Fixie Hate?

O

OzPricey

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I just don't get why there's so much hate out their for fixies. I can understand the contempt for posers, having seen some guy ride up and down a small cafe strip; aimlessly vein.

I just don't understand the huge movement toward a hate of a single speed bike.

Discuss.
 
Christo

Christo

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^funny^

People don't hate fixies, people hate attention-seeking posers who think they're cooler than everyone else.

just ride your damn bike.
 
FR Drew

FR Drew

Not a custom title.
Christo has partially hit it on the head with the comment about "posers".

Some of it is a hatred for trend hopping sheep.

Some of it probably carries over from many folks who have had run in's with psychotic cycle couriers who think that they own the road, the footpath and everywhere else and that the entire planet owes them a right of way.

The combination of reckless cyclists and talentless poser cyclists with a bit of "harder to control than the average bike for an underskilled poser" is a dangerous combination.

Some folks hate emo's, but emos aren't thinking they own all the paved surfaces while simultaneously putting your life in jeapordy with a bike they can't control properly.

Otherwise, fixies are cool. I have a friend who is a track cyclist. She has an Anthem now too, and we're gradually teaching her to change gears, use the brakes, coast/freewheel and even to turn right...

Like any group of cyclists, it's usually a minority that make it hard for the rest and result in a stereotype. (Not all singlespeeders are beer swilling, bearded, fat and tattoed for instance)

People say "fixie rider" and the instant mental image that pops into the head is a cloth capped cycle courier riding like a maniac, or a trendoid cafe wanna-be. Obviously not all fixie riders are like that.
 
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Justin Fox

Justin Fox

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I don't hear of any hate at all towards fixies. If anything all I hear are people praising how visually hot and diverse they all look in comparisson to other bicycles.

The only hate I see is on forums where fixie riders are accusing other fixie riders of being hipsters or poseurs.
 
Tazed

Tazed

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Justin Fox said:
I don't hear of any hate at all towards fixies. If anything all I hear are people praising how visually hot and diverse they all look in comparisson to other bicycles.

The only hate I see is on forums where fixie riders are accusing other fixie riders of being hipsters or poseurs.
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Ahhhhhhh... nup.
There's hate alright.
There's a hardcore, antisocial element in fixie riding.
Of course, not all 'participants' in the trend are as bad as others, but that's the price you pay of 'guilt by association'.
Without a doubt, all the fixie riders I know are elitist about it, even if they're not dislikable people. That gets people's backs up.
Some of the riding (while I'll admit is patently very skillful) is blatantly unsafe and irresponsible on the roads.
Sure, brakeless riding takes guts, but it's not very smart in the city.
Reputation is earned.

But there is something beautiful about the bikes, and I think that appeal shouldn't be underrated.
 
rington75

rington75

Likes Dirt
certainly wasn't very smart for the guy who crashed into the side of a bus a couple of years ago, killed istantly.


Axela8 said:
Ahhhhhhh... nup.
There's hate alright.
There's a hardcore, antisocial element in fixie riding.
Of course, not all 'participants' in the trend are as bad as others, but that's the price you pay of 'guilt by association'.
Without a doubt, all the fixie riders I know are elitist about it, even if they're not dislikable people. That gets people's backs up.
Some of the riding (while I'll admit is patently very skillful) is blatantly unsafe and irresponsible on the roads.
Sure, brakeless riding takes guts, but it's not very smart in the city.
Reputation is earned.

But there is something beautiful about the bikes, and I think that appeal shouldn't be underrated.
Click to expand...
 
Binaural

Binaural

Eats Squid
McBain said:
McBain likes this.
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Binaural thinks McBain should leave the third person to actors, minor sporting stars and other such mouth-breathers ;)

Ah, fixies are a trend and as such will always draw scorn from those in and outside. As trends go, it may have given us the "clueless hipster who can barely stop and turn" but it's also given us some outstandingly pretty bikes and led to a thriving scene for renovating cool old bangers (I still remember McBain's awesome yellow beast from years ago, for instance). On balance, it's not nearly such a boil on the arse of the riding scene as, for example, brakeless BMX on the street.
 
SouthYarraSage

SouthYarraSage

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For me, they just make me smile and shake my head. Whatever floats your boat I guess, but outside of the velodrome the point of it all escapes me.

I like the idea of recycling those classy steel frames of yester-year, though.
 
'Ross

'Ross

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Justin Fox said:
I don't hear of any hate at all towards fixies. If anything all I hear are people praising how visually hot and diverse they all look in comparisson to other bicycles.
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Real life hate:
Go ride a fixie for a day through melbourne cbd, you will get a lot of comments yelled at you....and not 'thats a hot and diverse looking bike sir':p

Also if you have ridden with/overtaken a bunch of slow roadies in melbourne, pretty likely one of em will have a rude comment to make. In fact theres a lot of real life hate from other cyclists towards fixies.

This is not just people yelling at me, I haven't ridden a fixie all year and don't have any intention of doing so...In fact Ill be the one yelling at other people making the hipsters feel self conscious:p
 
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