Whenever I see anybody on a drop bar single speed bike the first thought that comes to mind is "I wonder who stole all his gears?".

Put a Sturmey Archer S3X hub wheel in the back , it will be a fixed gear but when the direct drive Gear


is too difficult , there is a 0.75 and an 0.63 reduction gear lower than that, available with a flick, of the lever .

IDK where you Live .. how about a 61" gear ? then 2nd will be 45.75", 1st, 38.43"

S3x can be retrofitted with a screw on Freewheel, if you miss coasting down hills after doing the conversion.

Before there was any such thing as fixie-riding hipsters, over a ten year period I converted three bikes into singlespeeds. Basic enough for me - never interested in fixed gears. The singlespeeds are all gone - guess I wasn't too interested in them, either.

Seniors? I learned in a nursing course a few years ago - Health and Development Across the Continuum (or words to that effect) - that Middle Adulthood includes young people like me all the way up to age 65!
I won't be Old for a couple of years.

58 years old here, as of last week. I did 50 miles on this bike today (fixed gear) in preparation for a century this weekend:

Not everybody gets the appeal. About the only thing I agree with this guy about is that ditching the brakes is dumb.
https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor...campaign=tweet

You could rock a Moulton... your longer legs and presumably shorter torso / reach mean that a little more saddle height than mine (I have a 33 inch riding inseam) and a little longer stem with a little more reach would make it fit rather well.

If you were 6'3 with short legs and a reach like an orangutan that would cause more issues.

Interesting. I'll have a look.

How old was the person who told you that?

I'm thinking it's kind of a sliding scale. 70 isn't nearly as old as it used to be.

fixed gear bike by ccorlew, on Flickr

This is my Gitaine Tour de France fixed gear conversion. It was my first really nice bike. I got it in the 70s. It's such a franken-bike that it isn't vintage, so decided to convert it a few years ago. It has a flip flop hub, so I can do S/S or fixed. Much to my internal embarrassment I find I like having a freewheel most of the time. I wish I was more cool.

The core of his gripe centers around bikes without brakes, but there is no reason why a fixed gear bike can't have brakes (mine does). In this case, you are actually better equipped for stopping than a freewheel bike (two calipers and your legs).

As to his assertion that "fixies belong on the velodrome" -- keep in mind that the Tour de France was until the mid 1930s ridden on fixed gear bikes; derailleurs were explicitly forbidden.

I also have a flip-flop hub, 46x16 on the fixie side and 46x17 on the single speed, freewheel side. @59 I rode it fixed for a month or so, found it made me tense on bad roads and in traffic. Also missed the option of coasting down big hills. Switched to single speed/free side and have never gone back. Personally, I felt riding fixed meant giving up some control/options and gaining little in return, but each to their own.

Note: If you do a conversation realize you may end up with a long crank arm that you will have to spin through turns, your risk of pedal strike is going to be quite a bit higher.

Good point. BB height on my FG is 2cm greater than on my road bike.

This is how it started for me. After three weeks of riding their Bianci Pistas with toe clips I bought my own. That Masi Fixed special had been set up as a fixie with front brake and bull horn handlebars. I took the brake off (the track does not allow them) They looked the other way on the quick release front hub for the class, but I'll have to swap that out if I decide to race. I swapped out the handlebars with track style drop bars. I do all of my riding either on the track, a riverside bike trail, or occasional commutes to work, which are flat. Since I still do not have a brake mounted, the prospect of not being able to stop on a downhill is something I avoid. I also have to slow way before coming to a traffic signal. On my road bike I can brake hard if the light changes. On the fixed I could find my self committed to running a red.

The hardest thing for me the first time I tried it was mounting and getting my feet in the toe clips. After getting my own bike and putting my Speedplay Zeros on, it got much easier.

I may only use 6 or 7 of my 27 gears but still, I'll keep my gears thank you XD

I began riding a fixie during my winter training 2 seasons ago. I use a 42/16 gear that is about 70". Most all my outdoor rides from Dec. thru March are on the fixie unless I'm on the MTB or cross bike. One thing that I found helpful regarding getting clipped in with the fixie is using my MTB shoes and Egg Beater pedals. I basically put a foot on the pedal and just pedal along and the shoe clips in. I also have two track bikes which have Keo pedals and finding the top side of the opposite leg's pedal and then clipping in once rolling can be a small adventure.

p.s. I don't have tat's but my fixie has a bunch of stickers or it.

There are also 2 speed rear hubs that can be put to use (either kickback or automatic)... same clean lines, no cables and an extra gear .. at 63 and in a moderately hilly area (Marin County) I wanted more than my SS offered ... this bike uses a vintage Sachs 2 speed automatic, is geared 55/75 gear inches and gets a lot of use riding with my buddies on their fully geared road bikes ..

The article makes some good points....
- Cyclists absolutely need to be able to stop as quickly as possible
- Even on the flattest of terrain, the majority of people would benefit from gearing
- Fixie proponents claim that struggling with your machines forces riders to become more efficient—that your legs adapt to producing power over a range of cadences. Science says that argument is entirely irrelevant; the fastest riders actually have some of chunkiest pedal strokes.

Have to admit, there's a certain allure, or charm with fixed gear bikes. I admire the simplicity and efficiency that a fixie exudes, real or not, the bike looks effortlessly.

The reality is though, I like coasting to much. There are certain obvious places where coasting is most welcomed. Then others, like the second glance over shoulder......oh what was that on the road, coasting helps to slow down. And riding in and around traffic, coasting aids at lights, sudden stops, parking lots, really, everywhere.

My recommendation is, before riding or changing a bike to fixed, try a single speed first. See if a one geared bike will leave you wanting more gears, or not. You could always start with a flip flop hub and start SS. If that works, then try fixie. Also, give some serious consideration how and where you ride.

Myself, I picked up a bike last October with a flip/flop hub. It's set-up as a SS with 42x16 gearing. After commuting (RT 29 miles) on this bike since October, I've given up on the idea of riding this bike fixed. For my style of riding, loaded with panniers and around traffic, a fixed bike just doesn't make sense. However, I am enjoying riding SS and working through the weather and terrain. There are times a few extra gears would be welcomed, but I'm learning to adapt with a lower cadence.

Whatever direction you go, hope it works out for you.

Gorgeous!!

Very envious. What frame is that?

Great frames are the "Ron Cooper" too sad that he passed away relatively recently--and yes I do have one but not as a fixie.



If one uses a fixie make sure your knees are strong and feet well aligned--personally I would not recommend it to a cyclist of a certain age! It is for the young and the messengers that I see here in San Francisco! Those fixies are great to look at, very elegant, cycling at its purest form!

And of course a fixie has no freewheel otherwise it is not one.

My Ron Cooper has gears... I don't have the legs I used to but riding fixed really helps and can sometimes be easier when the legs are not as cooperative and I just want to get them moving and loosened up.

My old Peugeot has a pretty low gear so you don't have to work that hard to pedal on the flats and can idle along with very little effort as they are as efficient as they come.

". . . an act of rebellion against conformity. But when a subversive act becomes a trend, against what, exactly, is it rebelling?"

My sentiments exactly. Though I do not agree 100% with the article, he does have a sound basic thesis. Just a year ago I would never have considered a “fixie”, and still am amused by those who ride them for the “hip” element of it. I do not call my bike a fixie. I call it a track bike, or a fixed gear. I have ridden it in traffic, but it isn’t something I would recommend. I have only done it out of necessity on days when I had to go straight from my afternoon commuter train to the Velodrome, and then I rode really slow to allow for the much longer stopping distance.

For all of the things Scott Rosenfield says is wrong with fixies, he is mostly right. I like my track bike because it is different, and fun. Period. On flat ground I can go faster (by about 3-4mph) on the fixed. I attribute this more to geometry (lower aerodynamic profile) than to the fact that it has only one gear. No coasting, and backpedal braking are challenges that are part of the fun.

I stick to my 16 speed roadie when appropriate, which is most of the time.

The notion that a fixed gear is faster is incorrect... they cannot accelerate from a stop like a geared bike and you cannot optimize your gearing for environment and terrain and if we are comparing the same engine the machine with the wider gear range will make up for it's small loss in efficiency by maximizing the potential of what is a fairly small engine with a limited power band.

It is just physics... my 21 pound road bike with 14 speeds will destroy my 21 pound track bike that has one speed.

Track bikes are designed for smooth and flat courses where there are no grades... this is why fixed gear bicycles on the street fare better when they run a lower gear to let them handle variable conditions.

Thanks, it's an older Douglas Titanium .. I basically wanted to build a minimalist, fast, lightweight bike around the Sachs automatic hub which I've adjusted to shift at 14mph @90rpm .. I'm using a Forward Components EBB for chain tension duties..

I agree. Singlespeeds with brakes fore and aft are the way to go. Because of the hills I ride, I use a 42/18. I don't like having to pedal down a hill. Built up a Surly Steamroller and have another beater with drop bars. Use my 11 speed when I want to get serious.

You guys have some seriously well set up single speeds and fixed gear bikes here. I like the coaster brake set up on BruceMetras bike, I've not seen that before, only read about people that had done a build. I doubt I am fit enough, as many of you certainly are from the looks of these bikes, to ride Fixed gear but a nice well done single speed (with fore and aft brakes for me) would be a nice ride for some days here in our village area. Please keep up the replies and pictures, with your technical input, that is what keeps me reading. Well done sirs, well done.

Bill