Why SS/FG?
 

Hi all,

What are the biggest differences you have found between geared and fixie bicycles? What do you like about them so much? Are they good commuters? Do they attract smurfs? Whatever you want to say that makes you go "yay! a fixie!" say it. Thanks.

it's a good workout for the upper back muscles

Pretty much this.

I hold that web site responsible for claiming hundreds of my hard-earned dollars.

They commute pretty well if the trip is generally under 20-25 miles one way. Over that rough guideline, people can and do get used to FG bikes, but it having gears can just make a very long commute more tolerable. I am commuting 35 miles 3-4 days a week in the fall with no anticipated problems.

when you'll ride a fixed gear you'll understand. you'll know the difference.

it makes my man-vag all wet and slippery.

Hey,

My major reason for turning SS was to cut my maintenance cost. And SS-conversion really cut down the time it takes to keep my bike running. It had nothing to do with the way it ran. ... Until free-gear start making cranky noise.

Evidently my major reason for converting to a fixie was to solve this issue once and for all ... eternity. It certainly removed the need for freewheel maintenance and keep my ride quiet. Later I figured out it has a lot more to do with superior maneuverability and vehicle/pedestrian negotiation capability.

Heehee. A lot of big words coming from my mouth.

T

simplicity

^totally true. if you put the cog and lockring on right, you'll have less moving parts to worry about and less maintenance to bother you. plus, on the side, it is mighty fun to ride.

my new sig

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control
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winner

"simplicity" has my vote ;)

Simple, reliable, elegant.

After riding fixed for a while, I can feel the inefficiency caused by pulling the chain through all the derailleur pulleys and the diagonal chainline, and it bothers me. Take a geared bike and spin the rear wheel backwards and see how long the cranks and wheel move, and do the same to a fixed gear bike, and compare the time. It's pretty substantial.

No difference. I shave & wear spandex whether I'm on my road bike, single speed, or the fixed gear.

With a geared bike it's more like you are the engine for a vehicle. A fixed gear bike feels more like running on wheels.

Go ride one. Otherwise, personal preferences can only mesh together so much insight. It's like comparing a toothy BJ with a sloppy BJ - is there really any difference when, overall, your d is still getting blown? Hey, it can't be any worse of an analogy than the one above.

yeah, i much prefer bedstains to bitemarks at the end of mine.


the pedal efficiency of riding fixed got me hooked.

I use my 2 single speed bikes as my commuters and utility bikes. I can lock them up anywhere and if a bunch of junky BMX bikes get thrown on top of them,who cars? Plus there are less parts to break off when on the bottom of a bike pile. I also commute in all weather, and maintainance is easier after the rain soaks in.

When you are hopelessly cross-chained. When you are in one of the center cogs on a bike with quality components you wouldn't notice much. What you would notice is trying to climb a hill with a cadence of 25.

It's just fun. The feeling of being a kid and having a bike that's all you.

Geared bikes to me defeat the purpose of riding a bike. It's just you and the cycle under you. The more technology you add the more removed you are from the experience. When I rode a geared bike I would always put it in a lower gear to go up hills anyway, to actually use my legs. SS/FG take care of that and just let your legs do the work.

I feel it's more efficient for that reason. No wasted time changing gears. Not to mention it's much easier to maintain.

+1
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after riding a friends fixed for 20 minutes i had decided i was going to build a bike.

I just have more fun on mine. I think the efficiency of the drive train is really rewarding. When you put your legs into the pedals you feel the return a lot more than on a geared bike, at least in my experience.

All bikes are 'geared' bikes. SS/FG bikes just have one gear combination.

Also, the discussion of single speed and fixed gears is really two separate things. I can understand people being into the 'connected' feeling of a fixed gear, although many people would be unable to ride this way, or it would be unsafe for them, and be discouraged from riding bikes, so it is, in the end, an elitist, rather than a populist, riding.

Single speed makes some sense in a relatively flat environment, which is why you see the classic 3-speed townie rentals in the Netherlands, for example. But for people on here to claim that it's reasonable for average folks to use SS for commutes of up to 25 miles in anything but flat terrain...that's just on glue. Mixed terrain, for people who aren't young and/or very fit, requires gears.

Again, for a community that likes to think of itself as populist, SS/FG is ironically inaccessible and can be elitist.

so youre saying that because we dig the connected feeling of riding fixed gear, we're elitists?

I feel more connected to the road.

It's almost like centrifugal force keeps your rear wheel attached to the road.

No, I'm saying that the attitude that multi-geared bikes "defeat the purpose of riding", or that fixed gear riding is more legit, is somewhat elitist. I was on a ride yesterday watching an average young couple mashing up a very gradual rise in the road in a bike lane, slow cadence, maybe too high of a gear for their condition, but they'll figure that stuff out if they keep riding. As I cruised by in my p*ssy multiple gearing that allowed me to ride at a nice clip, I was having a great ride. I'm not sure they were...I hope so. That pair, on a single speed, just wouldn't be having a good time on any ride with hills, and they'd have a hard time building up their condition w/o injuries or strains, and would likely give up. The idea is to have a good time and ride more, and multiple gears are the only way in mixed terrain for average folks to safely ramp up into doing so. Multigears are a necessity for many people who would want to ride a bike, making it more possible and enjoyable, and having them ride more often. Fixed gears, even more, are, frankly, not safely doable for beginner riders or average-abilitied folks.

Your connection and enjoyment are awesome. I'm impressed as hell by fixed gear riders, and I think that non-fixed single speed is very sensible for flat and/or urban riding. That they're more legitimate than geared bike riding -- if not elitist, how 'bout exclusive?

i love the power and efficiency

seems like theres a lot of trolling from people that want to debunk FG/SS or something, i find it odd and offputting.