It’s hot. Want to wear flip-flops to work and ride the fixie. Lots of people seem to think toe clips/straps are essential. Can’t really see why. If I just use flats and wear flip flops will I die?

Don’t know, not sure, to be honest don’t really care. But please film it and post the results here..

(That is if you don’t die to death first of course)

Nah – I always bimble around the village on the fixie in flip-flops… And that’s on little SPD pedals too!

Don’t be so precious sweetheart 😉

DrP

As above from Dr P… Often ride in jandals

And sometimes just sometimes … Shock horror barefoot !!
:@))

Seriously ?

As long as you’re wearing your sister’s jeans, nattily cut off in to shorts, obviously.

With brakes go for it. Without brakes, madness.

Edit: one brake will do.

Huws, doesn’t stop the hipstertw@s in That London

wearing your sister’s jeans

hipstertw@s in That London

*waves*

I have a brake and SPDs though.

I have a brake and SPDs though.

Then you, sir, are not a hipstertw@

Cross dressing, silly bike riding loon you may be, but you’re not a hipstertw@

I have some flats with restraps and a -16 degree stem with brakeless risers for popping to Dalston.

Right I thought as much. If I do die though, I’ll try to make it spectacular and get it on the news.

without 6″ heels,you’re just a time waster 😉

I’ve been tempted after riding in my am45 sweat boxes recently. Good foot detox though!

kayak…

Bit silly, if your brake cable snaps you’re a bit screwed. I hate riding fixed without foot retention, just feels weird. Oh, and brakes 4 fakes man.

Not had a brake cable snap in 25 years+ of riding.
Why would not having foot retention prevent me from stopping (in the event of brake failure). This is the bit I’m just not getting.

SPD sandals are fantastic – especially the cooling breeze you get on your feet when you pull up while clipped in…

Our route to the pub has a really sharp railway bridge and I’ve had a brake cable snap coming down it. I’ve nearly had a tendon snap riding up it – especially as Mrs BigJohn (on her geared pub bike) always goes for glory and the polka dot jersey on it.

I can just about get away with flip flops (fixed (1 brake) with V8s, so too spiky for bare feet) on pub & shopping trips but I switch to Time Atacs if I go for a proper ride.

On a fixie, if you’re going fast, and you really want to stop, in a hurry, without using brakes, you’re going to have a hard time doing so unless you can pull up with your leading foot.

Also.. skidding the back wheel or skip stopping is hard to do without having the leading foot clipped in. It’s easy for your front foot to get left in the air as you push back on the rear pedal. Not good.

Of course if you’ve got legs like Chris Hoy, it won’t matter much.

No foot retention means you can’t pull up on the leading pedal, much harder to slow down/skid.

I saw a hipster today in London wearing a retro roadie cap looking like flippin Bernard Hinault or something. Ponce.

I tried SPDs on the mountain bike. I never got on with them. I just felt that spending that much time upside down in a ditch was not productive.

Bit silly, if your brake cable snaps you’re a bit screwed…

Can be said to anyone riding any bike, couldn’t it?!

DrP

if your brake cable snaps……

my brake cable has been a gear cable for the last five years, its still going.

The only downside I’ve found riding the fixie around in That London in flip flops are the occasional abrupt stop and foot plant whilst still moving…

The leather bit that goes in between yer big toe and next toe kinda digs in and almost wants to slice that natty bit of skin right there..

Nowt rong with Benard the Badger riding in London.. I often wear a casquette with the peak turned up just so..

Brown arms and brown tanned legs rule.

Have fun in the heat chaps.

With brakes go for it. Without brakes, madness.

Edit: one brake will do.

Madness? Moronity, morelike.

There’s loads going on in melbourne; typically wearing a flat cap and holding an organic fair trade coffee Guess what? they get in loads of accidents and skew the statistics to suggest cycling is dangerous. However, I think it’s Darwinian. That way the hipsterdouche will be slowly removed from the gene pool.

The leather bit that goes in between yer big toe and next toe kinda digs in and almost wants to slice that natty bit of skin right there..

Birk[enstock]s are the answer darlings! Wore my birks plenty o times riding fixie last summer, front brake and very flat though exluding the odd rail bridge.

You won’t die.

No foot retention means you can’t pull up on the leading pedal, much harder to slow down/skid.

I often wear a casquette with the peak turned up just so..

Do you also have a pale blue vintage style fixie with chrome retry style drops, tan bar tape, and do you wear blue capri pants?

Birkenstocks – they dont’ seem to stand up to bike riding. Seems to cause serious cracks in the cork.

badbod99 – Member

On a fixie, if you’re going fast, and you really want to stop, in a hurry, without using brakes

…then let’s be honest, you are pretty much boned regardless of pedals and footwear, you don’t have as much control or as much brake as you would have with a proper bike.

I have done this for a short trip to the shops. At the end of which I realised I didn’t have my keys, so had to then do a slightly longer 10 mile each way round trip to pick up the wife’s keys. I didn’t die, but it wasn’t the most fun I’ve had on a bike.

the fog rolled in off the sea today so I ended up in shoes. Certain death upload will have to wait for next week.
Can’t imagine I’ll ever ride brakeless. Most of my route is now along pedestrian/cycle paths. Just tempting fate without brakes. (not that I can reach the road brake levers).

Birkenstocks – they dont’ seem to stand up to bike riding. Seems to cause serious cracks in the cork.

I’m not sure .. they were old and cracked before that anyway 🙂
I was using them on some Superstar flats 🙂 , nice big surface area

I thought this thread was going to be a rant about me – I’ve been doing the fixed gear / Birkenstocks / DMR V12 thing in Sheffield about every day for the past month.

One brake (of the disc variety).

Update:
Been riding fixed gear with flip flops every day this week. No problems at all. Slightly easier to get in and out of the toe clips too. I’ve even found a nice lime green pair of jeans shorts with turn ups.
Apparently I also need a latte?

and a man bag or designer courier bag

Obviously it’s the ‘new thing’ which might be explanation in itself, but does anyone know why fixed gear bikes have made a return? Surely to anyone with an ounce of common sense they’re just a daft idea? I can totally understand a singlespeed bike with a single brake being the ultimate in a low maintenance machine, but a freewheel really doesn’t take that much looking after so why would you even consider junking it considering all the negatives?

Sorry if I’m late to the game.

Full suss spd Birkenstock combo here..

I think the key is wearing socks… thick knee high ones, tastefully pushed down to ankle height…

(plus your sisters cut – offs or Kylie-esque gold short shorts… and a skinny latte to go… )