Fixed Gear Bikes

[gonzo]

I'm looking at getting a fixed gear bike for commuting. Anyone have any recommendations on what I should be looking at/for?

I test rode a KHS Flite 100 which was awesome (but had no brakes, which seems to be a necessity for commuting), and a Raleigh Rush Hour (with brakes) which was also awesome. Something about the simplicity of the bikes really appeals to me. The weight and speed doesn't hurt, either. :)

Should I buy something new? Or look for an older frame on Craigslist/eBay and build my own?

[Sombeech]

Talk to jinx. I think those bikes are absolutely nuts, totally insane.

But if you've got it down, know how to brake and all that, go for it.

I'd start out with a single speed first, cuz fixies are insane.

[fourtycal]

I have been thinking the same thing. Looking at these http://www.redlinebicycles.com/adultbikes/monocog.html maybe even in a 29".

I have zero experience with single speed since bmx days but I love the idea for a commuter bike. Keep us posted if you find anything cool.

[cmpbiker]

Start saving for your knee replacement surgery at the same time as you buy the bike. Fixies can be really hard on you, but can also be a great way to smooth your pedal circles. I see a fair amount of bikes on Craigslist built from older frames and modified to fixed hubs. I think that if you buy one you need to avoid a new bike and get an older kind of retro-grouch attitude bike to have the total experience.

I bought a Raleigh XXIX single speed last winter and ride it when the mood strikes. It is amazing what you can do when you don't have a choice on gearing. I have ridden up Temple Quarry, Millcreek Canyon, Corner Canyon Etc with the stock gearing. It is like doing leg press intervals for a couple of hours, you also get really good at standing and getting everything from a pedal stroke. A side benefit is the oxygen deprivation hallucinations, I look forward to seeing Big Foot on the side of the trail he is becoming an old friend. The one place it sucks is level pavement, you just spin your legs like crazy with the offroad gearing

[accadacca]

The one place it sucks is level pavement, you just spin your legs like crazy with the offroad gearing

Sounds fun.

[gonzo]

Start saving for your knee replacement surgery at the same time as you buy the bike.

Eh, I figure between running and skiing my days of knee usage is numbered, anyway. Might as well go full bore.

I'm thinking about getting a bike with a street gear ratio since I'll use it almost exclusively for commuting. I also need something with brakes since I don't want to barrel through a red light onto State Street at 25 MPH. (I know, all the real "retro grouch attitude" types will glare at me, but they would probably glare at me anyway for having panniers and fenders).

On my test ride the other day I took the bike down 300 South from 1300 East. I haven't been so terrified and thrilled at the same time since my first time on Colossus at Lagoon. Climbing back up 300 South was a bitch though - I can't remember the last time I had to walk a bike.

[TreeHugger]

I got my husband one of these for his birthday this year - I gues they're really great!! check it out!
http://www.surlybikes.com/karatemonkey.html

[James_B_Wads2000]

A side benefit is the oxygen deprivation hallucinations, I look forward to seeing Big Foot on the side of the trail he is becoming an old friend.

Now this sounds like fun! I get the same feeling walking up the stairs in the new engineering building at the U.

Just so I know what you are all talking about, fixed gear means only one gear. No shifting right?



James

[jinx]

hey i was just about to put one of mine up for sale. my wife is making me cut my bike collection down to 5. if you wanted to look at it i would be willing to meet you somewhere, anyways i was thinking the price of the hubs alone was $150, i would be willing to sell it for that though. i would also throw in the stock brakes and the original dropped handle bars too. i did commute on this for a whole summer to school and home (20 miles a day, roundtrip). front tire is great still but the back is maybe half life left from all the skidding. if you swapped them you could still get quite a bit out of em. the frame is steel, i chose it on purpose, aluminum doesnt hold up well with the forces it takes to skid stop, a buddy of mine tries to stay aluminum, but has bent 2 frames at the chainstay. anyways, a good solid bike. the ratio is 44/15 so it isnt too hard to pedal up hill (weber state is on a hill like the U), but it is the most scared i have ever been on a bike in my life coming down the hill after school. no joke i was planning on death everyday, i was too prideful to put on a brake, just like most fixie riders.

[Sombeech]

hey i was just about to put one of mine up for sale.

Hey, I remember we've got some of your pics on here.

[derstuka]

A side benefit is the oxygen deprivation hallucinations, I look forward to seeing Big Foot on the side of the trail he is becoming an old friend.

Now this sounds like fun! I get the same feeling walking up the stairs in the new engineering building at the U.

Just so I know what you are all talking about, fixed gear means only one gear. No shifting right?



James

Fixed gear means two things. A single gear cog, and NO freewheel hub. That means, if your rear wheel is moving, so are your legs. No coasting with your pedals/legs stationary. This style of bike was primarily designed for velodrome type race tracks where they sometimes cannot have brakes, and use their legs as backpedal force to slow down/stop. Many "purist" bicycle messengers swear by fixed gear and no brakes on the street, and usually all have been hit by a car at one time or another. I ride a single-speed mtn bike mostly, which has one gear as well, but also has a freewheel. You would have to be begging to crash if you rode a fixed gear bike off road on trails. Some people actually have "flip flop" hubs where one side is fixed gear for the track and the other side is freewheel. Just take the wheel off, flip it around, and you're off.

[gonzo]

hey i was just about to put one of mine up for sale...

PM sent. If it's that teal job, that's one sweet lookin' bike.

[greyhair biker]

I got my husband one of these for his birthday this year - I gues they're really great!! check it out!
http://www.surlybikes.com/karatemonkey.html

HEY! that Surly Karate Monkey is an awesome bike! I built one for a customer -black frame in a single speed - what a cool ride. He uses it for racing and commuting and loves it...set it up with a old school long horn cattle-looking handlebar and Hayes mag1 6" hydraulic discs...and 2.3 29" tires. You might have a bit of adjusting if youre used to shocks but it is a great rolling along cruiser as well as an off road beast.