that was the worst **** rant ever more of a whimper. Whilst they are very strange bikes if people decide to ditch the car, tube, bus then that is good.
Whilst I have no problem with fixed wheeled bikes (I've got one myself that was used for a good few years as a winter trainer, but now has flat bars on to ride around the village and to the paper shop) I do for some reason have a problem with the term "fixie". Couldn't tell you why – just sounds a bit carp! I guess I'm from the old school roadie background of using fixeds as a winter training tool, and "fixie" just sounds a bit fashionista.
Nude drop bars – no control
No brakes – no control
Flip Flops / 3' heals – no control (how do you slow down?)
If you are out in the middle of nowhere – fine, but in the middle of the city – why is this ok?
Atleast in a car you are a licenced driver with a MOT
No problem with most fixie riders – more skill than I will ever have. But the recent crop who are following the 'in thing' are just counter productive to cycling in general.
I know I should live and let live as their cyclists, but the **** with his fixie and little cycle cap I see in the morning make me want to run him over… sorry, but it DOES!
I'm such a nice chap normally, but it's that cap, dunno why.
I regularly have to run the gauntlet of people riding singlespeed bikes in inappropriate clothing – BMXer with stupid hairnet style hats, trousers round their ankles and knees round their chins as they hoon around the cyclepaths which double as footpaths in my local town. That and the old buffers on mobility scooters who think they're entitled to use them at full speed because they can't walk too easily. Fixies on the road, going slowly? That'll always be the dream.
I've been commuting on a fixed gear bike for years. 1000's of miles with no maintanece – great :D!
I love the arty shots of the bikes, they can have such simplistic beauty. There are some photos online of people in fancy dress 'old skool' stylee 8O. They are so funny, how could you possibly criticise? It's not as if they're hurting anybody!
I have absolutely no problem with this sort of thing at all 🙂
However, there was a bloke who lived over the road from me, gold coloured Charge plug, narrow riser bars, four spoke aero front wheel.
Nob
and he had one of those caps
Double nob
DAMN them and their SKINNY jeaned, FloPPy fringed, poncing twatINESS. They keep trying to do weeeeelies outside my flat and then falling on their arses (OK, I admit there is a degree of entertainment value there). Then they act holier thanTHOU!!!!!! when you turn left at a set of lights while they were busy underTAKING and ignoring the highway code.
Also they're all slightly condescending to pensioners, rude to badgers and they buy really cheap pedals.
Bloke I work with rides a fixie to and from home. He's in his late 50's, and the bike is a Viking, with chrome rims, steel cottered cranks and chrome steel pedals. He rides from Grittleton which is around eight miles on country lanes and he does it in around 22 minutes. The bike is one he had at university and was in a shed until six months ago, and it was second-hand when he got it thirty-odd years ago. Oh, and it's got nude bars as well. Want to have a go at him for his 'niche-ness'?
I ride my bike from home to work most days, probably just over 9 miles each way. It stays outside all night, and outside work all day. The only thing I have replaced is tyres/brake pads and 1 chain. It never gets maintained, looks shite and does the job. And it's fixed. Does that make me a muppet?
You'll be chuffed to know that lastnight I made my fixed wheel bicycle much more fashionable by removing half the brakes and fitting some chopped down risers.
Turned it from this pile of steaming turd
into this slightly less steaming pile of turd
Carbon risers had a nasty gouge so were no longer of use for off road and therefore ripe for chopping.
Bike is now easily identifiable as a mtb'ers fixed by the XT rear hub, Hope front, monkeylites, Titec Ti post and OO saddle 🙂
Riding at 3mph is not easy, it seems to encourage you to go flat out as much as possible.
Cheap pedals, Check!
^ tbf, I'm with you on this one MrSmith. Although saying that, I don't think I could bear being on the receiving end of one of CaptJon's disapproving expressions….
^ tbf, I'm with you on this one MrSmith. Although saying that, I don't think I could bear being on the receiving end of one of CaptJon's disapproving expressions….
Don't worry, you'd not get one, unless you were in 3 inch heels of course.
I ride my bike from home to work most days, probably just over 9 miles each way. It stays outside all night, and outside work all day. The only thing I have replaced is tyres/brake pads and 1 chain. It never gets maintained, looks shite and does the job. And it's fixed. Does that make me a muppet?
If you ride in flip flops and go 3mph because you know you cant stop if you go any faster – then yes, your a muppet.
No problem with fixies – (in awe of London courier riders) but some people are just victims of fashion and just plain unsafe.