I was just downtown and I saw no less than 5 Fixies rolling around. I just don't get the deal. They seem more of a pain in the butt than usable transportation. So why the popularity?
Can you explain the Fixie craze?
- Thread starter CRASH
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I've always wanted to ride a fixie.. just to see what everybody was so hyped up about..
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It gives us cruiser people something to laugh at like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4d2MTheeC4
:lol: :lol: :lol:
And this is what happens when you wear the pants
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X975EVV3Egg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4d2MTheeC4
:lol: :lol: :lol:
And this is what happens when you wear the pants
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X975EVV3Egg
I have built about five at my work , they come with a freewheel or you can flip the wheel for the solid cog, I rode the solid once,,,,,once. I think the biggest draw is simplicity and lightness, but thats they're thing not mine.
I don't think I'd ride a fixie, around here SS is bad enough. But I saw a vid of a guy on a fixie carving turns down a steep hill in SF like he was on a snowboard, skid to the right, straight, skid left, straight, skid right etc. He was going slow, the hill was steep enough that somehow it was possible for him to be fast enough to skid but be slow enough to be graceful. All the neon, uh, not so much.
The craze came also from messengers who had fixies cuz they are the simplest possible. The narrow bars to get through btwn cars. The messengers were cool, rebels right? Exclusive, super skilled. The Navy Seals of the bicycle world! And so, look cool, get the girl?
I started to build one, a bare metal Schwinn with cut down Ross chrome moose horn bars, it's still in the basement. It'll turn into something else.
The craze came also from messengers who had fixies cuz they are the simplest possible. The narrow bars to get through btwn cars. The messengers were cool, rebels right? Exclusive, super skilled. The Navy Seals of the bicycle world! And so, look cool, get the girl?
I started to build one, a bare metal Schwinn with cut down Ross chrome moose horn bars, it's still in the basement. It'll turn into something else.
Or maybe its just the colors,,,I needed to wear sun safety glasses to build this one
I think its quite simple, in mainstream culture bicycles are lame. If you want to be cool, your bicycle cannot be just another lame bike - it has to be different in some fundamental way - like not having brakes, or being able to coast. :mrgreen: Or maybe by having a polo seat and a five foot tall sissy bar. Same old story.
A fixie is freedom from mechanical complexity. The fixie is quieter than a derailleur bike due to the straight chain line. With no slack in the chain, acceleration is instantaneous. The fixie requires your constant concentration for pedalling through turns. The fixie amplifies every bump through the pedals. Early Tour de France competitors rode fixies with flip flop hubs (one gear for the flats; the other for climbing the mountains). Olympic track bike racers compete on fixies. I built one, enjoyed it but later sold it because I had too many bikes. I am not a strong enough rider to commute on a fixie. I will always miss my fixie.
I had a Masi fixie and loved cruising around town on it. I sold it this past spring.
Wal-Mart sells ss/fixies now. By the time it gets to Wallyworld it isn't cool anymore....so look for the hipsters to start riding something else. :roll:
Wal-Mart sells ss/fixies now. By the time it gets to Wallyworld it isn't cool anymore....so look for the hipsters to start riding something else. :roll:
