oh yeah. loved it. i think it was on right before Dr. Who, so i never missed it.

I'll play. This is an '07 Steamroller I got at a garage sale in '09 for $200. The bike originally wasn't for sale, but as in the back of the garage and had a good layer of dust on it and looke like it had barely been used. A little wheelin-&-dealin' and it went home with me. Tried riding fixed, but I'm a whimp that's more comfy with it as a single speed. Also has two brakes, and gearing is 53/16 (I ride it on flat street, no hills). A little small for me, so that's why it has the stem extender. Nothing but fun.

This evening was simply gorgeous. No, it was better than that.

I got home and had a quick dinner with the wife before running out to a Habitat for Humanity meeting. Their office is only about 7 miles from home, albeit in a sketchy neighborhood. I rode my bike and had no problems whatsoever.

After the meeting, the weather was perfect for riding. I have no idea what the temperature was, but it was ideal. I took the time to take some pictures on the way home and this is one of the better ones. That's my fixed gear Schwinn Cutter in the foreground, with the beautiful dusk as a backdrop.



A soccer game at the middle school field.

29-year-old here. I've been lurking this thread looking at all the sweet SS & FG. I must say, this thread has given me hope that all my SS & FG riding will continue long into my later years. I was one of many who was under the impression that everyone's knees were probably dead by the time they hit 30 and they'd quit riding. Also, scotjonscot, that Panther is actually awesome! Love what you've done with it, and I even love how it looked before! I may end up completing my collection with a beach cruiser.

Also, doohickie: Kudos on the O8's and RiBMo's! I'm running 700x25c on my Racer.

Meh. Get off my lawn you rotten kid.

The new pedals are just a simply replacement; I don't notice a lot of difference except that the clunk that started on the old pedals is no longer there. The RibMos, though, are pretty sweet. I like them better than the Marathons so far.

Glad to have this forum.

I'm 42 and just finished building my first fixed gear. I must say I am NOT enjoying learning how to stop.

There's no real shame in relying on brakes until it becomes more natural to stop with resistance.

I still can't skid stop. I don't really feel like I need to. No shame in using brakes and don't let the kiddie punks tell you otherwise.

I ride brakeless, and although I can skid, I literally never do.

Huh. I thought brakes alone wouldn't work on a fixed, so that's why I'm trying to learn how to skid. Hell, if brakes will work then I'm happy to install them. I'm way past the point of trying to be cool (which makes me even cooler).

OK, so pardon the silly question, but if you don't have brakes and you don't skid, then how do you stop?

Resist the forward motion of the pedals.

Fify.

This. It's really not difficult, and it saves my tires.

You don't have to skid to stop. Brakes work exactly as they do on a geared bike. Pull the levers and you will stop - the brakes are far stronger than the inertia of your rotating legs.

Skid for fun, skid to stop - relatively slowly - and use brakes if you value your life.

I do that, but don't rely on it if I'm on much of a downhill. Doesn't take much, less than 5% grade, and I wouldn't be able to stop without brakes.

Here is a story about some fixed gear riders. There is no one posting on this website who is anywhere near as tough or "hard core" as these folks. Notice they all used brakes - and would have laughed at anyone who suggested they didn't need them.

Riding without brakes is a fad. Nothing more. People are welcome to follow the fad if they want - but the idea that brakes on fixed gear bikes are "uncool" is the height of stupidity.

Are younger folks allowed to post in this thread as well? i've always respected those riders in the older tour de france. From what I've heard, they also had to fix their own bikes and were disqualified if they received assistance like one racer who had the blacksmith pump the billows for him while he repaired his frame. I just find that to be greatly more respectable than these newer racers who just have a team car following them with spare bicycles and frames to just replace and they don't even know how to fix it themselves

That was Eugene Christophe, who was leading the overall classification when he broke his fork and had to run down the mountain with his bike on his shoulder to get to the blacksmith. He wasn't disqualified, though - he was just assessed a ten minute penalty on top of the two hours he'd already lost.

The story so compelled France that a collection was taken up for him, and he ended up with quite a bit more money than the eventual winner of the race did. And I can just about guarantee that some of the SS/FG bikes ridden by forum members have chrome steel toe clips emblazoned with Christophe's name - they're still available today.

wow! that is fantastic!! sigh . . . if only racing were like that these days, it seems so much more exciting I would loovvee to do a race like that.

Well said. Thanks. I'm not at all interested in the fad, but rather the minimalism and fun of a fixed gear. I will be putting brakes on it. I sure appreciate all of the experienced fixed gear riders who have posted on this thread and helped me out.

Thanks. Brakes will make their debut on my fixed gear this weekend. The older I get the more interested I am in, you know, STOPPING.

Hmm. I think one can go further, in this old geezers' thread, and say that the idea of "cool" is the height of stupidity, too.

I think the brakeless fad originated with the fact that at the start of the fixie resurgence, some of the enthusiasts were riding unmodified track bikes. It became a matter of pride to be (supposedly) skilled enough to ride safely on the road without brakes. Naturally it quickly followed that anyone who needed brakes was by definition incompetent.

Funny thing, though, all the really skilful trackies that I know think it is bonkers to ride on the roads with no brakes. And I am certainly very happy to have brakes on my FG.