# Fixie



## chrisocross (Nov 17, 2009)

Is anybody riding a fixie? 

I just started riding fixie about a week ago and love it so far, it is a nice change from the mt. bike. I took my old road bike, put some of my spare mt. bike handle bars on it and bought a wheel set. My front is a 40 and rear is a 16. It is sure fun spinning the rear tire backwards while going down a hill. 

What gears are you running?


----------



## jct (Mar 26, 2004)

i have one for my close to home excursions: gym, grocery store, liquor store, candyman etc.

i think i'm pushing 47/17.

i love riding it...there's something about riding a bike that makes absolutely no sound whatsoever...


----------



## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

I prefer fixed gear for road riding. I like to maximize the time in the saddle and the constant engagement of the fixed gear is nice. That being said, it is a fairly restrictive bike, given that it is a bike set up that can make long rides, steep or long descents lame.

SS is nice too, and a bit more pracitical- yay for flip-flop hubs!


----------



## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

Wait, I think I....


...nope, I still don't get it. :lol: The simplicity and fun factor of SS makes perfect sense, but I just can't wrap my mind around what could possibly be enjoyable (it's OBVIOUSLY not practical for anything) about riding a fixie.


----------



## eyezlee (Nov 28, 2009)

Other than the old school feeling of riding a bike with a coaster brake.


----------



## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

Have you ridden a fixed gear? I'll be the first to admit that there are times with SS makes more sense, but most urban settings are fairly flat and it is more actively engaging that SS. Spinning fast on the flats, come to a hard right, so you lift off the saddle slightly to back pedal to check speed, hopping curbs while pedaling (harder than it sounds) and then making hard stops by skipping or sliding the tire. The commute becomes an explosion of variety and challenges, where on SS you just grab brakes, coast, pedal. Less variety, and not as engaging in comparison. Additionally, the added momentum of the wheel spinning seems to make the ride faster and climbs easier.

As for practical- get a flip flop hub, though I've done fixed over 60 miles a lot, The biggest problem I have with long trips and a fixed gear is that eventually you have to go down the 3k you just climbed. For commuting, running errands and the like, fixed gear might be more practical because you don't burn our your rims and wear away brake pads in the wet muck I live in, and being able to stop without touching brakes is nice when you don't plan right grocery shopping and you're carrying stuff in your hands as well...

To each their own. If you were in my town, you could borrow mine for a week or two.


----------



## chrisocross (Nov 17, 2009)

You are darn right about going down the hills you just climbed...they can be a bit hair raising, as I went down a good sized hill just yesterday forgetting that I was on a fixed. That was an experience!


----------



## byknuts (Aug 9, 2008)

eyezlee said:


> Other than the old school feeling of riding a bike with a coaster brake.


"coaster brake" means you could coast and brake.
fixie doesn't coast.
you want the old school feel of a coaster brake? get a coaster brake! LOL :skep: 

If I hadn't seen so many fixie riders crash hard because they were skidding instead of stopping, I'd be more tempted to give it a heartier try.
I HAVE now tried it, still don't like it.


----------



## Sizzler (Sep 24, 2009)

I used to commute on a fixed gear and found it very enjoyable. Although it takes some getting used to and it's obviously not as versatile as a geared bike, there is a feel to riding a direct drivetrain that you will never get with a freewheel. I sold mine when the big fixie-boom hit town. Now that the fad is fading and they are going for dirt cheap on CL I will probably pick up another one. Buy low, sell high!


----------



## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

umarth said:


> Have you ridden a fixed gear? I'll be the first to admit that there are times with SS makes more sense, but most urban settings are fairly flat and it is more actively engaging that SS. Spinning fast on the flats, come to a hard right, so you lift off the saddle slightly to back pedal to check speed, hopping curbs while pedaling (harder than it sounds) and then making hard stops by skipping or sliding the tire. The commute becomes an explosion of variety and challenges, where on SS you just grab brakes, coast, pedal. Less variety, and not as engaging in comparison. Additionally, the added momentum of the wheel spinning seems to make the ride faster and climbs easier.


I actually have ridden a fixed gear. To me it's like drinking your pee in order to survive. I'd do it if I absolutely had to, but civilization and technology have just advanced past the necessity to put yourself through that.


----------



## Gary the No-Trash Cougar (Oct 14, 2008)

I'd love to own one some day. I like the idea of using resistance from your legs to control speed, but I'd definitely combine one with a set of brakes. Lots of hills around here. O_O


----------



## Heavy Hitter (Mar 12, 2010)

Wanted to bump this .

I live in FL and want a commuter for going around town and doing 5-10 mile commutes. My MTB is a pain with the suspension, and I want something light and fast that really gets moving.

REALLY hate gears..which is why I rode BMX so much. Would a fixie be a good idea for this type of riding? I just want something fairly inexpensive off of CL.


----------



## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

^^ I have strong BMX roots too, which is why a singlespeed is so much fun. I'd recommend a SS, but I still don't get the Fixie thing.


----------



## MRisme (Mar 22, 2010)

Heavy Hitter said:


> Wanted to bump this .
> 
> I live in FL and want a commuter for going around town and doing 5-10 mile commutes. My MTB is a pain with the suspension, and I want something light and fast that really gets moving.
> 
> REALLY hate gears..which is why I rode BMX so much. Would a fixie be a good idea for this type of riding? I just want something fairly inexpensive off of CL.


Just try it.

I commute in FL on a SS mountain bike running 42x16 gear, I have not tried a fixie but I imagine it would be just as fun.


----------



## Heavy Hitter (Mar 12, 2010)

ender. said:


> Just try it.
> 
> I commute in FL on a SS mountain bike running 42x16 gear, I have not tried a fixie but I imagine it would be just as fun.


Nice..I am going to a SS MTB as well, but commutes are rougher with the shocks and the brick roads around here.

I am going to try it, just making sure before I spend some money on a used CL bike. I also figure I can get flip flop hubs if for some reason I dont like fixed.


----------



## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

:lol: Bike Snob NYC nailed it today: 

"Anyway, at the next light he did that thing fixed-gear riders do where they start weaving like half a block before they get to the intersection and take up two whole lanes of traffic in order to perform the simple act of slowing down. I then found myself contemplating whether it would be too un-PC to start calling such people "skid-tards." Maybe so, but watching these riders bring their bikes to a halt is like watching an old dog who circles a section of floor 47 times before finally lying down."


----------



## Heavy Hitter (Mar 12, 2010)

Yeah, I like the fixie for the challenge. I ride all over the city for personal enjoyment and also fitness, so for me, learning to ride fixed adds more excitement to the process.

I also will have a front brake on my bike as well, because skidding around to stop all the time is not my thing. I rode a BMX without brakes and it was fun, but it was not going at close to the speed of the fixed gear.


----------



## dundundata (May 15, 2009)

i always liked them when i was a kid, wouldn't mind giving one a go now


----------



## markaitch (Feb 17, 2010)

Heavy Hitter...

i live in s fla & ride fixed gear on the pavement. i commute 30 mi roundtrip practically every working day, ride my fg bike all over town, take the occasional long-distance weekend ride when i don't feel like hitting the trails & use it for neighborhood jaunts. since my mtb is multi-gear, for a change of pace i even occasionally throw big tires & lower gearing on my "road" bike & ride it fixed on beginner & easier intermediate trails.

as flat as it is here, imho there is no reason for gears on a roadbike. so a couple of years ago when i decided to use my car as little as possible & finally broke down to buy a skinny tire bike, ss was my weapon of choice. it came with a flip-flop hub & after looking at that fixed cog for a week or so, i decided to give it a try. the next day i took the freewheel off. 

ignore commuter boy. i wonder why he has been attacking fixed gear so vehemently in this thread for almost 2 years? he must have been a lousy bmx'er & i wonder how bad of a mtb rider he is if he can't figure out out how to do something as simple as riding a fg bike. maybe he is the guy that has no skills & needs to "start weaving like half a block before they get to the intersection and take up two whole lanes of traffic in order to perform the simple act of slowing down." i don't do that & i don't know anybody else who is riding a fixed bike that does.

give it a try...


----------



## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

markaitch said:


> ignore commuter boy.




That's unpossible. I actually have read this thread every day for the past two years, by the way. and have only managed to articulate 3 responses (one of which was largely a quote from someone else). I am that big of a skid-tard. I was so excited at the chance to lash out from my pit of unreasonable hatred...but it's true...I just don't have the skill set to formulate an argument.


----------



## Heavy Hitter (Mar 12, 2010)

Well I got a nice quad butted steel frame with downstem shifters and it is being converted with a flip flop hub.

I have ridden it a fair amount and it is MUCH faster than my MTB for commuting. I can do 5.5 miles in traffic in 20 minutes, which is not much slower than driving there. I am not switching gears either.

I was wondering if the fixed gear in a way helps you go up some of the smaller "hills" here due to pedal momentum. I guess I will find out for myself in a few days, but it seems like it could.


----------



## jseko (Jan 25, 2011)

Are the places where you folks are riding flat? I mean it's pretty rare that I find myself using my 48T chainring. My 36T chainring gets used the most. My commute is only 3 mi, but it involves grades up to 20% so I'd likely end up walking for parts of my commute. 

The grocery store is 0.55mi from here, but it's also a 190 ft climb which is an average of 6.5%, but some parts are steeper and some flatter. 

Stopping every 300 or 500 ft seems like it would get quite tiring...though I guess I that's why they don't bother stopping at stop signs and lights.


----------



## dixie whiskey (Jul 25, 2010)

I rode with some guys last night that were on fixies. Although, they admitted they are great fun to ride (especially in downtown atmospheres as we were) they are not the best setup for commuter bikes.


----------



## Heavy Hitter (Mar 12, 2010)

Yeah, I live in florida so fixed gears are real popular here for commuting. I never switch gears to be honest.


----------



## monzie (Aug 5, 2009)

I ride a track bike. Yay. The only reason to do it is because it's fun, seriously, F all that zen S in the A.

If you don't want to flounder around and look silly trying to stop, put a brake on that mother. My gear ratio is 48/ 16. 

Some of my RUSA buddies ride track bikes on the 200k rides. I aspire to do that kind of thing, mostly just to say I do it.

Used to do an 80mi ride once a month on it. Not flat at all. Raleigh to Chapel Hill and back is pretty hilly. Used to ride from Raleigh to Durham once a week since I was dating a girl that lived there( 23mi one way).


----------



## Normbilt (Jan 17, 2004)

I ride roughly 5000 miles a year on a fixed gear bike.
Here is Fridays Commute Bike 42x16 700x32 tires

Bike to Work Day Close by normbilt, on Flickr

And Saturdays Ride 42x16 26x3.0 tires

Fat Tire Day 01 by normbilt, on Flickr

The Bike that I Commute on Mostly is This Langster with 44x15 700x23 ties

R4 Delivery by normbilt, on Flickr

And Always My Winter Commuter 44x17 with 700x 42 tires

December Snow at M&M by normbilt, on Flickr


----------

