Yoshi

Hahaha, now this thread is totally turning into a who is more punk thread.

Flaco847

You must live by the mall or over in that area? I seen a few fg riders last time I was up there downtown/uptown area. Same can be said for me here in chicago. I'll see a few in my area so often. But go in the city and it's a FG fest. lol

kyselad

Not to get all emo, but I wouldn't assume someone is "uneducated" simply because their grammar and spelling suck. Regardless, I still understood the post, and it contributed something. I don't know whether I can say the same for the reply.

Jabba Degrassi

What? Isn't that what they teach you in English class? Doesn't spelling and grammar comprise a part of your education?

beerfilter

Whenever I see someone coast on a SS, I pull up next to them at the next stoplight and get off my bike just letting it clatter to the ground and I PUSH that motherf*cker to the ground and with a really rough voice I shout, "What the F*CK, man?!?!?" and I hold my arms in that turn-of-the-century boxing position while hopping up and down and I can feel my cheeks and neck getting really red and then when the forcibly dismounted, hipster-***-emo kid starts to cry, I feel myself calming down and I remember that one 20-20 episode about bullying and I start to feel really bad and so I help the kid up and and I stammer, "Oh, s-s-sorry, dude. I thought you were the guy who bad-touched me when I was a kid."

I do the same thing to guys on tarck bikes with matching hot-pink deep-Vs and Ourys except I never go through the whole bullying/guilt thing except one time when I pushed the tarck kid into a 60 year old touring bike guy with a fine Brooks saddle that must have had, like, 2,000+ miles on it and really classic looking randonneur bags.

beer

NB: "hipster-***-emo " What? Latin is obscene now? c u m it means 'along with'. Jeez!

kyselad

Seriously? You've never met someone with dyslexia or a learning disability that impairs their grammar and/or spelling? Plenty of them are remarkably educated, and I personally know several that can shame me in math and physics. I wouldn't call these people uneducated.

Maybe the dude who posted is uneducated. Maybe not. Either way, he apologized in advance for the poor grammar, then actually contributed something. Piling on and telling him to go away seems unwarranted.

Riis

I'm going to climb out of my lurking hole just to state that this is one of the best posts evar.

carry on.

Biking_Lawyer

"Hell, He's Even More Punk Than Me".

bonus points to whichever of you "emo" youngsters gets the reference.

diaper eater

are you on bikelove?

Yoshi

Jabba Degrassi is among the many otherwise erudite people who believe that english/literature is the only measure of intelligence. If you approach one of these people and express any knowledge of mathematics or science, they will wax poetic how much they hate math to the applause of their peers.

However if you ever so much as hint that you don't enjoy Kerouac you will be forever shunned as cretin, uneducated and not worth your weight in Shakespearean plays. Again to the applause of their peers.


*Please not that this is a highly sarcastic post, as are most of my posts.

Ken Cox

I recently visited Portland, Oregon with my two sons, and I commented on how many fixed gear bikes I saw.

My sons then pointed out to me that they only looked like fixed gear bikes, and I started paying more attention.

I saw a lot of SS bikes.

It made me sad, because I really believe if the SS riders had tried fixed gear, they would have liked it much more than their SS bikes.

With apologies to SS riders, SS doesn't make sense to me, since the rider gives up so much control and, as far as I can see, gains nothing.

Jabba Degrassi

I'll sarcasitic you!

Sixty Fiver

A good number of folks like ss but do not like riding fixed and of the countless conversions I do at our shop, we do far more ss bikes than fg bikes.

And don't foget that on an ss you can coast (like 99% of the riders on earth) and control is not an issue as long as you aren't one of the ss guys who is only runing one brake.

Jabba Degrassi

Honestly, I agree. I really love my fixie, but I have no delusions about it being more "functional" or "practical" than a SS or road bike. An SS would be just as easy to maintain, and would be easier to ride. A road bike would be marginally more difficult/expensive to maintain, would be easier to ride, and more versatile.

That said, I don't always like doing things the easy way. Easy doesn't always equal fun. Besides that, I do 99% of my riding in one place, I don't really need versatility. When it's all said and done, I can do a lot on my bike, and I enjoy doing it. If John Q. Freewheel and Joan H. Derailleur feel the same way about their bikes, that's all that really matters.

garythenuke

What I gained going to SS was not having to shift. I had a 1992 model Ibis mountain bike with Suntour XC componenets. That crap never worked from day one. I took it back to the shop (different shops) and they adjusted it and then before long it was back to acting up again. I honestly stopped riding that bike because of it. Then I went to SS and all my problems were solved. I had never heard of taking brakes off so that was not an option.
Now I ride fixed gear and I wish I had started years ago.

militantmuffin

Actually, there is a lot to be gained by riding SS instead of geered, SS bikes are much, much simpler and straightforward machines, for one thing, maintenance and repairs are SO much easier. Riding, you don't have to worry about shifting gears so you are more relaxed and aware of your surroundings instead of constantly worrying about what gear you should be in, and you get SO much stronger when you stop relying on shifting gears to carry you up a difficult climb.
SS bikes are great and there is a lot to be gained, even if you still want to coast. you gain a lot of the things you do with a fixed gear(simplicity, strength), you just don't have the same control and you can coast. I ride fixed now, but I road SS for over a year, and I still occasionally flip the hub on my surly around to the freewheel side.

chinolofus

NOFX "maximum rock n roll"

Sixty Fiver

I ride everything from a 1933 CCM single speed coaster bike to a fairly modern hardtail with 24 speeds that is worth more than $2500.00...

My geared road bike is a 12 speed that is 36 years old and is still hell on wheels...and I have a road bike that has one fixed speed...

I have 5 fixed gear bicycles and a single speed rigid mtb in the works.

I tour and commute on geared bikes and tour and commute on fixed gear bikes...my tourer has 24 speeds and all those gears come in useful and there is also much to be said about heading out to ride 100 miles on a bike that only has one speed.

I have a singlespeed path racer... it's purely for fun.

If it's riding it's all good.

quanmunist

what a f'ing troll the OP is.

Sixty Fiver

quan - I think the OP was simply posting something that many people have been observing for some time.

And that has spawned some interesting discourse on that and a few other things.

As Tom would say, let's keep it civil.

whalesalad

Off-topic but I was in SD recently for a conference and was in the drive-thru at In-n-out with my broseph when I saw two dudes pull up to a light across the road on bikes. They were not bmx bikes and had no detailers so I knew they were either FF or SG.

Guys were riding on the sidewalk, crosswalk, fumbling all throughout the intersection to get into their clips, it was hilarious. I was holding up the drive-thru too trying to peek as far as I could to see them totally ******in' it up.

And @ADSR... also while I was in SD, staying in what I think was Pacific Beach in this DOPE beach house right near Ingraham street the only thing that I saw ALL DAY LONG were beach cruisers. Makes sense because we're staying on the beach but being surrounded by so many college students I was so shocked not to see more fixed bikes. I counted three total and was there for a good week out there all the time smokin a cig and drinkin a redbull.

kyselad

This just may be the greatest post I've ever read here.

Biking_Lawyer

Close ----NOFX "Punk Guy" on Punk in Drublic

Yoshi

I believe that a lot of fixed-gear riders will never tried single speed because it's not cool enough, which is unfortunate.

I rode a fixed-gear for several years before converting it to a single speed. I like the single speed better. I don't feel that I have really lost any control (except when going really slow, and trackstanding is obviously harder). What I have gained is significant however. I don't feel like I'm losing any control when going really fast/downhill since I can coast, I can bunny hop much higher and skitch easier (not that I do that often).

I still have a track bike (I race after all) and it's nice to change things up every once in awhile, but I really appreciate road bikes and freewheels in general.

Oh, and to the people who are going to tell me that I need to learn how to spin, I can hit 200rpms on rollers so STFU. Most times I'd prefer to coast.

Jabba Degrassi

I pretty much agree with all of this. But does anyone else like fixed because it's hard? It isn't always practical, you rarely get a chance to rest, it keeps you on your toes constantly, but it's so much ****ing fun!

I really wish I had the space/room for another bike. I'd like something a little more versatile like a touring or CX bike, as the down-sides to riding fixed exclusively are rather self-evident to anyone who's done it. Ah well, maybe this spring...