pros and cons

[oilyormo]

im intrigued by the single fixed wheel concept but i m not aware of the advantages over a geared bike other than ... simplicity, ie less to go wrong, and lighter weight. To me a bike with gears would be far better, yet im hearing that most people who ride fixed swear by em.

why would i want a single speed fixed bike????

sorry if this question has been asked before but im finding myself wanting one

 

[Theseus]

Best answer I could give would be to find someone who will lend you one for a couple of weeks.

You will either love it or hate it.

That is what did it for me.

ETA: I have also lent out one of mine to someone. He ended up getting his own as well.

 

[oilyormo]

but what is it about ? having just one speed with no freewheel

i dont know of one i can borrow but im intrigued enough to buy one or build one (got an old peugeot doin nothin).

i see its a love it or hate it concept. I want one but i cant see the advantages

 

[jim55]

Gets u fitter , it's really smooth and quiet , you seem more aware of being part of the bike in a weird zen shoot type thing , less maintenance And they seem a bit less delicate overall and gen lighter , oh it's " cooler " as well ( however I'm a bit old to b cool , I just like riding it)

 

[Theseus]

I suggest you have a read of this. Don't let the pictures at the bottom worry you, I can still count to 10.

One thing I do notice that I don't think Sheldon covers is that I have a much finer control of the bike at slow speeds. Particularly useful when filtering or working my way through stationary traffic.

 

[biggs682]

oilyormo i was the same as you , kept trying to find one local to try no luck so then kept an eye out for an older style track frame set to use as a base , one came round after waiting for a while then hab lbs build me wheel with a flip flop hub so i could revert to freewheel if did not like fixed .

to cut long story short that one is now for sale and its replacement is under construction and should be in use soon .

shame Warrington not closer as you would be welcome to come and give it a try .

great fun and once gearing sorted to give you right balance of speed and climbing ability you will enjoy it

 

[HLaB]

The biggies for me is fun and the ability to get a good work out in a short space of time. I wasn't sure of the benefits either at first (other than simplicity) but I've gladdy been proved wrong; I've ended up doing 700 miles in 2 months on mine.

 

[Nihal]

This argument will never end,this,between Fixed and Gears

Here's the pros of Fixed
1)Lot less maintainence
2)Lot less malfunctions while riding.
3)If you're looking to improve speed,fixed are the best as you can easily kill yourself on one(pedalling ofcourse
4)Fixed is much hardewr to ride but that helps you build more strenght and power.
5)You ccan pedal a lot less but travel more by coasting

Thats as far as i know

 

[Deleted member 1258]

im intrigued by the single fixed wheel concept but i m not aware of the advantages over a geared bike other than ... simplicity, ie less to go wrong, and lighter weight. To me a bike with gears would be far better, yet im hearing that most people who ride fixed swear by em.

why would i want a single speed fixed bike????

sorry if this question has been asked before but im finding myself wanting one

Fixed wheel bikes seem to be like Marmite, you either love them or hate them, I rode fixed in the late 1980's, early 1990's them stopped, the thread on the bottom bracket went on it and it wasn't worth getting it repaired, old frame. September 2007 I brought a pearson Touché off the internet and have been using it since, it mainly gets used for commuting but I have done long Sunday rides and winter club rides on it as well, I've clocked up about 15000 miles on it. The pro's and con's of fixed have been debated for years and will be debated for years to come. Personally I find it ideal for commuting, even if its a bit lumpy, general running around and they're an excellent winter bike, very good when its slippery and if its snowy or icy I prefer a fixed bike to a geared bike.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I ride fixed, but keep a geared bike too. I found myself getting more and more curious about it... so I made one with an old frame I had.

I'm with those above who say that you'll find out what the fuss is about when you ride one. I laughed uncontrollably for ages after my first fixed ride. I still smile a lot when riding one even now.

As to 'proper' benefits:

It does improve the smoothness of your pedalling.
It does increase your 'souplesse'.
Depending on the gearing you choose, it can increase your ability to ride at higher cadences.
There is certainly less maintenance, although I'm not sure that's a valid justification as all the fixed riders I know seem to love that side of things.
It is eerily quiet. Spooky, even.

I ride a little in big hills and it helps hugely with my ability both to grind away when climbing (40-ish rpm) and to go silly on long descents (170-ish rpm).

I've never been quicker on fixed on any route I regularly ride, but that's not the point for me. On some routes I'm significantly slower.

I'd second the advice given above. Borrow one, set it up for your size and have a few goes. Don't discount vodka just because you like rum.

 

[PpPete]

I ride fixed, but keep a geared bike too. I found myself getting more and more curious about it... so I made one with an old frame I had.

Same for me: Curious, bought a cheap 531 frame off ebay, built it up with bits out of the stock of spares & and £2.99 fixed sprocket.
It's my first choice bike for short rides, especially anything "urban", shopping trips etc.

 

[Rob3rt]

IMO

Theoretical bullshit can fly right out of the window here. Most fixed riders don't really care about the "benefits". You need to just ride one and see if you like it, it is something to be experienced. All the theorising in the world wont help you here, if you hate the experience of the ride, the benefits will be nullified. If you love it, the con's wont feature in your thoughts!

 

[zigzag]

i've tried riding fixed twice - few years ago and recently - about five months in total. fixed would be my bike of choice if i lived in countryside or somewhere with less traffic and traffic lights than london. i like the "fluidness" of fixed, but you need to be careful riding close to curbs or going down twisty descents and potholed roads/country lanes - not very straightforward to bunny-hop over the obstacles at speed! i'm currently building a lightweight ss bike, it will have a flipflop hub and a freewheel. turning it into fixed will be five minute job, but i don't see myself riding fixed in near future.
as others said, try it and see if you like.

 

[Theseus]

fixed would be my bike of choice if i lived in countryside or somewhere with less traffic and traffic lights than london.

This may be where I would have a different opinion. I say may be because I have not had the joy of riding in London and do not know how much heavy London traffic differs to, say, heavy Edinburgh traffic. I find the fixed bike better for these conditions than one of his geared brothers. The control at low speed when filtering or negotiating stalled intersections is finer when fixed.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

i've tried riding fixed twice - few years ago and recently - about five months in total. fixed would be my bike of choice if i lived in countryside or somewhere with less traffic and traffic lights than london. i like the "fluidness" of fixed, but you need to be careful riding close to curbs or going down twisty descents and potholed roads/country lanes - not very straightforward to bunny-hop over the obstacles at speed! i'm currently building a lightweight ss bike, it will have a flipflop hub and a freewheel. turning it into fixed will be five minute job, but i don't see myself riding fixed in near future.
as others said, try it and see if you like.

I differ here, in urban conditions with lots of junctions, roundabouts, lights and heavy traffic I would prefer to be on fixed.