanted a ZEN bike to get from point A to point B and back, and not deal with crappy shifts, and the chain locking up or coming off the ring, and obsessively shifting to find the magic place. I also don't have a crapload of time to maintain the geared bike. Sick and tired. SICK AND TIRED. I was sick and tired of geared bikes. Sick AND tired. Both. Not just sick. Not just tired. Sick and tired. Truly sick and tired. Not just overusing the common phrase. I TRULY was sick and tired. If there was a phrasionary (dictionary of phrases) you could look up "sick and tired" and see a picture of me on a sidewalk trying to put my chain back on the ring while making a very ugly face. One might call it the Sick and Tired face.

Guess what? The grass IS greener! S/S works just fine! Sheldon Brown was right! I'm grateful! I'll never go back to a geared bike unless I move to San Fran or want to take up racing! I'm no longer Sick and Tired! I LIKE RIDING MY BIKE NOW! I LOOK FORWARD TO IT! SOMETIMES I SMASH POPSICLES ON MY SWEATY SKULL OUT OF SHEER JOY!!!

Try riding S/S. Just do it. Then decide what you like.

Try it? And then decide?!?! You must be joking.

Isnt an antique 3 sp zealot arguing
with fixie wackos sort of like the purple teletubbie
arguing with the bright green one ??
:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

Yeah, not exactly what I had in mind when I started the tread. I have the single speed pictured which I love to ride but I too have geared bikes, one trek OCLV carbon fiber with an xtr set up and I'm looking for a nice geared road bike as well to ride. I just really like the one gear thing and wanted to find others that did as well.

I don't fit in the ss/fixed forum because I tend to be at a little slower and easier pace. I just find riding my ss a little more challenging and helps ME get a better work out and god knows I need one. lol.

I just like riding bikes.

I'm not going suggest or ask that ILTB stops posting here... he's totally invited to post his opinions. Just remember that that's all they are... opinions and god know we all have 'em. lol. Nice too see a lot of people do commute on ss/fixies though. I'm loving all the pics as well... keep em coming! :D

Me too, atomBob...
Actually, in other forums ILTB has posted some good stuff.....
So I just dismiss the anti-fixer posts as an anomoly(??)
I like all bikes. The fix is my prefered ride right but Im
glad I have my Gearies too.....
Im talking myself into a Tri-Bike that I will bastardize/ruin into my
hyper-kommuter. Its all good !! :d :beer:

Just to clarify - not an anti-fixer; if anything anti over-the-top and silly raving about the mystical powers of the breed. See post 144 for an example
http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.p...&postcount=144
Especially when the same attributes for commuting (simplicity, reliability and workout potential) for the most part can be found in any decent shape Huffy one speed or Schwinn/Columbia 3-speed that can be bought at a thrift store ready to go for $10. And has been available for umpteen decades for any cyclist desiring such attributes if not blinded/dazzled by marketing or trendy hype.

Continually referring to people's preference in bikes as cult like, marketing addled or hopelessly trendy is arrogant and stupid. Please stop. I don't find riding a fixed gear at all mystical, but it is a great lot of fun.