hey OP - if you think a fixed wheel bike might work - give it a try.
i happen to think that any bicycle is a good bicycle.
i also happen to think a fixed wheel is a great way to get about. (and my ti with carbon ergo levered geared wonder machine is also a great way to get around, just different)

the only way to know is to try it for a bit. assuming you do not climb over a mountain each day to get to work or the store i'd bet money that you won't be missing all those gears and clicking and clacking and shifting once you get into it.

try a ss too - but i find ss road riding a drag, so much so that i got rid of the ss on the flop of my flip flop hub as i never used it.

and remember - a fixed wheel is not a unicycle, hybrid, nor is it like riding a regular geared machine that you 'don't stop pedaling' - it will be its own thing, with its very own sensations and benefits. it also doesn't have to be edgy, hip, or cool (i'm a poster boy for uncool). its a bike. you pedal little circles to make you go forward (and on a fixed wheel, backwards too!) it's pretty simple - but people sure know how to make it complicated.

that all said, goodbye thread.

x2

If I want to go with my triathlete friends for a 20+ mile ride after work (and kick their butts) I use the road bike.

Just to go to work and back, the fixed gear.

With the comparatively low cost of bicycles to cars, having two (or 5) bikes is not even an issue.

The fixed gear bike makes easy work of most hills (with low gearing) and can accommodate a rack / panniers for utility AND the chain won't stretch in 1500 miles like a 10 speed system.

=)

I have a geared bike that I bought specifically for commuting an training, but I have since gone back to the FG bike just because the chain won't stretch as quick and it is easier to clean / maintain for daily use.

I found just the opposite. Coming down the hills was always more of a challenge than going up them - pushing me towards higher gear ratios.

yup

How do you get a chain to last 1500 miles? I normally have to change the chain on my FG every 1000 miles.

clean and reoil every week (or 250 miles)

The cannondale capo is basically a roadbike frame with a singlespeed/FG switch hub.

I love it.

It's simple, fast, and fun as hell. I get a decent workout on it too.

I have been getting 3000 km (1800 miles) out of my multi-speed chains and as much as 4500 km (2800 miles) out of my fixed gear / ss chains.

They are cleaned when they need to be cleaned and oiled every 300-400 km unless the conditions warrant more frequent oiling.

I change my chains when they reach 12 1/16 inches.

My only input to this conversation is this:

I've been seriously considering a FG/SS for a long while now, but continue to ride a geared bike, why?

Because I'm waiting for the cash, frankly. I want a Swobo Del Norte w/ mustache bars.

But now that I've chased that rabbit for a second, my experience on anything with 18+ gears has taught me one thing (and that experience goes back some 15 years of 'riding' if you consider from grade school on I've always had a mountain/hybrid/road bike) that I personally only use about 3 gears when I finally get fit and hit that 'sweet spot.'

This is usually only irregular when it comes to large hills, and frankly I've always pushed my gear ratio too much and spun out at the top of the monolithic hills in my past (Nolan Hill, Bell Co. Texas - outside of Nolanville/Belton).

With that said, I suggest you really look into what you want/will/need to do on your commute.

Is it valid for you to buy a road bike and 151 FD/RD (21+ gears) on a commute you know you'll only use 2-3 tops? That's your call.

For me, I'll be doing most if not all of my riding/commuting on my Del Norte when I get it. The only reason I'm leaving it as an SS is because I run 30+ miles a week and don't want to push my knees beyond their threshold at this point.

I mean I've said it 1000 times.

when I go up hills I'm throwing it in a low gear to get maximum leg power. Cut out the middleman and just use your legs on a singlespeed.

Singlespeeds aren't really that hard on your knees.

I like riding FG in the winter cuz I want to work up some body heat, and I'll switch it to SS in the summer cuz I'm doing the opposite.

As far as SSFG vs geared vs hybrid vs blah, I've never met a bike I didn't like. They each have their advantages.

Except for unicycles; those are for weirdos. :)

Fixed that for ya. :)

<3 my unicycle:love:

Still, nobody has explained to me why "Fixed gear bicycles: the worst of both worlds. Unicycle + complexity, bicycle + inefficiency." is in error or, as already put, a "fail". If I am grossly misinformed, please tell me why!

I definitely don't mean to be hatin' on fixies. I just don't see them as the best thing for commuting, unless you also wanna commute with "style" or "fun." I don't. I wanna get there and back as quick as possible, and with as little effort as possible. The fun takes care of itself usually, regardless of which machine I'm riding.

The complexity you mentioned is the same complexity on all bikes (handlebars, a 2nd wheel, etc.) so by your argument, all bicycles have added complexity compared to a unicycle. Regarding inefficiency, a fixed gear has one cog and one chainring that are usually aligned right behind the other. Bikes with front and rear derailleurs have a cog, chainring, two jockey wheels and often aren't perfectly aligned depending on what gear you're in. Add to that the longer chain and you've got a heavier, more complex system with more inefficiency due to the additional energy needed to pull the chain through the extra jockey wheels at less than ideal angles.

Fixed gear = simple and efficient. And because of the cog/chainring, gives you more distance gained per crank revolution than a unicycle with the same size wheel.

Now consider that commuters will ride in rain, mud, snow, etc., a simpler system with fewer moving parts will have fewer problems than a system with more moving parts. Again, fixed gear wins because there's no cable stretch, no high/low limit screws to adjust, no barrel adjusters, etc.

It's not the perfect commuter by any means, but it's more than just a fashion accessory. Fixed gear bikes can be fast in the right environment. For a hilly commute with fast moving traffic, a road bike will be faster. For an urban commute with busy traffic where agility is more important than top speed, a road bike's top speed is neutralized.

Your my role model.

You poor poor man.

Realize we live in different places, different ages, and differing abilities. I've had a fixed gear and road bike for 10 years, now riding a hybrid. Living in one of the hilliest cities in America, with very little stop/go, frequent stretches of extreme hills and sometimes long stretches of open flat road I found there is no gear that does it all and felt restricted by my fixed gear. So, I swithed to a road bike, which ended up worse than the fixed. The low body position was uncomfortable, I could easily go up and down the hills & enjoyed being able to shift but I found out pretty quick road bikes need good roads and around here with frost heaves, pot holes, roads in disrepair, and when there's a down pour we get huge stretches of sand that gets washed into the street the sand was particularly dangerous to traverse on my road bike with thin tires and did a number on it, and it wasn't 2 weeks with my road bike I went over a typical road and hit a bump that warped my rim.

I got a hybrid (Trek 7100) which I think is finally the right bike! Comfortable upright seating of my fixed gear bike, shocks & strong rims to absorb & take the poor roads, wider "hybrid" tires that can take stretches of sand (not too severe), and gears that let me climb the steep hills, or speed on flat areas or down hill. So, it depends on where you live, what age, and what you want to do. The fixed and Road bike aren't particularly suited for here (unless you just ride the fixed for strolls around the neighborhood or the road bike on good roads only that don't get convered in sand when it storms), the hybrid is considered the ideal choice around here with some choosing mountain bikes instead but highly recommend you try what you have to figure out what you need.

Hey Huhenio, I was in Santa Fe on friday. Shrimp tacos at the blue corn cafe!

Back to the point.

Unicycles are like fixed gears without brakes. Pretty stupid to me and mostly a novelty item.

I love my fixed gears I ride my loaded 25 pound IRO with panniers to work EVERYDAY.
It has brakes.

Stop defending fixed gear bikes to people who do not or choose not to understand or even TRY them.

Let these goofs "Commute" on their unicycles and ride their so-called "efficient" hybrids.

That hybrid is holding you back if you are looking for quickness.

That is not the point.

I take an hour detour on the way home.

I would have loaned you my fixed If I knew you where in town.

Pretty place for riding ... eh?

Correct.

In my comparison, I was intending to show that a fixie took some of the less desirable elements of unicycling and combined them with the less desirable elements of bicycling. The difference with geared bikes that I was trying to point
was that along with the added complexity, geared bikes are can be more efficient vehicles.
Thank you for the the good visual description. Given the riding conditions and desires of the rider, it appears the added complexity and weight of a gearing system may or may not be the most favorable setup.

Point taken.
Point taken. However, I wouldn't agree that a fixie "wins." I think it is more of a personal choice of the rider whether it is more important to have a more durable drive system, or the advantages of gearing given his environment and riding style. This entails a cost/benefit analysts by each rider, account for the cost of maintenance on a geared system and the benefits that such a system actually have.
I can definitely see what you're saying in the above points. Especially for urban riding, a fixie may well be the best choice all around.

jyossarian, thanks for going over this with me. I most definitely see things a bit differently now.

@ Marshmellow

Thanks for sharing your story, which is a great example to me about why one type of bike is better for certain conditions than others.

@ Bike4More
Actually, many unicycles have brakes. Most do not come with brakes stock, but have brake bosses on the frame in order to add brakes. Other lower-end frames do not have these, but braze-on kits are available.

I suppose you could call a unicycle a novelty item, but to me it still is and will remain a viable form of transportation. Perhaps not the most efficient choice, but for me at least, "fun factor" goes way up.
I ride to work every day too, sometimes on my unicycle but mostly on my hybrid. Not sure what you're trying to say here.

Not sure what you're trying to imply here. Even assuming a unicycle does not have brakes, it can still stop very quickly, about as quickly as my fully loaded Trek hybrid (laying on the front brake). Keep in mind that a unicycle has less weight to stop - one wheel, one tire, and a smaller/lighter frame.

In this comment, I assume you are referring to me.

I'm sorry you've so grossly misinterpreted my posts. My posts clearly state my desire to hear others' viewpoints on fixies. They also clearly state my desire to try riding a fixie. I have never had the opportunity.

I see little benefit from your use of personal insults.

I'm not sure why "Commute" is in quotation marks, as if getting from A to B on a uni vs. a bike is somehow less worthy of the term "commute?" Is "commute" now some elitist term, with only certain vehicles "worthy" of having the term attached to them? I could commute on a 20" wheel 6' giraffe unicycle...it's still a commute.

Even based on what I've read, given my riding conditions, I still conclude that a geared bike would be more efficient than a fixie for my commute.
How so? Please explain.

Also keep in mind, that my primary goal is NOT quickness. My primary goal is to get from A to B while striking a good balance between speed and effort, with an emphasis on using less effort, given my riding conditions (generally flat, with some gentle hills). Quickness is a big selling point for me, but perhaps not the biggest. Regardless, I'd genuinely like to hear your point of view.

I can see several instances where I may be trying to read between the lines too much, and if I misinterpreted you, I'm sorry.

I have been riding since I was 6. up to 17 all I had was fixed gears, and coaster brakes. I swore I would never ride those infernal machines again. Always had to put my feet in the down tube to coast. freaking single gear.

+1

to the OP just remember you'll need to stop/slow down on the other die of the hill, so consider a front brake at least.

Also,

I think a lot of this is a reaction to the Trade which tries to push more product onto us, hence the advent of revolutionary bicycle developments like the "Hybrid or Commuter" - oooo!

Commuting 25 miles a day through urban roads that would have turned Mad Max around through traffic ignorant of most laws and skill, I have to say that nothing beats my SS. But this isn't an issue of whether my Kung Foo is better than yours - and it is unstoppable. This discussion is bifurcated here:

1) a fixed/SS will do everything a geared bike will do only it will cost less to buy/own
2) keep it simple

Regarding #1 - for so long the hyped up multi-gear bikes were crammed down our throat - it was the only game in town. Then the mountain bike revolution exploded and we all loved biking again. Fixed/SS - at least the way its playing out these days is a continuation of that conversation, "I can be in control of my biking experience and you can't say no to me."

Regarding #2 - simple for your needs. If you have a multi-gear bike and it works for you - fantastic. If you need more simplicity in your life consider one gear.

And no - they aren't any worse for your knees. If you can't crank it - guess what? You go a little slower. Fixed is more efficient, but I do so like to coast at times.