Being laughed at riding fixed?

is it just me or do other cyclists who don't ride fixed think you are mad? i ride socially with a lot of cyclists who ride all sorts, bmx/downhill/mtb/road/4cross/singlespeed mtb/fixed road.
but am getting loads of stick from those who have 'normal' road bikes (and mtb's etc) about having a fixed with a normal and cross lever for the front brake, they think it's some insane crackpot idea and a totally pointless bike to ride on the road when i find it perfectly suitable.

i find "just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's wrong" goes some way to shutting them up but they still think you have a screw loose.

so is it just me or do others get the same amount of stick?

A white van driver called me a c*** recently, he was going the other direction on a dual-carriageway and I was nowhere near him (central reservation and a lane between us). He actually went to the roundabout, came back, slowed next to me and called me a c*** again.

I just smiled and left him behind at the traffic lights.

But yeah, I get stick. Not usually from other cyclists though.

In the messenger scene, you get laughed at for NOT riding fixed. Which just goes to show how silly everyone is.

I like it when you get old guys commuting on Bromptons roll up, and ask whether you go to Herne Hill, and how they used to ride fixed back in the day.

They're usually really surprised when I explain the frame is relatively new (last year), that yes England still has some small framebuild shops making track bikes.

That stuff makes the crap worth it.

I've had loads of good conversations iwth Jamaican dudes in Brixton about riding fixed in Jamaica. I mainly laugh at myself when I go down big hills and imagine what it looks like to see my legs spinning so fast.

Sometimes I get asked what is the point very rearly though. I just tell people that I am too stupid for gears or that I never learnt to count past one so whats the point?

I laugh secretely at everyone i overtake :D

laplusgourmande:I laugh secretely at everyone i overtake :D

Haha, I do the same!!

i find non-cyclists either have no idea what it means when you explain a fixed drivetrain and look at you all confused or they are cool about the whole thing, when i told my mother i was getting a fixed bike i expected to have to explain and she just said "it was fun riding a fixed wheel down churh hill when i was a kid".

I've only had positive reactions from other cyclists when riding fixed. Non-cyclists have only been puzzled. I guess it does seem a bit weird if you don't much about bikes and everything you see advertised has loads of gears on it.

My uncle couldn't understand why I was riding a bike system that went out of fashion at the turn of the century.
" 'Cause it's fun" I replied with a big grin on my face.

slamm:

laplusgourmande:I laugh secretely at everyone i overtake :D

Haha, I do the same!!

I laugh in their faces, whilst riding no-handed and stroking a white fluffy cat.

Never had a problem with people laughing, mostly just get "Where did you get those handlebars??" questions... I guess poeple are too busy looking at the moustache to notice it being fixed. One of my friends explained to his father what a fixed wheel bike is and he said "Oh, you mean a clown bike" because the only place he's seen them is in the circus, ridden by clowns. Backwards.

Damn, that's evil.

I remember that when I still raced and started as a messenger I thought they where fooling around when te told me that people ride fixed gear. I just couldn't grasp it untill I actually saw it.

mdja: One of my friends explained to his father what a fixed wheel bike is and he said "Oh, you mean a clown bike" because the only place he's seen them is in the circus, ridden by clowns. Backwards.

Hahahahaha!!!

His dad is obviously a very perceptive fellow!

When I'm in NYC I usually go for a couple of laps of Central Park on sundays.
The path is full of roadies, some really serious about it, with carbon everything etc..
Most are quite slow and easy to pass, but some are really quick.
I remember overtaking one of the fast guys on a slight uphill (where I feel fixed gives you a strong advantage for some reason), and hearing a condescending quick laugh.
Like "ha" mixed with "huh".
Then he got his act together and sped past me to disappear in the distance.

He seemed really offended that I had the audacity to overtake him on my silly bike with jeans, chain, bag and sweatshirt.

i get loads of people asking, "how do you stop?" and sometimes like someone else mentioned, old boys coming up to me saying "is that a fixed wheel? i didn't know anyone rode those anymore"

Hell yes I get laughed at for riding a fix. Then again it might be because it looks like a unicorn shit it out and it has a sticker that says I like to ride fat chicks on it and I'm goofy lookin anyways...

ImOnCrank Hell yes I get laughed at for riding a fix. Then again it might be because it looks like a unicorn shit it out and it has a sticker that says I like to ride fat chicks on it and I'm goofy lookin anyways...

Like this you mean?

Fuckin A. Exactly like that right down to the shants.

People laugh at me. END

A bunch of teenagers in a corsa with an exhaust pipe as thick as my leg were pissing themselves laughing at me yesterday. I thought they might be laughing at me for riding fixed, but they didn't seem like the types to notice, and it's not really the sort of thing you would guffaw about anyway.

When I got home I realised I had a great streak of bird shit on my helmet.

speaking as a confirmed freewheeler who only very occasionally flips to a fixed and promptly falls off I take no offence if anyone wishes to laugh at me, why not spread a little happiness. Hey, I might just have another go thisevening. Get the bandaid ready missus.

That's because you roadie too often kipsy. It was my problem too. I hated fixed at first because I couldn't get used to not coasting and kept being almost thrown off the bike.

Just stick out fixed for a week or two, you won't regret it.