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- #21
Fixed Gear Bikes
- Thread starter edin351
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Shahram
I ain't got herpes no more.
Oh contraire...singles are cheap and reliable. Your weakest link is your chain, then your rims. But the things I've had fail the most on me were derailleurs and cables. Eliminating those are two keys to a nearly no-maintenance bike. What maintenance is required, can be done quickly and easily with a few basic tools at home.
As was stated before, singles are a different riding discipline. Some people ride a spinny, low gear, because it offers them a different fitness angle. Others ride them because they offer a pure, maneuvering-oriented, nimble riding experience. I hate to go with the trends, but they're trendy for a reason--they're fun!
Shahram
I ain't got herpes no more.
Not really. The blow up in popularity are the reason so many makers are putting out more light single speed commuters. If it weren't for the hipsters, you'd pay top dollar at a speciality bike shop for parts. Now, your neighborhood shop can hook you up with parts in stock for a competitive price.
Fixed Gear Bikes are for Assholes (facebook group)
A group dedicated to affirming the reasonable and self-evident proposition that anyone who rides a bike with only one gear and no brakes for the purposes of fashion is necessarily and inarguably a fxxxing tool.
A group dedicated to affirming the reasonable and self-evident proposition that anyone who rides a bike with only one gear and no brakes for the purposes of fashion is necessarily and inarguably a fxxxing tool.
people on Facebook calling someone a tool.... internet irony.
Don't you have a quarter to find somewhere?
I'd like to convert my old commuter to a single speed. I grew up riding bmx bikes and I'd like to add some of that element to my ride. Anyone selling/recommending a rear single speed hub?
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- #28
scottm
SILVER Star
More like the essence of "look I'm different". In nearly 30 years of mtb I can't think of a time I would've enjoyed fewer gears on a challenging trail. It would certainly be safer, I wouldn't go nearly as fast or as far on a rigid single-speed.
Lame. A fixie puts you much more in touch with the terrain. Coasting is for little girls and old men.
Great idea. If you don't want it fixed you can probably spin off the gears and spin on a bmx freewheel. You will have to redish the wheel for it to be perfect which may require new spokes and a complete rebuild of the wheel, but the hub and rim will work fine.
F' hipsters. I've been riding fixed gear for over 10 years. I have a front brake which doesn't get used much. It's a fun ride.
Thank you. My point exactly. If you haven't tried it and hated it, you just wouldn't understand. For six years I regularly commuted one way, 25-30 miles almost every day on a fixed gear road bike. I started on an old Motobecane I converted, then upgraded to an Ibis Sonoma steel road frame with a White Industries ENO eccentric conversion hub.
I would wonder, but if they were 100% thrilled with what they were doing, I'd want to try it to see if it was as cool as they were saying, not just bash it because of how they were dressed.
I agree. I ride rigid off road, though not fixed. Fast downhill is just too fun. I've got a Phil Wood SS that's for sale and a Jericho.
I agree, 100%. See the pic below.
If it doesn't have track ends, you can use a White Industries ENO to get proper chain tension.
If you rode SS for a while, you'd get stronger and then you'd be able to go further no matter what you were riding. I'm kind of out of shape this year due to my Cruiser addiction, but I'd still jump on my SS for anything less than an epic. I do keep a Titus around for
Sierra riding and one local park that is too deep to get to the back on my SS.
SS is a different riding style. Much more standing and hammering instead of sitting and spinning. You can only go so slow, so you end up getting faster, maybe faster than you want. There is a grade after which I can't continue, so I walk. I'm 47, so this happens pretty often. It's granny gear.
Rigid is like fixed gear. You are more in touch with the trail. I found when I first started riding full suspension it was too easy. I could just go straight. I went back to a hardtail and then pretty quickly to a rigid singlespeed. That was around 2001. I've ridden many thousands of rigid dirt and fixed gear roadie miles since then. I don't own any skinny jeans, I have a front brake and I wear a helmet.
Like the sticker 
Is that a flask in the water bottle holder?
Got a full pic of that bike? What's with the grip on the top tube?
Is that a flask in the water bottle holder?
Got a full pic of that bike? What's with the grip on the top tube?
Here is my commuter - a fixed gear conversion from 87 Bianchi Strada LX (Cro-mo frame/fork, was 12 speed). I bought it cheap and was in bad shape. I basically stripped it all the way down to the bare frame, and bought a pair of decent Miche fixed wheel set and have been very happy with it. A nice thing having an old frame is that it doesn't got too much attention from thief's eyes.
scottm
SILVER Star
I switched from rigid to full-sus after most of my friends and competitors had gone from rigid to front-sus to full-sus. I liked my rigid frame, and I rode a slightly smaller frame, which was harsh but nimble. Switching to full-sus was like switching from a unicycle to a cruiser, even though I continued with a small frame. I was shocked at how much more efficient full-sus was, and I sought to maximize that efficiency. The first thing I noticed was I was no longer standing through an entire ride, I didn't have to unload the wheels to get over stuff and protect the rims, the suspension took care of it. I sat as much as possible, using my legs full-circle instead of mostly pushing, and turning a higher cadence on mild terrain. I studied everything I did, it was a completely different ride, different lines, different tire pressures, carrying more speed on downhills and practically coasting up hills with that speed. Less sprint and more stamina, which favored me as a runner.
I can see how staying in one gear would cause me to stand more, I'd be straining more to climb, and coasting more when I run out of gear on down-hills. But I don't see that as a good thing. Pushing a big gear up a hill is an old training method, we did that regularly on training rides to gain strength. Usually it started with Lou saying he made it up this hill on his big ring. We'd challenge him, and he'd make it almost to the top, and several more of us would be on our way up in our big rings as he jumped aside, and we'd all take a couple runs at it. On a ss I guess I'd be walking up a lot of big hills or sticking with easier trails, but I don't think it'd make me a better rider.
Yeah, suspension does seem like cheating sometimes, but I remember my first ride on my full-sus, I was laughing out loud like a little kid, couldn't believe how fast I was taking jumps and ruts. And I was pissed that everyone I rode with and against had been on full-sus all that time while I was old-school. I still ride my rigid frame on occasion, flew over the handlebars pretty quickly when I forgot what I was on, regained my respect and dislike of it.
Nope. It's actually a purpose-built flask holder.
Those are pegs. You take your feet off the pedals and put them up there so you can bomb down hills on your fixie when the cranks are turning faster than you could keep up.
Nope. It's actually a purpose-built flask holder.
Those are pegs. You take your feet off the pedals and put them up there so you can bomb down hills on your fixie when the cranks are turning faster than you could keep up.
awesome
is right!
I'm building a Cannondale Capo. I won the frame and fork on eBay recently, and am going to have all of the components on it in time for Spring training at a local velodrome. I do see all the hipsters riding around on their "fixies" and find it amusing. But there are enough bike shops popping up around Atlanta to support the local economy as a result of it, so I say live and let live. I just prefer purpose built bikes and intend to use it for what I build it for. Who knows, maybe velodrome racing is my calling - I'm willing to give it a shot. If I find I suck at it at least I'll still have a cool bike that I can ride around town as a consolation prize.
I've had two friends buy the Windsor Hour from Bikes Direct and like them. While they are cheap, they're decent enough and worth the $300 or so.
It's easy to find a good used fixed gear bike on craigslist, ebay, or from a good local bike shop. Some can be had for $200 and way less.
Here's a few more options:
State Bicycle Co. - Bicycles
Fixed Gear Bikes | Fixies from Big Shot Bikes
Bicycles : Fixed/Singlespeed - City Grounds - citygrounds.com
Specialized Bicycle Components : Langster
Pista Steel Flat Bar | Bianchi USA
IRO CYCLE Inc. Custom Fixed Gear and Single Speed Bicycles
Good question. If you have never been on a fixed gear bike, other than your Schwinn Orange Crate or Stingray when you were 5, it's tough to see the logic. As mentioned above, fixed gear bikes make you a stronger rider, smooth out your cadence so you pedal more efficiently and they are simple to maintain and cheaper to build.Fine but why?! If someone came onto this forum and said they wanted a single-speed landcruiser because they just liked it, you wouldn't wonder?
I live near San Fran, so I completely grasp the helpless nature of some bikers who go to the bike shop just to have a bolt tightened. But this is an auto forum, so I'm guessing you're not so helpless with a wrench that you couldn't possibly deal with any mechanism more complex than a single gear with a chain around it.
Sooo...
There's also some other fun benefits. Fixed gear bikes can be nearly silent when you're riding them as there's no chain slap and derailleur noises to clutter up your ride. It's very cool to cruise down the road only hearing your tires on the pavement and your breathing...very Zen-like. Also, the terrain dictates your workout as you can't shift to make the ride easier which forces you to push harder than you normally would. That said, San Francisco ain't the best place for a fixed gear! I live in Flattachussettes so route options for a fixie are plentiful. Single speed mountain bikes are truly a blast in the woods and again very Zen-like to ride in the trees and rocks with little bike noises and easy to fix. Some riders are actually faster on their SS MTB than their geared bikes, depending on the trails.
Fast Eddy nailed it all well. It's all personal preference, much like cruiser builds and the different routes one can take. Some folks love full suspension or hard tails, and others like old school rigid bikes. There's nothing like hammering through a tough technical section on a rigid MTB, picking the right lines, and riding smooth.
Fixies are easy and relatively inexpensive to get into. I started with a $500 Bianchi Pista and fell in love with the ride. Sold it and built up a fixed Independent which has become my favorite ride for the last 5 years. Saying they are addictive would be an understatement.
If you like riding, you owe it to yourself to try one, although you might want to leave to SF to do it. Knowing your technical expertise, you would probably dig building one.
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I have had my Torelli track bike for 12+ years, and it still is going strong...and well before they were "hip". Gotta love a bike without brakes and needs a wrench to change gears. Reminds me, perhaps it is time to hit the velodrome for some much needed training.
Steve
Steve
If you are in a relatively flat city, a Fixed speed is fun. I'm no hipster, and I cant wear skinny jeans because my Calves and Thighs.
I laugh at and am slightly annoyed by all of the people that change gears 3-4 times within an intersection to "get going." 10 pumps on the crank and I am doing 15-20 mph and down the block already.
Most fixies you will buy will have a flip flop hub so you can run fixed or freewheel in order to coast.
Here is a link to a relatively inexpensive fixie to get you out there. Everyone I have seen with these around town is pleased. You might have it looked over just to tighten everything up. That is always a good idea with any bike. What gets me is when I blow past people who are "training" on their 3K road bike on my 20 inch BMX. What can I say, I like to get where I am going as fast as possible.
Relatively light compared to most of the custom fixie websites.
Custom Fixed Gear bike | Fixed Gear bike | Fixed Gear | Fixie bike | Tomcat Fixed Gear bike | Single Speed bike | Fixed Gear Bikes | Fixie Bikes | Custom Fixies | Road racing bike
I laugh at and am slightly annoyed by all of the people that change gears 3-4 times within an intersection to "get going." 10 pumps on the crank and I am doing 15-20 mph and down the block already.
Most fixies you will buy will have a flip flop hub so you can run fixed or freewheel in order to coast.
Here is a link to a relatively inexpensive fixie to get you out there. Everyone I have seen with these around town is pleased. You might have it looked over just to tighten everything up. That is always a good idea with any bike. What gets me is when I blow past people who are "training" on their 3K road bike on my 20 inch BMX. What can I say, I like to get where I am going as fast as possible.
Relatively light compared to most of the custom fixie websites.
Custom Fixed Gear bike | Fixed Gear bike | Fixed Gear | Fixie bike | Tomcat Fixed Gear bike | Single Speed bike | Fixed Gear Bikes | Fixie Bikes | Custom Fixies | Road racing bike
