Fixies

[Jezston]

I find getting the wheel on and off on my fixed childs play compared to the pain in the ass of my disc-brake equipped hybrid and hub geared commuter! I'd say I could have the wheel off and back on again, straight and tight-chained, within 30 seconds.

 

[John90]

If I had maybe three or four bikes, I could see the point in having a fixed/fixie to use exclusively for a regular, flattish commute. But sometimes I need to go up big hills and having only a MTB, I want gears for those times.

As for the maintenance issue, the extra care required for gears is pretty negligible in my view.

 

[biggs682]

have used single speed and hub geared along with gears , but yet to try fixed , so as a promise to you all in the garage hangs an old steel frame that is another project to happen , once i start on that 1 it will be a fixed with a flip flop and i will give it a try , so in 3 months time i hope to report back , please remind me

 

[goo_mason]

See, the roadie is very easy to drop the wheel in and out of with no tools. The extra guddle-factor of a spanners really still puts me off. I'd likely put some tougher tyres on it for the trials of a 20-mile, crud-strewn round trip on Edinburgh's pot-holed roads, which might make me feel less apprehensive ;-)

 

[Tynan]

top speed issues, I take my commuter food chain seriously and I'd have the almighty hump running out ofspeed when it was needed

and I like my knees at my age

 

[Deleted member 1258]

top speed issues, I take my commuter food chain seriously and I'd have the almighty hump running out ofspeed when it was needed

and I like my knees at my age

On my fixed my top speed is the same as it is on gears, around 20mph, I can keep up on the club ride on fixed, I'm 60 and my knees are fine, on my commute I'm not interested in speed, I'm cycling to work not trying to set a personal best in the club time trial.

 

[fossyant]

Good for knee and ligament strength - certainly addressed a hamstring issue I had. Top end speed - yet to get my ass kicked by any road bike - yes I'm pedalling like a loon, but 24-25 mph on the flat is anyone's limit - tail winds don't help, headwinds and fixed is great. Hills aren't as bad as you think.

 

[simon.r]

My road riding is split more or less 50/50 between a hub geared (8 speed Shimano Alfine) bike and a singlespeed. I don't understand the comments people make about singlespeeds causing knee problems - I have one knackered knee (arthritic and restricted movement) as the result of a motorbike accident years ago and riding singlespeed doesn't cause me any more problems than riding a geared bike.

I will admit to choosing my route more carefully when I'm on the singlespeed - long hills are best avoided I've tried fixed and never really mastered it, will be having another go soon.

Getting the wheel in and out isn't a big deal but is a bit more of a faff than on a derailleur equipped bike. My singlespeed MTB has an eccentric bottom bracket and 'normal' dropouts. I think this is the best solution for non-derailleur bikes and really don't understand why more frames aren't built this way.

 

[jim55]

iv recently just went this way ,,the bike i got was a cheap one with a flip flop hub which iv got on the freewheel just now ,,its geared at 44*18 and 44*16 on fixed and on the flat id say my top speed is similiar ,,its obv a bit harder to push from a standing start but once yr rolling its very good ,,bloody hard work on the hills though,,iv had to get off and push a couple of times already !!!i just need to mtfu and get better ,,im not convinced fixed is for me as pedal strike and overall bike control has to b quite high id imagine ,,on my commute il stick to freewheel but i may try fixed if i get a bit more confident ,,with regard to ss it feels a lot smoother and the ease of maitenance appeals ,,i mean its really basic but in a good way ,,as re extra tools i just carry one extra spanner to get the wheels off,,no biggie ,,im a convert (to ss so far lol)

 

[fossyant]

SS is no use.

Fixed is where it is.

 

[jim55]

yeah ,,so im told ,,but not when ur a bit wary to try it ,,do you reset the pedals every time u stop??u know ,,and getting my feet into clips while the pedal is rotating would take a bit of practice eh

 

[gaz]

yeah ,,so im told ,,but not when ur a bit wary to try it ,,do you reset the pedals every time u stop??u know ,,and getting my feet into clips while the pedal is rotating would take a bit of practice eh

Yes and yes.
I managed to use fixed in rush hour london whilst using spd-sl's without any problems clipping in.

I stopped using fixed due to pedal strike and toe overlap issues. Long cranks and big feet don't make fixed easy.

 

[botchjob]

While I doff my cap to the grimy urban road warriors on proper fixies (no doubt track standing at the lights), I can’t but shake my head at the Hoxton twunts on the pretend ones.

Extra twunt points awarded for those who’ve cut the ends off their handle bars. Like cycling in the city isn’t challenging enough.

 

[totallyfixed]

Never experienced pedal strike and I have 175mm cranks and big feet. I also have zero float on my pedals as I believe that having any degree of float could potentially damage the knees when your legs are doing high cadences, a bit like skiing in boots that are too big for you.
Fixed is a thing of simplicity and beauty, worth getting to know. It is the cheapest bike in my stable and the one I would never get rid of. When you get riding fixed it all makes sense, and when you've got it you won't let go.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Fixed is a thing of simplicity and beauty, worth getting to know. It is the cheapest bike in my stable and the one I would never get rid of. When you get riding fixed it all makes sense, and when you've got it you won't let go.

+1 on that