He's got you with the same argument that has surfaced many times now ILTB. At this point you really should go nail a fixed century or something just so that you have a good rebutal for this very valid point.

i commute everyday on one of my two fixed gears. when it's raining i ride my iro with fenders. when it's not i ride my pimped out indy fab. 23 miles r/t. i love it.

For smaller hills (and that's all we have in Norman, OK), I actually find it easier to blast up them on my fixie than on any of my other bikes. Fixies carry you through things you might actually have to work towards on a freewheel.

you again! dude, you're such a friggin' hater.

After commuting for 4 months on a FG, I switched to a road bike and I like it alot. I still miss my FG so I am going to build up a single speed (freewheel) road bike conversion... that way I'll have a use for my stock mercier fixed hub =)

YESH !

Another WiseDonkey who confuses opinions and/or truth with hate.

no confusion here. when it comes to fg or ss you are a hater. no doubt a great guy otherwise but for some reason fg/ss makes you go nutso! just sayin'. . .

Not really, the argument is bogus. I also haven't tried cycling a century without a saddle on the seat post to figure out that it would be a shakey way to enjoy cycling except for a special type of cyclist.

I also don't need to experiment with high wheelers, unicycles and/or pimped out cruisers with a continental kit to doubt/rebut the wisdom of those who think they have discovered the key to a higher order of commuter cycling through fetishes, fads, masochism or asceticism.

Now you're talking, my brother!

i pity you. i really do. have ya ever even ridden a fixed gear? have ya? cause if ya did, you'd never go back. believe me!!

Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
fetishes, fads, masochism or asceticism.
Exhibit #1.

Personally, I think anyone who rides a 3 speed hub is just asking for trouble. They're heavy, they're clunky, and they are really old technology. Only a masochist would ride such an outdated technology. I mean really, 3 speeds? They are inefficient at best, they are noisy and they make it harder to remove the wheel when fixing flats. I can't believe anyone in their right mind would use such an arcane piece of equipment on purpose. And *coaster* brakes? For kids bikes maybe! Only someone with a fetish for old English technology would bother with something as backwards as a 3 speed hub. Or any geared hub for that matter! They were just a fad then, and they are a fad now because manufacturers make them look sporty by putting them on sporty bikes. But they are in reality heavy, clunky, and not up to the rigors of every day riding!

It is foolish to believe that anybody could be happy riding such a lowly piece of equipment.

I mean, I've never actually TRIED one but how could I *POSSIBLY* be wrong or closed minded about this!?

Hey, the koolaid tastes good? Enjoy it with the other connoisseurs who swear by their choice. Look how they line up!

i like to bike rides a 3 speed? hardeeharhar!!!!!

ridin' track bikes on the street may not be a skill-set you possess! keep ridin' your 3 speed and someday ya might graduate to a track bike!!

Man, this thread went to hell...

Would it be possible to trade in a 3 speed for three single speed bikes? None of the local shops ever take me in on this offer.

I need one for slight uphills, one for flat surfaces, and one for riding down cliffs with a hurricane behind me.

I love my fixed gear for commuting for the simple abilities to control my speed with my pedaling and the fact that I can trackstand through lights and never have to put my foot down. Both of these skills prove to be invaluable during my everyday commute.

The arguments about pedal strike being a fear are all but groundless to me as well. Possibly there are some commuters out there who encounter multiple corners on their commutes where they have the sort of lean angle that may incur pedal strike, but I (and I would venture to guess nearly every other Portland commuter) am not one of them. With a proper track bike the bottom bracket height/ 165mm cranks makes pedal strike an unlikely phenomenon on all but the most high speed, extreme corners. For those who commute at high speed on tightly cornered routes, as well as those who's commute includes tons of hills, a fixed gear does not make sense.

If, like many urban city commutes across the US you ride mostly through city streets, a fixed gear bike setup with a brake can be the perfect tool for your commute.

Who? Fixed gear riders or 3 speed riders? Because the way I see it, this web site has a whole section for fixed gear bikes, but I looked around and didn't see one for 3 speed fanatics. Who's the one on the fringe here, old man?

not again .... not again .....please!

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.