What are the advantages/disadvantages of a fixie?

I never rode a bike as a child since we lived in an area of unpaved roads until you hit the highway 20 miles away. The first time I seriously rode a bike was in college and it was a junker three gear bought from someone else and used only to get to classes. Since then I have graduated to a serious road bike (via a hybrid) so I don't get the fixie except for a sturdy simple commuter bike for someone in a flatish area who either wants something to carry stuff on or something to do long (flat miles) and has incredibly strong thighs. Or is it all about being able to do wheelies and bunny hops ?

Not meaning to cast aspersions or criticize but what's the deal?

some advantages....FUN….and a simpler and purer form of riding with more of a connection between body, bike and road. It can make you a stronger climber on hills and a better high cadence peddler from going downhill. Coming off the bike by having the pedal move you up then moving backwards off the saddle as you stop is coolness :) Selecting the right gear choice for the terrain you'll ride in can help for a more efficient ride.

some disadvantages...possibly just the learning to ride a fixed gear, doesn't let you bail out on a hill using gears (not a disadvantage for me though), striking your pedal on the ground while cornering tightly and having a loose chain that can come off.

A friend of mine used to do long rides on a fixie as part of training for cross season. Crazy.

Low maintenance? That's the only real advantage I can think of, but then, I like my bikes with brakes and gears. It does supposedly improve one's pedaling technique.

There are people who get fixies (RebeccaC for example), and then there are people who like the idea of brakes and gears.

Mind you I have a friend who commuted on a fixie on a relatively hilly route (downhill all the way, uphill on the way back). It was clearly too tame for him, and he has since upgraded (downgraded?) to a unicycle, which is presumably even less maintenance.

I definitely don't get it...there's a reason brakes and gears were invented, and they make a bike much more practical (and safer). Particularly when hills are involved.

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Originally Posted by Jolt

I definitely don't get it...there's a reason brakes and gears were invented, and they make a bike much more practical (and safer). Particularly when hills are involved.

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Most fixie riders I know have a front brake. With the right technique you can easily stop a brakeless fixie though. Slowing down earlier and coming to a stop more gradually is just a matter of thinking more about your stop. Even a very fast stop with a scary wobble followed by skips and skids and with a sudden very high heart rate can get you stopped with a sense of control. For some that’s actually one of the attractions of a fixie. Personally I prefer a front brake but that’s just me.

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Originally Posted by Jolt

I definitely don't get it...there's a reason brakes and gears were invented, and they make a bike much more practical (and safer). Particularly when hills are involved.

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Well- there are all different kinds of bikes and people just like to experience different things. Some folks don't get that I love my single speed mountain bike. There are track bikes, recumbents... all sorts of variety.

If you race track you have to have a fixie :-)

Pros of Fixies:

Learn better pedaling technique
Simplicity, quiet, pure
Easier maintenance
Forces you to use inefficient gearing and as a result can help to build another layer of strength
Definite cool factor


Cons:
To quote my SO "f**king dangerous", made less so with a brake but still requires a great deal of skill
Can be very hard on your joints, especially when learning. The lower cadence required in many circumstances is not great for knees as they increase adverse joint forces, not to mention what happens if you forget and try to coast at speed.

Having said that, I love my single speed for training power and for the much simpler clean-up after muddy rides (cyclocross or mountain biking).

My son had a single speed commuter that could be flipped into a fixie.
He said "No f*n way."
That pretty much sums up my attitude, but of course, I am risk averse, compared to a lot of people. My non-riding/adventure friends don't think so, but I know my limits.
I do understand the allure of a single speed, but my body is kinda too broken down to deal with it at this point in my life.

I get the single-speed thing as an urban commuter or simply for fun and a nice challenge, and I'd get one if my knees would take it (I had my eye on the old version of the Charge Plug for the longest time). Fixie...:eek:, but then I'm a risk-averse klutz.

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Originally Posted by Owlie

I get the single-speed thing as an urban commuter or simply for fun and a nice challenge, and I'd get one if my knees would take it (I had my eye on the old version of the Charge Plug for the longest time). Fixie...:eek:, but then I'm a risk-averse klutz.

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I love old bikes and especially old steel roadies, so I can see the appeal for commuting in a flat place but here, the way people drive and the number of times I really HAVE needed brakes, I really couldn't see it. Back home where my parents live, it'd make more sense. But I'm also a klutz, so it's prolly a bad idea.