Anyone hate fixed gears?

(Bruce Rideout) said:

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm close to taking the
plunge on a fixed gear. I'm a bit apprehensive though,
because I won't be able to try one for any length of time
before buying. However, EVERYONE I've spoken to (or read
about) that has tried a fixed gear has loved it. Is there
anyone out there who has tried a fixed gear on the road
and has NOT liked it? If so, what was it that you didn't
like or that just didn't work out for you?

Most people that go through the trouble of building up a
fixie are predisposed to liking it, in part due to the
effort that they went through in putting together the bike.
They expect to like it.

You talk as though you will be spending a lot of money. Why?
Buy a cheap freewheel bike for $10 at a garage sale or
Goodwill or something and convert it to a fixed gear for the
price of a cog and some time. If you like it, then buy a
nice fixie and give away the cheap-o bike.

Mark South said:

Are there many people running double-sided hubs with fixed
on one side and freewheel on the other?

Lots. Have you seen the fixed gear gallery on the Web?

fixedgeargallery.comfixedgeargallery.comOpen ↗

(Robin Hubert) said:

In my opinion, it's a fad and a toy, and there's no real
benefit.

Well, yeah, I think even most devotees of fixed gear would
agree with the first part. There's all kinds of supposed
benefits as far as the second part goes. I use my track bike
for a commuter (usually with an old Bendix coaster brake
hub) because it's simple and not very attractive to would-be
thieves. About the only thing that can go wrong is a flat
tire (which BTW is one of the drawbacks- takes much longer
to change a tube with a bolt-on rear wheel and track
dropouts *and* a coaster brake...).

Robin Hubert said:

(Bruce Rideout) said:

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm close to taking
the plunge on a fixed gear. I'm a bit apprehensive
though, because I won't be able to try one for any length
of time before buying. However, EVERYONE I've spoken to
(or read about) that has tried a fixed gear has loved it.
Is there anyone out there who has tried a fixed gear on
the road and has NOT liked it? If so, what was it that
you didn't like or that just didn't work out for you?

I didn't "hate" them until they became popular. Now I
despise the whole philosophy.

Why is your like or dislike of the philosophy contingent on
its popularity?

Quoted message said:

Here are grown people who couldn't wait to buy the "10
speed" they could finally afford and now they're back
spending money on fixed gear bikes.

Those poor fools, spending money on things they enjoy.

Quoted message said:

Of course, I don't mind them spending money (I'm in the
business). Like many, I spent my youth on a single speed
bike (never "fixed"😉. I can't see the idea of going back.

So you've never tried one.

Quoted message said:

In my opinion, it's a fad

Certainly.

Quoted message said:

and a toy,

Meaning what? It's fun? It's "not for serious cyclists"? At
the moment, I do more "fun" rides on my touring bike, and
more "serious" rides (commutes) on my fixie. Which one is
the "toy"?

Quoted message said:

and there's no real benefit.

That depends on what you call real benefits. I think there
are some real benefits, such as
- simplicity (fewer things to go wrong, have to
maintain, etc.)
- possible training benefits
- I haven't experienced this yet, but people talk about
improved feeling for traction on slippery surfaces
- quiet (I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this when
I started)
- easier to do track stands (not really a major
benefit, but fun)

Quoted message said:

There are some drawbacks.

Of course.

--
Benjamin Lewis

Seeing is deceiving. It's eating that's believing.
-- James Thurber

Jay Beattie said:

It has become a huge fad with the bicycle messengers here
in Portland. A couple of them have super-spendy track
bikes with barely enough clearance for 20mm clinchers, a
big gear, and, of course, no brakes. Not a good set-up for
rain, slippery bricks and killer busses. A fixed gear is a
good approach in general because the downtown is not super
hilly, and a fixed gear is easy to maintain. But the whole
machismo no brakes thing is foolish. These kids do not
have the quad strength to stop on a dime. --

The messengers in San Francisco must be of a different breed
then. The times I've visited I've watched a couple guys on
similar bikes riding them just like freewheelers with
brakes. Simply amazing.

Greg

--
Destroy your safe and happy lives Before it is too late The
battles we fought were long and hard Just not to be consumed
by rock'n'roll

Tim McNamara said:

Most people that go through the trouble of building up a
fixie are predisposed to liking it, in part due to the
effort that they went through in putting together the
bike. They expect to like it.

Not too much trouble here, so I was somewhat unbiased. It
has a somewhat special touch, like an oldtimer, and its
simplicity adds to that. Being in a hilly area and also
riding rougher ground from time to time one quickly learns
why bicycles did not stop to evolve from there...

--
MfG/Best regards helmut springer

I built up a flip flop.

Rode the free side - loved it Rode the fixed side - 20km
ride, 'hmmm this thingy might take some learning...' Went
back to the free and its stayed that way since.

Single is great, free thought, rhythm, silent, I can
_really_ stomp and it doesn't squeel!!, not to mention
frewheeling down silly big hills. This is like BMX for
big people...

I seem to think that Sydney is a great spot for single, but
I'm not up to fixed here. (We have some hills)

Tom

"Mark South" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote
in message news:4ydCc.92421$eu.14349@attbi_s02...

Quoted message said:

"Mark South" <[email hidden]> wrote >

Quoted message said:

Are there many people running double-sided hubs with
fixed on one side

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

freewheel on the other?

Yes, but I hardly ever flip mine. The only time I use
the F/W side is when

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

go off-road.

Would you care to describe your setup and what you would
change or improve

about

Quoted message said:

it? I've been vaguely considering putting one of these
together.

I was thinking that one makes the freewheel a little lower
than the fixed,

would

Quoted message said:

that be the right way round?

Yes, that's the way mine is set up. I have a track hub on
the rear wheel with a 15T sprocket fixed and a 17T freewheel
on the other side. I have a 42T chainring. This is a perfect
setup for the slightly rolling terrain here around Boston. I
have never (in several years) used the freewheel side on the
road, just a few times on mountain bike trails, which was
fun, but not as much fun as regular mountain biking. If I
had it to do over again, I wouldn't bother with a freewheel,
I'd just use a single sprocket.

My bike is made up from an 80's vintage Fuji touring frame.
It has the requisite horizontal dropouts plus large tire
clearances. I ride this bike frequently in the winter and
the frame allows me to use 35 mm studded tires. I have a
Scott AT-3 (no longer made) handlebar, which is flat and
curves to the front. It looks like the bar on a stair
climbing machine at the gym. This is intentional since so
much time on a FG may be spent out of the saddle I prefer a
wider arm position than that provided by the typical "tops"
of a drop bar. I have both a front & rear brake fitted,
mostly for limited traction (winter) balanced braking. I
don't ever "leg brake", I don't like the sensation, and
riding a fixed is all about "feelings".

I originally thought fixed gear bikes were a pretty nutty
idea. But, with Sheldon Brown as my LBS-guy, he gradually
wore me down and convinced me to try
it. That was several years and many thousands of miles ago.
At first I worried about spinning my feet out and
crashing at high speed, or dropping/jamming chains, etc.
I did spin my feet out (SPD) on my very first long ride,
but found it was no big deal, just use brakes until
slowed enough to reclip. I'm pretty careful about chain
tension, but having a quick release makes adjusting a
snap, so I usually check/adjust it before every ride.

I don't ride fixed exclusively (although I know some who do,
including one "ultra-distance" cyclist), but I mix it in
somewhat randomly into perhaps half of my road riding. The
remarkable thing that I discovered was just how comparable
in performance such a minimalist bike is. Since I ride every
week over the same course with the same riders (for several
years now), it's pretty easy to measure the difference.
Modern, multi-speed bikes are nice, but every time I switch
back they seem a bit over-complicated and inelegant.

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 22 Jun 2004 18:24:48 -0700, Bruce Rideout wrote:

I have a friend who hates them. She had a bike that was a
converted Schwinn Paramount track bike -- converted to 12-
speed road. Eventually, she decided to get a new road
bike, and convert the track bike back to fixed. But she
hated it, felt out of control. She's in the process now of
reconverting it back to a road bike.

Go figure. I've always enjoyed the ride of my fixed gear.
I also like a road bike; it's just a different experience.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee
into theorems. _`\(,_ | -- Paul Erdos (_)/ (_) |

Didn't know it was possible to convert a Paramount track
bike to a road bike as described above. With the rear-track
wheel mounts, no derailleur hanger and the 120mm rear
spacing? go figure... -tom

Helmut Springer said:

Tim McNamara said:

Most people that go through the trouble of building up a
fixie are predisposed to liking it, in part due to the
effort that they went through in putting together the
bike. They expect to like it.

Not too much trouble here, so I was somewhat unbiased. It
has a somewhat special touch, like an oldtimer, and its
simplicity adds to that. Being in a hilly area and also
riding rougher ground from time to time one quickly learns
why bicycles did not stop to evolve from there...

Excellent point. It's interesting to note that racing
bikes did not lead the way to freewheels and derailleurs-
it was the French cyclotourists and randonneurs that did
so (they also had threadless stems in the early to mid
40's, as well as annular contact sealed bearings in the
hubs and BBs- and used aluminum stems, cranks, handlebars,
etc before the racers did). They were using freewheels and
derailleurs almost 20 years before they were permitted in
the Tour de France. Henri Desgranges thought a fixed gear
was more manly.

Benjamin Lewis said:

- I haven't experienced this yet, but people talk about
improved feeling for traction on slippery surfaces

Definitely so. Also, there is a benefit of being able to
stop in the rain, no matter how soaked the brakes get.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

There are some drawbacks.

Of course.

Such as looking down at an incredible downhill that you did
not expect to find.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | When you are up to your ass in alligators, it's
hard to remember _`\(,_ | that your initial objective was
to drain the swamp. -- LBJ (_)/ (_) |

Tim McNamara said:

Henri Desgrange thought a fixed gear was more manly.

He was correct, of course.

James Thomson

Tom Nakashima said:

Didn't know it was possible to convert a Paramount track
bike to a road bike as described above. With the rear-
track wheel mounts, no derailleur hanger and the 120mm
rear spacing? go figure...

A clamp-on adapter claw, or combined chain-tug/derailleur
hanger makes using a derailleur with track ends a snap.
Narrow 6-speed freewheels (like SunTour's Ultra 6) were
available for 120mm spacing.

James Thomson

Quoted message said:

EVERYONE I've spoken to (or read about) that has tried a
fixed gear has loved it. Is there anyone out there who has
tried a fixed gear on the road and has NOT liked it?

I've ridden a few fixies, including a couple of track bikes,
a restored old high-wheeler, and a unicycle; they were fun
for a short ride, but I wouldn't want to ride across town on
any of 'em, much less own one.

--
Robots don't kill people -- people kill people.
irobotmovie.comirobotmovie.comOpen ↗

Far from a fad. Back in the day when I was a serious racer,
late 70's to early eighties I would always ride a FG in the
winter. The gearing depended upon the local terrain. I love
the direct feeling of the FG. It was never super popular but
was recommended by Eddie B. and the like. It was more
efficient off season training especially in colder climates.
I used to get great training by going on hilly touring club
rides. I would get dropped on the downhills, pure peddle
speed, and bust ass to catch up on the next uphill.

Steve

[email hidden] (Robin Hubert) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Bruce Rideout) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm close to taking
the plunge on a fixed gear. I'm a bit apprehensive
though, because I won't be able to try one for any
length of time before buying. However, EVERYONE I've
spoken to (or read about) that has tried a fixed gear
has loved it. Is there anyone out there who has tried a
fixed gear on the road and has NOT liked it? If so, what
was it that you didn't like or that just didn't work out
for you?

I didn't "hate" them until they became popular. Now I
despise the whole philosophy. Here are grown people who
couldn't wait to buy the "10 speed" they could finally
afford and now they're back spending money on fixed gear
bikes. Of course, I don't mind them spending money (I'm
in the business). Like many, I spent my youth on a
single speed bike (never "fixed"😉. I can't see the idea
of going back.

In my opinion, it's a fad and a toy, and there's no real
benefit. There are some drawbacks.

Amazing young couple guys came through the other day,
touring from East coast to West, one riding a fixed gear/flip-
flop, beat-looking Peugot, 35lbs of gear on a rear rack. I
got the feeling he was holding the other guy back.

Robin Hubert

Robin-<< In my opinion, it's a fad and a toy, and there's no
real benefit. There are some drawbacks. >><BR><BR>

Well....say the day is lousy, wet, rainy and ya don't want
to ride a long time and don't want to dirty up yer bike. A
fixie, that makes ya peddle all the time, makes for a great,
shorter workout plus no stuff to dirty up. If ya pick where
you ride, I see no drawbacks when used to compliment a
normal geared bike.

BTW, fixies are not a recent development. They have been
around for years.

And another BTW-ALL bicycles are toys.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali
costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Qui si parla Campagnolo <[email hidden]> wrote:

: And another BTW-ALL bicycles are toys.

Speak for yourself mate. Some of mine are (the posh
roadbike), but the bike I use to get myself to work and to
haul a trailer with the shopping in isn't a toy. I don't
have a car.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune clune.orgclune.orgOpen ↗ "Technolibertarians make a
philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

James Thomson said:

Tim McNamara said:

Henri Desgrange thought a fixed gear was more manly.

He was correct, of course.

There are ways of defining "manly" and "deliberately
handicapping oneself to make life gratuitously more
difficult" doesn't strike me as one of them. Fixies are fun,
but not the tool for riding over the Alps.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

EVERYONE I've spoken to (or read about) that has tried a
fixed gear has loved it. Is there anyone out there who
has tried a fixed gear on the road and has NOT liked it?

I didn't like riding one much. One of the things I enjoy
most about riding is slicing through corners.

Having to pedal through corners more than ruins whatever
else I might enjoy about fixed gear riding.

I do love single-speeds though.

Ed Chait

Tim McNamara said:

There are ways of defining "manly" and "deliberately
handicapping oneself to make life gratuitously more
difficult" doesn't strike me as one of them. Fixies are
fun, but not the tool for riding over the Alps.

Evidently this is a subject into which you have little
insight. Next you'll be claiming that 57x22 isn't a more
manly gear that 42x16...

James Thomson