oldpedalpusher

Craigslist is positively flooded with fixies for sale in L.A.
Seems like an awful lot of people are trying to dump them.

It would be lots of fun to have one... except that it would be totally useless in the steep canyon area where I live and ride.

Barnaby

Hey Wortman, I think I figured what may have triggered your emotive response to my post, and that is that you may have thought that my post was primarily in response to your post just above. I should add that I did not read your post, I had scanned the multiple pages of this thread quickly and rattled that one off. But on reading that post, you make the statement I don't understand why anyone would prefer a fixed gear bike other than just the novelty of it. To begin with saying that you don't understand the benefit of the concept, and then to follow with the statement that it is not necessary for the adherents to justify it to others, leaves one wondering if your goal is to understand it or to simply dismiss it from the gitgo. If that was your mindset on swimming in this thread then I would ask you to question yourself as to whether that predetermination is in itself arrogant and possibly elitist. I mean there are many posts here and elsewhere from fixed gear adherents that refer to positive aspects of their chosen endeavor, and yet it leaves you with the conviction that fixed gear is nothing more than "novelty". If I only appreciated classical music and allowed my son to drag my sorry butt to an Insane Clown Possy concert, and I was predetermined to get nothing out of it, the later would be a foregone conclusion. I approach the unfamiliar with the mindset of: Is there anything in this mine worth digging for, or not. If not, I shut the door and move on. The lingering thought though is, I wonder if I am cheating myself, after all can all the adherents be so different from me that by getting next to them would not be rewarding. One of the maxims I try to live by is L. Cohen's "Go home with someone new, don't be the person that you came with." I suggest that there is something there, but acknowledge that it is not for everyone, and may not be for you.

bcoppola

Ahem. That's Insane Clown Posse. Us Motowners are protective of our own. But frankly, we're both too old to be juggalos*.

Interesting how this thread has morphed from "the fad is over" to (yet another) pro/con about fixed gears. Everyone enjoying their popcorn?

For my part, I'm glad the hipster fixed gear craze is playing out, if only because fewer classic bike frames will be Drewed. And we will thankfully hear less and less about bikes and components thereof being "palped". OTOH, I hope the hipsters will keep riding, whether fixed or free, as they mature into more or less responsible adults.


---

*hardcore ICP fans.

Retro Grouch 

What an opportunity!

Living where you do you could have a "fixie mixie named 'Trixie' in the hicksies."

Retro Grouch 

Agreed.

Retro Grouch 

You'll definitely be able to look down on them.

Barnaby

[QUOTE=bcoppola;9916270]Ahem. That's Insane Clown Posse. Us Motowners are protective of our own. But frankly, we're both too old to be juggalos*.

bcoppola-got to admit that due to my poor spelling, I first found this thought rather depressing.

'47

Ditto. Color schemes that break up a bike's lovely lines like some reverse camouflage scheme rendering a bike into a boffo NASCAR racer seems so....adolescent. Simplicity, elegance, grace....all the things that make a bike a pleasure-in-motion. Molteni orange included.

Retro Grouch 

Agreed. The only things that should be kitted-out like NASCAR are politicians. That way we'd know who their corporate sponsors are.

rwortman

It was actually a response to an accumulation of posts wherein fixed gear advocates seem to be looking down on the rest of us and it wasn't really fair to make it a reply to your fairly even handed post. I apologize for that. Even phrases like "don't get it" imply that there is something mysterious to "get" and something missing from those that don't "get" it. To me it is simply a personal preference. You are entitled to yours as I am to mine. To use another motorcycling example, those who ride a certain brand of cruiser styled motorcycle would say that I just don't get it and I am the poorer for having that particular defect. The fact is that I know what they are, I know how they ride and I simply don't prefer to ride heavy, low performance, lousy handling motorcycles. To be honest, I haven't ridden a single speed bicycle since I was a preteen. If you live on fairly level ground, I can see how riding a light, responsive, elemental bicycle might be kind of fun, just as a change of pace. In every hobby there are those that gravitate to little niches within it and claim themselves sooo superior to everyone else. That applies to single brand car and motorcycle enthusiasts, SET amplifier fans in audio, archery hunters, and people who won't listen to music that more than 500 people have ever heard of. I find them all equally annoying.

Neil_B

No, it's over when I want one.

I want one.

MrCjolsen

If it's flat and there's no wind, I'd rather be on my fixed gear than on my 27 speed Surly Crosscheck. Both bikes weigh about the same, but I'm faster on the former than the latter.

In traffic, I have more control at very low speeds, and go all the way down to zero without unclipping. This makes it my preferred bike for stop and go urban traffic.

Barnaby

Hey Wortman Thanks for that. If you were around in my neck of the woods I am sure I could convert you, and then you would become as insufferable as a reformed smoker. That comment about guaranteeing to be in the wrong gear almost all the time got me thinking about the Taliban-like othodoxy that we now use in cycling, that 85+ cadencence has to be employed or we will loose our burquas. Lately, on the geared Marinoni I have been using only 52/12 for about a week now. My cadence up hill is probably in low 40's, and gets to maybe 85 at best on shallow down hills. My goal is to reach a state where the lungs and the legs seem to bear the buron equally. It is kind of fun to play with it.

I've often wondered about how good Harley Davidson's really are as well. I used to crave a BMW, but kept away from them since I have a 301/2 inseam, and they are quite tall. Did not want to tip toe at every stop light. The Chopper shows always show them dropping in the same engine into all their rediculous creations as if no thought was given to the powerplant at all. When I google Fuelly.com to compare mileages on cars, my Jetta TDI gets about the same mileage as alot of the larger bore bikes, seems rediculous. I guess I have highjacked the thread enough. Have a good day.

alicestrong

No. It's over when I sell mine.

I don't want to sell it...