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Bought my first Fixie

EricinIkebukuro

Speeding Up
Jan 30, 2011
414
16
Hey all,

Today I just bought my first Fixie. Although I am definitely a roadie, I got curious as to what riding a fixie would be like. Also being that I work at a Y's fixed gear shop, I see fixed gears all day and have access to unlimited Fixie goods. I bought a Masi Speciale naked frame and will be making my own custom rims to go with it. I will be using a rear hub that only allows for fixed gears so I cant put a free wheel on it. Im a little nervous about riding it at first so I will probably practice riding a fixed gear in a near by park where they have a wide open black top. Ill post pics as soon as I complete the build!
 
fIXED

I loved my fixed bike. I think the bigest problem I had was knee pain from
1. Slowing it down
2. Having to continue pedaling all the time
3. Mashing a gear that was to hard for the terrain
All those said, besides the knee pain the bike made me a tough SOB. I also enjoyed the simplicity of it.

Like your mom said,
Have fun, Dont hurt yourself.

wear a helmet. I know its not "cool"
 
Also

Being that you didnt cobble your first fixe together from some garage sale 10 speed expect that it will,
1) get stolen
2) break or get a nasty top tube scratch
3)buck you off like an untaimed stallion under the wheels of a taxi

you have to earn your stripes, and "buying" your first "fixie" is not
But since you are building your own wheels, you may pass but dont say you were not warned ;)
 
Lol, thanks for the words of wisdom. After my last taxi accident, I always wear my helmet. I snapped my collar bone so easily that I feel if I hit head first I would have needed some metal plates if I survived.

I hope it doesn't get stolen. My road bike has been safe so far. I only lock it outside when I go to school, which is in azabu juban ( a bit safer then shinjuku or shibuya for a bike). I have a nice big chain lock that cam get the fram and wheels so it should be safe.

I am pretty sure I will fall of it a couple times when trying to stop. I'll ne using SPD pedals so I need to also worry about not releasing my foot. Hopefully practicing at the park will prepare me somewhat for when I get it on the road the first time.

I'm not just "buying a fixie" I'm building if from the ground up. It will be a nice addition to my bike fleet. I have a felt AR3 pre ordered for it's December release and I've got a Felt TK2 track bike also coming from the states soon. This fixie will be my new daily commuter. I will be retiring my Felt F95( you probably can guess I like Felt bikes) because of the taxi accident. Seems it has some cracks and the frame is a little bent. I love my F95 so I won't toss it, but it will sit on an indoor trainer for the rest of it's days.
 
Actually

Buying all the parts new and putting them on perfectly greased with all the right tools is "buying a fixie"

Hammering together a 10 speed from the comfort of your alleyway. Thats earning you stripes.

Really though
Im just playin
Nothin beats a well tuned new piece of bike
If you can forego all the BS and have a nice one first go, more power to you!

My son has a track meet at school next week, his first one. I bought him some asics running shoes and some nice running shorts and brought him to Norikura to train at altitude. He is four. His teacher said he already gets 1st or second every race they do. Well, I want to make sure he has the right tools to maximize his potential.

My first hockey stick was nailed together from scrapwood. I hated my parents for never giving me the proper equiptment even though I showed potential. it was the same for my first bike, skateboard and so on. They Always jipped me. Still Mad

So, Like I said dont take it forreal
Dont be hipster either
 
Yes it is... .the Pro's do it so it must be cool!

counter argument to having the best stuff.... my parents wouldn't buy me the bike I wanted.... and my first bike was a green sloping top tube girls shopping bike...... I raced that POS hard.
 
start with an easy gear. somewhere around 46/19 or 18. set up a good front brake and use it. get comfortable with slowing down and spinning in the easy gear before moving to a heavier one. be extra careful going down hill.
 
2psi0e0.jpg
 
I ride a single speed, not fixed. I've never had any knee pain but right hip pain has been a problem. The pain went away when I stopped pulling up on the handlebars during very steep ascents. Left side was never a problem.
I keep intending to flip thehub to try fixed but never got round to it. By keeping the bike a single speed not fixed maybe the cartoon does not apply to me.
 
You should take the fork you bought from me and put it on your Masi. The stock ones are just good enough for garden utensil and that's about it. I bet it's same steering tube size... swap it and then your Felt can use the cro-mo pickle fork for trainer.

Lol, thanks for the words of wisdom. After my last taxi accident, I always wear my helmet. I snapped my collar bone so easily that I feel if I hit head first I would have needed some metal plates if I survived.

I hope it doesn't get stolen. My road bike has been safe so far. I only lock it outside when I go to school, which is in azabu juban ( a bit safer then shinjuku or shibuya for a bike). I have a nice big chain lock that cam get the fram and wheels so it should be safe.

I am pretty sure I will fall of it a couple times when trying to stop. I'll ne using SPD pedals so I need to also worry about not releasing my foot. Hopefully practicing at the park will prepare me somewhat for when I get it on the road the first time.

I'm not just "buying a fixie" I'm building if from the ground up. It will be a nice addition to my bike fleet. I have a felt AR3 pre ordered for it's December release and I've got a Felt TK2 track bike also coming from the states soon. This fixie will be my new daily commuter. I will be retiring my Felt F95( you probably can guess I like Felt bikes) because of the taxi accident. Seems it has some cracks and the frame is a little bent. I love my F95 so I won't toss it, but it will sit on an indoor trainer for the rest of it's days.
 
Hahah! This pretty much applies to anyone with a bike, no? And especially those who walk around more than 15min in their kit AFTER a ride!

Wistful thinking....? :eek::p
 
I used a fixedgear to REHAB my knee. It's total BS* that 'fixed gears' cause knee problem. WEAK KNEES and crap fitting cause knee problems. I'm 53 and have cadence range from nil to 150 and can mash as well as spin. Fixedgear riding teaches you to use the full motion of pedal stroke without any extra electronics, silly tools, etc. It's by far the most economical and fastest way to both condition, rehab and prepare for competitive riding and AVOID knee injuries!

I ride a single speed, not fixed. I've never had any knee pain but right hip pain has been a problem. The pain went away when I stopped pulling up on the handlebars during very steep ascents. Left side was never a problem.
I keep intending to flip thehub to try fixed but never got round to it. By keeping the bike a single speed not fixed maybe the cartoon does not apply to me.
 
seconding fixed gear bikes not being bad for knees. i've always had knee problems. it used to be if i was on the bike for too long it would start to feel like i had rocks under my kneecaps. i switched from platform pedals with straps to clipless almost a year ago and after getting my foot position sorted out my knees have been fine. not one problem since.
 
Knee problems

My knees would hurt after riding at 120+ Cadence going down San Francisco hills then suddenly having to skid to avoid either a car door, a vagrant being, a tourist or a taxi and in some cases all of the above. I guess its like beer, one is ok and may be good for you but a whole case is bad for you. The terrain I was riding, some of the hills I would climb the constant stopping from high speeds are not good for your knees. If I were to ride around at a fair pace on level ground and gradually slow down, then I am sure my knees would be fine, but that would take all the fun out of riding a track bike in the city. Also it wouldnt be possible as you have to keep up with traffic in most situations so riding slow is not an option. Here is a little of what I am taking about it just shows some of the hills in san francisco and the reality is if you cant keep up with traffic you really cant ride on the street.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u5-HYPe7Sw&feature=related


Track bikes are bad for your knees if you ride them at an extremely high cadence and skid alot in my opinion. Thats all it is is my opinion
 
So I just rode the fixie home today. I can't believe how different the ride is from my road bike. It feels a lot smoother then my road bike and my legs got a hell of a workout riding home. Pedaling backwards to slow down really got my legs tired after only 10 km. This is a whole different type of workout. I just need to practice more before I try riding the streets again.
 
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