A Brief History of Fixies Fixed Gear Bikes - A Brief History of Fixies

Fixed gear bikes, or otherwise known as fixies, have develop into somewhat of a popular trend among the college crowd and the Hipsters. As popular as they have become they are not new to the biking world.

Fixed gear bikes have been raced on the track or Velodrome for many years. They have also been used by road cyclist for off season training during the winter or for adding some variety to their normal training routines.

Early on in the history of cycling the freewheel was introduced Early on in the history of cycling the freewheel was introduced. This revolutionized cycling but the fixed gear was still here to stay. What the freewheel did was allow the pedals to remain stationary while coasting. With fixed gear bikes the pedals will continue to rotate as long as the bike was moving.

The rider can still apply some braking action when they apply resistance to the pedals rotation. The bike can actually be ridden backwards because the pedals can also be rotated in either direction.

One of the benefits of the fixed gear bike is its low weight One of the benefits of the fixed gear bike is its low weight. Not having derailleurs, shifters, cables and all the extra chain rings cuts down on the overall weight of the bike. The drivetrain itself is more efficient than its geared version because there is less mechanical parts to get in the way. The rider is able to transfer more energy to the drivetrain than a geared bike as well.

There are many fixed gear riders that do not use brakes; they have become proficient enough at applying resistance to the pedals to slow down and stop. A bike rider can also learn to go into a controlled skid to stop. When the road is wet or slippery many riders feel they get better road feedback with a fixed gear bike than they would with a geared bike.

Since one cannot stop the cranks from rotating you must get used to going downhill fast or even going into tight corners because the pedals could hit the road while they are rotating. Going downhill at high speed could have a rider pedaling at up to 170 rpm or even higher. Many think that riding a fixed gear is more efficient and you are able to transfer more power to the road.

Someone new to this kind of bike may at first have difficulty with the constantly turning cranks. It will take a little bit of riding to get used to this new style after riding a geared bike for years. If you have not tried the fixed gear way of riding you owe it to yourself to check it out for some added variety to your bike riding.

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