If you put two fat blobs in a race one on a geared bike and one on a fixed gear (assuming the fat blob knows how to properly shift) the fat blob with gears will win.

The only way for me to have a 20lbs bike for less then $200 was to convert an old road bike to fixie. The real reason was from tons of reading on Sheldon Browns web site. Smart man was. If you see my bike you know its not for show. Still has the original front wheel, rusted spokes, crappy stem and bars. But out of my 3 bikes and one car, it gets the most miles put on it by a long shot.

I do feel its surely not for everyone, and it very much is not meant to be an all in one bike, hence the road bike and cargo bike. I have a very different riding experience on it then the others. You have to be FULLY present and part of the bike, its far more rewarding to ride then the road bike. But as I say, not many people will have a natural attraction to it, making it more of a hassle. As long as I get to live in a relatively flat area and my knees are feeling well, I hope to always has a fixed gear bike in my stable.

Give it a chance, then let it go if you don't like it.

Close enough!

A local spandex superhero yelled it at my wife while she was climbing a hill on her SS the morning I designed the shirt.

Plus, really low maintenance "time" cost. Sorta short distance road bike without all the drive train maintenance (at the cost of not having gears). I don't really like having to clean derailleurs; but kinda funny I don't feel that bad about replacing the tire. ... Maybe I just don't like much dirty lubes on my hands. .... Wait I am digging my own grave, huh?

... it could mean anything depending on what exactly the man-in-tights said. I suspect it is +1 for your woman. (And -1 for the tights-man.)

She was coming up a hill as Spandex Man was descending on the other side of the street. She nodded (as he lives in our neighborhoood and we see him all the time) and he responded with a ****-eating grin and said "Get some gears!" because he knows my lady rides multi-speeds too. He was kidding around, but we found it funny.

At any rate, a pretty cool shirt came from it.

I tell people to get some gears all the time. Even more when I'm on a single speed or fixed gear.

Because nothing feels better than passing a pack of Freds on carbon bikes with my dumpster conversion.

Enjoy

I can piss farther than all y'all

No you can't.

GO LOWER! 46x19!!!

just playin, but seriously just do it

I took mine to one of those random rides Lance puts on. I was passing people on the climb. How does that happen? It was a tough one too, wish I had my road bike there.

entirely situational DOES apply to every bike, you ass hat tarcklist- if it didn't there would only be one type of bike made.

The OP was asking in what situation is a fixed gear beneficial, so why don't you offer one up instead of making yourself look stupid on the interwebz for everyone to see.

Psh. You're the one going around criticizing people. Maybe you should keep your **** to yourself once in a while, it's people like you who end up dead on the news.

True. He's still not fast though, just faster, or as I would see it, less slow.

Oh, don't forget it's a good exercise. Your legs stay moving, keeping em warm and flexible. Blood pumping through that region. I am pretty sure circulation improves in other places, too. And, all these cardio-vascular exercises without much impact to body (assuming we aren't talking about going professional and competing in races and stuff), ... and without having to put on a lot of miles (just commuting even), I suppose. It probably isn't enough to really lose weight, but it's enough to keep em off once you get them off.

Actually no, I run a brake and wear a helmet, but I appreciate your concern. Maybe you should take your own advice.

OHHHH I get it; that was your suggestion for a situation in which a fixed gear is beneficial- when your trying to get hit by cross traffic.

this thread made me think of rush hour "what is it good for, absolutely nothin'"

making the other hipsters jealous.

Just gotta throw down here, 46x20.

I hear this talk about drive train maintenance with geared bikes all the time but I just don't see it. I guess there are fewer parts to break when you crash but I try not to do that very often.

Freds ride utilitarian (geared) bikes. Those on carbon bikes are hipsters. Yes, those exist in the geared cycling world as well.

That's one thing that I detest. Perhaps one of the biggest improvements in my cycling experience, when I went SS, was not having to clean bleeping derailleurs!

Riding fixed is a bit of a strange bird. It goes against conventional thinking/wisdom. Convention says that more gears equals more choices equals a more satisfying experience. But, you do the fixed thing for awhile and go back to geared bikes and they just feel wrong. The choices feel unnecessary, the need to pull a brake lever to slow down (as opposed to control the bike) feels complicated, coasting takes on a weird, almost scary sensation because the machine is working without you - on and on. There are all sorts of ways to get from here to there. My way is fixed. Everything can comfortably done fixed. Hills, hauling loads, long rides - everything.

That said, if speed is a primary consideration then gears matter (I know, I know - velodrome riding, cycling speed records, etc...). If all else is equal - say clone yourself and put one of you on a fixed and the other you on a geared bike the geared you will be faster.

If you are on a fixed and you pass a geared roadie I would suggest to you that you did not actually pass a roadie. You passed female genitalia dressed up like a roadie. Or, maybe it was a real roadie but they were 10 hours into their ride or they were warming down or doing specialized training or their medication was off or something.

If speed is not the sole/primary consideration I consider fixed to be the hands down winner. It is by far and away the better cycling experience.

I deleted all of the bull**** from your post. What you have left are a few opinions.