Make them stop
 

I have recently noticed not one, but two new fixed gears parked around my school campus (which brings the total number i've seen to 6 including mine). Both were gas pipe conversions sporting suicide hubs, no brakes and platform pedals. What the hell? Who thinks this is a good idea? The worst part is that the campus has a lot of small hills and is filled with people who can't figure out how to walk in a straight line. I'm just afraid it's going to be the back of my knee that gets shattered as this idiot comes flying downhill, out of control, swerving to avoid a pack of clueless, blind, sorority girls.

reasonable concern, but maybe they're really good at slowing down using the base of their shoes?

you could also just buy really cheap clip-n-strap pedals and install them, for public safety's sake.

wont help if
A: they dont use them because "they dont feel comfortable in clips"
B: thier suicide hub goes suicide on them

i would suggest however finding a way to fasten some kind of sweet bell like noise makers to thier chainstays and forks... the more the better... and weld them on... so whenever the wheels are turning the bike is making ringing noises... alerting everyone of thier presence and speed
-pete

Better yet, disassemble their bike so they can't ride it.

leave a note

"billy is to be excused from school today because his improperly built bike came apart today while he was riding it, and now he is going to spend the next month eating his meals through a straw"

sounds to me like CSU doesnt keep their students busy enough.

better yet... why don't you let those dumbasses ride their bikes until they get hurt and not worry about it?

Ahhh, the left coast ....

Because the concern was that the OP would get run over when the bike fails/rider is avoiding clueless sorority girls. Sivat no wanty get hurty. And its a good point, that would suck if a fixed gear (rider hit you and) blew out your knee.

just throwing this out there, but couldn't they be coaster brakes? and/or maybe they like to stop with their foot on the tire?

they key here is to ride so fast that nothing can touch you, and to not give two schitz about dumb sorority girls.

i don't even give one **** about dumb sorority girls

****, there's that "blew out my knee" **** again. Drives me insane.

um, i think it was a joke about the other thread

Since they are brakeless, and presumably old, just remove the stem and handlebars from them and set them next to the bike. They won't ride it home, and all you have to carry around is an allen wrench to dispense your instant accident prevention.

he started the other thread. i think they know i was joking about the fixie (rider) blowing out your knee thing.

if not, you suck at the internet.

while someone else is getting picked on, what is a "gas pipe conversion"?

Crappy old road bike with crappy tubing.

singlespeeds with only a front brake.

The worst offender I ever saw was near a college campus,
as well. This major-league ******bag riding a stock Bianchi
pista, platform pedals and all, with the track bars flipped up
into "bum-bars," for a more comfortable riding position. He
didn't know how to stop (well, how could he?!), so as he
merged into traffic, he just kept Fred Flintstoning it.

I have no idea why this person would have a track bike in
the first place.

2get teh ladyz!

"hey, i noticed your bike and i was wondering if you did the conversion yourself - i'm curious about a few thing about it. give me a call? -another bike geek."

then, face to face, you can say, "oh, yeah, it's really cool, but i ride these bikes and i've got some concerns about how yours is set up... safety concerns," without putting them on the defensive ("**** you, man, i know how to ride my bike!")

I have a friend who has a bike like this and awhile back I was considering starting a thread asking for advice about how to have a safety intervention. I decided that I'd mention it casually and let the rest be his deal.

Have you ever seen these people riding? Do they ride slowly?

^:roflmao:

OMG, yes I have. I saw this dude once on the SIDEWALK riding a conversion with platforms. I was walking on the other side of the street in the same direction and he went about four blocks in the time it took me to walk three. *shakes head in disbelief*

first day with their training wheels off. no big deal. if you're concerned, ride up next to dude and ask about it. they'll figure it out. my two-year old niece likes to ride a direct drive trike and she can't even reach the pedals. BADASS. i'm guessing these guys don't have someone holding them back with a piece of rope, but oh well.

i secretly hope that you confront bumgaspipebike man and find out he rips jamaican one footers after class.

He was stealing it

I usually get psyched when I see somebody riding a non Magna wallmart bicycle.

I don't really see the logic in knocking front-brake only SS's but not brakeless FG's. They both have only one method of braking, and in both cases the mechanism of braking is susceptible to failure, at more or less comparable rates. Brake cables fail, but so do chains. A front-braked SS can stop faster than a brakeless FG, in my experience. Why the hate?