March 11th, 2011
The System 476: Nice Fixie
This one goes out to all those people that seem to think I like fixies.
What is a fixie? Check out the article on “fixed gear bicycles” on Wikipedia ยป
And if you like that, you may like this shirt that is on sale (since it’s being reordered) for $15.00 plus shipping:
March 11th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
For those, like me, who have NO idea what a fixie is, thanks to Wikipedia…
A fixed-gear bicycle (or fixed-wheel bicycle, sometimes known in the USA as a fixie) is a bicycle that has no freewheel, meaning it cannot coast — the pedals are always in motion when the bicycle is moving.
For more on Fixies, check your local library! Or, y'know. Wiki it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixie
March 11th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Thanks!
March 12th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Enlightening comic, sometimes its nice to have something that inspires curiosity
I thought fixed bikes were only utilized in smaller bikes, such as ones for kids or those used for stunts… I couldn't imagine trying to ride a fixed bike equivalent of one designed exclusively for travel… sounds dangerous too, go down a hill and get your legs chopped off, yowza!
March 12th, 2011 at 8:38 pm
+1 for saying yowza
March 13th, 2011 at 5:02 am
If it ain't brokie,don't fixie.
March 13th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
well… one of my roadbike mates got himself one of those.
You rather have a problem to get him uphill than downhill. He just rides 35 km/h as if there was no hill. but downhill, short above 45 km/h he starts to bounce, and at 50 he will have a real bad time. So with a rider weight of 100 kg (me) uphill is not your friend.
but… another one who isn’t as fit will have troubles to keep up with me on flat road with his fixie, no hill required in either direction
March 13th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
i remember my first non-fixie.( an AMF "English Racer" 10 speed made in Nottinghamshire!) i would pedal in reverse just to watch the other kids stare!
no i am not old……49 is the new 20
March 14th, 2011 at 8:02 am
THANK you! I was wondering…
@Marty – it’s less about the way the bike works than the people who ride them – e.g. “I can’t stop at red lights, I’m on a fixie”
March 14th, 2011 at 11:46 am
Rode the week long Bon-Ton-Roulet tour around the hilly NY Finger Lakes last summer. One rider received an award for doing the ride on a fixie. He admitted it probably wasn't the smartest thing he had ever done. It was a tough ride with 30 gears!
March 14th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
for the non native english speakers… what is a fixie?
March 14th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
A fixed gear bicycle, so no shifting and slowing down is usually done by slowing how fast you pedal. I believe the wiki link is in the first comment?
March 14th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
"A fixed wheel fixed-gear bike is considerably lighter than a multi-speed bike of comparable quality, due to the absence of the rear brake, derailers, shift levers, and extra sprockets. A fixed-gear bike also has a substantially shorter chain."
The way I see it: riding a fixed-geared bike provides more exercise than those of you who take the easy way out and use gears. Let's hear it for perseverance in making it up a hill! (I won't get into riding back down.) Then again, I'm not a cyclist, I'm a walker.
March 16th, 2011 at 10:34 am
I love my fixie. Never had a better bike than this.
March 16th, 2011 at 11:25 am
@Rossmom – single gears make sense – one good gear, less weight, etc, but the fact that a fixed gear has no breaks and no coaster gear is my problem. Why go back on progress? Fixed gears is for track racing – that’s the only place it makes sense.
March 16th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
[...] Rosscott mocks fixed gear bikes. [...]
March 16th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
I love my fixie, but there aren’t very many hills in my town. Having a fixie means I almost never need to use my brakes (or buy new brake pads) and I have to shifters or derailleur to ever get gummed up!
If I lived in a town with hills, I would definitely need a geared bike.
March 23rd, 2011 at 1:48 am
Yeah, except you're putting excess wear on that drive train. We'll see how you feel about the money/time you're saving on brake pads and the like when you blow a cotter pin and you have to replace the chain.
May 24th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
Apparently, I have ridden a “fixie” before without knowing it. Then again, it was also a bike that had been converted into a scooter bike and required the ability to backpedal to keep from crashing down hills.