5 Reasons People Hate Fixed Gears

The bike I ride, channel sponsor, pretty cool people:

Mildly ironic Reasonably Dangerous cycling shirts:

As diehard as fixed gear riders can be about our preferred drivetrain, fixed gear riding is a niche because it's really not for everyone. Fixed gear is polarizing: you either love it or hate it. Here's 5 reasons people hate fixed gear bikes.

0:00 - You either love it or hate it.
1:29 - Sponsor: Wabi Cycles
1:45 - 5. You Can't Coast
3:08 - 4. You're Stuck with One Gear
4:11 - 3. They're Too Bare Bones
5:13 - 2. They're for Hipsters
6:56 - 1. They're Outdated
9:29 - Sponsor: Wabi Cycles
10:32 - Fixie Famous Shoutouts

Fixie Famous Shoutouts:
Brandon Black
Kelvin Ho
Zane Kolnik
Fixed Federation
OC Bike Crew
Ryan Witt
Stan Strong 108
Julian Corona
David Klippens
Ellie Lovelace
Justin Javier

Singlespeed Shoutouts:
Seungwan Kim
Chris
Javier Lopez
M.
Martin Mohr
Nick
Scott Palangi
Todd Brannan
Epilektric
Michael Greif
Nicodache

Connect with me:

#fixedgear

[knarf_on_a_bike]

64 years old. Riding track bike on the streets since '97. I was a messenger back then. Super efficient for riding in traffic. Now I use it for my daily commute. Because it's just so damned good looking. The bike, not me. 😉

[zheedoor]

hi zach, I'm from Indonesia. I, m 48 years old. I started riding fixed gear one year a go. I ride fixed gear for "bike to work" about 40km. FIXED GEAR IS FUN! and I love it and I love your (sorry for my poor English)

[StanStrong]

LOL, I'm definitely old, turning 50 next year but I think getting my "Fix" in do keep me young

[MrEdBuzz]

Love it... I've casually ridden 'fixie' since I was a 16-year old schoolboy, then it was just to be 'different' from my pals. That was 61 years ago! A dozen years I sold my vehicle and I'm still riding fixie, although I do have a geared bike with mudguards for mainly wet winter road... both Dave Mellor of Shrewsbury frames with Italian bits and bobs attached. Here I France I get a lot of comments and some strange looks from other lycra-clad cyclists as they whizz past me... but I trundle along quite happily at my own pace, being 'different'.

[StanStrong]

Yup, got into fixed gear to get stronger and enjoy my regular road bike more but now I'm totally hooked and ride fixed most of the time

[StandbyCymbalist]

most folks who ride 365 days a year, rain or shine, will eventually learn to appreciate a fixed gear bike. Fixed will always be a strong contender in departments such as: maintenance/cleaning time, of parts, ability to ride in sloppy rain and snow, durability of parts in real world scenarios, fewer specialized tools required, and fun of riding. If you absolutely have to get to work in the morning on a bike, fixed is less to worry about braking. I rode a 5 speed during the fixie-trend years. Had a lot of derailed chains, crashed a lot, got hit by cars, and loathed cleaning my bike. Then after commuting for 15 years, I inevitably went for a fixed gear build. Now I actually enjoy cleaning my bike, and instead of being pissed at every stoplight, I can work on riding fakie or trying to make my entire commute without putting a foot down. It changed my entire perspective. Fixed allows you to enjoy every moment, even the stoplights in life.

[lilholy]

I'm not a fixed rider, but I do enjoy the content...and single speed just seems to be the best for me...

[deliciouscookie]

The thing I hate moste about fixed gear riding is my account balance, after ordering new parts

[tonyhawkins]

Enjoy the vids, though fixed is not for me! Now single speed has been a revelation on my 28yr old steel mtb, much cleaner, lighter but still has 3 speeds - standing, sitting and walking!

[event]

Coasting on FG exists, just a bit different - relax legs and let them circle without applying force on to pedals. Let your legs to spin without any efforts either direction (force or resistance).

[poione]

something about conquering a hill without gears feels so much more rewarding.

[JohnBarrow]

It's true, from a purely aesthetic standpoint, fixed gear bikes are amazing looking. I've always been one to appreciate clean designs, from watches, to cars, even to something relatively obscure like fountain pens (yes, they are still around and have a dedicated, passionate following, yours truly included), and fixed gear bikes fill the bill big time in that regard. Just looking at them is worth the price of admission. Your Wabi is pretty damn sweet. The fact that their history is born of track racing, a very cool subset of the cycling world, makes them even more interesting.

[ratoneJR]

Fixed gear: never had one, never wanted one.
I like my SS as much as I like this channel... ALOT.
Long time subscrider.

[dannybodros]

I ride single freewheel, but I'm still subbed to your channel.
Tried fixed gear once and the most annoying things about it were the inability to jump over hops and pedals hitting the ground during sharp turns.

[laurafelskekuhn]

*Looked at a lot of options for getting my **Latest.Bike** . Great find in SAVA. Super light, nice components, really good value as it comes with many options only found in much higher priced bikes.*

[Likelybiking]

I personally don’t like riding fixed. I’ve done it a few times and it’s not for me. But I still love your channel!

[jeremystone]

I learned how to ride on a fixed, it was a 1950's kids bike. I rode every single bike I could as I was growing up. Huffy dirt bikes, my mom's Schwinn 3 speed and my dad's Peugeot and my own DB mountain bike through the 90's. I went back to fixed in my late 30's on a whim, I'm much older now and don't like riding any other kind of bike. Fixed gear or nothin'... That's just what I like.

[azoique]

Used to ride track bikes in 2008-2013. Went on to Road, CX and Gravel bikes since but pretty stoked to build a SS/Fixed again. I miss the simplicity of them.

[DreDaGodSon]

As a fixed gear ⚙️ rider I find myself being excited when I see someone riding a single-speed until they coast when going down a hill then it hit me that I’m alone again.

[drrrw]

The first time I rode my fixed gear bike, I slip myself in the pedal straps, as soon as I went out the bike shop I immediately fell in the middle of a busy road, thankfully traffic is super slow. I got up and rode it again. Ever since that then I loved the bike.