On 10/29/2011 11:02 AM, frank theriault wrote:
What I don't understand is the functional advantage of riding a fixie.
I think Bob W hit the highlights in terms of ease and economy of
maintenance and repairs. Given the miles messengers put on their
bikes, less maintenance is a big deal, especially in the winter when
salt and grit eat brake pads and bearings. Fewer moving parts means
fewer things to replace/repair and less down-time.
I can understand that.
Fixies are superior in bad weather conditions, especially where
traction is compromised. No applying of the brakes only to have your
wheel spinning for several revolutions before the rims are "squeegied"
dry by the brake pads then having them grab, cause a skid (often
mid-corner) and fall. In the snow or on ice, the speed of the rear
wheel can be precisely moderated and corners can be taken much more
safely.
That makes a lot more sense.
I think there's something more than that, though. It's hard to
explain if you've not ridden a brakeless fixie. One rides a different
way. Since steering out of danger (rather than panic braking) is
often the best emergency avoidance measure,
A point that is emphasized in the Bondurant driving school as well.
one must be aware of
what's going on around them. One tends to look farther down the road
for imminent danger, assessing possibilities and being aware of escape
routes much earlier than on regular bikes. It's been compared to
roller blading.
All things that I work on teaching my driving students.
On a track bike, one gets more of a sense that rider and bike are a
single unit which seems to make a difference zig-zagging through city
traffic.
Again, it's hard to explain (sort of a zen thing) unless you've ridden one.
Do you often have to pedal backwards?
I can't pedal backwards. If I do, the bike goes backwards.
Exactly what I was asking. That was the obvious, to me, thing a fixie
can do that other bikes can't, is ride backwards.
And why not have brakes, other than to show that you're too cool to need them?
No doubt, that "coolness" factor is part of it, at least for some
people, but there are certainly other reasons. I guess it has to do
with that "zen" thing, I suppose. It's analogous to those who would
say that people actually take more chances if they wear a helmet. If
you know you have a brake as a back-up, you'll ride differently, take
more chances, knowing that you've got a brake as a bail-out. Riding
brakeless is a more pure way to ride - you've always got to be in
control. Like walking a tightrope without a net, if you will.
I guess you don't have any problem with your chain breaking on hills.
Even if you can pedal backwards hard enough to lock up the rear wheel in an
emergency, that only gives you half the traction for stopping (less actually)
than if you also had a front brake.
The idea is to not need to panic-stop, or if you do to steer out of it
(see above).
I see, so I should take the seatbelts out of my car since the idea is to
not hit anything. :-)
In the bay area the fixie fad has served to reduce our hipster population as
several times a year, someone on one fails to stop for a red light.
I've seen lots of newbies riding fixed gear bikes in ways that scare
the hell out of me. They shouldn't be riding them.
I always advise anyone considering riding a fixed gear bike to ride a
front brake for at least a year before going brakeless - it takes at
least that long to really, ~really~ learn how to ride one properly
IMHO. Lots of people I know have tried and decided that fixies aren't
for them. It's a matter of personal taste, I guess.
I can certainly understand that.
For me they're great for city riding, but If I go on a long right in
the country, freewheels, gears and brakes are a necessity, no doubt
about it. Long rides on track bikes are just too tiring.
I can understand that. If I still lived in Davis, where we had to ride
20+ miles to get to a hill more challenging than a freeway overpass, I
could see that a fixie would be a great workout, because you can never
just coast.
In town, however, they're fun, fast and (yes) cool.
Five years ago, I managed to highside my bicycle on a ride. I was
probably about 10 miles from home, halfway down a rather steep road. My
cell phone battery died before I could find someone to pick me up. My
rear wheel had been taco'd, but I managed to jump on the rim and get it
straight enough that the wheel would turn if I disconnected the rear
brake. What I hadn't factored into the equation was that I had a minor
fracture in my left elbow, and didn't have enough hand strength to
operate the front brake. I got on the bike, to try to ride home, in a
short section that was about 10% grade, and discovered what it would be
like to ride a fixie with a busted chain.
Thanks for the explanation, I certainly understand your points and
philosophy. I figured that in your case it was more than just trying to
be cool. I, however, am far too big of a pussy to ride without brakes.
I'm also enough of a wimp that I've had triple cranksets on my road
bikes for over 30 years, just because I'm not one to ride the hills
around here without my beloved granny gears.
I had a similar enlightening conversation when I asked someone racing a
front wheel drive car why he had a huge wing on the back. They had so
much oversteer dialed into the car to get it to turn at low speed, that
the car was undrivable at high speed without a wing on the back.
cheers,
frank
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Larry Colen [email protected] (from dos4est)
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