Fixed Gear's

I ride a 16-speed cross bike

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Of course I'll be hitting 50+...
 
i dont understand...youre voluntarily taking away two of the most basic features that make a bike efficient/practical? whats the upside? seems to be roughly equivalent to riding a skateboard barefoot
 
Fixed gears are lame and while fun, impractical. And they're way played. don't forget your timbuk2 or chrome bag when you're riding
 
we aren't trend whoreing hipsters dammit. and seeing as how I can keep pace on 50 mile road rides on my fixed, I don't see how they are impractical. I just get a better workout. Its a great way to train for road racing and touring.
 
wrong. Having a fully connected drivetrain lets you make adjustments to your speed without using your brakes, just slow down your pedalling with negative pressure. And secondly gears aren't very efficient, very rearely do you have a straight chain line and gears tend to skip off into your spokes/axle etc.

Until you've ridden singlespeed or fixed speed for a while you don't really grasp it.

Btw I'd never go brakeless on my fixie, slowing down from 40-50kmh isn't fun with negative pressure.
 
It really makes a bike more efficient and practical to a lot of people.

When I first heard about people using track bike s for messenging i thought it was stupid, but it does have upsides.

-deraileurs take away 15% of your pedalling efficiency.

-deraileurs break, bend, and require tunning very often.

-deraileurs, chain rings, and cassettes add weight.

-since you only have one gear it forces you to ride fast, if theres a steep climb ahead and you dont hammer it you wont make it up.

-easier to avoid slipping in wet weather.

-gets you in better shape

-improves your overall riding.

not to say that a fixie is the best bike to use in any situation. if you live in the alps its basically useless. but as a reliable everyday mode of transportation in relatively flat urban areas it's usually the quickest way from A to B.
 
the flatland stuff looked awesome, but the park shit looked mad sketch

i can attest to single-speed fun, my DJ bike is single-speed and has no dérailleur, ballllllin
 
did all you guys install the hubs yourselves or just buy a full tire with the hub already installed?
 
I build my own wheels, mostly because I use more exotic lacing patterns, and I've been truing wheels since I was 9 or 10 so its almost second nature to me, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it. If you are already spending money on a hub, then another 40 to have a shop build the wheel for you isn't that much, seeing as decent hubs are 150 bucks or more. If you are feeling adventuresome and want to save that money, I'd recommend a three-cross wheel as it is the easiest to build.
 
Fixies are extremely lame. They are single-handedly ruining all forms of bike riding. I recently saw a video of kids doing sprocket grinds on them. Why would you take an awesome thing like the bike and ruin it. The only reason 99% of people are riding them right now is to be cool. And don't tell me that I hate them because I can't ride them. I used to track race, and thats the only place fixed gears bikes should be ridden, anywhere else and they are lame.

Sorry just my opinion, If you really like them rock it.
 
Alright dude, thats cool if you're into the whole fixie thing, but once people start justifying it beyond fun, its absurd. There's no way having one gear fixed to the hub will increase efficiency, and 15%? wtf? i dont hate on fixies unless their douches in other aspects of life, but dont tell me a bike with gears is less efficient. next thing you'll be telling me how the argyle top tube pad makes you faster
 
i agree that a lot of people just jumped on the new cool bandwagon, but have you ridden a fixed in winter with a studded rear tire? nothing better if you want to get around but cant afford gas. the control in snow is amazing. And you must agree that for training, theres nothing better than fixed, especially if you are working on getting a better cadence
 
i see nothing wrong getting a single speed roadie with brakes, but honestly, how much weight savings/direct transmission do you get by not having a freewheel?? just seems like pain junkie shit to me

having said that, i do want to hunt down a fixie to see what all the fuss is about
 
Honestly.....

-derailers may take away efficiency.....but they can triple your torque output, or your speed out put. Which you need to climb ANYTHING. I would not even try the ride to my school on a fixie....i would fucking die.

- when is the last time i saw a ShimanoXTR, XT, Sram 9.0, 7.0 break......takes alot for that to happen

and i just tune my derailer once a month, same time as all my other parts

- worse for wet weather.....try to stop with just neg pressure in the rain while you sheer and slide everywhere

_ if your a beginer rider, or live anywhere that has a hill......your fucked.

Fixies suck balls

 
you're clearly out of your element if you are using XTR and 9.0 as examples in a thread about road bikes. you should be asking about dura-ace, ultegra, force, red, record, or chorus. second, I busted my XTR shadow rear hanger and deraileur last week, but thats because I smashed it on a rock rather hard, good thing its under warrantee..
I don't know why I'm defending fixed riders, seeing as I hate most of the hipsters myself, but it is really fun to ride, you just gotta try it
 
IT IS:

a better workout

a fun way to get around

a simple system that doesn't break often

BUT i do not understand why hipsters would go through the trouble unless they enjoyed it, that would be going through A LOT to just look pretty riding it..... not to mention a freewheel hub wouldn't be much bigger if it was still single-speed
 
I actually have a flip-flop hub. So I can take my wheel out, turn it around and it's a freewheel.

No ones really mentioned that singles speeds and fixed gears require virtually no maitinence and a great for rainy weather because shit doesn't get fucked out.

They are great for training and help you learn to spin better and pedal through your turns.

I do not feel any spiritual connection with my bike.

Nor do I feel it's anymore an extension of my legs that my mountain bike or my skis.
 
i built a fixed gear this last summer cuz i needed something cheap to get around the campus. Cost me a little over 200 and i put together an old Takara deluxe 42/15, alex rear wheel, pro-lite front wheel, and just cut the handlebars to be bullhorns. I'll post pictures when the snow melts and i'm riding it around.
 
I built mine up last summer and I love it. It's fast, simple, light, cheap and something different (around here in Regina). It's flat here so I have no issues with hills. I think it's a ton of fun.

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what happens when you are going really fast down hills? do you have to keep your feet on the rapidly spinning pedals?
 
Most people have toe clips on their pedals to help keep their feet on and to help lock up when they skid stop. As of right now, I do not. If I had hills around I would be sketched out riding down them, but I don't have to worry about them.
 
my fixed gear only sees the track, call me lazy but when i'm out and about i like to be able to coast...single speed with a coaster brake is how i roll
 
this is win. longboards, bikes, etc. aren't "played."

they're all useful, and that's why a lot of people use them.

even if they could be played, i'd still use them, because i need to. i'm not going to throw away my blackberry just because everyone else has one.

everyone should just stop masturbating to their own image.
 
i love fixies. i just started converting an old 10 speed to a fixie but got hung up because of my vertical dropouts. and i dont want to drop 300 on an ecentric hub for it. so i just went and picked up a langster san fransisco ans pulled the freewheel off, spun on a cog and lockring and now im laughing.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MjGsXa9BctE/Sd1cEgusbKI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/ZJVUJ_hjCkA/s400/9094-96_EL_LANG_sanfran_l.jpg
 
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