Hi,
I'm heading to Europe in October and have been trying to google information about the fixie scene in Rome to no avail. Does anyone know anything about this? eg:
:: If I can/where I can hire a fixed gear bike?
:: Where are good places to ride?
:: Relevant laws I may need to know?
:: Do they play polo over there?
:: etc etc
Also any non-bike related tourist tips would be great; especially bars - the good ones are always hidden!
I am also heading to Dublin and Belfast, so any similar info would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks heaps!

Why don't you try to contact some of the guys on fixedrome.com?

will do. thanks. just hope they speak english - my italian is very rusty!

Go to Dodici and ask them how they're doing on my bike

I was there in May. Lots of bikes, but I didn't see many fixed gears. Off the top of my head, I remember one in a shop window and one locked up outside a shop. It seemed that most bikes were older, well-worn, upright 3-5 speed cruisers/commuters. There were several places to rent bikes, but probably not fixed gear. I think there were even some places where you could pick up a bike in one part of the city and drop it off somewhere else. The stands looked like a cross between an electronic bike rack and a parking meter. Not quite sure how they worked, but it seemed like a cool system.

There's a lot of traffic - cars, buses, scooters and pedestrians. Might be a little chaotic getting around in the daytime, but things calmed down a lot in the evenings/nights. I definitely wished I had my bike while I was over there. Although I think the rough cobblestone roads might have rattled out a few fillings after a couple miles.

Oh yeah - if you like beer, look up "Brasserie 420". It's in a kind of weird, run-down industrial area in the Trastevere neighborhood. I stumbled across it completely by accident. And stumbled out of it several nights in a row afterwards.

i just got back from rome a week ago. rode there for about a month~

1. there arent too many fixed riders out there
2. its a lot of cobble stones = hurts my balls =/
3. not too many riders speak english =/
4. you can ride inside saint peter's square when you're at the vatican (but just the square)
5. there arent really any driving laws that are different (the italians do anything they like anyway)
6. cant help you on rental there (flew my whole bike there)
7. i could only find one fixed gear shop. its called bbike srl but its really far from the city and you still wont be able to rent a fixed gear bike there neither

PROTIP: mimic the scooters in traffic

just my 2 euro cents
have fun!

some spots where i got some shots:

coloseum:



Trevi Fountain:



Pantheon:



spanish steps:



piazza di popolo:



vatican:



video of me riding around rome?:

https://vimeo.com/13339103

this one night with romefixed:

https://muckymucky.blogspot.com/2010/07/7-2x-10.html

more the blog i guess~: https://www.muckymucky.blogspot.com/

i dont know why i typed all this up. i think i miss rome.

oh bars: go to gay street next to the coloseum for cheap drinks, go to campo di fiori (flower field?) for bars and cute chicks and lots of american girls and pubs that speak english ;D (like the drunken ship?)

Perfect time to discuss your brake again mucky.

oh right, its that time again. lol <3

Chair out of nowhere and the guy selling Asian umbrellas in Italy.

Nice pictures mucky!

great video, now i really want to bring my bike!
i think perhaps i'll give the riding in rome a miss (i'm travelling with a mate who doesn't ride) and just try getting a bike for the belfast part of the trip where i'll be on my own.
as for night life - was kinda hoping for some bars with a mix of people, not just tourists - and being female myself (note the genius backwards spelling of my real name??) i'm not all that keen on meeting cute american chicks
and yes, now lets talk about that brake system you've got going on??

we have those kind of bikes in melbourne (where i live) i haven't tried them out yet, but they seem like a good idea. might give that a go. thanks!

Seems like it would be a hassle to bring your bike to three different countries but it's actually really nice to ride your own bike in different countries.

Also, you could ask or browse through LFGSS for the UK stuff, they'd probably know better.

good thread. i'm going to rome for New Year's...would be awesome to do some riding.

Nice pics mucky! Lovin the Rome backgrounds

awesome mucky!
it's like the traveling gnome but ur bicycle awesome pics

aww cmon it would make your experience more interesting, Kate