Fixies are Dangerous!
 

It seems everyone downplays how dangerous these bikes can be at first.

Im a regular MTN biker and my instincts just do not allow me to ride a fixie safely. Its not the riding it thats the problem its the emergency reflexes that Im most worried about like going over obstacles where you might have to stand up, or quick stops or even turning around to view traffic. These are all cases where I level the pedals out and center my weight. Then theres the whole pedal clearance around sharp turns thing, something I don't want to find out on a hill big enough to show it. And I can skid stop but then it wears a patch in the same spot on my tire! I dont have $$$ to do this.

I know with time I would adapt, but then I have to re-adapt to my Mtn bike? The things Im doing on that are already dangerous enough!

But seriously you guys are crazy.

que?

Well some can deal with that "danger" and enjoy riding fixed and some can't.. A front brake and a helmet is as safe as you can get IMO.

where to begin...
For starters, regarding skid patches... depending on you gear ratio, you can have up to 21 skid patches.
http://lafixed.com/Pics/gearratio.jpg

adapt

Would you like some french-cries with your wahhburger?

you haven't adapted yet. give it some time and it will become more natural and fluid. when you feel you wanna stop, keep pedaling cuz that's all you can do on a fixed. it took me about a month before I really began to get comfy on it. common sense will tell you that you won't have to adapt back to your mtb because you can coast. btw what's your bike/set up and how long have you been riding fixed?

read this as well to help you transition:
FG 101

you know... fixed doesn't mean brakeless...

Whenever I need to quickly stop, I use my brakes. I usually don't need it though because like other responsible city cyclists, I can read traffic for the most part (except for once in a while jackasses behind the wheel)

And seriously, we're not. A lot of fixed riders want you to think they are, that's a big part of the allure, but in reality fixed-gears are no crazier than any other type of bicycle. Just easier to maintain and more ZEN.

2 days, and another thing that you can't coast down fast hills of which I have alot of here. Like no human can pedal that fast and I end up using the brakes or legs to slow me down, talk about a waste of energy!

I moved to SS and its so much nicer for me. Fixies do have a more direct feel and you get that feeling of inertia which is cool, but for me the fixie isnt worth it for that TINY bit of feel. Like yea I could spend a month getting used to it but why bother?

getting out of bed in the morning is dangerous. Walking out the front door is dangerous. eating my muffin at my desk is dangerous. everything we do carried with it a risk. it only seems more or less dangerous the more or less you read into it. example. i work in an editing suit. normally me and one other guy. he isn't here today. the rest my department is across the hall and they can't see me unless they come to my office. i could have choked on my muffin and died this morning. how is that ant more or less dangerous than riding a bike, any style of bike? it's not. fixed gear is no more or less dangerous than mountain biking. you could be alone in the woods riding an "easy" trail, blow out a tire, go over your bars smash your face, and die alone. you could be riding a fixed gear in the city (or any other bike) hit a pot hole, drain, car, person, other obstacle and go down and die. i think your just not use to it. if you need to turn around and look at traffic, turn your head. if your head doesn't turn, you probably shouldn't be riding any bike.

I ride a fixed gear mountain bike.

Try it for awhile and you won't go back to geared bikes.

Much, much more control with fixed gear.

Different?

Yes.

okay, really? You decide it's dangerous after 2 days? Any toddler who starts to learn to ride a bike after 2 days probably thinks it's dangerous.


And if you do spend that time on learning how to ride fixed, your mountain biking will improve massively when you ride trails.

It is a bicycle. Unlike most bikes, it is single speed and can't coast. That's it. Those are the only functional differences.

You need to HTFU. I alternate between fixed/ss/gears all the time. I even ride singletrack both SS and FG, using the same bike, on the same day. Riding fixed is different than riding a freewheel. It forces you to adopt a different riding style which keeps things a bit more interesting, and (I believe) makes you a better rider. ALternating between fixed and free is like walking and riding a bike. You can do both can't you? A physically competent person will adjust to both activities and easily alternate back and forth. Give it some time. You'll develop the cadence to pedal fast down hills. I even usually push it harder down the hills to see what kind of cadence I achieve...on a good day, I can get near 200 rpms.

then you're judging way too fast since you're not used to the idea of constantly pedaling. it's because you're "lazy and pampered" in the sense that resting isn't available to you which is something you're used to. just think about it this way, once you get used to "wasting" all that energy and get used to it, imagine how much more you'll have when you go back to your mountain bike ;) just take it easy at 1st to get the hang of everything. that's why it's said you learn how to ride a bike again when you try a fixed

riding fixed isn't for everyone, that's what it boils down to. i've been riding fixed for a couple weeks now, and i have yet to flip the wheel around and use the freewheel. plenty of time to coast when i'm dead.

Not everyone gets riding fixed and if you prefer SS then by all means ride what's comfortable for you. This is the fixed/SS section so people need to stop being pretentious about riding fixed exclusively and drop the attitude because the OP isn't willing to ride his bike the way you want him to.

Notice people I said "riding a fixie is dangerous AT FIRST"

Now will you just agree with me! I know none of your mom's wombs came with a fixie inside it so you could practice for your delivery room debut.

I mean I can unlearn the years of freewheel riding but again, WHY BOTHER. There seems to be no real benefit for going fixed, like everything you can do on your fixed I can do better on my SS, (and faster). Keep in mind I don't live in a city and there are hills all around me.

I was more scared the first time I attempted long, steep, rocky technical descents off road than I ever was on a fixed gear.

Riding a bike is dangerous at first for everyone, regardless of the drivetrain. Then you get comfortable and it seems like second nature. That is what is called practice. Either you like fixed or you don't. You don't like so don't do it. Your argument for not riding fixed are weak, just as the zen feeling argument for it is weak too.

now you're just gettign cocky.

Being a shizzle load faster on a SS is a weak argument?

Meepers Im not saying Im faster than you, Im saying a SS is faster than a fixed given equal ammounts of energy put in.

odd, i would've thought a mtb rider would understand the concept of "i do it because it's a blast".

but seriously, we're talking about a type of bicycle that five year olds learn to ride on. this isn't rocket science here... if you're having trouble riding your track bike on the street, take it slow at first.
i'm sure you'll start to get the hang of it in a few days.

So people are doing this for a thrill? Why not take up mountian biking? :) I guess riding on the road is boring after awhile, I just havent done enough road miles yet. (this is my first road bike, I had one 10 years ago but prolly put 50 miles on it)

5 year olds dont have the 25+ years of riding muscle memory I do either. Unlearning something can often be more difficult than learning something.