The Chainlink

Fixed gear?

Maybe because I'm 50, love technology, prefer to keep my intestines on this side of my abdominal wall OR all of the above, I just do not understand the love of "fixies". I mean what is so wrong with shifting gears. I just can't see myself enjoying my 25 mile RT commute without gears.

They certainly look cool but can someone please explain these brakeless beauties to me.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on May 15, 2013 at 9:07am

OP just wanted to point out that today's kids have it all wrong, what with their brakeless fixies and all. Also, get off my lawn.

Vitaliy said:

Frankly, you should have just referred to google. This is a pointless thread

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on May 15, 2013 at 9:15am

No, you just neglect your bike.



Duppie 13.5185km said:

Sounds like your single speed requires a lot more maintenance than my geared bike...

Will G - 10mi said:

I ride SS because it is easy. I am lazy. I grease/oil/clean my chain once a week. I pump up my tires once a week. That is all I need to do, year round, to have a quiet, well functioning bicycle.

(Yes, this is a simplification, I was attempting to make a point.)

Permalink Reply by Mr. Ray Joe Hall on May 15, 2013 at 9:35am

Your bike sucks.  No YOUR bike sucks!  Menace! ZEN. Hipster. SHAVERDOUCHEBAGROADIEDORK! 

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 15, 2013 at 9:44am

There is nothing in Chicago worth having gears for.

For someone who has knee injuries, gears are definitely worth having.  Everyone's situation is different.   What's good for you may not work for me.

And Vitaliy has a point in suggesting that this thread is rather pointless. ;)

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 15, 2013 at 9:45am

Okay, Clint.

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

... get off my lawn.

Permalink Reply by Juan Primo on May 15, 2013 at 9:48am

We don't have hills but we have wind.  Gear choice is nice.

Anne Alt said:

There is nothing in Chicago worth having gears for.

For someone who has knee injuries, gears are definitely worth having.  Everyone's situation is different.   What's good for you may not work for me.

And Vitaliy has a point in suggesting that this thread is rather pointless. ;)

Permalink Reply by WillG on May 15, 2013 at 9:57am

You don't grease your chain or put air in your tires? Yikes.

From how far away can someone hear you coming then? That rusty chain must make a tremendous racket and the metal of your rims scraping on the ground b/c your, by now, deflated tires must be completely shredded away. I won't even ask about how your derailleurs are working because, well, they must not be.

The necessity of bike maintenance will always be there, regardless of the number of gears your bike may or may not have. And it is a matter of fact that geared bikes will require a bit more maintenance than single speed bikes because of the additional mechanical bits on the bikes. I am not even sure why or how this is being disputed.

Duppie 13.5185km said:

Sounds like your single speed requires a lot more maintenance than my geared bike...

Will G - 10mi said:

I ride SS because it is easy. I am lazy. I grease/oil/clean my chain once a week. I pump up my tires once a week. That is all I need to do, year round, to have a quiet, well functioning bicycle.

(Yes, this is a simplification, I was attempting to make a point.)

Permalink Reply by S on May 15, 2013 at 10:30am



Eli Naeher said:

single-speed, not fixed). I've never had a geared bike that stayed in one gear without constant coddling, nor one that didn't frequently require multiple attempts to successfully shift gears. If I spent enough money on better components and enough time keeping them in precise adjustment, maybe those problems would become fixable.

What were you using?  Even low-end groups like apex or sora will stay in a single gear without attention and will shift pretty much within a second of shifting.   Sounds like you haven't tried a recent geared bike, give it a shot.  They work pretty well even if you neglect maintenance for a while.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 15, 2013 at 10:38am

You're right in general.

But I do think you're overdoing with the lubing. Unless you live in a rainy climate like Seattle, or you talk specifically about riding in the winter in Chicago, there is simply no need to lube that often. In the summer time I lube my chain maybe once a month. Maybe. But that is only during high mileage times.

You lubing your chain every week doesn't match with your statement that you are lazy. Lubing your chain every week makes you look like a anal retentive person suffering from OCD ;)

Permalink Reply by Mr. Ray Joe Hall on May 15, 2013 at 11:04am

Don't forget to take off those brakes! (pussy)

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Thruster-700c-Men-s-Fixie-Bike/17206771

Permalink Reply by WillG on May 15, 2013 at 11:05am

I agree, I do a lube and wipe weekly in the winter, still in winter mode by default right now. I do a lube and wipe once every 2 or 3 weeks in the summer, but that can vary depending on how sandy the LFT has been on the way into work and whether or not it's been raining.

Duppie 13.5185km said:

You're right in general.

But I do think you're overdoing with the lubing. Unless you live in a rainy climate like Seattle, or you talk specifically about riding in the winter in Chicago, there is simply no need to lube that often. In the summer time I lube my chain maybe once a month. Maybe. But that is only during high mileage times.

You lubing your chain every week doesn't match with your statement that you are lazy. Lubing your chain every week makes you look like a anal retentive person suffering from OCD ;)

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on May 15, 2013 at 11:13am

This is a good idea for ANY  kind of bikes you use regularly

Will G - 10mi said:

I agree, I do a lube and wipe weekly in the winter, still in winter mode by default right now. I do a lube and wipe once every 2 or 3 weeks in the summer, but that can vary depending on how sandy the LFT has been on the way into work and whether or not it's been raining.

Duppie 13.5185km said:

You're right in general.

But I do think you're overdoing with the lubing. Unless you live in a rainy climate like Seattle, or you talk specifically about riding in the winter in Chicago, there is simply no need to lube that often. In the summer time I lube my chain maybe once a month. Maybe. But that is only during high mileage times.

You lubing your chain every week doesn't match with your statement that you are lazy. Lubing your chain every week makes you look like a anal retentive person suffering from OCD ;)

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