What is the point in a fixie?

[crazycanuck]

After riding a track bike, I can sort of see the appeal of fixies & singlespeeds. Do I want a fixie now? Umm..no, i'll just use it at the track thanks. Singlespeed on the other hand..sure why not.

I'd like to go singlespeed on my mtb but I keep getting odd looks when I tell my other half... Really..I'd love to try it...

[Jiffer]

Seems like the fixie thing is a culture all its own. There's a guy who rides a fixie in our club. I couldn't figure him out for a long time. Didn't even realize he rode a fixie, but he was the only one wearing cargo shorts instead of spandex! I kept thinking surely he'd show up with spandex at the next ride, because surely he would figure out that spandex was the superior option.

It was my husband who eventually noted and then pointed out to me that this guy rode a fixie and what that even meant. Apparently he rides with a fixie club in L.A. Who knew there was a fixie CLUB even?!

I have to say, for a guy in cargo shorts on a fixie, he holds his own amazingly well amongst all us gear fixated spandexies!!! (Get it?! Fixie? Spandexie?! I crack myself up.)

In conclusion, on a humorous note, my husband informed me that fixie guy (who has a name, which I just can't remember right now) did finally show up to a ride with spandex.

[lph]

Jiffer, you crack me up

I've moved from considering fixies an absurd concept to being kind of tempted. A very light bike with few moving parts (and less MAINTENANCE!) with a direct and strong response sounds fun. But I think I'd freak out at the spinning downhill thing. Singlespeed maybe, sometime.

[MommyBird]

My hubbie is fixated on fixies right now. Belt drives too. I am sure the constant pedaling would get old fast and he would flip the hub.

We would like to get commuter/sightseeing bikes for our RV trips, and think a 3 or 8 speed would be good for me with a fixie as an equalizer for him.

[Catrin]

This is interesting, and I've confused single-speeds with fixies. For some reason I thought they were the same thing

[Cataboo]

Sheldon Brown has a great article on his site about fixed gear bikes, their advantages, etc.

I don't have a fixie, because I'm cheap and weak enough that I do need my gears. But I have been severely tempted by them.

Fixed gears strengthen/work on your bike handling skills - they also work on and imrpove your cadence. You can't coast - you can't put on your brakes and coast around a turn... (well, some of them do have brakes if they're smart) ... But it comes down to, you need to anticipate that a hill is coming or a turn is coming and use your feet to get yourself to the cadence or speed that you can handle that hill or that turn.

Everyone that I know who has gotten one has said that they're great fun.

[Catrin]

NO BRAKES

Ok...my heart rate has slowed, I just had this little image of what that would be like for me...obviously they are not for beginners like me!

[Biciclista]

both of my sons own fixies. My older son got one because he hates dealing with changing gears. his is geared low. My younger son is very strong and has HIS fixie geared high (so he can ride much faster, or slower with a lower cadence) I think he has his more for street cred, as he also has a road bike with multiple gears.

I honestly had that same question in mind when i read the ride report of a friend of mine who just finished a 300 kilometer Randonneur ride on a fixie. He finished the ride with barely minutes to spare... 19 hours and 58 minutes. The cut off was 20 hours. Most people were in bed long long before that. I will share with you a part of his ride report:

"I drank some hot cocoa and ate some banana bread, then I was off! It was ~12:30 a.m. and I needed to cover 28 miles by 3:00 a.m. It was, indeed, a fairly decent tail wind. I realized I could still make the 20 hour time limit, if I stayed steady. But, after a while I was struggling to stay awake. This didn't help my speed.

I struggled on, occasionally dozing off, occasionally being awakened by having drifted onto the rumble strips. Then I'd try to pick up my speed ... until I became drowsy again.

Finally I saw the lights of Sedro Wooley. Now I smelled the barn and no longer struggled to fight off falling asleep."

[SadieKate]

This is interesting, and I've confused single-speeds with fixies. For some reason I thought they were the same thing

They can be.

A fixie has a single speed/rear cog but is called a fixie as there is no freewheel (no ability to coast). A bike commonly called a singlespeed has the one gear but also has a freewheel. A fixie is a singlespeed bicycle byt a singlespeed bike is not always a fixie.

As far as no brakes, some fixies have a single front brake added by the smart people who live in hilly terrain. You still use your feet to slow the bike sort of like a coaster brake.

[kmehrzad]

My hubbie is fixated on fixies right now. Belt drives too. I am sure the constant pedaling would get old fast and he would flip the hub.

We would like to get commuter/sightseeing bikes for our RV trips, and think a 3 or 8 speed would be good for me with a fixie as an equalizer for him.

A folder would be an ideal bike for your RV trips. Depending on how much $$ you'd want to spend, the Bike Fridays are top of the line folders, however, Dahons are not a bad choice either. In fact, I prefer the fold of a Dahon over the BF.

[kermit]

I have a single speed and love it. I wanted a steel bike for rougher roads in Georgia and found one on bikes direct. The thing is a blast. I can still coast but I love the ride of steel and am even considering a steel road bike. My husband calls it a trophy but it's just another steed in the barn!

[kmehrzad]

I have a single speed and love it. I wanted a steel bike for rougher roads in Georgia and found one on bikes direct. The thing is a blast. I can still coast but I love the ride of steel and am even considering a steel road bike.

I won't go back to aluminum ever again. The ride on a steel bike is significantly better.

[Blueberry]

A folder would be an ideal bike for your RV trips. Depending on how much $$ you'd want to spend, the Bike Fridays are top of the line folders, however, Dahons are not a bad choice either. In fact, I prefer the fold of a Dahon over the BF.

And Bike Friday actually will make you a fixed gear folder if you want

I have enough knee issues - so I've not been willing to take the plunge. I might try a singlespeed. Maybe.

[kmehrzad]

Hmmm, a fixed gear Bike Friday ... no, I think I'll stick to my geared NWT and PR.

Blueberry, depending upon where you live (hilly vs. not-so-hilly), why not give a singlespeed a try? It'll take a little getting used to wanting to shift the gears but then realizing there aren't any.

[MommyBird]

A folder would be an ideal bike for your RV trips. Depending on how much $$ you'd want to spend, the Bike Fridays are top of the line folders, however, Dahons are not a bad choice either. In fact, I prefer the fold of a Dahon over the BF.

We pull a 28' Airstream with a GMC 2500. The truck is set up to haul four bikes right now. No need for space saving bikes.