Let me start this one off by simply restating 25% percent of this blog's title. FIXIES. Okay. You've probably seen the fixies darting around the coffee shops and vintage clothing stores in your city.
If you're not so in the know (myself included), the fixie is short for a fixed gear bicycle. It's the preferred mode of travel for hard-core bike messengers, and hipster kids. I love riding pretty much any bicycle, but the fixed gear thing has me baffled. I guess I understand the puritanical element of cycling that's all about riding a simple, reliable machine. The thing I can't understand is the fixation (pun intended) on riding a bike with no breaks in super heavy city traffic. Purists would then tell me I have no idea what it feels like to glide through traffic without being fettered by brakes. I would answer that one with a question. Aren't brakes supposed to, on principal, "fetter" your speed? It seems ludicrous to purposely put yourself in a high-traffic situation, then remove the brakes from your steed. But I'm not a hipster either. I just don't get Zen. I'll talk to ya in the ER when some Yahoo decides to change lanes into you.
6 comments:
Yah breakless is dumb but riding a fixie really is a lot of fun. I race road on the collegiate level but i still love commuting on my fixie .
It's not like a fixie has to not have breaks, lots of people ride with breaks on their fixies. The whole reason for the no breaks thing, is the bikes velodrome heritage. On the Velodrome breaks are illegal and unnecessary. The fixie trend started with people started ridding track bikes on the street. The whole no breaks thing is a really big misconception, some people do it, and yes they know it is stupid, don't let them convince you otherwise. Like say what if your chain breaks?
JUMP! ;-p
You can stop really easy on a track bike if you have gotten good at it. You can stop by skidding or by putting your foot on the back wheel thus, skidding. Only people who are stupid while riding get hit, unless its really the drivers fault. I think if you are starting out you should run at least a front brake if not both because newbies are more dangerous than a real rider going 30 down town but he knows what he is doing.
to the first post... GROW some nuts FFS -= maybe even get the sand out of your vagina and play polo? oh wait... brakeless is dumb, and your word is god.
you know what's funny...the fact that you just ranted about fixies having no breaks when the picture you chose to put up of a fixie has a front break on it...
Post a Comment