Reason to get a fixie?

[baiskeli]

Well, they’re probably a good way to ruin your knees faster than normal aging does. If you’re into that.

[PeteD]

Price. Fixies don’t have the overhead of derailleurs and brifters, and are usually made of metal (alloy / steel).
Style. Because the price is low, it’s cheap to customize parts/colours/etc.
Badassery. Being on a fixie in NoVA with the hills will always get you a nod of appreciation from serious cyclists.

–Pete

[Phatboing]

Fixies are stupid.

Get one.

They’re awesome.

[jrenaut]

As a new fixie rider, I highly recommend it. Although you will struggle a bit to find a gearing that works both up and down the Custis. I can’t quite describe the allure. It definitely makes you a better rider by forcing you into a cadence that might not be comfortable (you can get this from a geared bike, but you have to actually mean to do it. Fixed you don’t have a choice). A while back OneEighth described it like walking on a crowded sidewalk – you get into a rhythm of adjusting your speed to those around you. That description really appealed to me. The maintenance thing is cool, too. I’ve been getting a lot more comfortable doing work on bikes because the fixie isn’t as scary to work on. Derailleurs are intimidating, but I’ve gained a lot of confidence working on the fixie and now I’m able to do more on the other bikes, too.

I have an Xtracycle for hauling the kids, a Bianchi Volpe do-everything commuter, and a Pinarello Catena fixed gear. If I’m not hauling the kids and the weather isn’t bad, the Pinarello is my first choice.

[Crickey7]

N+1 is a guideline for living one’s life, not a rule. N+2 is encompassed within the meaning of N+1.

[PotomacCyclist]

http://crystalcity.org/item/tonight-spark-speed-at-wednesday-night-spins1

“You asked for it, so here it is. For the final week of Wednesday Night Spins on March 25th, there will be a fixed-gear race in place of the elite “A” race. Fixed-Gear bikes only. No single-speed freewheelers, no gears. Brakes? I guess that’s up to you. If that’s not your thing, still come out, have a beer from the Washington Wine Academy, and watch what should be an entertaining race. So, for you elites out there, this is it! The series finale is tonight. Prizes will be awarded after the race.

– See more at: http://crystalcity.org/item/tonight-spark-speed-at-wednesday-night-spins1#sthash.dN02Pk8n.dpuf “

NOTE: I don’t have a fixie, so I can’t say how good or bad they are. I defer to everyone else.

[dkel]

@baiskeli 111638 wrote:

Well, they’re probably a good way to ruin your knees faster than normal aging does. If you’re into that.

No, no, no. If you ride fixed, you can’t climb as easily by mashing the hell out of the pedals as you can by utilizing the entire pedal stroke to generate power. The result is a smoother pedal stroke that uses more muscle groups in combination, as opposed to putting a lot of pressure on your knees by only maximizing your downstroke. If you’re like me, you never learned this on a geared bike because you don’t have to: you can just downshift. I learned it on a fixie because I couldn’t downshift; also, a smooth pedal stroke is required for spinning on descents, otherwise you bounce out of the saddle. So learning to climb fixed is better for your knees, and the same skill makes climbing on a geared bike easier, too.

[jrenaut]

@dkel 111650 wrote:

So learning to climb fixed is better for your knees, and the same skill makes climbing on a geared bike easier, too.

I’ve definitely noticed that I’m better at climbing on my geared bike since I’ve been riding fixed.

[americancyclo]

@reji 111637 wrote:

I currently have a trusty flat bar hybrid named Shirley. I also have Laverne, my CX, which I use for fun off trail and commuting in the snow.

So is the new bike going to be Lenny or Squiggy?

[ShawnoftheDread]

@americancyclo 111657 wrote:

So is the new bike going to be Lenny or Squiggy?

Pinky Tuscadero. No one wants to ride Squiggy.

[TwoWheelsDC]

As the owner of three fixed gear bikes, I’m actually gonna say go with the road bike first, particularly if you have the budget for it. Ride the hell out of it, do all the hills you can, ride as far as you can, get strong, and improve your bike handling. Then maybe you get kinda bored with it and want to mix things up, THEN you drop a few hundred bucks on a fixed gear on a whim and never look back.

Of course I can’t speak for anyone else, but I started with road bikes before fixed gear bikes and that helped me fall in love with doing longer rides and hills and all that jazz. I think if I’d started with a fixed gear bike, I’d naturally confine myself to areas/terrain where it’s easier to ride fixed. But since I started with the road bike first, now I tend to take my fixed gear bikes on all the same stuff that I do on my road bike (with a few exceptions, like the Tri360 hill ride and things like that).

[Jason B]

#1 reason for me: Pedal stroke on the turns.
Riding a fixie keeps me pedaling on the turns, thus increasing my speed when I have gears. Way smoother and confident on the turns.

[Phatboing]

@dkel 111650 wrote:

utilizing the entire pedal stroke to generate power. The result is a smoother pedal stroke that uses more muscle groups in combination, as opposed to putting a lot of pressure on your knees by only maximizing your downstroke.

Noticed this too. If I get lazy on my upstroke, the bike reminds me with a gentle kick that there is no slacking allowed, you slacker. As a result, riding fixed with flat pedals has done more for conscious full-circle pedaling than riding clipless ever did.

I still have to get used to the higher cadences going downhill. Higher cadences lead to heavy breathing, and that doesn’t end well in this kind of weather.

[mstone]

well, this thread just took a turn to the disturbing

[hozn]

Let me start off by saying I don’t own a fixed gear. I might build one for fun one day, but it’s not in the short-term plans, as I only have room for 3 bikes [for myself] and can’t justify that as one of them.

So I would advise that if you only have room for 1 more bike, the road bike is probably the better option. It will be a lot more versatile. And faster. And more efficient at climbing hills. It always *feels* fast to stand on the pedals, but for any sustained climb sitting and spinning at steady cadence is faster.

But I am sure FG is a lot of fun and a different type of challenge. So it really depends on what you want: if you want to ride the MUPs around here, a single-speed/FG setup works great and will make the otherwise-pretty-boring trails more engaging. If OTOH you want to expand your riding to do more [road] group rides, road racing, etc. then the FG seems a more limiting choice.

You can always zip tie your shifters and ride that road bike single-speed. Yes, that’s not fixed, but you get the same “run what you brung” answer when you look up at the hill.

[Author]

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