Comment by psychomom on June 19, 2008 at 10:07am

Whoa Dudes that was fun! I'm pulling out my geared bike (over 45, thank you) and taking a ride in the spirit of fixies. Ya know.

Comment by SantIR on June 19, 2008 at 10:49am

damn, wish i was in alb most of the time.. i have been wanting ti get a fixed hub for my 87' schwinn.. i plan on painting the rims olive and light spokes with the frame black or white.. any good places to get a hub?? im talking cheap..

Comment by chantal on June 19, 2008 at 10:54am

Did you try craigslist? The local bike section sees a lot of action.

Comment by Tricross on June 19, 2008 at 11:28am

Gears are for people over forty-five? Ahem. I happen to be fifty-two years young and ride a fixie almost everyday to work during the summer months when I don't have to cart winter gear around. I do keep a front brake caliper on the bike for commuting, though.

Comment by SantIR on June 19, 2008 at 12:03pm

thanks guys.. ill check to see what hub is on the bike.. i was gust gonna order a set of wheels.. but ill see what happens.. thanks for the help. and is there any gatherings to ride the city?? other than cm which i can never make??

Comment by once banned twice shy on June 20, 2008 at 9:25am

Yeah, I no likey the no brakes. This is only a good plan if you are racing your bike in a velodrome, not if you are riding on city streets. Incidentally, city ordinance REQUIRES a bike have brakes. Because it's a good idea to have brakes. I love that people are getting out on their bikes, but I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to stress that all cyclists need to follow the rules of the road. You are a vehicle like any other on the road and that means you must obey all traffic signals. I see WAY too many groovy kids on their fixies blowing through lights because they don't want to stop. Or they weave and wind around in the lane while not getting off the pedals, inching into the intersection...not cool, kids--and dangerous as well.

Also, please wear helmets everyone. Just like the cool dude in the picture above.

Comment by Benny the Icepick on June 20, 2008 at 11:04am

As a clarification, city ordinance doesn't specifically require brakes, only that a bike can come to a "skidding stop" within something like 30 feet.

That said, if you're thinking of going fixie, PLEASE put a front brake on there. Why?
- First of all, 70% of your stopping power comes from your front wheel. It's fine and dandy to be able to lock your pedals and skid the bike to a stop, but it can't save you in an emergency like a front brake can.
- Secondly, without a front brake, your chain is your first and last resort. I've seen a guy on a fixie lose his chain, and have no choice but to run his bike into the curb to stop himself. Luckily, he had a helmet on.

In a similar story that may be urban legend, there was a bike messenger in San Francisco whose chain broke as he was rocketing downhill towards a red light at a busy intersection. He "flintstoned" it, planting his feet and trying to grind to a halt. He managed to stop before getting t-boned by cross traffic, but he was pretty much not wearing any shoes anymore.

Comment by jim on June 21, 2008 at 9:40am

I'm sure these bikes are a lot of fun but I sure don't like the guy in the slide show instructing riders, "Be sure to look both ways before you run a stop sign"! The practice of running stop signs is not going to help the sport. As an occassional bike rider myself I get enough grief from motorists already without other cyclists giving them just cause for their anger.

Comment by SantIR on June 23, 2008 at 1:08pm

ride defencive.. i find if i ride scared i nearly get ran over when im scared, if i lok out for my self and ride agressive i found that i dont have any problem.. safe ridin..

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