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175 Comments
- hazard99, on 07/14/2009, -5/+66What the ***** is a "Fixie?"
- MrMontag, on 07/14/2009, -7/+44Dear Digg, I had no idea how widespread the problem of these so called "Fixies" was. I have now taken corrective measures and hate every one that I see, thank you for opening my eyes to this fad that, up until two minutes ago, I had no idea existed.
- spriggig, on 07/14/2009, -0/+25After reviewing the rest of this site, I suspect this may be a case of the pot calling the kettle black. I can almost hear them saying "That's SO last year!"
- inactive, on 07/14/2009, -1/+21dugg for "fixie girls"
- Kaegro, on 07/14/2009, -1/+20wow...I'm glad I live where trends like this hasn't caught on.
- fragMasterFlash, on 07/14/2009, -3/+20Fixies are for flatlanders. Anyone living in SF or Seattle that rides a fixie deserves a serious crotch kicking.
- WunderTroll, on 07/14/2009, -1/+18No he's a gay fish
- TheBifman, on 07/14/2009, -1/+17Hmm...someone want to make a list of 13 reasons people should spend more time on themselves and worry less about others?
Seriously, how does the gearing on someone's bike affect you in any way? How small can your life possib... oh ***** it I'm doing the same thing now. - gemlarin, on 07/14/2009, -1/+16Why do people care what other people want to look like, listen to, or ride?
There are bigger fish to fry, things like this are just a distraction.
Also, where is the Marijuana section Digg? I am still waiting. - DrewBlood, on 07/14/2009, -0/+12I make fun of fixies all the time *with my friends who ride* but say what you will, at least these guys are out on 2 wheels. It might be a silly trend but it's harmless and not worth stirring up anti-bike sentiment. I don't care if you ride fixed, single, MTB, BMX, WHATEVER. I am always happy to see people out on bikes.
- nubnub, on 07/14/2009, -2/+14I had to google it
- gvoakes, on 07/14/2009, -1/+12I'll never give up my fixed gear bike, but I'm sure it'll give me up next time I skid halfway through an intersection and get smoked by a car
- TheBifman, on 07/14/2009, -1/+12I ride a fixed gear because I like the exercise. I understand if you can't come to terms with that.
- danielrh9, on 07/14/2009, -0/+11I've had a bike similar to one of these before they were (or weren't) cool. I had no idea that it had some sort of hipster or derivative name, I just thought of it as an "old fashioned" bike. I actually prefer it. I don't ride it long distances, to work, or through any difficult terrain. Just around the neighborhood for fun and exercise while I listen to podcasts or audiobooks.
But now that I'm going to be looking behind my back for the anti-hipster crowd sneering at me, I'll just have to get a really old fashioned bike and ride a freaking penny farthing. I'd better get some aviator glasses while I'm at it and start talking in Conan O'Brien's old timey voice. - magic6435, on 07/14/2009, -2/+12Most of the people i know around Detroit who ride Fixies ride them because they need cheep transportation and fixies are easier on upkeep and maintenance. this article is BS talking about a small group of people in a large community.
- DaveAtDigital, on 07/14/2009, -2/+11i didn't know hipsters had sub-genres.
- TrouserJazz, on 07/14/2009, -0/+9Clues you are not a hipster (thanks to hipsterhandbook):
1. You teach Sunday School.
2. You are a big fan of the suburbs and vinyl siding.
3. You have a special "spill shirt" that you wear when you eat dinner at night.
4. You read novels with raised lettering on their covers.
5. You eat at Popeye's on a regular basis.
6. You work in an office building that has a man-made pond and a fountain in its front lot.
7. You don't know what a fixed-gear bike is. - DrewBlood, on 07/14/2009, -0/+8It is one, but it's not nearly as big an offense as the writers make it out to be. I got a serious "I used to ride a fixie but now it's a big trend so ***** those hipsters" vibe off the article.
- DimensionalPunk, on 07/14/2009, -0/+8This helps nobody
- Barackalypse, on 07/14/2009, -4/+128. You are a productive member of society and do whatever you like, regardless of how trendy it is or isn't.
- tnoy, on 07/14/2009, -1/+8If you're spending a significant amount of time on maintenance on your bike, you're doing something wrong. I used to put 20-50 miles a day on my mountain bike and rarely needed any significant maintenance.
I've only had maybe 3 or 4 instances where I've had an issue with the drive train that required more than 10 minutes with a screwdriver, and they've all involved me misjudging something going 30+mph on dirt. I've easily put thousands of miles on my old bike, and it still works great. - canyoodiggit, on 07/14/2009, -2/+9Yea let's hate on a group of people for arbitrary reasons. These people are a such a detriment to society with their bike riding and all the pollution and waste their bikes create.
- jasmus, on 07/14/2009, -0/+7Me too.. to my knowledge. It even took me a while to figure out what the hell a "fixie" was.
- DrewBlood, on 07/14/2009, -0/+6You're just gonna start the next big thing, freakin proto-hipster. I'm starting my anti-boneshaker article right now.
- Zbug, on 07/14/2009, -2/+8Why do people hate hipsters so much? I know it's fun to put down another subculture, however why is it necessary to hate them? The reason they dress and act like they do is because, as the article mentioned, the girls. They're not decadent and insipid, they're just human and like a certain type of girl (or guy, I suppose) and so they chose to associate themselves with that subculture. Similar is the emo, which I know many of you guys despise as if they personally hampered your existence. Now, even though you hate the emo, I'm sure you've also went to suicidegirls.com once or twice and had a damn happy fifteen minutes. Emos, like hipsters, immersed themselves in that culture because they didn't just want to ogle the girls. Sure, they definitely have an affinity toward the same interests but neither of these subcultures is hurting anyone except for possibly themselves but even the hive-minded nature of digg we can't say is much better. WIthout the geeky girls we crave, we still watch videos of cats playing pianos and have an omnipotently known bear which is a hilarious symbol of pedophilia. So please, if anyone can, what have these hipsters done to permanently ensure the demise of human culture and society? Why can't we all just play together nicely?
- bghs2003, on 07/14/2009, -1/+7I don't live in a city, so am I excused for not knowing what a fixie was until today?
- stripesonfire, on 07/14/2009, -1/+7don't worry you'll experience them in about 2 years...when they make it to whatever backwoods town you are from.
- TheBifman, on 07/14/2009, -0/+6(It's Digg, you're not here to worry about your own life or improve your self, just to knock others)
- CoreyTamas, on 07/14/2009, -0/+6Seems like a lot of people have no idea what Fixies are, and many of the ones who know don't care. The article just seems like someone wants something to hate, and they're working hard to come up with reasons. Reminds me of how there's always some kid in primary school who wants to beat another kid up because they're wearing the wrong color boots or they part their hair on the wrong side.
- lademimonde, on 07/14/2009, -2/+8Who cares? And the article's 'holier-than-thou' vibe is very off-putting.
- mrkitch, on 07/14/2009, -1/+7Working as a bike courier, you put 50 miles a day on the drivetrain.
In the winter, you go through a set of brake pads a week.
In the winter, derailers freeze and you can't shift.
You lose a TON of power and time shifting.
I'm sure there's more, but those are the primary ones.
I never used a fixie unless I was screwing around - But I did ride a singlespeed for many of the same reasons. - inactive, on 07/14/2009, -0/+5"People" don't generally hate hipsters.
Losers on digg, on the other hand... - DrewBlood, on 07/14/2009, -0/+5You're a perfect example of why this article is lame. You actually ride for a living and don't really care about these guys. Most of the riders posting here don't really give a *****. It's the kids who don't ride and just write it off as some too-cool trend that are the ones spewing all the venom about this. Article needs to get buried. Bunch of people looking for something to be angry about. Lots of more important things out there.
- woofers07, on 07/14/2009, -0/+5I like the "one less fixie" bumper sticker. Living in Portland I respect cyclists but HATE their sense of entitlement when they constantly run stop signs and ligths. I like how they get to chose which road laws to abide by, then get pissed when I driver doesn't treat them like a car.
- tacotacotaco, on 07/14/2009, -1/+6fixies are a nice change from a regular ride. there is a more immediate connection with the road which is noticeable and enjoyable. also easier to clean than a typical bike, particularly if you're riding in rain or snow. Fixies also have less moving parts and hence less things to break. They're also lighter than regular bikes. They have definitely peaked as a fad though.
- grnicon, on 07/14/2009, -2/+7That first bike you had when you were a child, the one that didn't have gears and you had to keep pedaling, and if you went down a steep hill the pedals would spin too fast and you couldn't stop.
- inactive, on 07/14/2009, -0/+5Get back to work and stop loafing on the net you unproductive unit.
- Twenty, on 07/14/2009, -0/+5At least you do it because you like it, not because it's fashionable.
- evil-doer, on 07/14/2009, -0/+5so basically a fixie is like linux.. harder to use, less functional, and the people think they are above everyone else.
- randalicious, on 07/14/2009, -1/+6And this is coming from a blogger who wishes he could have worn Jordan's to his prom.
http://www.yosefsolomon.com/blog/2009/06/25/the-pr ... - Spire3660, on 07/14/2009, -2/+6Just seems so limiting. Over varied terrain, you will always be slower then a 'real' bike. Sorry if im not hiding my condescension very well. Why dont you guys jsut ride those huge bikes from the 1800s?
- SystemicThought, on 07/14/2009, -1/+5Ok... ***** that. Fixies are valuable because the direct drive has almost no power loss. Coasting single-speeds are slightly less efficient. I read that the power conversion from power exerted onto the pedals into power exerted from the back wheel is something like 98% and 97% for fixie and single speeds, and about 93 for a derailleur type bicycle like a road bike. Internal hub designs like 3-speeds are as low as 87%.
Fixies can be equipped with breaks to make them safe, and frames are designed with higher bottom brackets to prevent pedal collision on fast turns. Additionally, the rear dropout faces backwards so the chain can be better tensioned than a derailleur type bicycle (part of the reason for the high rate of power retention).
Personally, I ride a bike with a single speed cassette for commuting, I like being able to coast, but there are plenty of people who don't. And in a road race, on road bikes, the fixie riders out the be the riders with the most fluid form.
This is a horrible article, and the author has little idea what the ***** he is talking about. Not all fixie riders have to look like giant douches.
That's like saying people shouldn't fix up their cars for street racing because dicks like to put park benches on the back and call them spoilers, put hideous rims on the side, and paint them neon green. - narfizzle, on 07/14/2009, -3/+7Great point--no clarification whatsoever for the readers of what "Fixie" actually is.
Dugg.
Btw, Fixie is a fixed-gear bike. When you stop pedaling, the bike stops moving. And you can't pedal backwards. And usually they don't have breaks. - npcabral, on 07/14/2009, -0/+4Been a bike messenger for close to 10 years in nyc. I rode a fix for the first 5 years until i broke the frame in an accident. Kind of annoying seeing all these people playing dress up and make believe on their bikes...but whatever. Im still gonna be out there doing about 45 - 50 deliveries a day passing all these pretenders by. Half of them cant ride anyway. The other half just float around Union Square riding in circles.
- bryan567, on 07/14/2009, -2/+6more even distribution of power. less maintenance.
- twiztidsinz, on 07/14/2009, -1/+5DO IT.
- CoreyTamas, on 07/14/2009, -0/+4Wow. You're so tough. Are you in a gang?
- milkmit, on 07/14/2009, -1/+5Ya'll are so full of hate.
Who gives a ***** what kind of bike people ride, and what subculture they feel most comfortable in? We've all got our hands in a number of subcultures, some less mainstream than others, and if you don't....well then I'm awfully sorry, but what keeps you going?
That said, I think fixed gears are kinda silly and impractical, though they're not as bad here in NYC's flat streets than, say, SF. - patho, on 07/14/2009, -0/+4Germany didn't ban fixed gear bicycles, it's just illegal to ride a bicycle without brakes on the street. It kinda sucks for people riding to and from the track, but I think it's a pretty productive move.
Assuming that a fixed gear bicycle is defined in part by not having brakes is what has made every major newspaper look incredible since the trend
began (again).
The whole "manly" argument is kinda moot, I don't think that person was claiming it was manly, nor should there be any sort of requirement for people to be that way.
I'm gonna assume fixed gear cyclists wear the same clothes as a messenger for the exact same reason the messenger does, practicality with style in mind.
There are a lot of people out there riding fixed gears with two brakes, but since you'll never notice them I doubt you'll be bothered. -
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