This bicycling thing is somewhat new to me, and I'm loving it. Geeze, I took my bike down the street, and fell in love with street riding; flew down my first trail last week and fell in love with riding in the woods as well. I can see myself with another bike or two within the next year or so.

But.....I took out a single speed and didn't feel anything other than the desire to get back on a bike with gears Now, I'll admit it was my wife's old schwinn, so that probably had alot to do with it , but I'm curious about what appeals to most of you concerning fixed gear and single speeds.

I'm just wondering - is it the novelty, the 'antiquish' characteristics, or the actual riding, or what? I'm not trying to be offensive here, just sincerely curious about the appeal. I really feel the urge to buy a single-speed cruiser (Electra Hollywood) because I think they look cool, but I think it goes deeper than 'cool looks' for alot of you guys.

-jeff

Low maintenance, dances like butterfly, climbs like a mountain goat. Fixie also gives you 'feel' of the road much better than a coaster. Great for pissing of amateur roadies, too. And foils bike thieves wee bit

Complete and utter oneness with the machine. Still love my geared mtn. and road bikes, but man this fixed stuff damn addictive.

Dave

simplicity

simplicity.

How many gears do you normally use on a geared bike? Take away the gears you don't use and find one comfortable gear and you have a single speed. No shifting, just riding. Then make the bike fixed. Then you hardly ever use the brake. No braking, just riding.

They also seem to whip you into shape a bit faster. In the case of fixed gear there is no coasting. So you learn to pedal constantly and keeps the power on always. When you get back to a geared bike (I've found my forays into the geared world occur less and less) you find you don't coast any more. In my case I found I rode longer and faster and was no longer prone to blowing everything I had early on. I learned to pace myself.

imho if your gonna have one gear it's best fixed. I just don't see the point in a SS coaster? Fixed have the ultimate road control in urban environments. You feel connected to the road as others have said, therefore they make great commuters. I live in the mountains but my commute is on a high plane of sorts which is relativly flat. I would'nt even think of taking my fixie into the valley lest I would have to walk it out.

It's a lot different to compare a track bike/converted road bike to a cruiser. Cruisers are much clunkier relaxed beasts while the snappier geometry of riding a track/converted road is much more responsive, fast and seemingly aggressive.

Personally, I love the simplicity as many have said. Not having to worry about a derailleur or maintaining brakes (though I have a front one - minimal maintenance there) and just having that steady rythm. The less to worry about, the more I can enjoy the ride.

You definitely feel more connected to your environment.

That's quite normal. I imagine 99.9% of the cycling population feel like you do. At least from the fixed gear riders I know, most got 'fixated' the moment they took a fixed gear out for a spin. As for me, the concept of fixed gear riding appealed to me even way before I even had a chance to ride one. When you get a chance, take a fixed gear out for a spin.... It's like black & white from geared or even a singlespeed.

Did twenty miles on my fix today.

As always it took me a while to find the sweet spot and I was thrown off the scent by the odd brittle climb. But then I begin to home in.

The track frame and wheels are taut as a bowstring. My body is both the arm that draws it and the flying arrow. My eyes just lock onto the way ahead and my mind empties. The road, the bike and I are in perfect equilibrium at last. The hypnotic syncopated rhythms of my legs, lungs and heart correspond perfectly to the spinning cranks and wheels. The purring chain is my very pumping blood.

I can pedal like this forever. The road a Mobius strip that leads me to myself. The demand of the pedals is precisely what I want to supply, no more, no less. I can stop this flow and the bike will carry my flaccid legs around or I can explode and drive, bouncing forward, to an ultimate, cadence-limited speed. But I am perfect as I am. There is no boundary between me and the bike. There is no boundary between us and the journey. No gears to fiddle and fret with. No freewheel to sag soggily back into. Just drive and motion. Rhythm and harmony. The least machine I need to get there. To get to the place that travelling takes me before the anti-climax of destination.

I am ecstatically happy and burn my way homewards edging increasingly towards my limit. By the time I arrive I am spent but so full of joy that I tense up and howl my victory over time and distance.

Forgive me. I think I'm in love with a machine.

As Ron Popeil would say... "Set it and forget it!" It's a simplicity thing. No need to worry about what gear you should be in. You think about the ride. You concentrate more on your riding skills and momentum. You pick better lines. You have more money to upgrade or buy beer, rather than spending it on shifters and derailleurs. Some would say it's an anti-establishment thing. Others a low cost thing. You'll probably get a ton of differing opinions and answers here. It's something that can be answered a million different ways yet can't readily be explained...you either get or you don't. And by your interest and actual posting of the question, like Mikey, I think you'll like it!

nice.

nobody has mentioned the quiet silence of a fixie. I just got mine built about 3 weeks ago and while I won't say I "love" it yet, I definately have a great desire to ride it more than any of my other bikes. (they have all sat for the last 3 weeks)

Their is no derailleur or chain clatter on a fixed gear, and the smooth pedal strokes are silent. That is one thing I found appealing when riding it, plus when you are on a club ride you can ask what all the noise is when you come to a climb and everyone is scrambling to downshift!

It's simpler than that.... there's nothing to set! ...

Maybe I can help. I have two bikes. Both are singlespeed road frames. I am fortunate to live in a city with many hills. I enjoy climbing them but I LOVE flying down them. I've spoken with 20 or 25 fixie riders in the past year and all but one eventually admitted to missing the hill bombing aspect of riding here. I have nothing against fixed gear riding, in fact I think it's very cool but for the things I enjoy .... single speed all the way.

Jim

I bet you all thought that I was going to say that riding fixed makes you a better lover. I'm not going to say that, even though I'm thinking it. So there

The real challenge lies in getting off a solid 4-7 round burst from a fixed gear, using an HK MP5. Working on that, now that the Glock can deliver 3, center mass.

Thanks for the responses! I've got to get out and get a ride on a fixie. I can see the appeal of not having to be distracted with adjustments, I mean, you guys know exactly what your bike will feel like, consistantly, everytime you ride it. No "hey, the brakes or deraileurs feel out of adjustment today...."

I certainly can't see myself giving up the gears, but sounds like there's something unique and pure about riding fixed gear, so I need to give it a try. I see alot of you guys ride both.

Hey, did I say 'pure'? Maybe I'm starting to see this more clearly, huh?
-jeff

Good to hear that..... now, start drinking your morning coffee black like some of us do.... no creme, no sugar...

i can't be bothered to buy or set up derailleurs.

[i'm singlespeed right now... but the point still stands]

fssb
sparky

Sawed off shotgun, pistol grip, turkey loads.

The thought of that made me flinch. Twice while patterning a new shotgun with turkey loads the recoil was enough to give me a visible bruise on my face and once it gave me a bloody nose. And that was just a standard 11-87 holding on for dear life. The thought of holding that one handed is...... disturbing.......

Derailleurs seem to make me work as much on my bike as I do riding it, SS=good for us lazy people.

"imho if your gonna have one gear it's best fixed. I just don't see the point in a SS coaster?"


I kind of agree with that...I enjoyed my 1x1 a lot more after I fixed it...SS doesn't make much sense to me...it feels like lagging to me. I prefer fixed.