Fixies

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
H

hackbike 666

Guest
I rode fixies years ago and I got on great with them.Will get another one when money permits.

The famous hackbike 6 was converted to fixed at one time.

Well worth riding.Low maintenance as opposed to gears and stuff.

User482 said:
Single speed, I can just about understand if you live somewhere fairly flat. But IMO, fixies are pretty dangerous for urban use.
Click to expand...

I had little trouble using them in London.I can see why couriers use them.
 
U

User482

Guest
zimzum42 said:
I can see why you might think so, but only if you're riding brakeless, which is fairly idiotic...

I don't notice any loss in braking power through having only the front brake...
Click to expand...

A fair number of the fixies I see are brakeless, which is my main problem with them. How do you get on with slamming the front brake on?
 
B

Bigtwin

New Member
Today, I cycled around London for the first time for a good while. Previously, I commuted in/out by bike for about 12 years.

Before, other than the odd courier, there were very few SS/fixies about. To the extend that if I saw another, conversations would often be had. Most were old steel frames stripped down as hacks/winter bikes. Like mine.

Today I went Waterloo-City-Soho-Waterloo on my Brompton.

Hilarious - every rack's full of them - all fashion victims with 3" wide bars and comedy coloured chains etc, and silly Hipster urban paint jobs.

When this fad passes, there will be 1,000s of them around cheap!
 
fossyant

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Rhys_Po said:
What make is that? Carbon forks and seatpost? Steel lined track dropouts? Looks very, very similar to my Pearson Touche. Although I believe red is a far more aerodynamic colour than blue.
Click to expand...

It is very similar. The frames seem to be available to many LBS's. Mine was custom parts, so the costs ran up quite a bit from the Touche's price. I'd argue the point on red being fastest.....as I have two blue bikes.....
 
H

hackbike 666

Guest
Bigtwin said:
Today, I cycled around London for the first time for a good while. Previously, I commuted in/out by bike for about 12 years.

Before, other than the odd courier, there were very few SS/fixies about. To the extend that if I saw another, conversations would often be had. Most were old steel frames stripped down as hacks/winter bikes. Like mine.

Today I went Waterloo-City-Soho-Waterloo on my Brompton.

Hilarious - every rack's full of them - all fashion victims with 3" wide bars and comedy coloured chains etc, and silly Hipster urban paint jobs.

When this fad passes, there will be 1,000s of them around cheap!
Click to expand...

Good point,I doubt whether many of them have ever gone in a bike shop and asked for a fixed wheel and being told they were for old men.(I was a young cyclist at the time and it must have been the late 70's early 80's.)

So I didn't get it at that time.
 
fossyant

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
User482 said:
Single speed, I can just about understand if you live somewhere fairly flat. But IMO, fixies are pretty dangerous for urban use.
Click to expand...

I'd actually say the opposite. SS you get no benefit of the flywheel effect for going up hill, or the smoothness of pedalling at high RPM. Fixed, with two brakes are very capable in traffic - takes a couple of weeks, but I prefer the simpleness of them.

I've found that the effect of heavy rim braking with leg braking, stops the back end locking up...it's a bit like ABS....

PS I don't do skids on £30 tyres............
 
Z

zimzum42

Legendary Member
User482 said:
A fair number of the fixies I see are brakeless, which is my main problem with them. How do you get on with slamming the front brake on?
Click to expand...
No different from slamming it on with a regular geared bike as far as I can see.

When you're braking with plenty of notice on a geared, you use the back brake. With a fixie you use your legs. Its only in close moments you slam on the brakes whichever bike. As for the fixie, I do use the front brake when feeling a bit lazy too!
 
J

Joe24

More serious cyclist than Bonj
Location
Nottingham
I use the front brake alot, and only leg brake abit. But, if i went up to tings better, then i could just leg brake, ive done it before, but i prefere to rush up to things and brake hard instead.;)
 
Radius

Radius

SHREDDER
Location
London
Here's some questions and some answers:
Do I ride what you'd probably call a 'fashion fixed'? Yes.
Do I ride brakeless? Yes.
Am I a courier? No.
Do I have more fun riding it? Probably.
Do I care what anyone else thinks? No.

The problem I have with people seeing fixed gear riding as now being a 'fad' and interesting / individual looking bikes being 'hipster', is the generalisation that these 'hipsters' don't know what they're doing or don't ride well. Sure, some of them are completely in it for the looks and make awful decisions like running SS with just a front brake, but your bike doesn't have to be a utilitarian mudguarded monster to mean that you're serious or skilled as a cyclist. Sometimes people like to have a bit of fun, which I why I went to the opposite extreme of my road bike / road riding. I don't see the problem with that...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom