# What is it with Fixie riders?



## FM (Apr 30, 2003)

This has happened to me 3 times in the last 2 days, during my commute (25 miles round trip on a road bike).

Fixie rider sprints past me, opens up some kind of "lead"  then slows down... and I have to pass them 15-20 seconds later.

I do not think they are spinning out. Both yesterday and this morning, when I passed the guys, they were seated and turning a fairly slow cadence. 

Is there something about fixie gearing that forces them to alternately sprint and ride slowly?

It's not like I am looking to race. I am just trying to ride at a consistent speed, not accelerating to pass or slowing for other riders either. 
Also I wear pretty casual clothing so I don't think my presence screams "CRUSH THE ROADIE"!

WTF?  
I don't want to be a hater but I am starting to wonder WTF is up with these fixie people?


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## Blade o' grass (Mar 22, 2009)

Kind of sounds like when I get wore out on mine, since I can't downshift. lol


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## freaknunu (Jan 19, 2009)

Blade o' grass said:


> Kind of sounds like when I get wore out on mine, since I can't downshift. lol


yeah when I rode my friends single that was it
when you are in the right gear you are great...when you are not, you're not and you just gotta slow it down


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

FM said:


> Is there something about fixie gearing that forces them to alternately sprint and ride slowly?


I think it may have more to do with them simply not having the level of training to be able to spin at high cadence for extended periods of time. Real velodrome racers train specifically to be able to do this. Sounds more like the guy thought he was going to prove something by passing you then couldn't keep the steam up. That was pretty rude of him.



> I don't want to be a hater but I am starting to wonder WTF is up with these fixie people?


I am wondering that myself. A month or so ago I was out on the Bay Trail on my commuter. All of the sudden I hear these voices behind me, I glance back and a couple of hipster douche bags are drafting me! I don't mind starting a pace line, but if you don't even know me you should at least ask first. I tried hard to shake them, but this was already a couple of hours into the ride and I'd been fighting a killer headwind the whole way. Eventually they squeaked past me, brand new empty messenger bags flapping in the wind, pink tires spinning as fast as they could turn them. At least I got a laugh out of the whole incident. I have quite a few amusing hipster stories, but I'll stop being mean-spirited for now.


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## adam728 (Jan 25, 2006)

I've noticed around here that the fixie guys like to keep everything as simple as possible on their bikes, which means no lights at night to weigh them down. A few weeks back I almost creamed a goth-looking guy as he ran a stop sign RIGHT in front of me. No lights, no reflectors, wearing dark clothes, and about 9:30 pm. I yelled out "WHAT THE...." but then gave up, as I realized his Ipod was cranked far louder than I could yell unless I was 3" from his ear. I'm not positive it was a fixie, but it was a single speed road bike with no brakes, and I never saw him coast. I got a really good look at the back wheel area of the bike, as I missed it by no more than a foot in my brake/swerve/swear manuver.

I guess it's not just him though. If I go out for a night ride down past campus I'd bet that 70% of the bikes have no lights what-so-ever. :nono: 

On campus, everyone seems to use lights.


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

I'm going to go with the lack of training idea. I think most ride shorts distances and only when the weather cooperates. I ride a fixed gear and I think it is the way to commute. I do an eight mile one way and I stick it around 18-20. I've used it for loaded touring- 100+ miles, but one day I had headwinds almost the whole time and not being able to drop a gear... I'm working on getting a 1x9 for that...


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## FM (Apr 30, 2003)

Gary the No-Trash Cougar said:


> Real velodrome racers train specifically to be able to do this. Sounds more like the guy thought he was going to prove something by passing you then couldn't keep the steam up. That was pretty rude of him.


:thumbsup: 
That's kind of what I was getting at. I don't want to be a total ettiquette nazi but IMHO it's very poor form to make a pass if you can't make it stick, regardless of whether your racing, riding off road, commuting or just riding along. I certainly don't like passing faster / fitter riders.

Certainly the track racers and roadies who cross train on fixies, that I have ridden with, all have great etiquette are are very strong riders. Many of my off-road buddies have gone single-speed and again, understand the un-spoken code of mutual respect among cyclists.

The guys I have dealt with the last few days are more like messenger wannabes though.

I love all forms of cycling and would like to think that messenger-wannabe fixie riders and alleycat racers are legit disciplines, and maybe there's a technical reason that all the ones I seem to come across ride like total dooshbags.

But.... maybe I am being overly optimistic. rft:



Gary the No-Trash Cougar said:


> I don't mind starting a pace line, but if you don't even know me you should at least ask first.


Again good ettiquette. :thumbsup:


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## nuck_chorris (Jun 6, 2008)

FM said:


> :thumbsup:
> That's kind of what I was getting at. I don't want to be a total ettiquette nazi but IMHO it's very poor form to make a pass if you can't make it stick, regardless of whether your racing, riding off road, commuting or just riding along. I certainly don't like passing faster / fitter riders.


When im out street racing on my SS mountain Trek i get in front and make sure they stay behind.Gearies don't stand a chance, no offense,but they never seem to beat me .


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## tomsmoto (Oct 6, 2007)

^ classic case of the other person not knowing they're racing. 

are you the guy the OP was talking about? :lol:


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

*What's your set up?*

I commuted on a rigid rockhopper for ~6 months with schwalbe marathon race and it was a pretty fast bike. Just not as fast as a road bike.



nuck_chorris said:


> When im out street racing on my SS mountain Trek i get in front and make sure they stay behind.Gearies don't stand a chance, no offense,but they never seem to beat me .


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

tomsmoto said:


> ^ classic case of the other person not knowing they're racing.
> 
> are you the guy the OP was talking about? :lol:


What's the proper etiquette on that? I use other cyclists as motivation to rider faster, but I only pass if I know I can stay ahead of them.


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

nuck_chorris said:


> When im out street racing on my SS mountain Trek i get in front and make sure they stay behind.Gearies don't stand a chance, no offense,but they never seem to beat me .


Yeah, it's amazing who you can take when you are the only one racing


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## FM (Apr 30, 2003)

kapusta said:


> Yeah, it's amazing who you can take when you are the only one racing


Yep.

You know what kills me, when I hear mountain bikers(or anybody!) say stuff like:


> Man the other day I went for a road ride, I passed 4 roadies in one mile!


Hello? You need to pay an entry fee to take part in an actual race.  
Otherwise, don't expect a reaction from club roadie guy, at the end of his 120-mile hills LSD training route, when you pass him on your mountain bike riding to the park just down the street.

When I hear stuff like that it's just painfully obvious the person has never entered an actual cycling race.

As an old buddy of mine said "Honey I've dropped out of more races than you've entered"


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## ghashmi (Sep 25, 2005)

:madmax: *Fixies are sooo hot *:madmax:

If the fixies were being unsafe, actually I suspect they might have been very safe, but I digress, I think there is an issue here. But if they're just having fun I wouldn't sweat it. Sure they're posing, but then who on MTBR doesn't pose evey now and then 

Now lets get on to proper passing etiquite, HLC style, with a nice wake up smack on the a$$ as you rip by.


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## Zendog13 (Nov 6, 2007)

I regularly pass roadies in the way down the mountain. For some reason they stick to the long, winding road....
If you are passing someone, do it in a proper way. Showing off is silly.


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

FM said:


> WTF?
> I don't want to be a hater but I am starting to wonder WTF is up with these fixie people?


No hater here either...but what is it with people who think that when they are passed on the road they should either stay passed or the passer should have never passed them in the first place. What's up with that?

He was on his ride, you were on yours. Maybe his ride included chasing down a moving rider up ahead, fill-tilt, going-till-you're-blowing. Then slowing down, recovering for a while, and doing it again. Or maybe chasing down a stop sign next time (they are easier to catch... )

Where exactly is the problem here? Did he pass you rudely, cutting in front of you or forcing you out into traffic? Or did he interfere when you passed him back? Chances are he didn't care about you one way or another...you were, in all likelihood, just a moving hubcab to his doggy brain, at that moment your sole purpose for being on this earth was to be chased until he could chase no more, or be caught and then immediately forgotten.

Was he sniffing his own butt when you passed him back? It's a sure sign.


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## FM (Apr 30, 2003)

Dad Man Walking said:


> No hater here either...but what is it with people who think that when they are passed on the road they should either stay passed or the passer should have never passed them in the first place. What's up with that?


Is it really any different than driving? 
Speeding up to cut in front of somebody, only to slow down and park or turn?

I agree about the doggy brain part. No sense in getting p*ssed at people who don't know any better. Just amusing that they seem to gravitate towards fixies.


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

FM said:


> Is it really any different than driving?
> Speeding up to cut in front of somebody, only to slow down and park or turn?


Might be, might not be. My point is that passing, and then getting passed a bit later, is itself nothing to get fussed about. It's about how the passing is done. Are you saying that the way the rider passed you and then cut back in front of you forced you to slow down before you could overtake him?

If the pass was rude or risky--blowing by you too close, without warning, when you are already tight against the side of the road, drifting back on to your line right away and then slowing down immediately--yeah, that pretty much sucks. If he passed you cleanly and moved out a bit before slowing down, forcing you to pass him a minute or two later, on a road where it's easy to make a clean safe pass...I'd be back to a big "so what" again. I do agree that 15-20 seconds to overtake him after the pass is borderline though...if that's as long as he could hold the pace it probably would have been better to not pass and just suck your wheel for a while to recover.

But then we'd be into the "wheel suckers who don't ask first suck!" thread


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## nuck_chorris (Jun 6, 2008)

kapusta said:


> Yeah, it's amazing who you can take when you are the only one racing


good point, but there are people who do race me but not many


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## nuck_chorris (Jun 6, 2008)

umarth said:


> I commuted on a rigid rockhopper for ~6 months with schwalbe marathon race and it was a pretty fast bike. Just not as fast as a road bike.


for those who care.....

here is my near curnet setup, justa few changes


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

*Fixies are the new rollerblades*

i have nothing against um. I say hi at lights. I'll call 911 if i see any cyclist get hit.


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## bucksaw87 (Jun 18, 2007)

i've had some near run-ins with guys like this. all this talk of "etiquette" seems to escape people in and around colleges, at least in my experience. most of these guys are jumping on the "alternative transportation" bandwagon, with their fixies, longboards, or whatever. these yoohoos don't bother looking up the issues pertaining to their bikes, skateboards, or how the public reacts to them...and, it seems, they lack common sense about basic safety issues. i look at one of the intersections on campus...i've seen many close calls between cars and bikes, or cars and skateboards...not because the drivers aren't paying attention, but because the "alternative transportation" idiots are being shitheads and blowing stopsigns, carving up the whole road, going WAY too fast to be safely in control, and not being able to stop properly.

all _you_ can do, as a passionate, lifelong biker is shrug it off, laugh at them, and hope they don't get hurt.


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## mr.easy (Apr 16, 2009)

Fixie are great, I commute on one often in addition to my other bikes. The lack of brakes thing is just stoopid. If you want to get in shape fast then it's the way to go.

The 'fad' that's emerged is more of a hipster culture so youre going to get all kinds of 15yo yahoos out on the road who just bought a Windsor off ebay and acting out some internal style manifesto. The more style the less riding skills IMO.
I don't mind too much if it gets more people riding rather than driving.


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## bigbluedodge (Jan 18, 2008)

how about you just ride bikes and quit whining! I commute on my brakeless fixie everyday and if I see someone else on a bike I'm stoked. Then I ride my fixie mtn bike to the trails and then on the trails and when I see other bikes, again I am stoked. I don't care what you ride or where you ride just ride bikes. and let's not whine about how someone passed me then I had to pass them back. If you don't want to be passed ride faster and increase your own endurance. If you don't want someone drafting off of you, again, ride faster. Don't worry about others and just take care of yourself and enjoy the fact that you are on your bicycle! peace.


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## Flystagg (Nov 14, 2006)

nuck_chorris said:


> for those who care.....
> 
> here is my near curnet setup, justa few changes


Even if you are chuck norris there is no way your beating me on the road with that gearing


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

How about you just get a sense of humor? I'd be totally stoked then.


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

*That Killed Me...*



ghashmi said:


> Now lets get on to proper passing etiquite, HLC style, with a nice wake up smack on the a$$ as you rip by.


When my friends and I do road rides you'll be pedaling along, looking at the scenery, hoping for turkeys and all the sudden your ass stings as a friend flies by.


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## ghashmi (Sep 25, 2005)

*Now for some real fixed gear action*

Another human powered answer.

*Legway*


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## tomsmoto (Oct 6, 2007)

wait a minute.. roadie content, tight spandex clothing... ass hurting? :lol: so wrong..



> What's the proper etiquette on that? I use other cyclists as motivation to rider faster, but I only pass if I know I can stay ahead of them.


me too.. im a competitive person.. but theres a time and place for it. theres no glory in blasting by the guy on his 40th mile whos doing 12mph going twice that when you're just warming up. i think you have to at least make eye contact and give a nod. if the other person doesnt even look your way, they're probably not interested.


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## BugeyedEarl (Mar 3, 2008)

tomsmoto said:


> . i think you have to at least make eye contact and give a nod. if the other person doesnt even look your way, they're probably not interested.


I'm confused, are we still talking about cycling? Is that you Senator Craig?


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## bucksaw87 (Jun 18, 2007)

BugeyedEarl said:


> I'm confused, are we still talking about cycling? Is that you Senator Craig?


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

When I was living in New York, which is flat, I had a singlespeed road bike to commute on. I chose a pretty realistic ratio for me, but if the ratio is too high, like when I was tired, I had two speeds - working really hard to spin at my correct cadence, and soft-pedaling.

It used to drive me nuts when other people on bikes, and it seemed like fixed-gear riders were the most frequently guilty, insisted on getting in front of me at lights, doing wobbly track stands, and then accelerating much more slowly than me to uncomfortably low (or just annoyingly low) speeds when the light turned or they thought they could employ some mad street skillz to get through cross traffic.

It's also important to remember that roadies don't just do 40-mile training rides - they break 100 sometimes. It's pretty easy to pass a guy who's on mile 99.


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## newaccount (Jan 3, 2007)

I like to blow past fixies so fast that they won't think twice about giving chase.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

newaccount said:


> I like to blow past fixies so fast that they won't think twice about giving chase.


Now I want a fixed-gear just so that I can sit in your draft on it.


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## newaccount (Jan 3, 2007)

AndrwSwitch said:


> Now I want a fixed-gear just so that I can sit in your draft on it.


Bring it on, son! I have never been passed by a fixie. I also have a tendancy to fart while riding, get that extra boost.

I don't try to compete on my commute but I guess I'm just more in a hurry than everyone else.


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## standard3x (May 28, 2008)

FM said:


> This has happened to me 3 times in the last 2 days, during my commute (25 miles round trip on a road bike).
> 
> Fixie rider sprints past me, opens up some kind of "lead"  then slows down... and I have to pass them 15-20 seconds later.
> 
> ...


Perhaps the fixie rider was being smart?

Each type of bike requires a different strategy of riding it in order for you to become proficient on it.

For example, offroad, on a single speed mountain bike, you have to assess the oncoming terrain very quickly and pick the smoothest line possible; to decide whether or not to mash on the pedals at a certain point or build up sufficient momentum way in advance to get yourself over a steep hill.

On a fixed wheel bike, on tarmac, the riding strategy requires you to be selfish in order for you to be proficient at it.

On a fixie, you have to assess the oncoming terrain very quickly and pick the smoothest line possible; maintain momentum, in addition to keeping away from other riders, cars, vans, etc as they pose a potential crash danger to you as, being a fixie rider, you're limited on options when it comes to braking and keeping the bike moving without expending too much energy.

At traffic lights, a fixie rider aims to be at the front and not be bunched up with other riders. They will often run red lights if there is a gap in the passing traffic safe enough to do so. This is not good road ettiquette or even legal, but it is the smart thing to do - as it guarantees self preservation of the rider.


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## scrublover (Dec 30, 2003)

I've had a few similar things. And a couple local hipster/trendoid fixter types give my commuter the stinkeye. It happens to be setup fixed gear, but {the horror!} with fenders/lights/rear rack/pannier/front disc brake. I just keep pedaling along. 

Apparantly it's too ugly/passe/uncool to be seen on the same roads as their scene bikes.

Doing grocery runs with it and stopping in by the local coffee spot with it is fun. I think the other bike owners think their rides will get some sort of bike disease of the thing if parked too closely.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

scrublover said:


> I've had a few similar things. And a couple local hipster/trendoid fixter types give my commuter the stinkeye. It happens to be setup fixed gear, but {the horror!} with fenders/lights/rear rack/pannier/front disc brake. I just keep pedaling along.
> 
> Apparantly it's too ugly/passe/uncool to be seen on the same roads as their scene bikes.
> 
> Doing grocery runs with it and stopping in by the local coffee spot with it is fun. I think the other bike owners think their rides will get some sort of bike disease of the thing if parked too closely.


If your bike has some kind of a disease, mine has to have syphilis or something.










Gears... Fixed baskets (they fold, but whatever...) Full fenders... Lights at night... Pie plate... :thumbsup:

It's got surprising acceleration, though, when there aren't several pounds of groceries on the back.


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## [email protected] (Feb 3, 2008)

FM said:


> Speeding up to cut in front of somebody, only to slow down and park or turn?


i've had buses do that less than a bus length from a stop:madmax: . it's like they can't wait till a bike is beyond said stop


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## Ray Lee (Aug 17, 2007)

kapusta said:


> Yeah, it's amazing who you can take when you are the only one racing


LOL, This time of year is the best for the fair weather road racer types, I usually get a chuckle seeing them all decked out in $1000 worth of logo covered spandex on 10k carbon bikes, its annoying (and embarrassing as we all get lumped together) when they are going fast weaving in and out of joggers and elderly walkers on the rails and trails... Pittsburgh is all hills with the obvious exception of the rivers and train track trails... why on earth you would pick the only perfectly flat place to ride for a workout seems weird 

The only fixie riders I see are messenger kids and somehow they can do 30mph up the side of a building smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer (not hating or anything maybe just a little jealous) but there black ninja cloths and no lights does scare the hell out me when I am driving my car.

Sadly, if I had to pick the overall worst on the roads it would be a toss up between bikes and the busses.


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

Ray Lee said:


> LOL, This time of year is the best for the fair weather road racer types, I usually get a chuckle seeing them all decked out in $1000 worth of logo covered spandex on 10k carbon bikes, its annoying (and embarrassing as we all get lumped together) when they are going fast weaving in and out of joggers and elderly walkers on the rails and trails... Pittsburgh is all hills with the obvious exception of the rivers and train track trails... why on earth you would pick the only perfectly flat place to ride for a workout seems weird


I think your statement itself pretty much sums it up; common sense has no place in a roadie training skill set. Too many hours indoors, on the trainer I guess.


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## scaryguy137 (Feb 16, 2007)

Ummm, dude, you are just thinking too miuch imho. Try not to worry about the other cyclists,i know, easier said than done, but you will be a lot happier just focusing on your own ride. Dont get me wrong, ****in amateurs drive me NUTS!! HOWever, it just isnt worth getting yourself all worked up trying to care bout how they ride or dont riide.


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

standard3x said:


> ...They will often run red lights if there is a gap in the passing traffic safe enough to do so. This is not good road ettiquette or even legal, but it is the smart thing to do - as it guarantees self preservation of the rider.


Let me get this straight...running red lights...smart thing to do...guaranteeing self preservation of the rider...

Hmmm.....


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

I just saw this on another forum and hadf to laugh. Looks like a good pic for this thread.


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## RiceKilla (Apr 21, 2008)

I think it's just a pride thing. Maybe they just need to pass the geared rider and show off that they're single speed.

I love my fixed gear bike, no maintenance on it at all so far, light, great trainer especially when going up bridges. Simple.

But I will agree, the "scene", yes it is a scene these days with all the hipsters. Due to all these hipsters the scene really does suck, I've only met, not even a handful of cool fixed gear riders. Also a common trend I've noticed amongst cool fixed gear people is that they do other forms of riding like BMX, MTB, etc. 

The idiots seem to be the ones who just go into fixed gear bikes as their first bike in 15 years.

Most of them seem to want to be part of a scene, so they look at their bikes like a fashion accessory.

It's just so clogged up with dumbasses that finding a fellow cycling enthusiast is like finding a needle in a haystack. It sucks, but I love my fixed gear bike.

But I do recommend them, especially with at least a front brake, the feel of the drivetrain is awesome.


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## Jcurl (May 7, 2009)

Fixies are fun though....actually anything with wheels is fun


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## nagatahawk (Jun 20, 2007)

around the LA area the fixie crowd are younger teener crowd. They are causing problems in the locally on large (in the thousands) night rides. they will block off intersections by lying down on the street and let the large mass pedal thru. They have vandalized and shoplifted local night markets. 

Its the hip thing to do if you are a Teen to Twenty something. They really don't have a riding etiquette as most are young and make their own rules.

I have seen fixies that ride perfectly obeying most laws of the road. 
Being passed by a fixie that slows down would not bother me. However, when I get passed at a very hi speed by a roadie without word or a wave, my roaddie group considers this disrespectful and a challenge.


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## jonzinmj (Feb 22, 2008)

Gary the No-Trash Cougar said:


> I glance back and a couple of hipster douche bags are drafting me! I don't mind starting a pace line, but if you don't even know me you should at least ask first. I tried hard to shake them, but this was already a couple of hours into the ride and I'd been fighting a killer headwind the whole way. Eventually they squeaked past me, brand new empty messenger bags flapping in the wind, pink tires spinning as fast as they could turn them. At least I got a laugh out of the whole incident. I have quite a few amusing hipster stories, but I'll stop being mean-spirited for now.


You know. For all the talk of bike advocacy, you guys are being pretty harsh on these kids. It's the same as any retro-grouch with their vintage Suntour parts. Fashion is fashion. Give the kids a break. If they want to ride with messenger bags and pink wheels, for God's sake, let them ride. This whole fixie ranting is less an issue of safety or etiquette as it is an issue of one group of elitists hating on another. Can't we all just get along? At least they're not in cars.


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## nagatahawk (Jun 20, 2007)

jonzinmj said:



> You know. For all the talk of bike advocacy, you guys are being pretty harsh on these kids. It's the same as any retro-grouch with their vintage Suntour parts. Fashion is fashion. Give the kids a break. If they want to ride with messenger bags and pink wheels, for God's sake, let them ride. This whole fixie ranting is less an issue of safety or etiquette as it is an issue of one group of elitists hating on another. Can't we all just get along? At least they're not in cars.


Yeah I agree, leave them alone unless they are real bad news and breaking the law.


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

jonzinmj said:


> You know. For all the talk of bike advocacy, you guys are being pretty harsh on these kids. It's the same as any retro-grouch with their vintage Suntour parts. Fashion is fashion. Give the kids a break. If they want to ride with messenger bags and pink wheels, for God's sake, let them ride. This whole fixie ranting is less an issue of safety or etiquette as it is an issue of one group of elitists hating on another. Can't we all just get along? At least they're not in cars.


It has _nothing_ to do with elitism, actually. It has to do with good old fashioned etiquette or lack thereof. Bike advocacy be damned, ride your bike or don't! The point is don't draft me or you're going to get farted on.


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## pro (Oct 7, 2007)

standard3x said:


> Perhaps the fixie rider was being smart?
> 
> Each type of bike requires a different strategy of riding it in order for you to become proficient on it.
> 
> ...


Exactly. I ride my brakeless fixie quite alot. If I see someone at a stop sign, just waiting there, I MAKE SURE they see me, and acknowledge me (I normally scream "yo" or something similar) and than proceed to pass. Stopping sometimes is just not an option. Even when I'm on a road ride on my geared roadie, I blow through stop signs and traffic lights. When you're in an interval, cranking like hell, Stopping SUCKS. It messes up you're entire rhythm, and really is a last resort. (stopping)


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## Schmucker (Aug 23, 2007)

pro said:


> When you're in an interval, cranking like hell, Stopping SUCKS. It messes up you're entire rhythm, and really is a last resort. (stopping)


That is unacceptable. Stop signs should at the very least be treated as yield signs.


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## bucksaw87 (Jun 18, 2007)

pro said:


> Exactly. I ride my brakeless fixie quite alot. If I see someone at a stop sign, just waiting there, I MAKE SURE they see me, and acknowledge me (I normally scream "yo" or something similar) and than proceed to pass. Stopping sometimes is just not an option. Even when I'm on a road ride on my geared roadie, I blow through stop signs and traffic lights. When you're in an interval, cranking like hell, Stopping SUCKS. It messes up you're entire rhythm, and really is a last resort. (stopping)


so fixies are exempt from traffic laws.
why aren't we all riding fixies?


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

People come in all varieties. Some follow the rules and try to be safe and corteous and some don`t, regardless of what kind of gear they`re on. The fixie guys just stand out so much that they`re fun to pick on! Seriously, I agree that if somebody rides responsibly it`s good whether he has a freewheel or not. Conversly, guys who ride like A-holes are still A-holes whether they are fixed or free.

EDIT: Besides that, I think all of us (and I know I am) are guilty of selective rule following. Sure I blew that stop sign, but I slowed down and could see that no one was around... That`s my method, it`s illegal and unsafe, and I STILL get bent out of shape when I see others ignore the rules that I choose to follow.


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## nagatahawk (Jun 20, 2007)

I'm sure we all have rolled stop signs, when safe, so no one is holier than the other cyclist. The law in LA is 3 full seconds, look left right then straight. 
if we don't want to "mess up my entire rythm," there is alway the MUT! 

this is one area of the law that will always be challenged. I don't see this changing and though I loath it, I will roll some during my Sunday club rides to keep up with the group.

I have seen the PV fuzz pull over a large group of roadies for blowing a stop sign. 
This is where there is comfort in numbers if stopped by the local fuzz. Maybe we'll get all the girls to cry!!


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## Ray Lee (Aug 17, 2007)

bucksaw87 said:


> ...why aren't we all riding fixies?


Because I would drop dead from exhaustion after about 10 miles


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## BugeyedEarl (Mar 3, 2008)

What a coincidence, there was an article in the local fish-wrapper yesterday about the growing fixie crowd in South Florida - apparently, they're multiplying faster than the exploding iguana population.

As much as I love the fixie kids, it would be refreshing if a hipster could express why they ride a fixed gear rig without claiming that it makes them "more one with the bike."


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## amishscum (Nov 12, 2006)

I love how my fingers on the brake levers make me feel like I'm one with the road. Pure zen.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

amishscum said:


> I love how my fingers on the brake levers make me feel like I'm one with the road. Pure zen.


I noticed recently that I've worn the finish off the brake levers on my mountain bike. I love the way that you can start to see the shape and style of a rider from the way that the controls and points of contact on a bike are set up (if it has them.)


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## ikilledkenny2 (Sep 30, 2006)

Just thought I should raise the point. I ride a fixie daily and I smoke roadies up hills and flats on my ride then they blow past me on downhills due to my attempts to stay in control using only one crappy brake and my legs. Ps I ride with clips and I am not daring enough to take my feet off the pedals.


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## nagatahawk (Jun 20, 2007)

ikilledkenny2 said:


> Just thought I should raise the point. I ride a fixie daily and I smoke roadies up hills and flats on my ride then they blow past me on downhills due to my attempts to stay in control using only one crappy brake and my legs. Ps I ride with clips and I am not daring enough to take my feet off the pedals.


wow! I wonder how much faster you would be with another gear?


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## Schmucker (Aug 23, 2007)

nagatahawk said:


> wow! I wonder how much faster you would be with another gear?


It's not about that. I've done road races on my fixed gear. I enjoy finishing top 10 overall, top 3 in my age group. It's fun to make it a challenge and piss everyone off because they lost to a guy on a bike with no gears and can't even coast.


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