Fixies - I just don't get it

[GrumpyGregry]

mcshroom said.

"Not being able to bail out into a lower gear makes you climb hills better"

Having built & ridden 2 fixies I would disagree with that statement, it makes you climb the hill in the gear your fixed at, if this gear is higher than the one you normally use on a geared bike to climb the hill you will have to expend more effort to get up the hill, you might get up quicker but not better.

What a fascinating collection of internal contradictions.

 

[CopperBrompton]

For me, Sheldon's comment about the purity and connectedness says it best.

But having a dodgy knee from a skiing injury, I wouldn't ride one again - in London's stop-start riding they put a huge stress on knees.

 

[annaspanna]

I've got my first on order.. (Dolan Pre-Cursa) as we've started our track training at HHV adding some brakes so its a bit safer (for me) on the road.. Lovely fun and nice to have a bit of variety :-) bikes a bike at the end of the day.. They all make us smile!

 

[Hover Fly]

I dont care what anyone says,Fixies are s***e,maybe they are fun on the flat and abit of a novelty but they would be bloody useless on long climbs and what they hell do you do on descents? you cant freewheel,you have to keep peddling
im sorry they are completely impractical and no amount of publicity and phoney London hipster morons would get me near one

I ride from home to work and return daily. That's 16 to 18 Cumbrian miles*, depending on route, each way, to you. Long climbs and drops at 1 in 6, twisting narrow roads and sometimes a ferry.
I do it on fixed. Get the gear right and it is sublime, climbs that seem to just spin by, descents where you have complete control, it really is as if you're part of the bike, or the bike is part of you, like very efficient walking in very comfortable shoes, but without the foot-ache at the end.
Then there is the feeling that you're not part of Admass. Flimsy chains to fit more sprockets? Not for me. Almost flat rear wheels because I need lower gears? No need. There's nought on my machine that a chap from the 30's wouldn't recognise, and I feel all the better for it. The beauty of simplicity.

*1 Cumbrian mile = 1.7 London miles.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I know nothing about bike polo, but apparently fixies are ideal for it? So there's another reason for fixies .

 

[Boris Bajic]

I learned to pedal on a fixie. It was a front-wheel-drive tricycle and I loved it.

Disc wheels, fixed gear.... In many ways ahead of its time.

It was built by a small italian (ish) frame builder, called Triang.

 

[Leodis]

[QUOTE 2509165, member: 45"]You're all bonkers. Fixies are rubbish.[/quote]

Is it because you cannot fit into skinny jeans anymore?

 

[BSRU]

I'm too much of a girls blouse to ride a fixie

 

[fossyant]

The first time you jump on a fixed on a road and take it out, it's a bit like an out of control rocket ship on descents. It takes a couple of weeks and you get quite comfortable with the RPM and you can control it better. First time out I took the bike up towards Glossop, then down the A57 back to Hyde. My mistake as it's a 2-3 mile descent - I nearly needed the fire brigade. Now those hills aren't a problem.

As for climbing, there is the flywheel effect, and I have similar climb timbs on the fixed as I do on my geared bike. The only difference is I don't take the fixed up certain hills as it's too steep with my current gearing.

As everyone has said, they are great for pedalling technique, low maintenance, and great for strengthening tendons - its worked wonders on my dodgy hamstring.

 

[Christopher]

Fixies or fixed-wheels or whatever are generally light, reliable, fun and very smooth. Spinning along the lanes on one of a summer evening is a joy. They keep my knees and ankles supple and the rear wheel seems to have tremendous grip on slick roads or loose surfaces.

However they can also be hard work especially if heavily loaded or you are feeling a bit under the weather and can't seem to get on top of the gear i.e. go fast enough to stop grinding. They also push you through junctions - it seems to be harder to come to a complete stop than it should be. I also have a couple of short but steep inclines on my commute which are a bit of a challenge on one gear.
Oh and it takes a long time to stop trying to freewheel over bumps or when something unexpected happens.

 

[Rob3rt]

I dont care what anyone says,Fixies are s***e,maybe they are fun on the flat and abit of a novelty but they would be bloody useless on long climbs and what they hell do you do on descents? you cant freewheel,you have to keep peddling
im sorry they are completely impractical and no amount of publicity and phoney London hipster morons would get me near one

You must be highly intelligent, possibly even verging on genius! You should pump your life savings into publishing a book full of quips like this, I'm sure it will sell like hotcakes!

 

[nilling]

Riding over rough ground on a freewheel you can stand on the pedals and use your arms and legs to absorb the shocks. Cannot do this on a fixie at speed, the saddle just pummels yer gonads! Maybe it's just something you get use to!

 

[botchjob]

I’m so very envious of all those fixie riders. Their tight jeans. Their helmetless heads revealing their directional hairstyles. The way they sail through red lights with gay abandon. The way their teeny weeny chopped down handle bars look so very comfortable. The way the mudguardless wheels (AND LOOK: THEY’RE ORANGE/GREEN/DAYLGO!!!) spray muck up their Rapha-clad backs. It makes feel like trading in my oh-so-sensible and supremely functional tourer, and having a bit of a midlife crisis. Then again.

 

[4F]

I’m so very envious of all those fixie riders. Their tight jeans. Their helmetless heads revealing their directional hairstyles. The way they sail through red lights with gay abandon. The way their teeny weeny chopped down handle bars look so very comfortable. The way the mudguardless wheels (AND LOOK: THEY’RE ORANGE/GREEN/DAYLGO!!!) spray muck up their Rapha-clad backs. It makes feel like trading in my oh-so-sensible and supremely functional tourer, and having a bit of a midlife crisis. Then again.

Another balanced and well reasoned post on the subject, well done....

 

[botchjob]

you're welcome