What made you start riding fixed?

I was brought up on BMX and homophobia. I was just gonna get me a single speed road bike for some exercise. A few of my mates were ravin on about fixed gear so I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about. Got a fixed gear. Now I see what all the fuss was about!

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I was brought up on BMX and the philosophy that ghia's are for queers. I was just gonna get me a single speed road bike for some exercise. A few of my mates were ravin on about fixed gear so I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about. Got a fixed gear. Now I see what all the fuss was about!

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I spent too much time at the Cat & Mutton on the end of Broadway Market and my BMX just transformed into a fixed bike.....

I jest, I jest.

I was brought up on BMX

+1 (you dont need gears to climb hills you need 'body english')

Sheldon Brown made me ride fixed...

+1

I didn't choose fixed, fixed chose me.

2nd Best answer :)

I don't ride fixed. Fixed is for bed-wetters and monkey-fiddlers.

Best answer so far :)

Too old to commute on a BMX anymore. Wanted something bigger/faster, and couldn't be bothered with gears.

That would be my real reason.

Also, I only found out about fixed bikes about 4 years ago when my mate tore his ACL. After surgery the physio told him to get out on a road bike just to build the muscles up. His mate lent him his geared road bike because he had just bought a fixed gear. I thought it was fucking crazy, but I warmed to it over time.

I saw this and thought I want one

I'm the same - but different bike. They just look better.

i wanted to be like those cool couriers (my idols are buffallo bill and overdrive)

ha ha i have that bareknuckle picture saved in my 'nice bikes' folder.

Too old to commute on a BMX anymore.

Bugger, theres an age limit? :(
My local hardware store has started stocking cheapo BMXs (1400NOK ~£140). Took a bit of a spin around the store on one on Saturday.

Mrs and Staff - none too impressed
Me - Smiling like a cheshire cat

)

I have been hoping to read:

I was having a look around a new bike shop call Tour de Ville when I saw a poster of some LFGSS forum members. The fat guy in black lycra looked so cool that I just had to be like him and so I bought a fixed wheel bike, some black lycra and ate and ate and ate.

Sadly no one has posted this yet.

fitness for summers between snowboard seasons in the late 90's, then didnt do it for a while, then got back into in when in the US in 2005

I rode my girlfriends bike back to her house one evening. Then I was hooked.

Best answer so far :)

Your xmas present is in the mail. ;)

I don't even know ...

I liked the aesthetics of fixed and SS but then found I liked riding them too. Dont think I will ever go back to gears.

Wanted to start commuting, on a bike, BMX is too small.
Also I can't do shit on a bike but love them.

EDIT: It was also for the health of other tube users. The ones that wouldn't get out of my way.

When Sheldon Brown reps you gotta listen

My legs made me do it.

My dad used to ride the drome and i enjoyed riding his old track bikes.
He bought me a couple of road bikes while i was growing up aswell.

This guy. He came up to me once in southwark and said 'I think you should ride a fixed-wheel by-cycle young man, you're looking dumpy!'

So i did.

Found nice 90's high end 531 road bike in the street.

Tidied it up, found it scary to go fast & couldnt get on with the gears.

But realised I live in a city, mountain bikes are shit, am crap at bmxing & would be awesome to have a fast city bike (without the gears)

Remembered that people ride brakeless fixed wheel bikes around velodromes.

Sold road bike. Went to second hand bike shop, found old malliard fixed wheel, found raliegh record frame, bought more bits & built this:

Which was awkard and dangerous to ride! It however evolved to this:

Which was awesome but died soon as it was perfected.

I wanted to improve my cadence, fitness and pedal stroke. It's a good way to train over the winter and I wanted to start track cycling.

Got tired of riding in thick mud after two very wet summers. Found I was riding my MTB almost esxclusively on the road. Went to London, saw a Bianchi Pista, thought it was beautiful. Didn't know about fixed still, thinking is was simply SS. Decided to get a road bike, and decided to get a SS to save on cash. Posted up my intent on an internet board (not here) and got called a Williamsburg Hipster Cunt by a yank, watched SuperTed's video on the Charge site, bought a Plug, flipped the wheel and have been riding fixed ever since. Love the buzz during and after a long ride, love the sense of superiority over wimps riding freewheels