whats the deal?
 

Alright people, enlighten me. Whats the deal with everybody riding fixed gear? What are the advantages/disadvantages? Why do you all do it?

Gotta get around somehow, right?

Because we have discovered the true secret to cycling... Simplicity.

Try drinking coffee, black.... no creme, no sugar....

George

Creme? Crap, I have been slummin' my whole life, just adding cream. Dammit...

It keeps my anger genuine.

Advantages: General simplicity, quiet ride. Very direct connection to the bike: when your legs are going, the bike is going.

Disadvantages: Steep inclines. Fixies work very well in flat, urban areas. I think that's why there's so many folks from Chicago on this forum. If there's a real hill in Chicago, I've never managed to find it. If you're in a hilly town, go with gears. I won't ride my fixie to the bottom here in town (steep, and I mean steep, hill-- why else call it the bottom?) but I ride it to the fan all the time (very flat).

I don't drink coffee at all.

I guess simplicity is a common explanation for riding fixed. Though that's true, that doesn't quite explain it completely, at least for me. A coaster brake bike is just about as simple. And easier to master. To me, riding fixed is kinda like walking, but faster.

To me, the simpicity argument often goes out the window, since going fixie often involves buying more stuff. Seems most folks don't just own a fixie. They own a fixie in addition to the rest of their gear.

For some folks, there are bragging rights. Either in terms of the nice, specialized gear and/or the hardass attitude of gears being for *******.

Ultimately, I ride bike because it's kinda fun. I'm not a masochist, nor do I have anything to prove. My bike isn't much for showing off, at least not in the traditional sense. I run a fairly low gear, and at least half of my riding is at a fairly low speed, well below 10 mph. Fixed gear is just kinda fun.

There are big downsides. It's a lot of work. One gear can be a real pain in hilly areas. If you ever manage to "forget" you're on a fixie, you're liable to end up on the ground. And if you decide to go brakeless, the downside is obvious.

after spending way too much time trying to answer this in the past, the best way of doing it i've come up with is this:

why not?

sure, there's the simplicity, the hard ass attitute, being able to thumb one's nose at someone who's drivetrain cost three times as much as your bike, the "connected" feeling, etc. but it's really not about any of that.

i love that a fixed gear bike nearly eliminates the "vehicular" sense of transport. it really becomes an extension of your body more than a vehicle you drive or ride. i love the quiet of a fixie. i love the heightened sense of awareness of your surroundings you need to ride one, especially brakeless. plus they're so sexy.

gotta say after seeing my first fixed-gear I knew it was for me. must be innate. I've noticed everyone I've met who's into fixed/ss usually share a lot of the same personalities/interests. it kinda freaks me out.

how many fixies:

listen to non-mainstream music?
are vegetarians/vegans?
any more...

I like the simplicity, the quiet, and the feeling of control. On a fixed gear when you need to slow down or stop you can ease down by holding back on the pedals a bit. I have both brakes in place for insurance, but I really seldom use them. To me fixed gear also is a taste of what cycling was like 100 years ago, a connection with our history. But most of all it is FUN!

some good explanations/testimonials are at
http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed-testimonial.html
reading them about a year ago got me started building and riding fixies, and I'm now hooked like many others here...

Disagree, there's plenty of hills where I ride, one that's 17% that I do on a regular basis and plenty more that are pretty close to that. I've also ridden it in the Blue Ridge Mtns. around Roanoke. It hurts sometimes, but that's what makes you stronger.

I don't want to discourage people from riding fixed just because they've got some hills.

Initially I thought it would help me build strength. I was always switching to an easier gear on my geared bike. Now I find myself on one of the fixies the majority of the time and I find that not only does it build strength, it also builds character. Nothing quite like blowing up midway up that hill...thinking about giving up and despite all the pain, snot and slobber seeing yourself through to the top.

Did that sound good?

I ride fixie for the Zen-like experience, being connected to the bike, me and the bike as one entity. Hard to explain, you really have to experience it for yourself.

It frees your mind from worrying about what gear you're in so you can spend more time enjoying the scenery. Also with the momentem of the pedals, it actually helps you up moderate hills faster.

1-Spinning is easier and faster than on a geared.
2-Climbing provides the same benefit that resistance training does on any piece of fitness equipment, where you can change the incline on a treadmill or the resistance on a stair climbing machine. The idea here is to get stronger, not to seek ultimate efficiency.
3-The legs both increase and decrease momentum, that is where the more connected feeling arises from.
4-Since the chainline is near perfect, and the chain is not navigating through two pulleys, fixies are usually quieter while pedaling. When the geared rider is coasting and the fixed rider is pedaling, the fixie is much quieter. You find that you do not miss the ticking sound of the freewheel. Off-road this provides a much better situation to observe wildlife etc.
5-In snow conditions, you have more confidence with speed modulation working both ways with the legs. Brakes can get you into tricky situations on icy corners etc; slowing with the legs provides more confidence.
6-"Raging against the machine" anarchist tendancies (against the marketing world) plays a part in the satisfaction, although money usually is still trading hands.
7-The rear deraileur on a geared bike usually takes a beating and gets out of alignment often, especially off-road. The drive train is shorter and easier to clean.
8-Lastly, there is a feed back effect from the moving rear wheel to the pedals, that is interrupted by the introduction of the freewheel. To me it is a symbiotic relationship with the result that flat-road riding especially, is faster ( I am not sure that this has been proven however.)

Hi,
knees wear out. Looks to me like fixies will wear them out faster. There is also an extra hazard or two they don't talk about much.

barnaby reminded me of this. I was climbing a bastard of a hill in New Lennox, IL when I saw a baby deer less than 6 feet away. The hill was soo deep I was almost stopped dead and we just looked at each other. The minute my friend rolled up on his totally loud geared bike the fawn bolted. Off topic, but super awesome nonetheless.

jeff

Did somebody just say something? Hullooo?



Looks like I'm just hearing things, again....

Despite people repeating statements about fixed gears tearing your knees up, I have yet to actually hear or read proof of this. Anyone have any?

Late-
What gear are you running on your fixie? I think a low, spinnable gear makes knee injury a non-issue. Some of my friends that have had knee problems said that spinning on their fixie has helped with building up knee strength. Might be something for you to consider.

Unless you can be more specific, you're on your own with your other non-talked about "hazards"

I would think pedals would have more to do with knee problems than the drivetrain, especially if you didn't gear the bike 53/11 or anything like that. Get speedplays and be in knee heaven.

After riding fixed, coaster bikes feel slippery and disconnected, like you can't really feel the road. Spinning in a non-optimal gear teaches you control over how much force you're applying and how evenly you spread that force over the pedal stroke. Being able to downshift or coast any time you want encourages wussiness. Fixed brakeless in city traffic is a good high.