Fixed Gear

oh hai

DSC_6635.jpg
 
DAVIDALLEN AND B-RUNGE I AM DISAPPOINTED. DRIVE SIDE PHOTOS PLEASE! we ride bikes to have fun riding bikes. not have them as an accessory to park outside Bodo. but yeah. i agree. the funnier people though ae the kids who got road bikes instead of fixed rides to "not follow the trend" and be "unique". haha i wonder when they will realize they are doing exactly the same thing.
 
this mindset is almost as bad, if not worse than that of the hipster riders. there definitely are a lot of trend whores who don't know what they're doing riding fixed gears. and don't get me wrong, those kids piss me off too. but there are also a lot of people who do know what they're doing and are very good cyclists.
but lately it's become more of a trend to hate on fixies than to ride them.
 
Fixed gears in general - especially in mountain towns - are just a really bad idea. It shows me that these kids have no intention of riding on roads or as a viable form of transportation AS IT SHOULD BE. Any other reason to ride a fixie is just retarded. "oh fark I just wanna go backwards an do trix."

It's retarded. Real cyclists who actually need the transportation use road bikes, or single gears at least. To hate fixies is not a bad thing. If anything, that mindset is saving kid's lives these days. It keeps the trend in check and keeps these fuckers off the road.
 
haha yeah i dont think hes got what we're saying.

basically, if you buy a bike to lock it up at Bodo and look cool in a cycling cap, you are buying a bike to have another accessory. if you buy a bike to have a mode of transportation and have fun fun riding it, you arent one of "those guys". so yeah, its a tough battle to fight these days. especially in Boise.
 
i am, adding bartape can save his life. when his hands get sweaty and slip the bars he'll be thanking me. plus putting the seat back a little bit will definitely help his pedaling efficiency and will stop him from getting saddle sore.

sorry i did kinda sound like an asshole there but it was benevolent in nature.
 
Thats my bike...

I ride with gloves, so i don't slip. I might still get some tape when i have time. One thing i should really get is barends... I don't want my bars scooping flesh outta my leg anytime soon.

And that picture angle is just weird. My seat is at the right angle.
 
I ride a front brake. So do a LOT of fixed gear riders.

I don't use it unless i need to though, life or death situations.
 
haha oh wow didnt see that. sorry man, im just not a fan of bars sans tape. and yeah, i know a guy who got jabbed in the leg but didnt think it ws so bad, so he pedaled all the way home. when he pulled his race tights off his muscle bulged out of a huge hole in his skin and he had to physically force it back into the skin. always ride with ends.

again sorry. you never know where jackassery can rear its ugly head.
 
well in Boise (a bike town. really, there are bikes fucking everywhere) people do ride fixed for transportation. it gets you everywhere seeing as everything is easy to access on a bike. there are kids who got fixed gears to do "fixie trix" and look awesome as fuck who eventually try to ride on roads one time and dont really have any idea what the fuck theyre doing and get hit and get killed, yes. and i agree, hating does keep the trend in check and keeps people from riding the streets when they arent even good enough to ride down a sidewalk. but i dont think people that love bikes, and know bikes and actually use their bike deserve any hate at all. if they have a fix because they like riding them as i do, its fine. i have a road bike as well, which i use alot more than my fix honestly, but i love riding both of my road steeds. there are alot of people who MTB too. XC, cyclocross, downhillers, weekend trail warriors, and even freeriders and BMXers get SS and fixed gears just to have a bike to get around town on and to have some easy transportation that they can enjoy seeing as they all love bikes and know bikes well.

again, i break it down like this: if you bought your bike to lock it up and look at it, you should never ride it in the street. if you bought your bike because you need to get places and sure its a bit cooler than donning road gear for a 10 mile ride, you dont deserve any hate at all.

i dunno. im getting so sick of this whole argument.
 
I was EXTREMELY dubious about running a fixed gear, mostly because it seems to be a fashion thing just now for some reason. Guys in tight pants, those ridiculous hats, no brakes, gear that is way too low and don't even get my started on calling it a "fixie" or doing "fixed gear freestyle", I'm embarrassed for those people any time I see a clip, even more so than snowblading.

I got a singlespeed road bike a while ago and always liked the simplicity and light weight. A few friends finally convinced me to give fixed gear a shot. I was running a flipflop hub so I figured I'd try it for a few rides. And what do you know, I really do like how it feels. Really "connected" and I'm really aware of everything on the road. I ground off my cable guides before I got my frame powder coated so no going back now.

I'll get some shots posted next week when it's rebuilt.
 
Here's mine. I just swapped the bar & stem so the stem and/or spacers might change soon after I try it for a few rides.

1246447175LorneBike.jpg
 
I think it looks awkward because of the sloping top-tube. It just doesn't seem to fit.

Don't get me wrong tho, I bet that frame's many times stronger than mine, I just don't like how it looks.

I love my fixie because no one else has one. Whenever I ride it around town I'm the centre of attention, people just love me. It also really compliments my tight jeans, flannel shirts, year-round-beanie, and non-prescription glasses.

But really, riding without having to grab your brakes all the time is so much more fun. It feels like you're riding a bike, not riding ON a bike.
 
i ride a 1980 something trek road bike with the gear levers on the down tube (sweet). its lighter than some road bikes today.
 
i got a masi speciale fixed ltd (can't get pics because i lost my cams battery charger) a month ago and i got it with a freewheel, but since it came with a fixie cog i decided to install it and try it. that was a couple days ago and i'm finding it really fun. i'm kinda sketched about banking corners. it's also way better on hills then i expected, i can bomb most hills in vancouver without braking, so it's all good for me. it's also fun to screw around with track stands and ride backwards. fuck the haters though, i like tight pants, aesthetically pleasing bikes, and good coffee and beer. so what? it's nice riding a fixed gear, it feels good to move with the bike at all times. if my only concern was efficieny i'd be riding a carbon fiber geared bike around town. but i value a good feeling and durable bike (steel frame), something that doesn't break often and is easy to repair, and a bike that looks good and simple. i also find it a lot faster to commute on a single speed than a geared bike, i used to have an old steel 10 speed with similar geometry, and now with a singlespeed i get to school in significanty less time.

i don't think that rant is coherent at all, i just wanted to clear my opinions on fixies and the like.
 
finished: fuji conversion

frame: Fuji Supreme $0

wheelset: suzue promax rear, formula front on velocity deep vs $100 with michelin carbon tires and dura-ace cog and lockring included

bars: flipped and chopped risers $0 and i think theyre kinda cool cuz everyones doin flatbars or bullhorns

total cost: $112 (bartape was $12)

nice pedals coming when my boss stops calling me off work

brake courtesy of an overprotective mother

6600_1100198552818_1462290068_30339386_7796237_n.jpg
 
Nah it's cool, that's the current bar + stem in the photo. I've had a few rides now and I need to get a slightly longer stem at -17 to -25 degrees, then maybe take out some spacers if I want it lower still.
 
too tired to get link for pic... but FacePalm

ok.. straightenin things up.. that my friend is a single speed.. now unless you're one crazy ass mutha fucka.. you're not gonna ride a fixie on the mountain. fixie has a fixed back wheel so it continues with chain movement, yada yada yada.. single speed is only that.. one speed.
 
I think fixies are rad but i got a question, it may be stupid, do fixies work like a unicycle in the fact that when you ride a unicycle your feet always have to move if you bike moves? What i mean is can you coast on a legit fixie?
 
on a real fixed gear, no you can't coast. If the wheels are moving, so are your feet, that's why it's called a fixed gear. You can also build a freewheel singlespeed, same concept except the hub in the back isn't fixed, so you can coast.

Anyway, just bought an old 80's Trek 460 yesterday, been screaming around on it, she's damn fast. Might get a new wheelset and new shifters eventually, the downtube shifters are kinda weird

84Trek_5_72.jpg
 
mines probably around that age. and the downtube levers are so awesome to change on the fly when you're going fast. its that element of danger when it gets a skittish.
 
oh true.

I think i actually almost bought that frame.

whatever works for you works for you, but i would ride a more dropped stem. I find rising stems really strange to ride.
 
a front brake on a fixed gear is actually a smart idea. It's impossible to stop on a dime if you're really going fast and something pulls out in front of you.... plus it's a lot better for your knees, I've read about how fixed gear riding completely fucks your knees after a while because of the reverse pedaling pressure to stop.
 
Yeah I've had a few rides now and you're right, a little lower and 10-20mm longer will feel better and look damn nice. All I can find are 17 and 35 degree stems though - 17 will be horizontal and 35 will give a pretty big drop. 25 would be nice, I'll keep looking.
 
Wasn't really sure how fixies worked so I wikipediad it and I realized my first ever bike was one. It had no brakes. I stopped by pedalling backwards. It was a tricycle though
 
last week i saw the first fixie fucking peddle its stupid ass into my town and im pissed. im thinking of sitting outside the local urban outfitter and shooting every fucking hipster just to make sure i got the kid who was riding it. or is urban outfitters not cool anymore?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top