nyquil

Hi guys,

I was initially intended on getting a Cannondale Caad9-5 race bike, but now i'm getting pretty interested in fixed gear bikes as well... but what exactly makes a good fixed gear bike? I mean, frames aside, aren't they all pretty much the same?

Also, how come i see a lot of ny riders with bike handlebars like this:
https://empirebegins.com/wp-content/u...09/03/ed-3.jpg

while others use the traditional road bike handlebars with the brakes.... but even when they are using the tradition road bike handlebars, the brakes dont work right? unless there are some fixed gear bikes out there with brakes?

Haagenize

You can put breaks if you want, most will put a front break

onmahbike

if you do put a front brake on it just means you dislike vagina.

kcirick

Functionally, they don't make much difference, unless you're racing on track.

But people go a long way to make their bike look unique. If you look for a fixed gear bike, most people don't ride their bikes stock. They change at least something so that their bike is unique. Brakes are optional but if you like your life more than vagina, you would have at least one

Handlebars are mostly aesthetic these days, but from what I understand they are good for playing bike polo.

nyquil

so a fixed gear bike is probably mostly ridden in city streets then i'm guessing... where there's not much hills, or steep drops.... and most people get them because they can do tricks and jump around without having to worry too much about chains getting lose or ****ing up their gears... plus it's low maintenance?

ADSR

A good fixed gear is good for the same reason any bike is good. Quality frame, components, ride and fit.

Many people ride bars like that because it looks cool, but will tell you it's to fit between cars. Others will have one working brake lever and one dummy lever on a set of drop bars for more hand positions. It boils down to personal preference, really. The brake issue is sort of silly. Some people say you don't need them. Other people realize that a front brake stops way faster than a locked rear tire so they will typically use a single brake in the front.

Lots of people have them in hilly areas. San Francisco comes to mind. I don't do tricks. I think a few people messed around, and then a few other people got serious about it.

If you want a good place to learn, I highly suggest reading Sheldon Brown's website, as well as the stickied starter thread on this very forum.

JohnDThompson 

Goodness! What does front and rear brakes mean then, I shudder to contemplate!

dayvan cowboy

I live in a pretty hilly area and ride one. It was kind of scary at first going down some of the bigger hills, but i got used to it in a few weeks. I have a front brake btw. I have a few friends that ride brakeless here and just watching them at some parts of town makes me nervous and glad I have a brake.

JacoKierkegaard

Not really. There's been a bit of a subculture built up around that, but a lot of people use them as commuters or like regular road bikes. They definitely get a lot harder to deal with in hilly areas, but there are plenty of masochists who do that too.

dayvan cowboy

i wish i owned a geared bike for going on longer rides. I love riding my fixed long distances, but in the area i live, there is only one flat road and its a bike path and i'm pretty bored of it.

Any ride i take outside the city is constant rolling hills with a few long, windy climbs and descents. 80 gear inches isn't too pleasant climbing some of those hills. Its a good ratio for me when i'm in town, but my daily commute doesn't have any significant climbs, just gentle increase in altitude.

JacoKierkegaard

Tell me about it. I live 5 minutes from the beach, so we get pretty stiff winds here sometimes. Yesterday for about a quarter mile I had to deal with a pretty steep uphill grade (or at least steep for around here), a strong headwind, AND I was on the verge of bonking.

The pain...

kringle

Riding a fixed drivetrain in a hilly area makes your muscles stronger and more supple, whatever the hell that means.