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- daliminator, on 10/31/2009, -6/+37A lot of these people look like hipster douches.
- oulman, on 10/31/2009, -3/+21I don't have negative opinion about the bikes themselves but I definitely despise most riders. I'm all for more bikes on the road but these people have no common sense when it comes to riding. I don't know how many times I've seen some "fixie" rider screaming through a stop sign, red light or ignoring right of way. Not to mention the number of times I've seen the "art" of skid stopping put some idiot in a dangerous situation to themselves and others because they couldn't stop in time. They usually will feed you some BS about the "zen" of the ride or how the lack of breaks make them safer because they have to pay closer attention to the world around them.
That being said I think that a fixed cog has utility and know a number of reasonable fixed gear riders (on and off velodromes) who do-the-right-thing. I just can't help immediately judging (and hating) the skin tight jean fashion trash I encounter in the bike lane. - Long189, on 10/31/2009, -3/+19What is the appeal of a fixed-gear bike? All it does is give you less functionality and usability in exchange for being able do little jumps in parking lots.
- cowman80i9, on 10/31/2009, -15/+31***** Fixies, I hate this trend so much. It started in 08 and needs to die. Most of the people who ride those multi-colored fixies are complete d-bags.
- fragMasterFlash, on 10/31/2009, -6/+19No gears, no brakes and very few brain cells required to operate.
- rugabug, on 10/31/2009, -0/+12Actually, the trend has been around for a bit longer then just 08. I personally saw an increase in their numbers sometime in 06.
- sbcea, on 10/30/2009, -3/+13OK I admit it. I had no idea what a fixie was. I had to look it up. Now I know. It doesn't matter though. These are really great photos.
- algaeturd, on 10/31/2009, -1/+11How is this being dugg down? It's 100% true. They look like clones.
- jawagas, on 10/31/2009, -1/+11So nobody is going to make note of the ***** awesome Duck Hunt(er) knit sweater?!
http://photo.mpora.com/photo/DoizhxL2S9 - jbin, on 10/31/2009, -2/+11i've been riding a track bike in the city for 6 years.
cowman80i9, why don't you stick to what you know. - cowman80i9, on 10/31/2009, -2/+10I don't mean fixed gear or track bikes have never been used or are bad. I'm saying the fixie trend with teenagers these days is annoying
http://dirtydanchez.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/il ...
^ Thats my point - itchy92, on 10/31/2009, -3/+11What? A multi-gear crank is-- at most-- about a pound more than a fixed-gear. And the additional coefficient of friction is negligible for when the chain *might* graze the side of a higher gear (which it ought not do on a properly tuned bike, anyway).
I can't (and wouldn't) argue with your third reason, if that's actually why someone converted their bike. But the majority of current "fixies" are hipsters who simply do it because it's a fad. - CAcreations76, on 10/31/2009, -2/+10I see smug people
- npcabral, on 10/31/2009, -2/+10I agree with you 100%. Ive been riding a fix since i first got on the road making my rounds each day. (10 years Bike Messenger) Out of nowhere you see a bunch of posers pretending to be couriers with skinny jeans riding their "fixies" with messenger bags on their backs. Bunch of fakes.
- algaeturd, on 10/31/2009, -0/+6Did you read that on the side of a can of Mountain Dew or a Slim Jim package?
- algaeturd, on 10/31/2009, -3/+9Lemme guess...you keep your pant leg rolled up and have calf tattoos and carry a messenger bag even though you're not a messenger.
- videographer, on 10/31/2009, -0/+6Go brakeless and go to the hospital. Or morgue.
- algaeturd, on 10/31/2009, -2/+7I don't make fun of them for doing something that involves exercise...I make fun of them for looking the same, acting the same, drinking the same beer, listening to the same music and wearing the exact same official Trend Speed outfit and ***** oh-so-subtly exposed tattoos.
- HenryKillinger, on 10/31/2009, -0/+5Don't all those behaviors also apply to kids on BMXs, lycra-wearing road racers, and generally anyone on a bicycle who rides in range of car traffic?
- db0255, on 10/31/2009, -3/+8I had no idea what a fixie was, until I saw the pics. They're obviously fixed-gear bicycles for the fashion impaired.
- HenryKillinger, on 10/31/2009, -0/+4Taking a bike from 1982 that's been rusting in someone's garage for twenty years and turning it into a fixie or single is a lot more reasonable than trying to bring all those rusted components back to prime, and/or replacing them with new ones. Plus, any engineer will tell you that simplicity of form and function is beautiful.
Not to mention the ease of maintenance. - DougKodey, on 10/31/2009, -3/+7Why does everyone hate these people? I mean yes, they are kinda dorky, but so are you. I bet you're looking at pictures of squirrels inside of fax machines on digg.....
- algaeturd, on 10/31/2009, -2/+6We mock what's trendy when people adopt it en masse because they're way more concerned with belonging to some kind of group and they're too afraid to do their own thing.
- xieodeluxed, on 10/31/2009, -0/+4I really like this set of photos and I don't know how else to say it. They bring out a lot of character of city life? Dunno, but whatever it is, I like. Especially the bikes. Blah, back to my winter lager
- HenryKillinger, on 10/31/2009, -3/+7Exercise, a little bit of wrenching to convert the bikes, and welcome personal expression. Yeah, these guys deserve so much internet derision. /s
- oulman, on 10/31/2009, -0/+3Coaster brakes are very different from a fixed cog. A coaster brake allows you to freespin when not pedaling. A fixed cog causes the cranks to turn with the back wheel.
- sparkmonkeyz, on 10/31/2009, -2/+5Who doesn't?
- Jeddycakes, on 10/31/2009, -0/+3This is *****. Good photos though, but the subject is totally rubbish.
- rugabug, on 10/31/2009, -2/+5They are quite a bit lighter then they were before the conversion. They are also more efficient to a degree since the chain has less things it has to rub against. Plus it is fun to give an old bike a new life.
- SPRFRKR, on 10/31/2009, -0/+3As nice as some fixies look, they are deathtraps for the inexperienced. There is only one way to get experience, and that is with riding them- in the city. In traffic. No one goes out to the burbs to practice. It is an "on the job" type experience. I didn't see the tradeoff personally in having a modestly better looking minimalist bike in exchange for the lack of common brakes. Yes, of course you can lock up a fixie rear tire, but that requires practice.
- phqu88, on 10/31/2009, -1/+4@algaeturd...i don't have a fixed gear bike and i still keep my pant leg rolled up...if i'm wearing pants. The chain will tear your pants up if you don't have a chain guard.
- weazal, on 10/31/2009, -3/+6The hate of hipsters seems to be worse then the actual hipsters themselves...
- HenryKillinger, on 10/31/2009, -1/+4Since when is a bike that backpedals to brake considered "brakeless?" Almost everyone here had a first bike that worked the same way as a kid.
- KillerLettuce, on 10/31/2009, -1/+4If by unique you mean non-unique hipsters that like to think they're unique despite being part of a popular fashion/lifestyle trend. Oh and single speed bikes that most the time have no brakes are built for the Velodrome, not busy city streets.
- jbin, on 10/31/2009, -0/+3fair enough. some of it is quite silly.
- HenryKillinger, on 10/31/2009, -0/+3It's the desire to avoid trend homogeny, and making fun of other trend followers, that causes these things in the first place. =P
- rugabug, on 10/31/2009, -0/+3You have 1 or both brake systems removed, both front and back shifting systems gone, the chain tensioner, etc. That removes a good amount of weight. And yes the sprockets on the tensioner does add enough friction.
- DaviDTC, on 10/31/2009, -0/+3Stories with 30 diggs and no comments can make it too.
- KingGorilla, on 10/31/2009, -3/+6So why aren't they used by professionals?
- Brownsound, on 10/31/2009, -2/+5Me too! I ride mine to class eveyday, or go to the local trail bike loop with some friends and ride together. The mountain bike trails are sweet around here though, for being in Florida. It's a pretty hippy subculture thats for sure, I'm a senior mech engineering student so bikes are just so fascinating to me, especially aesthetically and mechanically perfect ones.
- jbin, on 10/31/2009, -2/+4have you ever ridden a track bike? if not, you have no frame of reference. why is riding a fixed gear bicycle any different from riding a bmx bike or a skateboard? do you talk ***** about those things too? you must be such a pleasure to be around.
love life. - teqmock5, on 10/31/2009, -2/+4Portland is almost that big on fixies too. All of the (Stumptown) local coffee shop hipsters ride them.
- weazal, on 10/31/2009, -0/+2or don't buy anything and roll up your pant leg =/
- bratterscain, on 10/31/2009, -0/+2I was here when OSX was praised and Steve Jobs was god. It's now less so but digg does have plenty of hipsters.
- prinzrob, on 10/31/2009, -0/+2The important difference is that fixed gear bikes usually use the chain to stop, so if the chain breaks or something else goes wrong you either have to stop with your feet or just jump off the bike like they did in the old days. Ironically, stopping using the chain does put a lot of stress on said chain, making it even more likely to fail.
A coaster brake, however, has an actual mechanism inside the hub to stop the bike, so even if the chain or something else fails the brake will still work. - jaaames, on 10/31/2009, -0/+2I disagree, the butt plug trend of '02 already holds that title.
- jbin, on 10/31/2009, -2/+4hmmmm...pigeonholing much?
- oulman, on 10/31/2009, -0/+2Yeah, I agree that there is a possibility of breaking the chain. I've heard more people tell stories of loose chains getting caught between the hub and the cog, the ultimate brake. Thats just poor maintenance though.
- HenryKillinger, on 10/31/2009, -0/+2True nuff. I'll say that while riding and abusing Chinese-made fixed gears without any knowledge of chain maintenance as a kid, I never broke a chain, even with full speed skids. However, the possibility is there, so you've got that.
- dogfood, on 10/31/2009, -0/+1@KingGorilla: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_cycling
Also, many other types of cyclists use track bikes in training as they work different muscle groups. -
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