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Singlespeed & Fixed Gear "I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"-- Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 - 16 August 1940)

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Old 07-29-08 | 02:11 AM
  #151  
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From: fort worth, TX

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1> friiiiieeeend
2> hey so do i who cares?

this is the gayest thread ever, who cares honestly..stop being so detail oriented and ride. I hate elitist on any subject honestly. I do understand the views of both sides and i think it boils down to personal preference.

Last edited by redfb; 07-29-08 at 02:13 AM. Reason: felt like it.
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Old 07-29-08 | 06:12 AM
  #152  
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Originally Posted by waveon
1. hey a bike
2. hey a brake
We Californians think alike.
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Old 07-29-08 | 06:26 AM
  #153  
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Originally Posted by chris wielk
i don't think it's too far fetched to think that tension would pull the rear wheel forward and the dropout would not be able to stop it. i know that in reality this may not be a regular occurrence, but it looks like it could happen.
well it is unless your wheel wasn't in the dropouts to begin with. The tire will hit the stay before that happens and even if it didn't you can't pull the non-driveside out so the wheel won't go anywhere. If you were a bit stronger and actually had to worry about this problem that would be obvious after the first or second time it happened with trackends.
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Old 07-29-08 | 06:49 AM
  #154  
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From: four 1 OHHH , Maryland

Bikes: nagasawa, fuji track pro

i see a conversion and say "cool"

i see a front brake and say "he has a front brake"
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Old 07-29-08 | 07:18 AM
  #155  
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The only time I looked down on a conversion was seeing a beat up piece of **** conversion with a front arr0sp0ke.

If I see a conversion, I see someone that is good at fixing bikes, and will want to be their friend because they have more knowledge than me. It rules to see people doing DIY stuff.

If I see a brake, I am relieved that the person is smart enough to take precautions. I also think they are probably a better rider because I always assume the person without a brake can't take cool chances, and thus is forced to ride in moderation. That may be a good thing, however, I like taking short cuts and knowing my brake is there just in case something unexpected happens.
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Old 07-29-08 | 07:26 AM
  #156  
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Originally Posted by iamtim
Your typo reminds me of the lady who works at the Togos across the street from my office; when I pay by credit card she puts the slip down on the counter and asks, "I get your sign, please?"

I always want to write "pisces" on the slip and hand it back to her...

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Old 07-29-08 | 12:29 PM
  #157  
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Originally Posted by dutret
well it is unless your wheel wasn't in the dropouts to begin with. The tire will hit the stay before that happens and even if it didn't you can't pull the non-driveside out so the wheel won't go anywhere. If you were a bit stronger and actually had to worry about this problem that would be obvious after the first or second time it happened with trackends.
actually yeah, this is true...it just happened to me on my geared bike. i usually seat the rear wheel all the way back into the dropout, but i tried to move it up a bit just for fun. i didn't seat the axle straight so every rotation or so of the back wheel it made kind of a "rickety" sound...after about 10 miles and shifting into a particular gear, the wheel finally popped out of the dropout and into the left chain stay. bike stopped dead in its tracks but fortunately i could back pedal enough for me to get out of my clips >_o

so yeah, i think you'll know something's funky well before you have any problems.
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Old 07-29-08 | 07:05 PM
  #158  
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From: beyond Thunderdome

Bikes: 82 Bianchi ECO Pista, Pake, Kilo TT, some *** bmx i found underneath an old house

Originally Posted by bigbris1
I sold my Miyata to someone who asked, "you selling that?" on the spot 12 years ago (with bag still strapped on my back full of packages) because I had enough of the no-insurance-dangerous-job-inhaling-box truck fumes all day-career. I walked off the rest of my runs & took a desk job.

I have a family too so now I ride for the enjoyment. Fortunately for me, those in-traffic instincts are still with me all these years later. But I find myself on bike paths & out of traffic all too often.

I don't hate, per se, someone riding with a brake. It's just it seems like they're either too scared to be riding fixed gear, or too lazy.

The other day I saw this guy on a fix going down one of Manhattan's steepest hills sans brake. Man, he was really cranking to slow the bike in traffic. I yelled to him, "yeah! No brake!" His head whipped around quickly & I saw him smile as if all of his effort was not going unnoticed. That's what I'm talking about. There's a dude I can kick it with.
The funny thing is, I'm pretty sure I've seen posts with BisBris1 declaring his love for his recently (in the last couple of months) acquired Windsor Hour. Nothing against the cheap frame, I've got a Pake I'm building up. It just feels like he's been riding fixed for maybe a few months top. Now he's acting like he's the holder of the sacred flame or something...

oh yeah...

1. I have a conversion
2. it has a front brake (and a back cause it's a SS)
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Old 07-29-08 | 07:23 PM
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Seriously. It's embarrassing. The brakeless rider killing himself to slow down in traffic is "someone you can kick it with"? You know who I can kick it with? The fellow rider who can ride next to me and NOT crash into me or take me down. That's it. That's the prerequisite to get into the cool kids club. Just be happy to be sharing the road with someone else enjoying the **** out of their bike and actually riding for chrissakes!! I ride with someone who mess'd and worked at bicycle habitat 10 years ago. You think he gives a **** how long people have been riding fixed or whether they're legit[I based on whether they have brakes or not? The true heads, of whom you so proudly proclaim to be a member, stopped caring and seeing a caste system of fg riders a long time ago (if they ever did in the first place). They know we're all cattle to drivers on the road.

Think about this, just be happy that another fixed rider who undoubtedly doesn't have your jedi-like skills (which, you've reminded us, time has failed to erase) will be able to control himself in the lane next to you instead of skidding into you and taking your old school ass out while trying to 'rep it for the tru hedz'.
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Old 07-29-08 | 08:04 PM
  #160  
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1) Probably more interesting to look at than a track bike,
2) ....how about this: forget skidding, let's have a STOPPING competition. Anyone who can stop their genuine article "track" bike short of my 10 speed with the Deore V in the front can have my tires to make their wheels round again. Then lets do it again in the rain.
 
Old 07-29-08 | 09:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Asymmetriad
1) Probably more interesting to look at than a track bike,
2) ....how about this: forget skidding, let's have a STOPPING competition. Anyone who can stop their genuine article "track" bike short of my 10 speed with the Deore V in the front can have my tires to make their wheels round again. Then lets do it again in the rain.
Why exactly are you posting in the fixed gear forum?

I don't like mountain biking, but, you know, I don't go into their forum and try to insult mountain biking.
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Old 07-29-08 | 10:05 PM
  #162  
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Originally Posted by paramount
Why exactly are you posting in the fixed gear forum?

I don't like mountain biking, but, you know, I don't go into their forum and try to insult mountain biking.
I'm talking about what a front brake can do, and hence it's unique value, in a gratuitously provocative tone. It is a mountain brake, but the bike spends all its time on the road or on city streets.
 
Old 07-29-08 | 10:30 PM
  #163  
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also, it's not the fixed gear forum
it's the singlespeed & fixed gear forum
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Old 07-29-08 | 10:52 PM
  #164  
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this thread has seriously inspired me to sand off the powdercoat on my rim and install a front brake (as soon as I get a cross lever). honestly I just want to spite the purists.
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Old 07-29-08 | 10:56 PM
  #165  
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Originally Posted by peabodypride
honestly I just want to spite the purists.
Why do you think I got PowerGrips initially? Or a top-tube pad? Or hell, for that matter, a Kilo TT?


Last edited by iamtim; 07-29-08 at 11:00 PM.
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Old 07-29-08 | 11:00 PM
  #166  
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Originally Posted by bigbris1
What do you think when you see someone with

1. A FG conversion?
2. A front brake?
I think you are a newb and you should not care what other people think. Hopefully, other people have the sense to not care what a newb like yourself thinks.
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Old 07-29-08 | 11:15 PM
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Originally Posted by mugatu
also, it's not the fixed gear forum
it's the singlespeed & fixed gear forum
Yes, and even Sheldon Brown thinks no brakes is a dumb idea:

Some fixed-gear riders ride on the road without brakes. This is a bad idea. I know, I've tried it. If you do it, and have any sense of self-preservation at all, it will cause you to go much slower than you otherwise could, everytime you go through an intersection, or pass a driveway. The need for constant extra vigilance takes a great deal of the fun out of cycling.
https://sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html
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Old 07-29-08 | 11:20 PM
  #168  
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Originally Posted by bigbris1
The other day I saw this guy on a fix going down one of Manhattan's steepest hills sans brake. Man, he was really cranking to slow the bike in traffic. I yelled to him, "yeah! No brake!" His head whipped around quickly & I saw him smile as if all of his effort was not going unnoticed. That's what I'm talking about. There's a dude I can kick it with.
Oh god, I made the mistake of skimming through this thread and found this gem. This is the funniest/saddest thing I have read in a long time....wow.

edit: I see you guys have been there/done that, I came late to the thread. Still, wow. Just wow. Lol. I think it should be quoted on any and all pages of this thread, it is just that bad.

Last edited by jet sanchEz; 07-29-08 at 11:27 PM.
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Old 07-30-08 | 12:16 AM
  #169  
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Originally Posted by desmo13
And as a cyclocross rider, you have that right, and are probably right.

<--- hates getting passed by cyclocross riders in XC MTB races.


So I guess the top of the Cycling food chain a SS Cross rider? (with a FG Downhiller being the bottom (no one could be that dumb, or that skilled to FG a true DH bike and ride on a good run)

Actually, I ran into a group of riders hard to hate on. We doing DH runs at our local trail, and came up on some riders.. yes they were slow.. yes, the small drops (1-2 feet) gave them problems. But hey, they were having fun... on unicycles. Unicycle freeriders > all
We're at the top of the cycling food chain because cross welcomes all bikes, and people into the fold. We let the other D-bags tear each other apart because their bikes, or personalities don't fit some stupid set of guidelines. Cross is also the hardest thing you can do on a bike for an hour, so it weeds out the posers/fadscum in a heartbeat. In fact... we'll kick your fu(king @sses on a bike. We also have the best pot.
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Old 07-30-08 | 12:22 AM
  #170  
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Originally Posted by bigbris1
What do you think when you see someone with

1. A FG conversion?
They are an enthusiast, especially if they did the conversion themselves.
2. A front brake?
They are smart.
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Old 07-30-08 | 12:33 AM
  #171  
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From: Colorado Mountains/New Mexico highlands

Bikes: vitus 979, g fisher, specialized, trek, bridgestone rb1, Trek SS, Hiawatha SS, 54' Schwinn SS, Trek SS CX conversion

I so love this place.
Conversions rock, like rock & roll.
And breaks, well that's very personal.
Oh yeah, and I love this place...this thread and all!
I'll admit that I'm a hipster, but it doesn't show cause I don't have my outfit yet.
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Old 07-30-08 | 12:33 AM
  #172  
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Originally Posted by erichsia
The funny thing is, I'm pretty sure I've seen posts with BisBris1 declaring his love for his recently (in the last couple of months) acquired Windsor Hour. Nothing against the cheap frame, I've got a Pake I'm building up. It just feels like he's been riding fixed for maybe a few months top. Now he's acting like he's the holder of the sacred flame or something...

LOL really? ha
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Old 07-30-08 | 12:59 AM
  #173  
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fixed gear = cool, but are you sure you can ride that thing?

front brakes = who knows could be the difference between forever pushing flowers, or years to come enjoying your bike

are you asking this to gather information on whether or not you should keep your brakes on or should you install breaks at all, if so i would say yes install breaks, it's common sense better to be safe than sorry
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Old 07-30-08 | 01:02 AM
  #174  
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1. Who cares
2. I think it looks better but should be left to those that are really skilled. If I could trust myself to ted shred in panic situations then maybe I'd consider it....well that and improving my skidding skills but that isn't really a stopping alternative as much as it is to control speed especially on hills.
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Old 07-30-08 | 01:12 AM
  #175  
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From: Long Beach, CA
did the OP intend a negative connotation about "conversion" bikes?
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