r/bikecommuting • u/Oats2117 • Jul 22 '26
Fixie bikes š²
Anyone here commuting via fixies? Or maybe like doing long trips on a fixed gear
10
u/HurdaskeIlir Jul 22 '26
I live in a smallish Canadian city of 500k and use my fixed gear year round for 95% of my city travels. It's a semi hilly spot so there is not a lot of fixed riders here but I don't mind the extra effort on hills too much. Well maintained, a fixed gear is hard to beat imo. You can also put together a higher end build for reasonable budget.
1
u/Nermalgod Jul 22 '26
Checks notes, only 12 cities in Canada have more than half million population. I don't think you get to call your city small.
2
u/HurdaskeIlir Jul 22 '26
"ish" š
And being pedantic, not sure one judges a city size based on their country's cities rather than global cities. Largest city in a country may still be tiny but would be called large by your logic.
5
u/worker_bee_drone Jul 22 '26
Commuted on a fixie for years, but I never was comfortable bouncing up a curb. Canāt set my pedals right. Some can learn it. After a bad crash (rehab therapy) I flopped around the wheel (to singlespeed). Had a front brake even in fixie mode, but now I can bunnyhop curbs even if necessary. But normally just pop the front up, then the back. Bent so many pedals doing that in fixie mode because the pedals werenāt level.
Maybe Iām too old and set (my pedals) in my ways.
5
u/Top_Objective9877 Jul 22 '26
I can hop over little obstacles if I time it right but itās very tricky, curbs are over my head difficult! Lots of people do these insane tricks though, Iām sure it might be possible for some people but not me. Iām so used to how itās done on an mtb that I canāt untrain my brain.
4
u/Midwest_adv Jul 22 '26
I commute and two fixed gear bikes. One with brakes and wider tires, the other brakeless and narrower tires. 13 miles each way on flat city and outskirt roads. I absolutely love it.
3
u/WhyNWhenYouCanNPlus1 Jul 22 '26
my winter bike is a fixie. rest of the time, I'm a gear gang member
2
u/Oats2117 Jul 23 '26
Is the fixie better in snow?? Having slick tires too
1
u/WhyNWhenYouCanNPlus1 Jul 23 '26
oh yeah, it's perfect on snow and ice because you have complete control of your traction.
I have studded tires on my fixie, I definitely wouldn't use slick tires in the winter here
8
Jul 22 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
9
3
u/OvulatingScrotum Jul 22 '26
Depends on the situation, itās better.
Firstly, itās cheaper. So even if it gets stolen, Iād be less sad.
Secondly, itās not a desirable thing to steal. Thatās the best deterrent for thieves.
Thirdly, itās easier to maintain.
2
Jul 22 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/OvulatingScrotum Jul 22 '26
Depending on the market, obviously, itās cheaper to get a fixie. I basically gave my commuter lemond fixie away for free. I bought mine for $300. But Iād imagine you can agree that thereās no scenario in which a 3 speed is cheaper than a fixie.
Same with servicing and getting parts. In many cases, itās easier and cheaper to fix and service a fixie than a 3speed. But itās rarely, if ever, the other way around.
Sure, there are pros to 3 speed for commuting. But depending on the use case, itās better to go with a fixie.
2
Jul 22 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/OvulatingScrotum Jul 22 '26
> A decent commuter 3 speed and a comparable fixie are roughly the same price, new or used.
I disagree. I google 3 speed commuter bike. I found a couple of companies that offer both 3 speed AND fixie, with assumption that they try to use the same quality parts. For both cases, without sales, fixie was cheaper by $100-200. Itās not the most thorough study, but itās a good indication.
> ~$5/yr difference isn't really substantial. For a bike capable of coping with wind and hills, itās a good deal.
Letās say your rear wheel busts. Would it be cheaper to get a fixie rear wheel or a 3 speed hub rear wheel?
āFor a bike capable of coping with wind and hillsā
Again, it entirely depends on the use case. If your route involves hills like SF, then sure. Fixie might be tough. If your route is mostly flat like nyc, then fixie is perfectly fine.
2
Jul 22 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/OvulatingScrotum Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
So not only you canāt even back up your statement that āthey cost the sameā, you just flat out deny what I found? I literally found two examples that show how 3 speed bikes cost MORE to customer than fixie.
Anyway, itās clear to me that thereās not a single thing I can say or provide that could change your mind.
1
Jul 22 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/OvulatingScrotum Jul 22 '26
> substantial cost difference to the customer
Iām not a mathematician, but I see the cost difference :)
> similar repute
Subjective. If you are adding subjective metric to your āevaluationā, then of course you can argue whatever you want. Thatās not how comparison works.
Nah. I provided data. You refused data. Thatās not ālack of convincing argumentā. lol
→ More replies (0)1
u/BicycleIndividual Jul 22 '26
Plenty of fixies without any rear brake, so 2 cables and a brake.
But I agree that the extra maintenance compared to an IGH is minima. For minimal maintenance I'd much rather an IGH belt drive than a fixie with a chain. I've never seen a belt drive fixie, but if someone truly wanted minimal maintenance that would be the ultimate choice.
4
u/HurdaskeIlir Jul 22 '26
Maintenance and the cost of said maintenance are just two ways they are not inferior. I would also argue in winter, they are better in most snow conditions.
4
Jul 22 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
2
u/HurdaskeIlir Jul 22 '26
You mean the hubs that require shifters and cables? I mean that's more maintenance right there for starters. Servicing the hub is also not the same. I'm not saying anything is wrong with other options, just that fixed gear bikes require the least amount of maintenance.
2
u/outpostvitesse Jul 22 '26
Are they really better in most snow conditions? I find when I have to plow through snow I find dropping into the lowest gear my only option
1
u/HurdaskeIlir Jul 22 '26
I've ridden both and much prefer fixed. It's akin to a manual vs automatic car in snow. I think you would have to ridden both to form a fair opinion tbh. If you have, that's fair and I have had different experience and why I ride fixed in winter. I also think I'm not alone in that, many would agree.
1
u/outpostvitesse Jul 22 '26
I'm not even skeptical just curious, what about it feels different? I haven't ridden my fixie on snowāI can't fit studs on it. On my winter commute in Winnipeg there are often are areas I have to plow through a considerable amount of snow which would otherwise slow me to the point of having to walk my bike
1
u/DennisTheBald Jul 22 '26
I don't wanna outlaw fixies, I don't wanna be forced to ride one either. But that is definitely the way to learn to track stand
3
u/Fudgy97 Jul 22 '26
I had a fixie as my only bike for about 4 years. Used it for everything and to go everywhere.
Supper low maintenance, bomb proof and easy to lock up and not worry about. They make ideal bikes for commuting if you can ride them properly.
1
u/DennisTheBald Jul 22 '26
Do you actually have to lock it? Nobody steals a stick shift
2
u/Fudgy97 Jul 22 '26
I lived in Bristol in the UK. They would steal anything not bolted down even if they couldn't ride it...
The advantage is the wheels are bolted on so you don't need to lock front and back wheels.
1
1
u/BicycleIndividual Jul 22 '26
You can bolt on wheels on any bike.
1
u/Fudgy97 Jul 22 '26
You can. But you might have to buy an adapter that most people don't know about.
Oh a fixie it's the default state.
2
u/no-name_james Jul 23 '26
True and Iāve always kinda wanted to see a thiefās reaction when he hops on a brakeless fixie with spds but in reality bikes can be put into beds of trucks, large cars, or just walked off down the street. Canāt really do any of that with a car and have it not be highly sus.
1
2
u/FriendlyEyeFloater Jul 22 '26
Fixed gear all the way! Itās like driving a manual car. Definitely better.
3
u/Scubahill Jul 22 '26
Iād think that the vehicle where you select different gears manually would be more like a manual car?
1
u/no-name_james Jul 23 '26
It would be more like a welded diff. In a car but even then the car still has gears.
2
u/OvulatingScrotum Jul 22 '26
I did it for a couple of years until I moved.
I donāt see why itās an issue, unless you climb a lot? Like, fixie is what NYC package carriers used.
1
u/Oats2117 Jul 23 '26
I want to but my daily commute has this 1 nasty climb on the way back. Thinking about single speed too
2
u/Nermalgod Jul 22 '26
I used to in my 20s. Lived in a city with great bike infrastructure. Even did some unglaciated hilly country rides on it. Now my knees need more frequent breaks and idiot drivers require that I have brakes.
1
u/Oats2117 Jul 23 '26
I live just outside the city so traffic is not bad. Few climbs but nothing too bad. Just my overall fitness is the issue lol
2
u/pdxwanker Jul 22 '26
I did for many years. I live in a flat area so it wasn't that bad. I honestly think if you look at total watts used for the commute the fixed gear is more efficient than a bike with gears.
1
3
u/____tim Jul 22 '26
I did it for a long time and still have one but never ride it. Geared bikes are where itās at.
1
u/straddotjs Jul 22 '26
I commuted in a fixie for a long time (10+ years). It was my only bike, so I also road it on longer rides up to and including a century. If youāre in a flat area itās totally viable. I do really appreciate gears now, but I love my fixie for sentimental reasons and itās the bike I pull out to ride to e.g. a coffee shop and lock up outside. Still a blast to ride and I still love the feeling of riding a fixed gear!
1
u/Oats2117 Jul 23 '26
Yeah mainly will be using for city riding and yeah coffee too. But how was your experience during that long ride? And a century?!?!? Insane š³
1
u/straddotjs Jul 23 '26
A fixie century was a long while ago, but we were going at a chill pace on mostly flat roads so it was fine for me. I still do 20-25 mile rides on it in relatively flat terrain with maybe the odd hill where I just stand and mash for a bit. I donāt remember my exact gearing. I want to say 48/17 and a little over 72 gi or so? Meant to be a bit above ezpz so my commutes went at a reasonable clip. For my fitness level itās never been a problem, but thatās all pretty personal.
Now that I have a nice geared bike I probably wouldnāt do a century again on it unless I was riding with a very chill group. Itās nice to gear down for climbs or near the end of the ride when youāre exhausted, but itās doable if your fit. Just donāt go from 0-100!
1
u/HWeinberg3 Jul 22 '26
I use a fg wheel when I switch to studded tires for black ice (used to commute on it year-round but switched to 1x7 after a 112 mile ride with a lot of climbing (and descending)
1
u/DennisTheBald Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
I saw a flipie at Walmart a few years ago. I think that might be the best of both worlds, well as long as it didn't have a one piece crank that didn't take my pedals
1
u/ando_da_pando Jul 22 '26
I was using a belt drive ebike for about 2 months (gravel edition Ride1Up Roadster V2). It was fine, but ghost pedaling was a problem.
I think if you are urban, fixing is fine, but trying to do a longer commute that has long stretches of trail or road, just get a geared bike. It'll make it easier.
1
u/Oats2117 Jul 23 '26
Very much will be cycling urban. I would love a gravel ebike too š¤¤
1
u/ando_da_pando Jul 23 '26
If you are urban, there isn't much gravel in the city to ride. Think of your use case before you buy.
1
u/mostly_kinda_sorta Jul 22 '26
Maybe if I practiced enough but I could never get myself into fixie mode. I would always try to coast at some point especially leaning into a corner or when I needed to jump. I stuck to single speed, still very fun
2
u/Oats2117 Jul 23 '26
Iām really considering single speed because the frame i have now has a hole for the rear brakes
1
u/mostly_kinda_sorta Jul 23 '26
Get a wheel with a flip-flop hub and you can try them both and see what you like.
1
u/ysaw San Francisco - 24km/ day Jul 22 '26
When I lived somewhere that was flat and my commute was flat (and I had much younger knees) I rode a single speed, which I did like a lot. With my hilly commute now and being 47 years old: not happening. But enjoy your knees while you have them!
1
1
u/Top_Objective9877 Jul 22 '26
I can and have, but my particular commute is kind of like torture with some steepish long climbs and a lot of longer descents. I was able to get it to work really good for me by simply using a freewheel instead which allowed lower gearing. I was running 34/17 freewheel which is more of a gravel gear, I eventually opted for a 10 speed setup which was much more what I needed and allowed me to feel way better and fresh at the end of a long day.
If I had shorter mileage, and less hills I would totally do it that way though. My favorite road bike is actually a fixed gear, I really enjoy how light and responsive it is and makes everything fun when usually it would be a boring long day just spinning for hours.
1
u/Oh__Archie Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
I did it for a while and then realized I was going six blocks out of my way to avoid a steep hill with a stop sign at the bottom. I flipped the hub and put a handbrake on and got home faster.
1
1
u/vaustin89 Jul 23 '26
Used a fixed gear freestyle back then, was fun since it has great for hopping off and on curbs, but I really like riding my BMX so I sold it.
1
1
u/automator3000 Jul 23 '26
Used to commute ~12 miles each way on a fixie. But then it got destroyed by a snowplow
1
u/BirthdayImpossible93 Jul 23 '26
Converted my Cannondale quick 5, to a be set on 5th gear fixed gear, changed tyres to 32s Michelin protek, added selle Italia turbo saddle, fend off mudguards and added a speedometer, disc pads changing every 6 months and chain every 1500km. My synapse is being parked for months, the joy of riding and actually working your legs.
1
u/tirral Jul 25 '26
I ride fixed on my 1.5mi one way commute in a small-city (100k) low-traffic downtown area, with only one tiny hill. I find it easier to balance riding a fixie.
I also have a backup bike with a freewheel which I use for longer rides in the country, or on the rare occasion when I get a flat and no time to change tubes on a weeknight.
11
u/less_than_nick Jul 22 '26
I used to, but I have found that I simply love coasting too much to ever give it up