Will you still be riding in 5 years?

I saw some ridiculosly chopped flat bars the other day that really got on my tits, they were literally the size of both of the dudes hands put together, now why the hell would you need handle bars shorter than the length of your pedals??? ok ive got chopped risers but they aint that extreeme

I'll definitely be riding for the next four years as my degree is that long and cycling is my main form of transport to and from campus. The tube is far too expensive for me! Plus I really enjoy it. I don't drive (I've never had a single driving lesson) and don't want to learn to either - I'm quite a nervous car passenger let alone driver.

After I graduate I'm pretty sure I still will be riding, I've cycled for as long as I can remember. I think it's likely I'll be riding fixed for a while too - I don't like gears that much. I find two on my Brompton irritating let alone 21!

@Object17 - I was 38x18 SS, and ended up happy on 39x17/16 fixed for stuff like the Ridgeway and South Downs Way. You can still descend at nearly 30mph if necessary, but just about get up the steep stuff. That was with a 2.3 Conti Vert in the front (rigid fork) and 1.85 Panaracer Fire XC in the back. And a rear brake :)

eeehhhh I think it's likely I'll be riding fixed for a while too - I don't like gears that much. I find two on my Brompton irritating let alone 21!

I quite like the 18 on my road bike - mainly for hills...

... I don't mean getting up them; I mean creating virtual hills by sticking it in 53x13 on some pissy little drag during a boring flat ride :)

@ BMMF, I was considering starting out with 36*18 fixed and 36*16 free. I suspect that'll likely change as time goes on though. I'm sticking 2.2s front and back too, but you know what new builds are like. I suspect I'll have changed various things after the first couple of rides.
@ Megaman, I ride flats cut down to about 310mm on my Fixed. They make gaps between buses lots of fun. Plus as most cars are narrower at pedal height than they are at bar height it can make sense to have marginally narrower handlebars than pedal width.

Sounds reasonable. I went for bigger gear fixed cos i) momentum effect ii) easier to keep control during descents iii) easier to/more likely to stand up and take some wait off yer bum now and again. YMMV :)

teenslain Hopefully I'll be in Australia by then and as long as my poor old, wrecked knees hold up, I'll be riding... Way of life innit?
Gotta say the fixed thing has injected loads more fun into cycling for me, it used to be something I just did everyday without thinking about it... Now I'm determined to become a regular at Herne Hill next year and actually take part in an 'organised' sport, which I haven't done since playing footy as a teenager... That's gotta be a good thing... No, a great thing! :-)
And Aerospokes look really cool... ;-)

get ready for a rude shock if cycling in any of the city's, drivers are crzy!

Maybe 36*16 would be better for the fixed? Damnit too many considerations.

I've been riding for over 10 years, have seen a lot of trends come and go - I remember when couriers rode mountain bikes because they were cool.

Will the whole Fixed / SS scene remain this high-profile for ever? Unlikely. But will there still be people who chose to ride those style of bikes, very much so - just as another group will migrate to some form of geared bike but still remain riding.

dogsballs [quote]teenslain Hopefully I'll be in Australia by then and as long as my poor old, wrecked knees hold up, I'll be riding... Way of life innit?
Gotta say the fixed thing has injected loads more fun into cycling for me, it used to be something I just did everyday without thinking about it... Now I'm determined to become a regular at Herne Hill next year and actually take part in an 'organised' sport, which I haven't done since playing footy as a teenager... That's gotta be a good thing... No, a great thing! :-)
And Aerospokes look really cool... ;-)

get ready for a rude shock if cycling in any of the city's, drivers are crzy![/quote]
Yeah, saw some pretty stupid driving over there last year...
The Belgians still win hands down tho', closely followed by my Spanish compatriots, specifically my dad... He crazy behind the wheel... :-S

Bike Snob NYC has some great articles on this I was reading the other day, about the demise of it as a fashion.

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2007/11/bsnyc-fixed-gear-apocalypse-watch.html

It's an interesting concept, I've been really into riding since I was about 14. I rode trials for about 3 years, then got a girlfriend and stopped. Then I kind of got back into it then stopped, and then I got a BMX and rode park for about a year and a half, and if then you'd have told me that in 2 years I'd be riding a bike which fits me and has drop bars, I'd have NEVER had believed it. But I started riding singlespeed before going fixed, and now, its just so great to get around on. The ultimate in travel, I use it every day, I NEED it, the thought of spending £2 on a bus fare is absurd to me now!

Riding on a low budget since I was 14 I've built up a collection of tools, spare parts, and all the knowledge to keep riding no matter what goes wrong. For this reason, five years from now, I can't imagine stopping riding fixed. And if I did, it would probably be the thing I could just get straight back into, well I hope so.

regardless of how people get into fixed, I reckon that many people stick with fixed because they realise that it actually makes a lot of sense when people consider their riding needs...its more fun, you are more involved, it makes you stronger, less maintenance, lots of dope bikes to chose from etc etc...so fixed basically has both the cool and functional factor, which is why I think it has become so popular...I don't think it will go out of fashion that quickly because it is such a sensible way of riding in the city and nearly all who ride fixed realise this...how many people try it out and don't like it? not many I imagine...

Peace

oh, and I'll definitely be riding in 5 years...

Jake I was about 14. I rode trials for about 3 years, then got a girlfriend and stopped. Then I kind of got back into it then stopped, and then I got a BMX and rode park for about a year and a half, and if then you'd have told me that in 2 years I'd be riding a bike which fits me and has drop bars, I'd have NEVER had believed it. But I started riding singlespeed before going fixed, and now, its just so great to get around on. The ultimate in travel, I use it every day, I NEED it, the thought of spending £2 on a bus fare is absurd to me now!

Riding on a low budget since I was 14 I've built up a collection of tools, spare parts, and all the knowledge to keep riding no matter what goes wrong. For this reason, five years from now, I can't imagine stopping riding fixed. And if I did, it would probably be the thing I could just get straight back into, well I hope so.

Similar to me but mbt and bmx. The low budget thing I am with you too. That was one of the things that really put me off of mbting in the 90's was the you must have a 1k machine minimum and the snobbery.

Snobbery sucks. Riding rules.

I'll still be riding in 5 years..

probably still trying to get there

You could get there in 4 with tribars and a skinsuit.

where do I sign?

Here: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

got a pen?

stompy does.

Warning! Long Friday night post...

@ Tommy, I think there's still the expensive bike snobbery in MTB...

I bought a mountain bike for about 350 notes back in '95, nothing fancy but with a bit of care and maintenance it's lasted over 12 years. I've thrashed it to within an inch of it's capabilities, commuted on it, ridden 60 mile road rides several times, pulled a kiddie trailer, jumped it, raced it and loved every minute of it. I know this bike so well it's like a part of me.

Earlier this year I succumbed to temptation and splashed almost 3x as much on a nearly new, top spec MTB. I've used it about 5 times :( I still wince at the thought of spending all that cash on something that'll sit unused for most of the year.

Until a couple of weeks ago I have still used my old bike (now SS 34x13) for everything - especially my 37 mile round trip commute a few times a week. This just goes to show that although my own riding habits, needs, and distances have changed over time I've been able to accommodate it all with the same frame and set of wheels I paid for all those years ago. I cringe when I look at those ad's in MTB mags that show 450 notes for suspension forks. I've ridden crazier stuff than a lot of MTB'ers on my old rigid bike and think my riding style has benefited from it - ride light, anticipate obstacles, look ahead.

This bring me to fixed. Those same skills transfer to riding fixed, which I have finally managed to start doing a few weeks ago. Absolutely loving it, anything that rekindles that magic of learning new tricks and skills on a bike is welcome in my view - I feel like I did as a kid on my BMX when I was 12. I'm not promising I'll still be riding fixed for my commute in 5 years but I know even now that I'll always have a fixed gear bike of some sort for when the mood takes me.
There's something special about a fixed gear bike that makes you feel more connected to the machine and the way it handles. I get the feeling there are a lot of you here that experience your cycling in a similar way to me, something my wife, family and friends could never understand. Something to do with the 'at-one'ness of riding that seems to be more accessible on a fixed-gear bike.

Having said that about my family I was taken aback when my Dad after having only glimpsed my bike for seconds spotted it was fixed. I was sooooo impressed - it transpires he'd fixed his old BSA when he was about 16, back in the day! How cool is that?

SimonC I remember when couriers rode mountain bikes because they were cool.

'strue. When I was student in the mid-80's you used to see the messengers going to sign on at the Elephant & Castle dole office. In those days it was all Italian racing bikes and Look tops.

..thats a good point, does anyone remember Age of Chance? The original fakengers shurely?

ChrisNW Having said that about my family I was taken aback when my Dad after having only glimpsed my bike for seconds spotted it was fixed. I was sooooo impressed - it transpires he'd fixed his old BSA when he was about 16, back in the day! How cool is that?

im not having a dig but that could be seen as quite patronising......im sure your aware the history of the 'fixed gear',its been about alot longer the you or i.why wouldn't your dad know what is is?
my dad used to cycle alot,he doesn't so much any more.when i went back to see my mum i was rummaging through the loft and discovered some old tubs....i was like "wow dad road tubs?!" assuming that tubs were just part of the fixed gear/track scene...my mum looked at me like i was some kind of dick...she said something like "he was riding tubs before you were born".....obviously that made me think that this is nothing new..its just a slight adjustment of what was..so i shut my mouth.

jonny object, used to live within 10 mins of epping forest so always out there. but mainly we could get the train down to petersfield and go and hit the south downs. have been other places too.

problem is a no longer have my mtb (tho it is with a mate who can i borrow it from). i converted it to SS but he has put gears back on it. i did cross country rather than downhill. never mtb'd fixed but could easily be CONvinced if i had the wheels

i'm definetly in on the offroad, fixed ride. I have a converted mtb (that i kept for years and years) with eccentric hub its wicked, but alas havent gone off road yet...

aidan my mum looked at me like i was some kind of dick...she said something like "he was riding tubs before you were born"...

...that's cold.