My opinion is that they make sense for anybody who likes them for whatever reason the fixie rider believes; just the same as for anyone who might prefer a unicycle for utility and simplicity. Most of the reasons stated, outside of enjoying them, sound like so much hooey and New Age BS to me. The fitness-stamina rationale presumably could be accomplished by never shifting a mutispeed bike, and even improved by adding a couple of cinder blocks to the cyclists' messenger bag. The simplicity angle? They have nothing on a single speed coaster model, and little on an internal three speed bike, except so called "street cred" for whatever that is worth to those who seek it, and think they get it with such a bike.

Anyways; is it possible to enjoy 'em without trying to BS others (or yourself) about the superior mechanical characteristics/Zen-like experience, or the inadequacies of bikes that are not fixed?

It's not nonsense - if you ride a fix, you'll find that it IS more tyring to have your legs carried round. The real source of the extra work out is slowing yourself by applying back pressure - more work, but also, more muscle groups.

For ILTB - a fix does have a very small advantage over a single speed with a coaster brake in terms of simplicity, and that's the lack of freewheel. I'm sure you can't believe that a machined cog threaded onto a solid hub is equally as complex as a freewheel. It isn't. In practise, I've never had a situation where that mechanical simplicity was an actual advantage, but that doesn't mean it's not simpler.

I believe it is a "small advantage"; an infinitesimally small advantage. Almost as good/practical as saving a gram of weight on a utility bike; but if that is what floats the Zen boat for some, swell!

Coaster brake hubs do not have a freewheel.

ILTB - I have to ask... have you ever ridden a fixed gear for any length of time?

If you have then you might be able to speak to the issue but if not, you are coming from a point of total ignorance.

I ride ss (coaster bikes), three speeds, geared bikes, and a good number of fixed gear bikes so am in a place to make some real world comparisons and can say that a fixed gear is as practical and as utilitarian as any geared bike.

I used to ride SS bikes (not coaster bikes) and found that if you are going to run one gear, a fixed gear is a far better machine as it is more efficient... I look at the rear wheel as being a flywheel that stores energy that really helps to conserve momentum and make a fixed gear a better climber than an equivalently geared ss.

Many of the ss bikes I have built at out shop have become fixed gear bikes as their owners have realized the same thing... these aren't hipsters but hard core commuters riding these bikes and many folks are looking toi build up fixed gear bikes for our Canadian winter as they really shine here.

In other news... I went and did some winter off roading on my "utility" fixie today and it was a blast.

Nope I have not had the Zen-like epiphany yet. Nor the bliss that might accompany riding a unicycle or a high wheeler for utility. Haven't even sky dived into work yet either. All those experiences just might be a blast, and their utility is not to be questioned except by those experienced, eh?

Ignorant? Presumably only those who Are Experienced like yourself are qualified to speak about the alleged deficiencies of inefficient gears and the lack of utility of bikes subject to the threat of a frozen hub, eh?

Dude, chill. Seriously. I'm certain that you're intelligent enough to convey the same exact thoughts in a less abrasive manner.

Nor do single speed coaster hubs have the pawls that supposedly are allegedly so likely to freeze that they cause such worry for a few of our comrades.

ILTB - I think that if you are going to be critical about fixed gear bikes then you need to get out and ride one... have that zen like experience (or not)... and then get back to me.

I don't think have ever said geared bikes are inefficient as if they were I would not own seven of them and as far as freewheel hubs freezing up... it happens here a fair deal as we deal with some extremely cold weather.

I'm down at our bike shop where the work of the day for many is freeing up a number of frozen and crudded up front derailleurs... that's something that I don't have to deal with unless I ride my geared winter bike but it only comes out when things are drier and cleaner.

"I look at the rear wheel as being a flywheel that stores energy that really helps to conserve momentum and make a fixed gear a better climber than an equivalently geared ss."

The momentum-conserving properties of a flywheel are dependent on the mass and distribution of mass of the flywheel, and wouldn't vary significantly due to fixity or not. If you want more momentum, you need heavier wheels, which are not noted for increased climbing ability.

Hehehehehe... dear old Stanley (also known as ILTB) cannot help himself. Up to his old tricks. He's been like this since I started joining forums back in the late 1990s.

On this thread, he continually refers to internally gear hubs. Good on you , Stanley, but this discussion was never about internally geared hubs, some of which operate in an oil bath. It was about freewheels and freehubs operating in, I believe, freezing conditions. In North America, that pretty well means, frozen roads, where I have ridden, in temps down to -48 deg C (not Farenheit), and with grit and probably salt on the road.

Now, the issue that I commented on related to someone's comment that a "frozen" freewheel was to do with the grease. I simply stated it was more likely to do with the pawls and spring inside the freewheel; I didn't comment on whether it was to do with temperature or otherwise.

I have seen several cases of freehubs and freewheels give up because of corroson. This can be caused by ingress of water and in the case of winter riding in freezing conditions, can be accelerated rapidly by salt.

In fact, I have just doused a freewheel in water and put it in the freezer, and hey presto -- siezed!. Admittedly, it was pretty old, and didn't have much in the way of lubricant inside, but that's pretty well how most freewheels end up.

Good on you, again, Stanley. You likely have sealed internally geared hubs on your bikes that you use in winter. No issues there for you. But frankly, this was about a fixed gear project and the advantages or otherwise of going fixed gear compared with a normal derailleured bike.

If you wished to make a point, why didn't you just ask: "Why don't you go with an internally geared hub like an old Sturmey Archer or 3sp Shimano? They work well with me". And leave it at that.

As to the "flywheel" discussion, yes, in my experience, there is indeed an effect that helps me keep pedalling uphill with a kind of perpetual motion... and that has to do with getting the right gears and the steepness of the hill. I don't know the physics of it all, and frankly, I'd be bored to tears if someone explained it. Let's put it down to that zen thing that Stanley, in a strictly military sense, has such disdain for.

But someone would only know the sensation if they were to ride a fixed gear; otherwise, they aren't capable of making a salient comment. In fact, I can say that if they haven't ridden a fixed gear at all, they aren't competent to make any worthwhile comment about how they feel and their tangible advantages or disadvantages.

I repeat that this also is an issue about tinkering. It's about learning more about what makes bicycles operate. Which happens to be a very good thing.

PS: Jules, I have had a lot of experience with ILTB, aka <Removed>, on various other forums. Don't sweat it when someone comes up with a fairly good description of him... believe me, it's generous compared with the material Stanley has published about others. The strawman argument this time lies in the internally geared hubs that he introduced and are his primary point of argument.

Rowan, what have we said about publishing people's names on the forums?

Rowan, are you saying because I've never pulled a fully loaded trailer behind a kids tricycle, I cannot approximate the sensibility of that experience? Calling fixie utility is a stretch and if it makes sense depends if the rider wants to put in the extra energy riding a fixie takes (i.e. also has a non-utility agenda like personal fitness). Most everyone else, I'm reasonably sure, are quite content to coast down the next hill after working so hard to get up it, and want some gears to choose from so they don't blow their knees out climbing it, and want standard brakes so they don't waste energy trying to stop (or get injured trying).

Fixie is for fitness, that does not mean an individual cannot use it for utility, but not reccomended in the general case. Is this a hard concept or something?!?

Is the bike having any problems in the winter (as mentioned in other posts)? If you are hauling a lot of groceries year round, I prefer to have a lower gear just to get me going with a load. As far as converting it over to fixed gear/SS, that's a personal decision one makes for the conditions in your area or just preference. It's like the long running debate over which is better/safer for winter conditions...clips/straps, clipless, or platform pedals...fixed gear/SS, internal-gear hubs, or deraileurs...there just isn't one right answer. There are advantages and disadvantages.

"Calling fixie utility is a stretch and if it makes sense depends if the rider wants to put in the extra energy riding a fixie takes (i.e. also has a non-utility agenda like personal fitness). Most everyone else, I'm reasonably sure, are quite content to coast down the next hill after working so hard to get up it, and want some gears to choose from so they don't blow their knees out climbing it, and want standard brakes so they don't waste energy trying to stop (or get injured trying)."

Did ya see my fixed gear?

It has a brake and will stop on a dime and give change.

It now has two fenders...pretty Fred huh ?

It can haul a lot of stuff in the paniers and on the rear rack.

Does it look like anything any self respecting hipster would ride ?

It's no stretch to call my fixed gear a utility bike as that is what it is.

And again... if you have never ridden a fixed gear then go and take a spin, experience the zen or non zen like experience, and then come back and comment.

The one thing my Kuwie doesn't anymore is pull my trailer...but it did when it has a 4 speed drive.

I wouldn't have a clue, Brian. Nothing has ever been directed to me, except PMs of invective by the individual concerned. The individual is well known on various forums outside this one. It is a matter of public record. I have referenced him NUMEROUS times by both his names in an extensive number of posts.

My name is what it is... my name. As yours is. And for a change, instead of someone hiding behind an anonymous personna to insult other people because of his cry-baby reaction to no-one accepting his proposition about internal hubs in a FIXED GEAR thread, he's been exposed. Nothing wrong in that in my opinion. Makes the insulting and call-out far more personable.

Absolutely on your first question. Unless you have, then you don't know what it might be like. You can try to put your own collective experiences together to try to imagine what it's like. But until you actually do ride a kid's trike iwth a fully-loaded trailer (whatever that is supposed to mean), then that's all it is... your imagination at work.

Most people can coast downhill to their heart's content. I don't care. They are free to do what they like. For the record, coasting downhill after a hard climb is not really the best thing; ghost pedalling will help clear the lactic acid from the muscles and avoid cramping. But obviously there is no place for physiology in utility cycling.

And another for the record (having just returned from my 50km round-trip shopping expedition on my fixed gear), my bike is street legal because it is fitted with not one (as required) but two brakes. Don't brand everyone who rides fixed gear with the same reactionary tarbrush you apparently like to wield in suggesting we all ride without brakes and use our legs to stop.

And another for the record... my knees are in superb knick, despite (a) the fact I ride fixed a fair bit, (b) I ride a lot of hills and (c) I ride loaded for touring and utility purposes.

And just who is or is not entitled to make recommendations on whether someone can use a fixie for utility purposes. No-one said I could or couldn't ride a fixed gear; I make my own decisions, thank you. And I am sure the OP will, even if he tries it just as something to to make him competent to make comment and to satisfy his mechanical bent.

Just as an aside, there is another issue not related to "frozen" freewheels, and that's cabling. In winter, it does become an issue as it becomes clogged with ice and gunge (of course, if you ride in those conditions). And back on freewheels, the viscosity of the oil used to lubricate the bearings and pawls inside it does become an issue in temperatures well below freezing... as does the viscosity of the oil used on the chain that can affect shifting performance. THIS comes from someone who lives and rides in conditions down to -40 deg C. So a fixed gear can go some way to mitigating some of these issues.

Like your style, Sixty-Fiver! Just goes to show... utility doesn't mean you have to be feral.

That's all I need to know. Thanks.

I never thought a simple question could ignite such a firestorm. For plain-sensible people, you sure are emotional.

cydisc - If you build yourself an ss or fixed gear you will have to get used to people making baseless comments about what you can or can't do on your bike.

Just do what makes you a happy rider.

Speaking of baseless, fixie is not the keeper of zen. Or all fixie discussions should be in the "politics and religion" forum maybe?

Anyway, fixie isn't for everyone/everything and there is cost if you are going to convert. Anyone telling you that your brain is so inferior that you just have to do the conversion first to understand the pros and cons is just insulting you. If you rode a big wheel once in your life, you rode fixie. If you pay a bunch of money for a conversion, you may suffer the same cognitive dissonance as these nice gentlemen here ("I paid a bunch 'o money, this must be great!"), LOL

Nuff said. Outside of some apparent perverse pleasure in gratuitous name calling and using personal names for the benefit of other clueless posters to use in future psycho babbling or some other clueless manner.

The cultists are not discussing utility or good sense. The same paean of praise for their fixation can be found on other lists too. Also the same passionate and irrational attacks on those skeptical of their claims.

You'd think this was LCF.

Well it is a spin off (but is it fixed or freewheeling)

Aaron