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The Rise and Fall of the Rude Owls

Fixies SUCK!

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Why do people hate fixies so much but give single speed bikes a free pass? Why are hipsters associated with fixies, when there are enough purple bikes with neon-green Deep-V with gold freewheel hubs to completely disassociate hipsters with fixed gears? Mostly it's people being ignorant. It's fun to be a dumbass when everyone else is doing it, but sometimes... sometimes... don't you wish you had something you could care about without everyone making fun of it? If you don't want to be a stupid asshole, this is for you. If you don't, shut up, no one likes you.
While i can understand people thinking fixies are more work to ride, the real difference is that you can't bomb down hills so effortlessly. Here's what you need to remedy that: brakes! If your legs are spinning way too fast you can slow down. As of yet i've hit 34mph without my legs popping out of their sockets, so unless you're geared weird it's not going to be that big a deal. Pop your feet out of your clips and reeeelax.
It seems to be a common misunderstanding that you have to forgo brakes to ride a fixie. While i agree it looks clean and way hot, it's simply not practical; it's too dangerous and you tear through tires and chains. Most fixies i see have a front brake with a cute thumb lever that makes up for your bars being cluttered. You can even get a super bright brake line housing. I have a red one.
Pacrappa brought up cornering in the bike thread. While you do have to be careful for pedal clipping, it's not that bad. Once you've been riding for a decent amount you'll be clipping the ground on purpose because it's fun to do. While i can't say you won't ever have pedal clip, you'll know when you're setting yourself up for it. My bike has a low bottom bracket, and i seriously have to be at an angle where i'm nearly falling over to even be in any danger.
So why would someone ride a fixie over a single speed or geared bike, other than being a gigantic tool? I've said it before: it's fun! You know that feeling you get from driving a car with a manual transmission and then go back to an automatic and it makes you a little sad? it's kind of like that. Try it if you get the chance! It's different, it's strange, you might just like it! If my current bike was destroyed, i'd get a regular used geared bike. And then i'd build another fixie out of it.

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Comments

  1. 's Avatar
    Oh man... at first, I thought you were going no-fixies! You scared me, Finch. I was getting ready to cry.
  2. Finch's Avatar
    You reply fast! I don't even think it's on the main page yet!
  3. Rated E's Avatar
    I'm not going to read that big ugly block of text.
  4. kingoffighters's Avatar
    I don't even know what a fixie is.
  5. Fe 26's Avatar
    maybe they hate the fixie becuase those who ride the fixie care so much about it being a fixie?

    America hates caring. Hating caring is the new black.
  6. FirstBlood's Avatar
    Honestly, I don't have anything against fixies but they're an undeniable fad among a certain group of people that tend to be pretty undesirable.

    I really do love the people that don't understand how they work at all, as if you can't control how fast you're going downhill. Pedal clipping does sound awful though, I've become far too accustomed to raising the inside pedal to deal with that.

    bottom line: there's a lot of people forgoing gears for the sake of fashion versus the feel, which is where most of the hate comes from. *shrug* All I know is my R700 climbs like a DREAM /flex
    Updated 19 Aug 2010 at 09:52 PM by FirstBlood
  7. Tones's Avatar
    I think it's just some closet envy going on. Perhaps some people are frustrated that what they do isn't hip enough to be in the limelight. I think that hipsters are the equivalent of skateboarders of 10-15 years ago: A plank of wood on tiny wheels that are upset by an eighth inch pebble, just begging for the rider to be thrown off and break his balls.
  8. Calliander's Avatar
    I had a fixie and sold it because it's annoying. What was great was I paid $150 for it on Craigslist and then some guy was like, "OH DUDE, I'LL TOTALLY BUY THAT OFF YOU FOR $250!" I hope he thinks he was scamming me.
  9. Razor Ramon's Avatar
    Fixies do suck. It's annoying to always be peddling. A multi-speed bike would be much better.
  10. Finch's Avatar
    Razor, you don't even know how to ride a bike!
  11. Razor Ramon's Avatar
    I know how to ride your mom.
  12. Finch's Avatar
    Thanks for the input! I'll be sure to shit up your blogs in the future!
  13. FirstBlood's Avatar
    He knows how to ride a BMX up the wrong side of the street, I'm sure.
  14. Joust Williams's Avatar
    what is a fixie
  15. Vasteel's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Joust Williams
    what is a fixie
    Fixed-gear bicycle.

    And fixies rock, even though I prefer freewheels.
  16. Finch's Avatar
    Fixed gear bikes have a gear that spins with the wheel, so you're always pedaling. You can't coast like on a freewheel bike, but with practice you can lock up the rear wheel and skid or skip. Some people don't care for it, but some people (like myself) prefer it!

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