Saturday, February 5, 2011

Fixed gear bikes

A fixed-gear bicycle (or fixed-wheel bicycle, sometimes known in the USA as a fixie) is a bicycle that has no freewheel, meaning it cannot coast — the pedals are always in motion when the bicycle is moving.
The sprocket is screwed or bolted directly onto a fixed hub. When the rear wheel turns, the pedals turn in the same direction. This allows a cyclist to stop without using a brake, by resisting the rotation of the cranks, and also to ride in reverse.
Track Cycling in a Velodrome has always used fixed-gear Track Bikes, but fixed-gear bicycles are now again used on the road, a trend generally seen as being led by bicycle messengers

Uses

The track bicycle is a form of fixed-gear bicycle used for track cycling in a velodrome. But since a "fixed-gear bicycle" is just a bicycle without a freewheel, a fixed-gear bicycle can be any type of bicycle.
Traditionally, some road racing, club cyclists used a fixed-gear bicycle for training during the winter months, generally using a relatively low gear ratio, believed to help develop a good pedalling style. In the UK until the 1950s it was common for riders to use fixed-gear bicycles for time trials. The fixed-gear was also commonly used, and continues to be used in the end of season hill climb races in the autumn. A typical club men's fixed-gear machine would have been a "road/path" or "road/track" cycle. In the era when most riders only had one cycle, the same bike when stripped down and fitted with racing wheels was used for road time trials and track racing, and when fitted with mudguards (fenders) and a bag, it was used for club runs, touring and winter training. By the 1960s, multigear derailleur had become the norm and riding fixed-gear on the road declined over the next few decades. Recent years have seen renewed interest and increased popularity of fixed-gear cycling.

10 comments:

  1. Heh... for some ungodly reason my parents gave me one of these when I was rather young.. it was one of my first bikes... oh all the times I nearly killed myself because you cant coast on the F'ing pedals... lol
    >:3

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  2. thats a weird system that only belongs on a kids bike imo, are there many benefits?

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  3. I used to own one of those, god so many scars.

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  4. do you think thant fixed gear bikes are becoming the trendie bike to have? ive noticed a bit of a fixie craze going on lately

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  5. i love these style bikes, if i lived in the city id definitely get one

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  6. I just want a bike, i don't care if it'll slap me on my calfs each time i decide not to pedal.. lol.. would've love to see someone try to steal one and it all goes bad tho.. would've been hilarious!

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