Are fixies comfortable to cycle on?

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ChrisEyles

Guru
Location
Devon
Comfortable isn't the first word I'd use to describe riding fixed.

For me the gearing wasn't so much the issue as I love riding single speed. It was more the odd time you're negotiating a steep bendy gravelly, muddy back road and a land rover barrels up towards you - unless you're very used to riding fixed bike control in these sorts of situations is (for me at least) much less intuitive than with a freewheel.

Since most of my road riding is on these sorts of back roads, that's the main reason I sold my fixed gear bike. On good, rolling roads I enjoyed it a lot more. But I'm currently much preferring quiet back roads to A or larger B roads.
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
Just get out of the saddle and let loose. With practice you can fart in time with your cadence.
I would sound like a motorbike.
 

Juan Kog

permanently grumpy
Number 1 ,it's not a fixie.its a fixed wheel, fixed gear , or just a fixed . Fixie is only appropriate if you have a huge beard armfull of tattoos and wear tight black jeans, and cycle around trying to look like a cycle courier. As to the question are they comfortable.yes if you choose the appropriate bike ,l used to commute on a bike based on a steel track frame( with front brake) brilliant for 17 mile round trip in traffic. Not my first choice for 100 miles out in the countryside.
 
D

Deleted member 1258

Guest
Number 1 ,it's not a fixie.its a fixed wheel, fixed gear , or just a fixed . Fixie is only appropriate if you have a huge beard armfull of tattoos and wear tight black jeans, and cycle around trying to look like a cycle courier. As to the question are they comfortable.yes if you choose the appropriate bike ,l used to commute on a bike based on a steel track frame( with front brake) brilliant for 17 mile round trip in traffic. Not my first choice for 100 miles out in the countryside.

My longest fixed ride was a forum ride in 2014, 108 miles, my winter fixed rides are usually 50 - 60 miles.
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
My Dad was from the era before gears, so it was natural that for my 10th birthday he got me a road/fixed Hill Special. So I learned how to ride a fixed at a very young age. But I was keen to migrate to gears, so when my Hill Special was nicked, the next bike was a EG Bates with benelux gears. Then came along the Mercian track frame (on the left), which I rode with both gears and occasionally fixed. But then for years, I stuck with gears until about '94 when I renovated the track frame and started riding it for time trials. Never quite as fast as my gears days, but very consistent. Now I always ride fixed for TT's. I also have a training bike with a flip flop. Sometimes ridden as fixed and sometimes SS. Have ridden the Castle 100 ride on fixed, but now I keep to a SS freewheel on this bikes, as there are just too many descents in Kent.
 
As mentioned they're fine until you forget and try to freewheel, DAHIKT :eek:

Also you might have lived in your area all your life, but riding fixed means you'll discover hills you never even knew existed:heat:
 

Juan Kog

permanently grumpy
Hi Ian H ,just my irrational dislike of the term fixie and an attempt at humour. When I have been at a cyclists watering hole and approached by another cyclist “ I see you’re on a Fixie “ me “ I see you’re on a gearie. I know I have turned into that grumpy old club cyclist that I used to do my best to avoid.
The opposite of fixed-wheel is freewheel. The opposite of single-speed is multispeed.
 

Ian H

Ancient randonneur
Hi Ian H ,just my irrational dislike of the term fixie and an attempt at humour. When I have been at a cyclists watering hole and approached by another cyclist “ I see you’re on a Fixie “ me “ I see you’re on a gearie. I know I have turned into that grumpy old club cyclist that I used to do my best to avoid.
It's not irrational at all. But, on the other hand, everyone has to start somewhere. I'm sure there was a time when I didn't know what a fixed-wheel was, though that was long before trendy 'fixies' existed.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Hi Ian H ,just my irrational dislike of the term fixie and an attempt at humour. When I have been at a cyclists watering hole and approached by another cyclist “ I see you’re on a Fixie “ me “ I see you’re on a gearie. I know I have turned into that grumpy old club cyclist that I used to do my best to avoid.
I got it, and I agree with you! ^_^

I like riding my singlespeed bike so in a perfect world I suspect that I would really like fixed wheel, but riding on busy roads with poor surfaces, I think not. As for 70-80 km/hr descents...! :eek:
 
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