https://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/ne...04-360707.html

caught that when I was at the in-laws this weekend..it was in the Intelligencer..

Great article! I thought it was funny that the writer kept refering to no gears or one gear... never quite getting that there were two...

How can you have a ratio when there's only one gear?

And it seems like she tried riding them for the story :

Even talks of how brakeless makes you more aware, and gives props to Sheldon Brown, if not a link...

Good to see articles like that coming from mainstream press...

front ring to rear cog ratio
examples:
48:17
42:16

yup..I definitley thought it was a good article..nice to see an occasional article not 'knocking' it..

When there is only one gear, your ratios would be:

17
16

There are always two gears if you are using a chain AND a crank/chainring... There's no ratio when only one number is thrown in. And the name of the article is 'stripped of gears'... I dunno, it just seemed a little off... There are still two on all of the bikes she talks about.

Good article. Thoughts -

As a new convert, I feel as if I am more poser than anything. I mean I've been riding my whole life, casually known about fixes for a year or so, and just now built a SS and am waiting for the flip flop to arrive for completion. This article touched on the cult-but-not-for-long aspect, and I fit the newbie poser demographic in my mind.

I do not want to dilute the mystique, and yet I want the experience. Maybe I just think too much.

I wasn't in it, but I know one of the people quoted in it. I met Ian outside of a Modest Mouse show in 2001, and I keep accidentally running into him in weird ways. He's on another bike forum that I don't go to so often now and my girlfriend dated him for a week or two a while back. He knows his bikes.

But the article was pretty neat, not great but a good start. The LBS that knows me as "the fixed gear guy" mentioned the article to me a few days ago when I stopped in.

To be accurate, the ratios would be as follows:
2.8:1 (48x17)
2.6:1 (42x16)

And the ever popular off-road gear ratio of 2:1 (32x16, 34x17, etc.)

my LBS calls me "the fixed gear guy" too.

yeah mine calls me that too.
he also keeps egging me on about a colnago.
pusher.

jeff

great article... I was not aware there was ANOTHER fixed gear team for the MS ride, I think I need to look for those guys.

Thanks for the article!

not always correct as a ratio is defined as follows:
-the indicated quotient of two mathematical expressions
-the relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things

no where in the definition does it state the use of an "X:1" expression, although it is common. Either would be acceptable as it is simple division that transforms 48:17 to 2.8:1 (approximate).

I was going to be there, but evidently my sister's wedding takes priority. What the hell?

Let me know if there's another ride in the Philly area.

True enough. I actually should have quoted HereNT's post (below) as it was more a response to his response to your original post I quoted (confused? )

try looking at it from the point of view of a reporter who doesn't really know much about bikes. she's looking at the rear wheel and only seeing one gear. so it has one gear. sometimes people use the word "gear" to mean "speed", as in "hey how many gears you got on that bike there"..."i got five gears there hey how many you got". so these bikes here you see they only got one gear, eh.

reporters don't usually know anything about a particular topic until they're assigned to write about it, then they learn as much as they can in 36 hours, write something, and move on. from that perspective, i think the article was pretty good.

just buy me a crapload of beer and we'll forget this whole mess

Show up in Philly this weekend and I'm buying

well moneybags, if your buying i'll be there

Ha, Ha. Sorry, offer only good for 165

damn you...foiled again!

Well, back to the article. I don't like all this talk about theives not being able to ride. If we (collectively) don't shut up, they're going to catch on.

On the positive side, I'll be safe here in ToledOH!

because there are no thieves in toledo? or because no one ever catches on?

"Well, if there's a bright center to the universe, you're in the place that it's farthest from."

what happened to my shirt??

I'm sooooo not ready for this ride.. haha..

I cant believe how many fixed gear riders there are gonig to be this year.. last year, I was the only one I saw..

john hughes dispatches at my co.

i think it's pretty mainstream now. when i first rode in boston in 98 my roomate said when he started couriering (1990) there where maybe 2 or 3 people riding fixed, everyone rode mtbs. point...everyone rode fixed when i started riding downtown.

maybe (mainstream) moreso in boston area than down here.