What's the point of a Fixie?

Oh but they do. They really, really do. Hence the need to denigrate other groups, in order to try to make themselves feel a little better about their own inadequacies.

You sound quite bitter about this.

You sound quite bitter about this.

Not at all. Although my espresso in it’s itny cup is, which is why I have a little suger to temper it slightly.

Not at all. Although my espresso in it’s itny cup is, which is why I have a little suger to temper it slightly.

do you lift your little finger while supping though? is your cycling cap at a jaunty angle?

next question about fixies. What ‘gear’ do you fix in at?
I mean what gear is it equivalent to on a standard 3 front 9 back geared mtb? I would think you would tend to have it more towards the big ring on the front with something around the mid to lower end on the back. Gear 20-23?

djaustin – Member

Really? I commute 100 miles a week on a fixed road bike (not fixie). I ride the club chaingang on Tuesdays and average 19-20 mph.

Then I get the geared bike out and try and keep up with the fast group!

Sorry. I didn’t word that well.
It does very little for your race fitness in comparison to what you could have achieved in the same time training on an appropriate machine 🙂

PS – Did you not mean that you average 19-20mph on your commutes? And about 23-24 on your chaingangs?

😉

Generally I don’t call mine a fixed road bike, or a fixie or anything other than “The sh*t heap”

And as for gearing, clearly you have to set it up with something massive for the willy waving contest that will ensue!

do you lift your little finger while supping though? is your cycling cap at a jaunty angle?

Of course! Offended that you might possibly think otherwise.

(No I don’t, and no it’s not actually. I don’t really drink cofee and i’ve neverworn a cycling cap. Can I still be in your gang?)

next question about fixies. What ‘gear’ do you fix in at?

it will be expressed in inches (as in gear inches) ratios are for MTB/off road. different chainring combos can equate to the same in inches which just gets confusing

72 inches here, sometimes drop to 68 in the winter.

Oh but they do. They really, really do. Hence the need to denigrate other groups, in order to try to make themselves feel a little better about their own inadequacies.

OK. So what’s going on in this post you seem to approve of?

brilliant aren’t they. i wear rapha when riding mine just to really get up peoples noses. i also sometimes midweek park mine outside cafes (who roast their own beans) and order an off menu piccolo coffee and lift up my little finger as i drink it safe in the knowledge that people with normal jobs would be wound up just a little bit more if they could see me from their desk or take their eyes away from their spreadsheet.

What’s the point of a Fixie?

And with a nod/acknowledgement to mrsmiths post above i’m just about to head out for a wee spin on my new charge plug fixie sans brakes, i guess i’ll wear my battered old sidi dragons, 5 yr old rapha fixed merino top, merino buff, merino beanie (chocolate fish), swrve winter softshell 3/4 shorts, merino socks and endura thermolite gloves with my endura cuttle persimmon lens glasses, I’ll prob wear my patagonia primaloft pullover gillet as well coz the sun will be going down soon. i can just about guarantee i’ll not see another car in my 10-15 mile route as i stay in darkest galloway and i’ll stick to hilly singletrack roads so i’ll have the entire run to myself with no drivetrain noise, no freewheel chatter, no worries bout what gear to be in just the whish…whish of my tyres on tarmac, i’ll take my time and enjoy the late afternoon sun and the views from the hills whilst attempting to remember i’m riding a fixie and cannot freewheel.

I just bought it earlier this week and haven’t rode fixed for years so it’ll take a bit of getting used to again but i’ve rode over 30 miles so far on it this week already which fully justifies me having it – it’s just a bike, nothing special about it, it makes me smile when i ride it, that’s all the justification i need for riding.

you forgot to use the word ‘zen-like’

The point of fixies

Regulation for track cyling
Tour boys / road racers use them on the road to train for cadence
Messengers use them so they dont have to buy brake pads / rims
Commuters use them because they dont need maintaining
Scenesters use them because the messengers do and they [messengers] are cool

not sure about offroad..

Did you not mean that you average 19-20mph

No, that’s our average for the medium group over 25 miles.

I average about 16-18 on my commutes, depending on the above (i.e., how knackered I’m feeling!)

Gear is 42:16 (or 48:18) on a 700C bike. And I like spinning. It’s a Kona Paddy Waggon with custom road wheels, mudguards and a rack that I remove for faster rides. Weight is 10 kilos dead.

Damn….I almost ticked all the fixed cliches in one post….gonna try and edit it

The real questions is why not try something different?

The real questions is why not try something different?

like a 29’er MTB?

What about a fixed 29’er?, with a 650b rear?, and drop bars?,….Ooooooh……can i be first…can i be first…..Oh go on….puleeease…let me break new ground for a stw clique?.

Another observation is that genuine fixe riders seem to be pretty fit in my experience. Many of them could probably rip the legs off most folk on here. It’s the slow, ponderous MAMILs that get in your way. and you have to give them a much wder berth when overtaking, lest you be sucked into their gravity field.

OK. So what’s going on in this post you seem to approve of?

It just sums up the snobbishness and parochialism with subtle ironic humour.

At least I think that’s what it meant. I’m not terribly good on irony apparently.

The real questions is why not try something different?

Because I can’t see any advantage to it over a regular single speed.
Like I said before, slower up hill, down hill and over obstacles.
I’m not going to do it just for the challenge, I need a proper reason.

My pub/commuter/shopping bike is a fixie and I just get on and ride it. Have been riding them for over 40 years so it’s not exactly a passing fad.

I found that when I put the grandson’s kiddie seat on the back I wasn’t too happy with the stopping & starting (esp with toe overlap) but fortunately Mrs BigJohn’s pub/shopping bike has a freewheel and adjustable seatpost so I use that instead.

EDIT – And my daughter’s boyfriend works for Rapha so I have a ton of their stuff (including Fixie jersey) but I don’t make a point of wearing it to go shopping or to the pub.

I’ve off-roaded on fixed a few times – roadbike only – and didn’t really see the advantage except as a bit of a slow novelty.

I’m not terribly good on irony apparently.

you seem to have a basic grasp of things.

^^^ proper reason?

You’re overthinking this far too much. Either give it a go, or forget about it. It’s the only way you’ll ever decide.

It’s the slow, ponderous MAMILs that get in your way. and you have to give them a much wder berth when overtaking, lest you be sucked into their gravity field.

I always enjoy it when someone much younger on a road bike or mtb passes me on my commute having written me off as a slow ponderous MAMIL. The nervous checks over the shoulder to be sure they’ve dropped me, which they haven’t, the cranking up through the gears to escape, which they don’t, the honking to make a break, which fails, the subtly relaxed body language on the downhill as they open up a bit of a gap when I hit max rpm, and the decidedly tense body language when I pass them on the next climb still doing max rpm.

I always enjoy it when someone much younger on a road bike or mtb passes me on my commute

Why are you going so slowly that they are able to pass you?

Personally, I just ride at my own pace and don’t care if i’m overtaken/overtake anyone else.

I’d not bother overtaking you. i’d just tuck in and enjoy the considerable slipstream you produce, to save my energy. Which i’d then be able to expend on other activities, whilst yo’re slumped on the floor exhausted, congratulating yourself for being the fastest rider on the roads.

Personally, I just ride at my own pace and don’t care if i’m overtaken/overtake anyone else

Good god sir, have you taken leave of your senses.
Two cyclists = bike race. How can anyone fail to grasp such a simple concept.

I always enjoy it when someone much younger on a road bike or mtb passes me on my commute having written me off as a slow ponderous MAMIL. The nervous checks over the shoulder to be sure they’ve dropped me, which they haven’t, the cranking up through the gears to escape, which they don’t, the honking to make a break, which fails, the subtly relaxed body language on the downhill as they open up a bit of a gap when I hit max rpm, and the decidedly tense body language when I pass them on the next climb still doing max rpm.

swoon

Why are you going so slowly that they are able to pass you?

Because I quite often pootle along well within myself and don’t feel the need to ride everywhere flat out.

Personally, I just ride at my own pace and don’t care if i’m overtaken/overtake anyone else.

I’d not bother overtaking you. i’d just tuck in and enjoy the considerable slipstream you produce, to save my energy. Which i’d then be able to expend on other activities, whilst yo’re slumped on the floor exhausted, congratulating yourself for being the fastest rider on the roads.

In your dreams…

Two cyclists = bike race. How can anyone fail to grasp such a simple concept.

Not always…. 😉

It is the silent “eyes fixed ahead” overtake that fails to acknowledge the presence of another human being on a bike followed by the looks over the shoulder to check they’ve dropped you that light the blue touchpaper.

It’s a rural commute. There isn’t that much else to do on it.

Because I quite often pootle along well within myself and don’t feel the need to ride everywhere flat out.

So why then bother to accelerate and overtake them?

In your dreams…

It’s a tactic I employ quite often, and one which is quite effective. Watch Mark Cavendish on YouTube for more information.

No, I use a set of dual pivot brakes.

Good for you. My only problem with fixies is urban riders without brakes.

What’s the point of a Fixie?

Are you sure that’s a fixie and not just a singlespeed bike? Or in fact one with hub gears?

i’ll have to study the picture a little longer, just to make sure.

So why then bother to accelerate and overtake them?

For the sheer heck of it.

For the sheer heck of it.

manly and reckless

double swoon

it’s single speed and a coaster brake (I think) but all you have to do is google image search women on fixed bike or a similar varient and you will find reems of legit fixed bikes with attractive women on there

She’s just very pretty

My only problem with fixies is urban riders without brakes.

Why? I would consider a lot of the brakeless riders I know to be far better/safer urban riders than most cyclists. Taking one’s brakes off somewhat focuses the mind to read the road.

For the sheer heck of it.

You sound a bit like some of the commuters I encounter, who can’t bear to be overtaken and have to ‘race’ me. I’m just plodding along at the pace my gearing allows me to ride comfortable. I just laugh and let them bust a gut ‘dropping’ me.

What would you do if you were dropped by someone? Would you cry?

bosh. where was that pic taken al? too late to change flights?