So… sometimes I wonder if those of us who have been riding fixed for a while (and i know i havent been doing it nearly as long as a lot of people) are still as in love with it as we have been previously. A lot of people seem to be going back to gears and a lot of people also seem to be going TO gears for the first time. THINGS like riding fixed gear bikes seem to go through phases/groups of people and then … what? i guess they settle into a different place in different peoples lives. for example, i love the place it seems to have settled in tomacropods life.
for me it’s settled in a corner, i love my bike maybe more for what i’ve done on it and what we’ve been through together more than what i DO on it now. it is beautiful, and tough. i do love it, and i love thrashing it offroad.
I’m a very new fixed rider, as in I only started in early 2007 (pure laziness in organising suitable parts…). I’d been riding single speed for a couple of years before finally going fixed - riding SS was enough for me to not bother with gears anymore and fixed just compounded that decision. I don’t think I’d go back to gears unless it was crucial to my health and even then I might just use an easier gear ratio and avoid hills!
I was walking near Brunswick St this evening, and wandered past a bunch of hipster bmx’rs (the bmx equivalent of the fixed.org.au gatherings I guess :evil:…). They had their flannelet shirts on, plastic wheels, uber 80’s bmx frames, no helmets and they even had a few groupie rider chicks following behind them too. I was a little concerned about the riding ability of the pretty blonde girl on her pink Malvern Star, but back to the story…
As they passed, I heard them discussing with some ridicule “…yeah I keep seeing these FIXIE riders up on Brunswick St nowdays… it’s fucking out of control they’re everywhere now, they’re a bunch of wankers with their matching clothes (?) and ‘courier caps’… It’s bad mate, it’s bad…”
They rode past and I smiled to myself. :mrgreen:
I got into riding through mountain biking. Fixed has become my main form of riding, but I still hit trails when I can. I know I always love getting back onto the fixed gear after the MTB because it feels so light and nimble. And climbing hills on a 8kg track bike is so much fun.
That said, I’m really keen to get a road bike again so I can do some longer rides and not get too sore.
Ive been riding nothing but fixed for about 6 months :evil:
I originally wanted to build up an SS roadie for commuting, then discovered fixed and never looked back. Im currently building an SS MTB which may take a bit of time away from my fixclusivity, but until then long live he anitcoast!
I still love getting around on my fixed bike - probably even more now than when I started.
It bothers me a little to see people barrelling around mindlessly and out of control for the sake of a fad - but the best I can do is try to set a good example and keep loving it for the reasons I do.
For short trips around melbourne and the occasional long ride to the suburbs fixed gear bikes are ideal. It the right tool for the job as far as Im concerned. Which is why I ride it.
Also because I’m lazy. Riding a bike is easier then getting a licence or walking or Public transport. Fixed gear is easier then all the complication that go along with gears.
I’d probably be riding single speed now if not for the fact I got a good deal on a fixed gear wheel set before I found a good deal on a single speed wheel set during my first build. But fate was handed down to me and I just rolled with it.
OK … I bought a geared bike late last year. My first one in about 7 years. It took this long coz I finally had some serious cash for a serious bike. I like it. Probably because it’s a very good bike with very good gears on it that shift very very well. If it was a lesser bike, I might have sold it by now.
I do still ride fixed … almost everyday in fact. The fixie is my main ride. It’s just that people assume I’ve converted back to gears coz I don’t ride fixed on the Sat Ride anymore.
All my bikes are fun, in their own way. I love them all but choose one over the other to suit the ride I’m doing or just plain what I feel like riding. I ride bikes. It doesn’t matter what sort and I don’t get hang ups about what the bike should be fad wise.
I’m not “over it” yet. Maybe will be one day but, for the forseeable future, I’ll be riding fixed. My old geared MTB/commuter bike is setup with a trailer so I use it only very rarely when I want to haul something. Other than that, it’s fixed all the way for all rides, long, short or otherwise and I’m still loving it.
I do get the fear sometimes because I’ve only got one fixed bike. What if I bin it? What if it gets smashed and I can’t ride it? Fark, I really need to get another so I’ve got a backup :-o
3 1/2 years on and I still I love it.
If I’m going round and round in ovals I love it.
If I’m cruising round the city I love it.
If I’m racing down beach road I love it.
Been riding a fixed shit box for about 1.5yrs now. I’ll be the first to admit that what was written on the interweb and in the papers was what drew me to it in the first place. The talk of culture and comradery amongst fixed riders seemed pretty cool at the time, enough for me to want to check out, make some new mates and contacts and all that jazz.
Done that and along the way I’ve discovered I really like riding fixed bikes around the city, either solo or with mates it doesn’t really matter cause it’s such a sweet ride. I rode brakeless for some time but you can shove that idea, as DaFrog once said “Give me the ride AND the scenery, not just the ride”. I am building a geared roady at the moment for the longer rides, not going back to gears, not going soft and I’m certainly not going off fixed, it’s just easier that way!
Anyway, bikes are great, bikes are fun, ride them whatever they may be.
It’s only that cassettes, shifters, derailers, brakes and levers continue to cost too much. Really, one thousand dollars for sram red brifters? Give me a break.
about 20 months fixed now, it’s my daily ride for commuting and anything local, I can’t think of a better tool for the job… but I love hills hence i got another nice steel roadie (I converted the other one I had to fixed) and have always had my MTB waiting for it’s turn.
I wanted to learn a new trick when i started, still learning now.
I have an offroad fixed bike for firetrail rides and a bit of a singletrack challenge but it doesn’t get used much.
A number of the guys on here seem to dabble in the retro roadie thing, BSNYC says it’s the next fad but I think there are a lot of true cyclists on here who just ride anything and everything (as opposed to roadies, XC racers etc. whatever lable you want).
and Spud, if you can go Force and not red then big deals on Torpedo7 starting today, you’ll get a groupo for 1084.
When the gearing died on my old MTB, it was cheaper to buy another bike than get it repaired.
I’ve ridden all my life, but never enjoyed it as much as I have recent years. When I got into SS a few years back, and then fixed, I found a new level of interest in riding. I grew up on a simple, coaster brake, one speed that I found on the nature strip, repaired and rattle canned orange. Riding fixed reminds me of that and I also like that I didn’t just buy it off-the-rack. It felt nice to (again) take an old bike that someone didn’t want and make it rideable. I’ve slowly upgraded parts along the way and like how my bike now looks and rides.
I ride my fixed 6-7 days a week for commuting, market runs, short hops to get dvds etc and for longer week end rides. It feels a lot safer having full control of the bike in traffic too. But, every now and then I dig out the vintage, geared roadie for a longer run.
I started in 2005 or so with a 1974 Raleigh on wheels that I taught myself to build after reading about fixed and looking to try something new. Put a few thousand km on it and then upgraded to a 3rd hand QLD built custom frame which is newer, lighter and more nimble, but I don’t go proportionally faster on it.
Now the frame has a 1x7sp drivetrain on it, I’ve almost finished a hubgear mixte for commuting and errands and have a 1940’s Hetchins just beginning the restoration process.
As a result I don’t have a fixed gear any more. I don’t consider that I’ve moved away from fixed, I’m just on hiatus until I find another frame to build up.
I’ve only been riding for about 6 months now and love it.
I binned my roadie in October and only just recently got it up and running (monday night in fact). I’ve ridden it to work the past two days to make sure it’s setup right (riding up to castlemaine and back for a wedding this weekend and the alpine classic next weekend). Freewheels feel weird now. My roadie is for long rides 200km+ although I’d like to start using my fixie for the (comparatively) shorter events. For commuting the fixie is perfect, it allows you to flow a lot better and track standing at lights is much easier than having to clip in once the lights turn green (not so consistent at doing it on my roadie). Also the I’ve found that the only time I stop pedaling is when I’m slowing down and having to use the brakes to do that is pretty annoying and it’s much harder to keep a rhythm.
As people have said, each bike has it’s purpose and I pick and chose accordingly. Each bike is for a different style and I love the difference and similarity at the same time. bikes rock. nuff said.
considering most manufacturer’s complete fixies are in the 1200 range for anything your not going to gutter within 9 months i cant see how there is a valid argument to say gears are significantly more expensive. A reasonable geared street beast can be had for that price.
Sora works fine. I couriered on it for 3 years. Shifts like dog balls but did the job.
And if you just buy chains off probikekit and change them every 3000k its not expensive. Its only when you neglect your drivetrain the costs add up. Im up to 25000K on my campy rear cassette at the moment.
i’ve been riding for 33 years. i have never not had a bike running. i have raced BMX, ridden roadies and still ride MTB just about every week. in the last 6 months i have been really interested in fixed gears. so i built one.
i did so because i wanted a non geared bike, something very light and simple to get me to and from the station. also so i can put around with my two boys. i would be all over the gears on a roadie/MTB when riding with them. they are 4 and 5.
as i said i ride my MTB every single weekend i can. i love it. i live in the blue mnts in sydney so there are so many local rides it would be sad to not have a MTB and enjoy them. this is my local ride. this is the next ride up, or the end of the ridge and the yarramundiMTB course is just down the hill from home.
since building and riding the fixie i am pretty much hooked on them. they are such a change from riding a geared bike. you are more alert, you enjoy the ride more and it almost feels like your floating whilst riding.
as everyone says. all bikes have their purpose. i just like to ride!
