Do you allow fixies to ride with you on group rides? There's a ride starting up that is supposed to be a mix of track bikes and road bikes. On other rides the last thing I want speeding behind me is a fixed gear..they just can't stop abruptly like we often have to do riding in traffic. Is a fixie/roadie group a disaster waiting to happen?

Just wait till one skip-stops in front of you... that will seem plenty abrupt. Anyway, why do this? The fixies will be quickly OTB at the first hill.

I don't give a crap what gearing anyone else on a group ride has as long as they are competent in a group and can brake both wheels.

Rider competency is more important than your perceived inadequacy of a bicycle.

Our Thursday group ride is pretty much open to anybody and there's been a couple of people on fixies that have joined us. It really depends on how strong and skilled the rider is. It's sometimes harder for them to match a pace and going down a long steep hill is harder on them then going up. Probably not a good mix in a real advanced ride but in a more casual one it's fine.

The guys on the fixies are kinda fun to watch on the short steep hills where I live. That being said, as long as they're competent, who cares?

The strongest riders in our group rides are always on fixies. Sure they fall behind on the steepest of hills, but once we're back on the flats they're blowing our wheels off.

Oh, and in addition to being able to skip stop, they all have front brakes.

I ride with a club and a few weeks back there was a guy hanging with us on a fixie. He didn't seem to have any problems keeping up with the group even on climbs. After 25 miles, he was right there and pulled into the coffee stop with the rest of us. I personally don't know why someone would choose to ride a fixie but it is their choice.

My club allows fixies on social rides, if they have hand brakes. On hard training rides, it is up to them to decide if they can keep up.

We have not had a problem with reckless riders, but I suppose the first step is talking to them individually.

I ride fixed in group rides quite often. If anything, a fixed gear bike responds quicker than a road bike to speed changes. I find I seldom need to use hand brakes at all.

Just make sure the fixed riders have at least a front brake installed for panic stops.

i hate the term "fixie"

are you assuming that all fixed gear bike riders do not us brakes on the street?

We have a large fixed gear population. A lot of my acquaintances ride fixed, and it was a fixie friend who brought the ride up in the first place. None of them have brakes. I'd say less than 10% of the fixed gear bikes around here have brakes.

Hating the term "fixie" seems stupid.

There's not hatred towards fixed gear bikes here. I'm just trying to imagine a couple fixed gears in a tight group of 25-40 riders. There's just not much room to be hopping around skid stopping. Maybe the mixed group will be a little more spaced out.

I don't believe we should have integration of bikes!

Or flyin' down a descent!

Yikes!

The meaning of "group ride" can vary considerably depending on the ride in question. I've never been on a group ride where a fixed gear bike wouldn't work okay, but that may tell you more about my riding experiences than about fixed gear compatibility.

The guys who occasionally go fixed in our group all have front and rear brakes. I wouldn't be comfortable with somebody on my wheel without them.

It's like dogs and cats mating.

Group ride I go on doesn't allow any bike without 2 working brakes or uncapped bar-ends, but that's basically it on bike restrictions. Between all the uphills and downhills on our rides the guys without gears don't tend to last too long though.

I took mine on one group ride. The descents were spent with me unclipped holding my feet up. Then again it was just a social ride.

Anyhow, I will be trying a local rando club's winter FG \ SS ride in a month or so. For some strange reason I expect it will be welcome there.

you're not alone.

+1, Had one ride with us on reasonably hilly ride. He made it through the first of three, back to back hills. He struggled through the second then after the the third, he fell off and rode the back of the group. I was behind him on the first downhill, scared the crap out of me watching him try to turn his legs to keep up.

That's exactly how I imagined it'd go.



I'm going to flip my wheel on my SS. Give riding fixed gear for a spell.
I always imagined it's great to build up a rider's legs & develop their balance.

If it's a relaxed group ride, I don't have any problems with fixed gear riders. If you don't have a front brake, I'm going to stay away from you.

why in the happy hell would anyone person of sane mind ride any bicycle on the roads without brakes??? I wouldnt care if its a fixed gear or not, if it aint got brakes, stay the hell away from me...