610

It seems like everyone and their momma is going fixed gears these days. But has anyone given it a shot and decided that they didn't like it?

crushkilldstroy

i know a couple of people. they aren't forum dwellers though.

raygunner

Well some days I ride a track bike.

But on a cold, rainy day in Chicago I ride my SS mountain bike.

trackandtrials

I used to ride a fix when my commute was fairly flat. Now that I live at the top of a ~15% hill in SF, it doesn't really make sense any more. I use a S-A 7 speed internal hub now.

Cynikal 

Nope. But I ride other coasting bikes.

el twe

It's weird going from fixed to free...Switching back to my road bike feels so akward. I feel safer on a fixie.

Cynikal 

Word. My first reaction is to slow with the pedals not brakes.

seaden

I road my fixed gear for three days straight...then road my geared bike and tryed to stop with my pedals and remembered..."oh yeah...I need to use my hands"

seasponge

cranks/bottom bracket feels broken when i ride a coastable bike

Technohippy

Just got a new fixie and rode it with a freewheel just to get used to it until I had the cog. Two words: hated it. Kept trying to slow down and have a nice cadence but it was impossible. Only took me one day to go and put the cog on. Much better!!

Although I don't seem to notice it when riding offroad on my ss mountain bike.

hyperRevue

Having ridden fixed pretty much uninterrupted for more than the past year and a half, whenver I ride a free wheel I feel super wobbly and out of control.

vobopl

I couldn't help looking down at cranks/bb thinking WTF happended when I switched back to road bike yesterday - werid sensation as every attempt to slow down fixed way turns into emergency braking with hand brake

boycey

I regularly chop and change between fixed and BMX and love 'em both equally, although theres a time and place for each.

LóFarkas

I rode my MTB on paved roads fixed for two weeks, then returned to free. Later rode brakeless fixed for a month, went back to free when my brake levers arrived. After a month, I flipped the wheel back to fixed to give it a third try. By now, I learned to love it and I might never go back. I plan to try out the sad lonely MTB that's not been ridden in the last three months to see how it feels, but it hasn't happened yet.

socaljoe

I haven't even touched my regular road bike since I finished my fixed gear 2 weeks ago, except to swap pedals to try using clipless on the fixed. I better get back on it though - I paid a lot of money for the road bike.

Necroyeti

Indeed. The town I live in is full of hills and a true fixed just isn't practical.

StanSeven

I have a FG I ride a lot in the evenings when I get home. Now that it's getting dark, I'm not as comfortable with traffic, cars not seeing me as easily, cars confused with my lights, and riding with clipless pedals. I've had to make several quick stops/dismounts. I'll probably convert to a SS, at least until Spring, just to make the ride more comfortable.

auroch

I ride both fixed and non on a regular basis. Lately I've been riding my SS cyclocross bike a lot in order to train for races. Everyone always comments that switching between the two is awkward, but I have never had that problem. I feel like your legs can tell the difference instantly on the first spin.

Similarily, my 'cross bike has the brake lever reversed and I've never had a problem with that either. Oh and yes I also switch between clip & clipless too. I think the saying "it's like riding a bike" can be adjusted to "it's like riding (insert skill)" for all of these.

jeff

ostro

nonsense!!! cant be hillier then SF.

treechunk

It IS weird to switch back and forth. The worst is when you ride the same bike or a bike set up similarly to yours freewheel instead of fixed. I once rode a customers VERY nice single speed and almost crashed 'cuz I kept trying to slow down without the brake, 'cuz it felt so much like my old fixer. I don't really have a problem with my regular geared bikes, but I really haven't been riding them as much as I did this summer.


I love riding fixed in the winter. I find it so much easier to stop/slow in snow, not to mention the constant movement keeps body heat up.

The LT

I always find that for the first few spins when I get back onto a freewheel bike that there is a dead spot in my spin but only if I'm going slow... I think also the fixed gear has taught me to always keep spinning regardless of what kind of bike I am riding

auroch

Too true that's why in the winter I ride with a cross lever
so I can wear my giant snowboarding mittens without leaving
the tops of my handlebars. too bad I lost my lever (hence
me stopping by your shop yesterday)

emilymildew

Agreed! Hills are a challenge, not a reason not to ride fixed.

Gear down a little if you don't have the strength. You'll get there eventually.

Mr. Fusion

Is it just me or does switching from fixed to freewheel not that big of deal? I can only see it becoming a major problem after riding brakeless for a long time. I rarely use my brake, have been riding only fixed for quite some time, but don't feel out of control when I hop on a freewheel equipped bike.

I view it as similar to a manual Vs. automatic transmission. Yeah I felt in more control when I drove a manual and could use some techniques not available when driving an automatic, but I still felt in control.

Thor29

It's not just you - it really isn't any big deal at all. I switch back and forth between my fixed gear, cyclocross and 29er mountain bike and I always know which bike I am on and adjust accordingly. If I ride one bike exclusively for awhile it does feel a little weird for the first half mile, but it ain't no big deal. Sheesh, you'd think some of these people ride fixed gear bikes because they couldn't figure out how to use the brakes and shifters on normal bikes... uh, wait, that's probably true.