Some auld fixie thoughts

[mpemburn]

In my reckless youth, having wild ideas and a spare frame, I built a fixie bike.

This was the era of deep horizontal dropouts on road bikes, so it was easy to set proper chain tension. Screw a single gear onto the hub (not “freehub”—those came later) and remove the small chainring, and you’ve got, if not a “real” pista, then an acceptable substitute.

It was late fall of some year in the 1970s, and I’d decided that fixed gear was the way to maintain my fitness in the off season. I had probably kept the brakes on, but I soon discovered that back-pedal braking was easily as effective. I have a vivid memory of steaming down a hill that intersected a busy road, and using main muscle to stop before merging with disaster.

As a senior citizen cyclist, this kind of riding seems a little too risky. For one thing, there’s a lot more traffic than formerly. Still when I see a fixie bike, my heart rises up to meet that youth that once I was and I think, “Well, why not?”

I leave you with this beautiful specimen on the rack in my LBS. It belongs to the owner’s main squeeze.

 

[Sharky]

My first adult bike was a fixed gear and that when I was 10! So have always been fascinated by fixed. Moved onto gears but resurrected my track frame in the 90's and used for time trials. Found very little difference in my times so have kept to fixed mostly for TT's ever since. But for my short leisure /training rides round here, I use my SS. There are too many hills for fixed. It's the descents that are the killers on fixed.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

This is my fixed, a Genesis flier fitted with a 42 x 17 65 inch gear.

I'm 70 and this is my winter bike, its still got brakes on, its illegal not to have at least a front brake on a fixed and I've never been good at leg braking.

 

[mpemburn]

This is my fixed, a Genesis flier fitted with a 42 x 17 65 inch gear.

View attachment 622692

I'm 70 and this is my winter bike, its still got brakes on, its illegal not to have at least a front brake on a fixed and I've never been good at leg braking.

Were I (also at age 70) to get a fixie, I think I might avoid leg braking for the sake of my knees.

 

[Juan Kog]

Another fixed wheel pensioner here .
my Steamroller. 47x 19 66 inch , there’s a lot of me to lug up hill .
@dave r maybe we’re too old to be MAMILS , so we must be POF’s pensioners on fixed



There are 2 more in the fleet , I know I should have more sense at my age .

 

[Deleted member 1258]

View attachment 622761
Another fixed wheel pensioner here .
my Steamroller. 47x 19 66 inch , there’s a lot of me to lug up hill .
@dave r maybe we’re too old to be MAMILS , so we must be POF’s pensioners on fixed
View attachment 622769

View attachment 622772
There are 2 more in the fleet , I know I should have more sense at my age .

I've never been a MAMIL, perhaps we can get a group of us pensioners together, if we can perhaps we can do a remake of The Last Of The Summer Wine featuring pensioners on bikes.

 

[midlife]

Quite a few of us BITD switched to fixed gear with mudguards for a winter of "twiddling" low gears

 

[Juan Kog]

I've never been a MAMIL, perhaps we can get a group of us pensioners together, if we can perhaps we can do a remake of The Last Of The Summer Wine featuring pensioners on bikes.

I’m not going to be the one cycling in welly-boots .

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I’m not going to be the one cycling in welly-boots .

I'm sure we could find some SPD wellies somewhere, I'm about the right height for a Compo type character, I just need to dress scruffy and perhaps grow my beard again.

 

[grldtnr]

I’m not going to be the one cycling in welly-boots .

Well, I'll chuffin' do it! Here look after me ferret.

 

[ColinJ]

I'm about the right height for a Compo type character, I just need to dress scruffy and perhaps grow my beard again.

Thinking about it... There WAS a bit of a physical resemblance those times I met the bearded you!

 

[mpemburn]

I've never been a MAMIL…

Too old to be MAMIL. Guess I’m an OGIL.

 

[rogerzilla]

I have...er...three. A 70s Harry Quinn converted from a "racer", which I used for commuting, a 1969 Harry Quinn track bike with fagpaper clearances and twitchy, skippy handling that is utterly sublime on the road (if rather a handful over bumps), and a Jim Bundy Australian-built track bike that is a bit more forgiving, but looks faster.

Track forks are nice because they're round-bladed, not oval, and there is far less sideways flex when wrestling the thing up a hill.