School me on Fixed Gear Bikes

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

This kind of thing happens (the anger against the "trendiness") any time a subculture gets embraced by wannabees and mainstream. So what, if it gets more poeple out there riding then great. Riding without a brake (IMO) is stupid. If you have quads like Eric Heiden and your knees are not screaming from abuse, or you can do the hopping, skidding thing, then great - use your legs to stop. i'll keep the front brake on my fixies. I welcome anyone who rides. I don't understand the venom for all the yuppies and college kids who are trying out something that is great fun. If your only sense of worth is that you're different than everyone else and lots of people interested in your pursuits are a threat to your ego, then I suggest it is time for therapy and not time to mock the late comers.

Fixies are great - enjoy the new experience. I never did understand the roadie culture of ridicule either. Not everyone has 50 hours a week to train and not all of us can ride like Moser or Jalabert.
 
There's a velodrome east of Seattle (built for the goodwill games) that holds intro to track biking classes / races every the Summer. I tried it for a few weekends before deciding it wasn't for me... it was fun in that closed setting (even though I sucked at racing) but not really practical for how I ride around town.

Of course... if you want to do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csFXnIpDTrE

you'll need a fixed gear. :) NTTAWWT
 
I personally have nothing against the trend, I'm one who jumps on them sometimes... It is about the functionality and practicality and usefulness of it, particularly for braking... I rode one the other day, I have a buddy who just moved out from Utah to urban Minneapolis and had a friend who owns a local bike shop build one up and send it out, and I took it for a spin before it went out. Just not for me and again IMO semi-dangerous unless you really get dialed on one. And just too much work, really makes no sense IMO... Again especially with having to reply on the pedals for brakes. I might change my song but this is what I think personally. Again I'm not fixed on my townie and it is sooo much more functional, does everything greet, and is flexible.. Again you can't bunny hop with ease, really do anything else other than pedal. I'm a telemarker too so something about it "should" maybe appeal to me, but IMO telemarking is totally functional especially with plastic boots, while fixie is still just retarded to me... So my $.02 on it...
 
I'll probably be outbid though since I'm going to bed now... :frown:
 
Oh yeah, one more thing about fixed gears - seeing the eBay ad reminded me - while you can put a quick release hub on the front, you have to bolt down the rear hub, so you have to carry a peanut butter wrench with you in case of a flat that needs the rear wheel removed. A 15mm, same wrench you'd use to pull campy cranks. At least it doubles as a tire iron.
 
I am thinking, on my SuperSport, of running two gears, so I can flip the wheel and get different ratios...

Doable?
 
stinkyfj60 said:
I am thinking, on my SuperSport, of running two gears, so I can flip the wheel and get different ratios...

Doable?
Click to expand...

Yes if the cogs are close enough in size.

The issue is chain tension, as there is no derailleur tensioning the chain for you.

If you have your chain length so when the smaller cog (e.g. a 17) is on the right side, the axle is at the back of the dropout, then, depending on the length of the dropouts on the SuperSport you should be able to use a larger cog (e.g. an 18) on the "flip" side, and when you put the wheel in that way the axle will be at the front of the dropout - closer to the seat tube.

If you have to remove set screws and springs from the dropouts to accomodate this range of chain, pack grease into the threads to make it easy to get them back in later.
 
stinkyfj60 said:
I am thinking, on my SuperSport, of running two gears, so I can flip the wheel and get different ratios...

Doable?
Click to expand...

Yep. Flip flop hubs. I ran one with fixed on one side and a free on the other. Fixed was a higher gear (fewer teeth).

With the old school steel bikes the dropouts were horizontal and had plenty of room for play with the tension of the chain.

I never had a problem with using QR wheel in the back. I just mashed it on there pretty hard. Or maybe I am a really weak pedaler.
 
macneill said:
Yep, and in my overzealous (drunken) state, I know I overpaid. Fawk it.

I do stupid things sometimes, actually most of the time.
Click to expand...

Who cares, it's a MASI (even if the company is a former shell of itself, a Masi fixi is the s***.)
 
macneill said:
Yep, and in my overzealous (drunken) state, I know I overpaid. Fawk it.
Click to expand...

What? I think it's a reasonable price. Sweet bike! You can tell from the dropouts that it's hardly been ridden. That's a giant gear on there. It will be good only for flat terrain. It looks like 48:15.

I'd take off the freewheel if it doesn't come with another brake.

I've been commuting on a fixed gear bike for about 3.5 years. The silence, simplicity and lack of maintenance are great and the extra workout is a bonus too. There is definitely some zen about a fixie that you don't get with other bikes. If you don't get it, then you just don't.

My commute is 26 miles one way, mostly flat and includes about 10 miles of paved bike trail. I ride a 53:19.

Headwinds suck.

My current ride is a '90s steel Ibis Sonoma converted with a White Industries ENO eccentric hub, bullhorn bars and one brake, just like the Masi. My fork is carbon, but that steel one will be smooth too. I use single-sided SPD pedals from SuperGo and mtb shoes. They have great clearance. With 170mm cranks I have never bumped a crank on this bike. I did on my previous Motobecane junker and it was 'exciting', at least.
 
Last edited:
Thanks! Dag, 26 miles each way? Wow, I'm impressed. If I commute into the city every day, it won't be that far for sure... :o

Looking forward to getting the bike hopefully early next week.

Will post pix and my experiences learning a fixie. I'm putting my old GT MTB basket pedals on it to learn... Stay tuned...
 
^ When you first take it out, go to an empty parking lot (at 3am) and ride around, so you can get a feel for it. It's a different bicycle.
 
White Shark said:
I've ridden track bikes on quite a few occasions and they do have a zen like simplicity, but Andrew is right, you have to stay in tune with what's going on around you. It's pretty important to develop a 6th sense regarding what's around the next corner as reaction time is short and reflexes are paramount to survival.

I've seen lots of bike messengers ride them in San Francisco (on the hills no less!), and the guys are nuts. It's a badge of honor for them, but they are professional riders. I used to ride an average of 30 miles a day for over a decade, and even I had enough sense to ride a freewheel when riding a single speed. Track bikes are cool, but more in the same way that unicycles could be called cool. They have a cool factor that has little to do with practicality and more to do with mastering an art form...




By the way, unicycles are ghey...:flipoff2:



..
Click to expand...
I cannot be the only unicycler on this forum ! maybe just the only one who agrees with ya,
they are kinda ghey but the workout is insane compared to a frewheeler
 
macneill said:
Thanks! Dag, 26 miles each way? Wow, I'm impressed. If I commute into the city every day, it won't be that far for sure... :o

Looking forward to getting the bike hopefully early next week.

Will post pix and my experiences learning a fixie. I'm putting my old GT MTB basket pedals on it to learn... Stay tuned...
Click to expand...

So, how is it going? :) Have you learned how not flat the north end of the loop around Prospect Park is? :lol:

I used to bike that loop every morning, a few times around. Going down that hill on a chilly January was something. :eek:

:beer:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom